Diversity and distribution of blackflies (Diptera: Simuliidae) of the Tormes river basin (western Spain)

To enhance the partial knowledge on blackfly (Diptera: Simuliidae) fauna in Spain it is crucial to collect all the available data on this group to better understand their ecology and distribution over the years. This study presents data from samples collected along the Tormes river basin (western Spain) during the years 1988, 1989 and 1996 and then stored at the University of Salamanca. As a result of a research stay, a total of 19 species belonging to 3 genera (Prosimulium, Metacnephia and Simulium) and 5 Simulium subgenera (Boophthora, Eusimulium, Nevermannia, Simulium and Wilhelmia) were identified after examining 64% of the stored material, representing 35% of the species known from Spain. In addition, 14 species are reported for the first time in 3 provinces in the study area. Further sampling of blackflies is foreseen in the near future in order to check if the blackfly fauna composition determined in samples collected during the last two decades of the 20th century has changed. This aim gains in importance as a consequence of haematophagous species having been found, relevant for both public health and animal welfare, not only because of the discomfort caused by their bites but also because of their potential as vectors of disease-causing agents in animals and humans

LOS BOMBÍLIDOS (DIPTERA, BOMBYLIIDAE) DE LA SIERRA DE BÉJAR (ESPAÑA)

Faunistical, altitudinal distribution and relationship with vegetation of 48 bee flies species belonging to Sierra of Béjar placed in the Central mountain chain of the Iberian Peninsula have been studied. Most species studied are new record in the study area; this is the first record for Anastoechus fulvescens and Systoechus microcephalus in the Iberian Peninsula and the species Hemipenthes vockerothi, is cited for second time; this specie is always located over 1300 m high.Se ha realizado un estudio sobre faunística, distribución altitudinal y relación con la vegetación de 48 especies de bombílidos presentes en la Sierra de Béjar, situada en la parte occidental del Sistema Central de la Península Ibérica. La mayoría de las especies estudiadas constituyen nuevas citas para la zona de estudio; Anastoechus fulvescens y Systoechus microcephalus se citan por primera vez para la Península Ibérica y Hemipenthes vockerothi por segunda vez , ésta última ha sido recolectada siempre a altitudes superiores a los 1300 m

Virulence as a Side Effect of Interspecies Interaction in Vibrio Coral Pathogens

The increase in prevalence and severity of coral disease outbreaks produced by Vibrio pathogens, and related to global warming, has seriously impacted reef-building corals throughout the oceans. The coral Oculina patagonica has been used as a model system to study coral bleaching produced by Vibrio infection. Previous data demonstrated that when two coral pathogens (Vibrio coralliilyticus and Vibrio mediterranei) simultaneously infected the coral O. patagonica, their pathogenicity was greater than when each bacterium was infected separately. Here, to understand the mechanisms underlying this synergistic effect, transcriptomic analyses of monocultures and cocultures as well as experimental infection experiments were performed. Our results revealed that the interaction between the two vibrios under culture conditions overexpressed virulence factor genes (e.g., those encoding siderophores, the type VI secretion system, and toxins, among others). Moreover, under these conditions, vibrios were also more likely to form biofilms or become motile through induction of lateral flagella. All these changes that occur as a physiological response to the presence of a competing species could favor the colonization of the host when they are present in a mixed population. Additionally, during coral experimental infections, we showed that exposure of corals to molecules released during V. coralliilyticus and V. mediterranei coculture induced changes in the coral microbiome that favored damage to coral tissue and increased the production of lyso-platelet activating factor. Therefore, we propose that competition sensing, defined as the physiological response to detection of harm or to the presence of a competing Vibrio species, enhances the ability of Vibrio coral pathogens to invade their host and cause tissue necrosis.This research was supported in part by the EU-H2020 MetaFluidics project with grant agreement number 685474 (to J.A.) and NSF-PIRE grant number OISE1243541 (to F.R.). E.R.-P. was funded by the postdoctoral program Vali+d (GVA) (grant number APOSTD-2016-091). A.M.C.-R. and P.C.D. were supported by the National Sciences Foundation grant IOS-1656481

Factors structuring microbial communities in highly impacted coastal marine sediments (Mar Menor lagoon, SE Spain)

Coastal marine lagoons are environments highly vulnerable to anthropogenic pressures such as agriculture nutrient loading or runoff from metalliferous mining. Sediment microorganisms, which are key components in the biogeochemical cycles, can help attenuate these impacts by accumulating nutrients and pollutants. The Mar Menor, located in the southeast of Spain, is an example of a coastal lagoon strongly altered by anthropic pressures, but the microbial community inhabiting its sediments remains unknown. Here, we describe the sediment prokaryotic communities along a wide range of environmental conditions in the lagoon, revealing that microbial communities were highly heterogeneous among stations, although a core microbiome was detected. The microbiota was dominated by Delta- and Gammaproteobacteria and members of the Bacteroidia class. Additionally, several uncultured groups such as Asgardarchaeota were detected in relatively high proportions. Sediment texture, the presence of Caulerpa or Cymodocea, depth, and geographic location were among the most important factors structuring microbial assemblages. Furthermore, microbial communities in the stations with the highest concentrations of potentially toxic elements (Fe, Pb, As, Zn, and Cd) were less stable than those in the non-contaminated stations. This finding suggests that bacteria colonizing heavily contaminated stations are specialists sensitive to change.The study of the microbial communities has been carried out within the project “Metafluidics” and it was funded by the European Union’s framework program Horizon 2020 (LEIT-BIO-2015-685474 to JA). Samplings were supported by the projects MEMM (financed by the Spanish Institute of Oceanography), 19-ESMARES2-ANG (financed by the Spanish Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge), and BIOFOM (Ref. TEC0004869 financed by the Regional Government of Murcia). M-DB and JB-E were supported by a contract within the Program Personal Técnico de Apoyo funded by the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad. BA-R was also supported by the ACIF fellow of the Generalitat Valenciana government

Respuesta productiva y económica del reemplazo parcial de mazorca de maíz quebrado con maíz molido o melaza para vacas de doble propósito

The aim of the study was to assess the effect of partial replacement of cracked maize ears with ground maize (GM) or sugar cane molasses (SCM) in supplements for dual purpose cows. Eighteen (18) multiparous cows (414 ± 13 kg of body weight and 106 ± 32 d in milk) were randomly assigned to the treatments. Treatments were as follows: 1) Control supplement (CS) which consisted of 87% of cracked maize ears (CME), 11% soybean meal, and 2% urea; 2) Ground maize replacing 20% of CME in CS (GMS); 3) Sugar cane molasses replacing 18% of CME in the CS (MOS). Each cow received 5 kg/d of supplement DM, whereas their calves received 1.8 kg/d DM of the CS. The experiment lasted eleven weeks, and data were recorded once at the end of every week. Data were analysed using a linear mixed model as a completely randomized design. Net profit from milk and beef due to supplements were estimated using the partial budget approach. There were no differences (P>0.05) between treatments on milk composition, body conditions score, nor daily weight gain of cows and calves. However, compared to GM, CS shown greater (9.0 %, P0.05) entre los tratamientos sobre la composición de la leche, la condición corporal ni el aumento de peso diario de las vacas y terneros. Sin embargo, en comparación con el MM, el ST mostró mayor (9.0 %, P0.05) en las demás variables de respuesta. Los márgenes combinados de ganancias netas (ventas de leche y terneros), fueron 9 % mayores para el tratamiento con MCA en comparación con el resto de los suplementos

New Mediterranean Biodiversity Records (July 2016)

This contribution forms part of a series of collective articles published regularly in Mediterranean Marine Science that report on new biodiversity records from the Mediterranean basin. The current article presents 51 geographically distinct records for 21 taxa belonging to 6 Phyla, extending from the western Mediterranean to the Levantine. The new records, per country, are as follows: Spain: the cryptogenic calcareous sponge Paraleucilla magna is reported from a new location in the Alicante region. Algeria: the rare Atlanto-Mediterranean bivalve Cardium indicum is reported from Annaba. Tunisia: new distribution records for the Indo-Pacific lionfish Pterois miles from Zembra Island and Cape Bon. Italy: the ark clam Anadara transversa is reported from mussel cultures in the Gulf of Naples, while the amphipod Caprella scaura and the isopods Paracerceis sculpta and Paranthura japonica are reported as associated to the –also allochthonous–bryozoan Amathia verticillata in the Adriatic Sea; in the latter region, the cosmopolitan Atlantic tripletail Lobotes surinamensisis also reported, a rare finding for the Mediterranean. Slovenia: a new record of the non-indigenous nudibranch Polycera hedgpethi in the Adriatic. Greece: several new reports of the introduced scleractinian Oculina patagonica, the fangtooth moray Enchelycore anatina, the blunthead puffer Sphoeroides pachygaster (all Atlantic), and the lionfish Pterois miles (Indo-Pacific) suggest their ongoing establishment in the Aegean Sea; the deepest bathymetric record of the invasive alga Caulerpa cylindracea in the Mediterranean Sea is also registered in the Kyklades, at depths exceeding 70 m. Turkey: new distribution records for two non indigenous crustaceans, the blue crab Callinectes sapidus (Atlantic origin) and the moon crab Matuta victor (Indo-Pacific origin) from the Bay of Izmir and Antalya, respectively; in the latter region, the Red Sea goatfish Parupeneus forsskali, is also reported. Lebanon: an array of records of 5 alien and one native Mediterranean species is reported by citizen-scientists; the Pacific jellyfish Phyllorhiza punctata and the Indo-Pacific teleosteans Tylerius spinosissimus, Ostracion cubicus, and Lutjanus argentimaculatus are reported from the Lebanese coast, the latter notably being the second record for the species in the Mediterranean Sea since 1977; the native sand snake-eel Ophisurus serpens, rare in the eastern Mediterranean, is reported for the first time from Lebanon, this being its easternmost distribution range; finally, a substantial number of sightings of the lionfish Pterois miles further confirm the current establishment of this lessepsian species in the Levantine

Host genetics and geography influence microbiome composition in the sponge Ircinia campana

1.Marine sponges are host to large, diverse communities of microorganisms. These microbiomes are distinct among sponge species and from seawater bacterial communities, indicating a key role of host identity in shaping its resident microbial community. However, the factors governing intraspecific microbiome variability are underexplored, and may shed light on the evolutionary and ecological relationships between host and microbiome. 2.Here, we examined the influence of genetic variation and geographic location on the composition of the Ircinia campana microbiome. 3.We developed new microsatellite markers to genotype I. campana from two locations in the Florida Keys, USA, and characterised their microbiomes using V4 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. 4.We show that microbial community composition and diversity is influenced by host genotype, with more genetically similar sponges hosting more similar microbial communities. We also found that although I. campana was not genetically differentiated between sites, microbiome composition differed by location. 5.Our results demonstrate that both host genetics and geography influence the composition of the sponge microbiome. Host genotypic influence on microbiome composition may be due to stable vertical transmission of the microbial community from parent to offspring, making microbiomes more similar by descent. Alternatively, sponge genotypic variation may reflect variation in functional traits that influence the acquisition of environmental microbes. This study reveals drivers of microbiome variation within and among locations, and shows the importance of intraspecific variability in mediating eco‐evolutionary dynamics of host‐associated microbiomes

Consensus Guidelines for Advancing Coral Holobiont Genome and Specimen Voucher Deposition

Coral research is being ushered into the genomic era. To fully capitalize on the potential discoveries from this genomic revolution, the rapidly increasing number of high-quality genomes requires effective pairing with rigorous taxonomic characterizations of specimens and the contextualization of their ecological relevance. However, to date there is no formal framework that genomicists, taxonomists, and coral scientists can collectively use to systematically acquire and link these data. Spurred by the recently announced “Coral symbiosis sensitivity to environmental change hub” under the “Aquatic Symbiosis Genomics Project” - a collaboration between the Wellcome Sanger Institute and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to generate gold-standard genome sequences for coral animal hosts and their associated Symbiodiniaceae microalgae (among the sequencing of many other symbiotic aquatic species) - we outline consensus guidelines to reconcile different types of data. The metaorganism nature of the coral holobiont provides a particular challenge in this context and is a key factor to consider for developing a framework to consolidate genomic, taxonomic, and ecological (meta)data. Ideally, genomic data should be accompanied by taxonomic references, i.e., skeletal vouchers as formal morphological references for corals and strain specimens in the case of microalgal and bacterial symbionts (cultured isolates). However, exhaustive taxonomic characterization of all coral holobiont member species is currently not feasible simply because we do not have a comprehensive understanding of all the organisms that constitute the coral holobiont. Nevertheless, guidelines on minimal, recommended, and ideal-case descriptions for the major coral holobiont constituents (coral animal, Symbiodiniaceae microalgae, and prokaryotes) will undoubtedly help in future referencing and will facilitate comparative studies. We hope that the guidelines outlined here, which we will adhere to as part of the Aquatic Symbiosis Genomics Project sub-hub focused on coral symbioses, will be useful to a broader community and their implementation will facilitate cross- and meta-data comparisons and analyses.CV acknowledges funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG), grants 433042944 and 458901010. Open Access publication fees are covered by an institutional agreement of the University of Konstanz

Comparison of diagnostic methods for the detection and quantification of the four sympatric Plasmodium species in field samples from Papua New Guinea

Accurate diagnosis of Plasmodium infections is essential for malaria morbidity and mortality reduction in tropical areas. Despite great advantages of light microscopy (LM) for malaria diagnosis, its limited sensitivity is a critical shortfall for epidemiological studies. Robust molecular diagnostics tools are thus needed.; The present study describes the development of a duplex quantitative real time PCR (qPCR) assay, which specifically detects and quantifies the four human Plasmodium species. Performance of this method was compared to PCR-ligase detection reaction-fluorescent microsphere assay (PCR_LDR_FMA), nested PCR (nPCR) and LM, using field samples collected from 452 children one to five years of age from the Sepik area in Papua New Guinea. Agreement between diagnostic methods was calcualted using kappa statistics.; The agreement of qPCR with other molecular diagnostic methods was substantial for the detection of P. falciparum, but was moderate for the detection of P. vivax, P. malariae and P. ovale. P. falciparum and P. vivax prevalence by qPCR was 40.9% and 65.7% respectively. This compares to 43.8% and 73.2% by nPCR and 47.1% and 67.5% by PCR_LDR_FMA. P. malariae and P. ovale prevalence was 4.7% and 7.3% by qPCR, 3.3% and 3.8% by nPCR, and 7.7% and 4.4% by PCR_LDR_FMA. Prevalence by LM was lower for all four species, being 25.4% for P. falciparum, 54.9% for P. vivax, 2.4% for P. malariae and 0.0% for P. ovale. The quantification by qPCR closely correlated with microscopic quantification for P. falciparum and P. vivax samples (R2 = 0.825 and R2 = 0.505, respectively). The low prevalence of P. malariae and P. ovale did not permit a solid comparative analysis of quantification for these species.; The qPCR assay developed proved optimal for detection of all four Plasmodium species. Densities by LM were well reflected in quantification results by qPCR, whereby congruence was better for P. falciparum than for P. vivax. This likely is a consequence of the generally lower P. vivax densities. Easy performance of the qPCR assay, a less laborious workflow and reduced risk of contamination, together with reduced costs per sample through reduced reaction volume, opens the possibility to implement qPCR in endemic settings as a suitable diagnostic tool for large epidemiological studies