A new and simple optical sensor for the detection of formic acid unleashed by wooden storage or display materials used in museums and responsible for accelerating glass deterioration

Organic pollutants such as formic acid , acetic acid and formaldehyde released by some materials (mainly wood) used for storage and display can play an important role on the alteration of the glass structure due to the alkali leaching process. It as been determined that formic acid when present inside storage or display cabinets is the one that affects most glass integrity , accelerating and deepening the alkali leaching from the silica matrix. As this situation can affect many museums on their glass collections , monitoring this compound would be of great importance for indoor preservation purposes. An optical sensor based on the layer-­‐by-­‐layer (LbL) electrostatic self-­‐assembly process is under development to identify indoor formic acid based on the immobilization of chemo-­‐responsive dyes in polymeric structures. The sensors are based on an optical response resulting from the reaction between immobilized dyes and the referred organic pollutant .publishersversionpublishe

Lack of geographic variation in Y-chromosomal introns of red deer (Cervus elaphus)

Intra-specific Y-chromosomal sequence variation is useful for analysing the male contribution to a species' spatial genetic structure. In red deer (Cervus elaphus) this is especially relevant, because geographic dispersal and game translocations occur mainly through the males. However, Y-chromosomal markers for wild organisms are scarce and frequently non-polymorphic within species. We assessed the intra-specific variation of two Y-chromosomal introns in red deer, one in the DBY (or DDX3Y) gene and the other in the UBE1Y gene. The introns were amplified using previously published exonic primers and directly sequenced in individuals of five red deer subspecies from across Eurasia. However, no nucleotide polymorphism was observed, which rebuts the usefulness of these introns for studies on red deer phylogeography and on illegal translocations within this region. Male-based phylogeographic studies should thus be focused on other Y-chromosomal markers for this species

Lack of geographic variation in Y-chromosomal introns of red deer (Cervus elaphus)

Intra-specific Y-chromosomal sequence variation is useful for analysing the male contribution to a species’ spatial genetic structure. In red deer (Cervus elaphus) this is especially relevant, because geographic dispersal and game translocations occur mainly through the males. However, Y-chromosomal markers for wild organisms are scarce and frequently non-polymorphic within species. We assessed the intra-specific variation of two Y-chromosomal introns in red deer, one in the DBY (or DDX3Y) gene and the other in the UBE1Y gene. The introns were amplified using previously published exonic primers and directly sequenced in individuals of five red deer subspecies from across Eurasia. However, no nucleotide polymorphism was observed, which rebuts the usefulness of these introns for studies of red deer phylogeography and on illegal transport of red deer within this region. Male-based phylogeographic studies should thus be focused on other Y-chromosomal markers for this species

Favourable areas for expansion and reintroduction of Iberian lynx accounting for distribution trends and genetic diversity of the European rabbit

Although on a local scale Iberian lynx distribution is determined by the availability of prey rabbits, recent modelling analyses have uncovered broad-scale disagreements between these two species’ distribution trends. These analyses showed also that the lynx had become restricted to only a fraction of the rabbit’s genetic diversity, and that this could be jeopardising its survival in the face of environmental hazards and uncertainty. In the present paper, a follow-up was carried out through the building of lynx and rabbit distribution models based on the most recent Spanish mammal atlas. Environmental favourability values for lynx and rabbit were positively correlated within the lynx’s current distribution area, but they were negatively correlated within the total Spanish area where lynx used to occur in the 1980’s. Environmental favourability for rabbits was significantly higher where lynx maintains reproductive populations than where it recently disappeared, indicating that rabbit favourability plays an important role and can be a good predictor of lynx persistence. The lynx and rabbit models were extrapolated to predict favourable areas for both species in Spain as well as in Portugal, on the original scale of the distribution data (10x10 km) and on a 100 times finer spatial resolution (1x1 km). The lynx and rabbit models were also combined through fuzzy logic to forecast the potential for lynx occurrence incorporating information on favourable areas for its main prey. Several areas are proposed as favourable for lynx expansion or re-introduction

Calcular corotipos sin dividir el territorio en OGUs: una adaptación de los índices de similitud para su utilización directa sobre áreas de distribución

La definición de patrones de distribución característicos (corotipos) tiene aplicaciones importantes en biogeografía y conservación. Se basa en la comparación de presencias y ausencias de especies en distintas localidades o en una malla de unidades geográficas operativas (OGUs) como, por ejemplo, cuadrículas. El tipo y tamaño de las OGUs afecta a los corotipos resultantes, y cualquier parcelación del territorio implica una distorsión de la información. Por ejemplo, dos especies pueden quedar solapadas si ambas intersectan una misma cuadrícula, aunque estén separadas por una barrera geográfica que atraviesa esa cuadrícula. Aquí se presenta una adaptación de los índices de similitud comúnmente utilizados para comparar patrones de distribución (ej. Jaccard; Baroni-Urbani y Buser), basada en el tamaño de las intersecciones y uniones de las áreas de distribución. Esto permite comparar distribuciones sin dividirlas en OGUs, eliminando los consiguientes artefactos. El método se implementa en un paquete informático libre que incluye un tutorial

Applying fuzzy logic to comparative distribution modelling: a case study with two sympatric amphibians.

We modelled the distributions of two toads (Bufo bufo and Epidalea calamita) in the Iberian Peninsula using the favourability function, which makes predictions directly comparable for different species and allows fuzzy logic operations to relate different models. The fuzzy intersection between individual models, representing favourability for the presence of both species simultaneously, was compared with another favourability model built on the presences shared by both species. The fuzzy union between individual models, representing favourability for the presence of any of the two species, was compared with another favourabilitymodel based on the presences of either or both of them. The fuzzy intersections between favourability for each species and the complementary of favourability for the other (corresponding to the logical operation “A and not B”) were compared with models of exclusive presence of one species versus the exclusive presence of the other. The results of modelling combined species data were highly similar to those of fuzzy logic operations between individual models, proving fuzzy logic and the favourability function valuable for comparative distribution modelling. We highlight several advantages of fuzzy logic over other forms of combining distribution models, including the possibility to combine multiple species models for management and conservation planning

Applying Fuzzy Logic to Comparative Distribution Modelling: A Case Study with Two Sympatric Amphibians

We modelled the distributions of two toads (Bufo bufo and Epidalea calamita) in the Iberian Peninsula using the favourability function, which makes predictions directly comparable for different species and allows fuzzy logic operations to relate different models. The fuzzy intersection between individual models, representing favourability for the presence of both species simultaneously, was compared with another favourability model built on the presences shared by both species. The fuzzy union between individual models, representing favourability for the presence of any of the two species, was compared with another favourability model based on the presences of either or both of them. The fuzzy intersections between favourability for each species and the complementary of favourability for the other (corresponding to the logical operation “A and not B”) were compared with models of exclusive presence of one species versus the exclusive presence of the other. The results of modelling combined species data were highly similar to those of fuzzy logic operations between individual models, proving fuzzy logic and the favourability function valuable for comparative distribution modelling. We highlight several advantages of fuzzy logic over other forms of combining distribution models, including the possibility to combine multiple species models for management and conservation planning

Análises biogeográficas exploratórias

Este capítulo analisa os padrões gerais de riqueza específica observada, os padrões na recolha de registos (distribuição espacial do esforço de amostragem), e as zonas onde visivelmente ainda falta informação, para lhes dar prioridade na recolha de dados com vista à segunda edição (revista e aumentada) deste Atlas