Qué papel juega el hongo Phytophthora cinnamomi en el desarrollo de la regeneración natural y repoblaciones de encina y alcornoque

Se presentan los resultados resumidos de tres trabajos realizados para conocer el papel que juega el hongo Phytophthora cinnamomi en el desarrollo de plántulas de encina (Quercus ilex) y alcornoque (Quercus suber). Se realizaron dos prospecciones para detectar la presencia de P.cinnamomi en focos de seca en dehesas de encina y alcornoque de Extremadura en 1991-1992 y 1999-2000. El porcentaje de focos en los que se detectó la presencia de P. cinnamomi ha permanecido relativamente estable entre las dos prospecciones. También se determinó la tasa de crecimiento relativo para nueve aislados de P. cinnamomi a diferentes temperaturas, observando una elevada variabilidad tanto en la temperatura óptima de crecimiento como en el valor de la propia tasa diaria de crecimiento máxima. También se estudió la emergencia y supervivencia de plántulas de encina y alcornoque procedentes de dos dehesas ecológicamente diferentes, cultivadas en condiciones controladas en suelos de estas dehesas infectados naturalmente con P. cinnamomi y en estos mismos suelos previamente desinfectados en autoclave. Un factor limitante en los procesos de regeneración natural y en las repoblaciones por siembra directa de encinas y alcornoque puede ser su alta susceptibilidad a las infecciones por P. cinnamomi.Por último, se estudió durante dos años consecutivos, la supervivencia de las plantas de encina de una repoblación sobre un suelo naturalmente infectado con P. cinnamomi en la provincia de Badajoz (SO de España). Los resultados obtenidos se discuten teniendo en cuenta el déficit hídrico, los daños por P. cinnamomi, la competencia con otras especies y las posibles medidas sanitarias que amortigüen los daños en las repoblaciones con encinas._______________________________Three different studies were performed with the aim to determine the role of Phytophthora cinnamomi in the early development of seedlings of holm oak (Quercus ilex) and cork oak (Quercus suber). Two surveys, for the presence of Phytophthora cinnamomi in declining holm oak and cork oak stands in Extremadura (SW Spain) were performed in 1991-1992 and 1999-2000. The percentage of decline foci where P. cinnamomi is envolved has remained relatively stable in the lapse of time between the two surveys. Growth rates were determined for 9 P. cinnamomi isolates. Considerable variation in optimum growth temperatures and in daily growth rates occurred among isolates. The emergence and survival of pregerminated holm oak and cork oak acorns from two ecologically different dehesas (Mediterranean open woodlands) were studied in two soils from these stands naturally infected with P. cinnamomi, and in the same soils previously sterilized in the autoclave. The demonstrated high susceptibility of holm and cork oak young seedlings to P. cinnamomi could be a limiting factor in mediterranean opend woodlands (dehesas) not only in natural regenerationprocesses but also when reforestation by direct sowing is implemented. Finally, the viability of 1 year old holm oak seedlings in a soil naturally infected with P. cinnamomi was studied during two consecutive years in a plot located in SW Spain. Results obtained are discussed in the framework of seasonal water deficit, P. cinnamomi damage, weed competition and sanitation thechniques to be used in declined holm oak stands in Spain

Differential processing of anthropogenic carbon and nitrogen in benthic food webs of A Coruña (NW Spain) traced by stable isotopes

proyectos ANILE (CTM2009- 08396 and CTM2010-08804-E) del Plan Nacional de I+D+i y RADIALES del Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO). C.M. e I.G.V. disfrutaron de contratos FPI del IEO y del Ministerio de Economía y Competividad respectivamente.In this study the effect of inputs of organic matter and anthropogenic nitrogen at small spatial scales were investigated in the benthos of the Ria of A Coruña (NW Spain) using stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes. This ria is characteristically enriched in nutrients provided either by marine processes (as coastal upwelling) or by urban and agricultural waste. Stable isotope composition in trophic guilds of infaunal benthos revealed spatial differences related to their nutrient inputs. The main difference was the presence of an additional chemoautotrophic food web at the site with a large accumulation of organic matter. The enrichment in heavy nitrogen isotopes observed in most compartments suggests the influence of sewage-derived nitrogen, despite large inputs of marine nitrogen. Macroalgae (Fucus vesiculosus) resulted significantly enriched at the site influenced by estuarine waters. In contrast, no differences were found in mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis), thus suggesting a major dependence on marine nutrient sources for this species. However, the estimations of anthropogenic influence were largely dependent on assumptions required to model the different contributions of sources. The measurement of stable isotope signatures in various compartments revealed that, despite anthropogenic nutrients are readily incorporated into local food webs, a major influence of natural marine nutrient sources cannot be discarded.IEO, Plan nacional I+D+iPreprint2,277

Infaunal macrobenthos in the Porcupine Bank (NE Atlantic)

The results of the macroinfaunal communities distributions from the annual series surveys PORCUPINE are shown. Those surveys were realized during the months of September and October in the years 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 by the Instituto Español de Oceanografía aboard the R /V Vizconde de Eza, within the research project ERDEM. This survey series has as main objective the obtainment of abundance indexes of the benthonic and demersal fauna from Porcupine Bank, west of Ireland, with special attention on the commercial species exploited by the Spanish fleet (hake, angler fish, megrim and norwegian lobster). For the study of the infaunal macrobenthos a total of 50 samples were analyzed from selected places of the Bank, where the bottom characteristics, the climatology or the survey schedule allowed. Samples were taken with an ULSNER box corer with 0.09 m2 of sampling area. Samples for the faunal study were sieved aboard with a 0.5 mm mesh size sieve. The material collected in the sieve was preserved with 8 % formaldehyde neutralized with borax, and stained with Rose Bengal solution for the posterior sorting and identification of fauna. Additional samples were taken to estimate the organic content of the sediment and to perform the granulometric analyses. Once in the laboratory, the granulometry was analyzed following the method recommended by Buchanan (1984); which consists in a combination of dry sieving of the coarse fraction (> 62 µm) and the sedimentation at 20 ºC of the fine fraction (< 62 µm) in a distilled water column. Sediment organic matter content was calculated as the percentage of weight loss by means of 24 hours sample calcination at 500 ºC, after dried it at 100 ºC during the same time. Complementary, in order to obtain a better coverage of the sedimentary types from the study area, more than 350 samples were collected with a net collector coupled to the trawling fishing gear (Baca-GAV 39/52). Globally, the sediments of the majority of the sampled stations are mainly formed by sand, between fine and very fine, except in deep areas of the southeast, where there are large muddy areas with elevated organic content and high selection coefficient. In the north, around the shallowest area, we found thicker sandy sediments, with lower organic content and moderate selection. The macroinfaunal communities from the Porcupine Bank are characterized by the dominance of the faunistic group of polychaetes (68.8 %), mainly represented by the families Owenidae, Spionidae, Paraonidae and Sabellidae. The next in number are the group of molluscs (17.6 %), dominated by the family Kelliellidae, which reaches maximum abundances up to 7520 ind•m-2. The poorest represented groups are the crustaceans (5.0 %), echinoderms (4.3 %) and the “others” (sipunculids, nemertine, etc.), being the latter the least abundant (3.7 %). In relation with the spatial distribution four macroinfaunal groups were indentified in the Porcupine Bank: - Group 1: located in intermediate depth areas, over sandy sediments with low organic content. The infaunal community is dominated by polychaetes from the Owenidae family, mainly represented by the specie Galathowenia oculata. - Group 2: occupies the sandy and low organic content sediments from the shallowest area of the Bank. Polychaetes are the most representative faunistic group, highlighting the dominance of the families Spionidae and Paraonidae. Prionospio fallax and Aricidea wassi are the most representative species of the group. - Group 3: situated in two deep areas in the south area of the Bank with muddy and high organic matter content sediments. It has the lowest infaunal abundance of the study, being dominated by the bivalve molluscs from the family Kelliellidae and by the annelids polychaetes from the family Paraonidae. - Group 4: Is the cluster that includes more stations in throughout the study. It is distributed spatially in the south area of the Bank, in different bathymetries, with the most heterogeneous sediments and moderate organic content. The bivalve molluscs from the Kelliellidae family again become dominant, with Kelliella miliaris reaching abundance over 7500 ind•m-2.IE

Actividad invernal de Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) en las Vegas del Guadiana (Extremadura)

[ESP] El trips F. occidentalis es capaz de reproducirse a lo largo de todo el año, sin periodo de diapausa invernal, en las regiones mediterráneas de la geografía peninsular, caracterizadas por inviernos temperados (cf. costas de Levante), precisamente donde más problemas ocasiona, por si mismo o en conjunción con el TSWV. Al contrario, en las regiones de clima continental, con inviernos rigurosos, son sólo los adultos diapausantes los que perpetúan la especie (cf. centro peninsular). Para clarificar esta situación en las Vegas del Guadiana (Extremadura), con un clima transicional entre ambos extremos, se estudió la actividad invernal de F. occidentalis durante los inviernos de 1995/1996 y 1996/1997. La dinámica poblacional se siguió mediante el muestreo sistemático de 30 brotes de alfalfa cada 1-2 semanas y extracción en embudo de Berlese- Tullgren. Paralelamente, se efectuó un muestreo de la vegetación adventicia y un seguimiento del vuelo de los adultos con trampas cromáticas. Se observó una situación antagónica entre ambos inviernos. Durante el invierno de 1995/1996, aunque F. occidentalis disminuyó sus efectivos, tuvo lugar una presencia continuada de larvas, evidenciando que el trips no entró en diapausa y fue capaz de reproducirse. Al contrario, durante el invierno de 1996/1997, F. occidentalis entró en diapausa y detuvo su reproducción, detectándose larvas tan sólo muy esporádicamente. La confrontación de las temperaturas de ambos inviernos con las del año medio, indica que la situación más usual en las Vegas del Guadiana debe corresponderse con la observada en 1996/1997, aunque la gran variabilidad térmica invernal interanual que caracteriza a la zona, especialmente patente en los últimos años, también sugiere que la reproducción invernal de F. occidentalis en las Vegas del Guadiana no debe ser infrecuente. El trips se asoció a 10 de las 13 especies de malas hierbas invernales muestreadas, que confirmaron su papel como reservorio potencial de insectación. El empleo de trampas cromáticas no fue efectivo para el seguimiento de las poblaciones de adultos durante el invierno. Se sugiere que las temperaturas invernales pueden ser un factor determinante de la irregular incidencia del complejo F. occidentalis-JSWW constatada en las Vegas del Guadiana. [ENG] The western flower thrips F. occidentalis does not enter in diapause and maintains its reproduction throughout the winter in temperate areas of Spain, precisely where more damage produces itself or together with the TSWV. In the contrary, in cold winter continental areas the thrips overwinters as diapausing adult. To clarify this situation in the Vegas del Guadiana, Extremadura, southwestern Spain, with a transitional climate between both extremes, the winter activity of F. occidentalis was studied during 1995/1996 and 1996/1997. Thrips population dynamic was monitored sampling systematically 30 lucerne shoots every 1-2 weeks and extracting thrips with a Berlese-Tullgren funnel. Additionally, population dynamic was monitored on winter weeds and with chromatic sticky traps. An opposed situation was observed between both winters. During 1995/1996 winter, even though F. occidentalis population was limited, larvae occurred throughout the winter, pointing out that F. occidentalis did not enter in diapause and maintained reproduction. In the contrary, during 1996/1997 winter, larvae were detected only very sporadically, which suggests that thrips reproduction was stopped and adult diapause induced. The comparison of temperatures of both winters with mean-year temperatures, indicates that the usual situation in the Vegas del Guadiana could be the observed during 1996/1997, even though the high winter thermic inter-annual variation that characterizes the region, specially in the last years, also suggests that thrips winter reproduction may be frequent. F. occidentalis occurred on 10 of 13 species of weeds sampled, which confirms their role as potential reservoir to infest crops. Sticky traps were no effective for monitoring adult populations during the winter. It is suggested that winter temperature may be an important factor determining the observed irregular incidence of the F. occidentalis-TSWV complex in the Vegas del Guadiana

Comunidades macroinfaunales submareales del golfo Ártabro

El capítulo quinto describe las comunidades macroinfaunales del golfo Ártabro. Desde los años 80 el Centro Oceanográfico de A Coruña ha estudiado la fauna submareal de los fondos blandos de la ría coruñesa y su plataforma adyacente. La ría de Ferrol fue muestreada también por parte del centro coruñés. Por otro lado, la fauna de la ría de Ares-Betanzos fue intensamente estudiada por la Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. El capítulo incluye también la evolución de dos comunidades macroinfaunales de la ría de A Coruña, que vienen siendo monitorizadas desde comienzos de los años 80, abarcando también los efectos que tuvieron sobre las mismas los dragados portuarios o los vertidos de contaminantes. Se completa esta parte del libro con una breve referencia a otros trabajos, los cuales están relacionados con el crecimiento y dinámica de ciertas especies de bivalvos, el suprabentos, las redes tróficas bentónicas o el marisqueo en la zona.Versión del edito

Periconceptional use of folic acid and risk of miscarriage – Findings of Oral Cleft Prevention Program in Brazil

We report on the risk of miscarriage due to high dosage periconceptional folic acid (FA) supplementation from a double blind randomized clinical trial for prevention of orofacial clefts in Brazil. The miscarriage rate was 14.2% in the low dose FA group (0.4 mg per day) and 11.3% for the high dose (4 mg per day) group (p=0.4877); the population miscarriage rate is 14%. These results indicate that high dose FA does not increase miscarriage risk in this population and add further information to the literature on the safety of high FA supplementation for prevention of birth defect recurrence

A deep dive into the ecology of Gamay (Botany Bay, Australia): current knowledge and future priorities for this highly modified coastal waterway

Context: Gamay is a coastal waterway of immense social, cultural and ecological value. Since European settlement, it has become a hub for industrialisation and human modification. There is growing desire for ecosystem-level management of urban waterways, but such efforts are often challenged by a lack of integrated knowledge. Aim and methods: We systematically reviewed published literature and traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), and consulted scientists to produce a review of Gamay that synthesises published knowledge of Gamay’s aquatic ecosystem to identify knowledge gaps and future research opportunities. Key results: We found 577 published resources on Gamay, of which over 70% focused on ecology. Intertidal rocky shores were the most studied habitat, focusing on invertebrate communities. Few studies considered multiple habitats or taxa. Studies investigating cumulative human impacts, long-term trends and habitat connectivity are lacking, and the broader ecological role of artificial substrate as habitat in Gamay is poorly understood. TEK of Gamay remains a significant knowledge gap. Habitat restoration has shown promising results and could provide opportunities to improve affected habitats in the future. Conclusion and implications: This review highlights the extensive amount of knowledge that exists for Gamay, but also identifies key gaps that need to be filled for effective management

Search for the standard model Higgs boson decaying to a bbˉb\bar{b} pair in events with no charged leptons and large missing transverse energy using the full CDF data set

We report on a search for the standard model Higgs boson produced in association with a vector boson in the full data set of proton-antiproton collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 1.96$ TeV recorded by the CDF II detector at the Tevatron, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 9.45 fb$^{-1}$. We consider events having no identified charged lepton, a transverse energy imbalance, and two or three jets, of which at least one is consistent with originating from the decay of a $b$ quark. We place 95% credibility level upper limits on the production cross section times standard model branching fraction for several mass hypotheses between 90 and $150 \mathrm{GeV}/c^2$. For a Higgs boson mass of $125 \mathrm{GeV}/c^2$, the observed (expected) limit is 6.7 (3.6) times the standard model prediction.Comment: Accepted by Phys. Rev. Let