The Lancet Countdown South America: increasing health opportunities by identifying the gaps in health and climate change research

South America is experiencing the effects of climate change, including extreme weather events and changes in temperature and precipitation patterns. These effects interact with existing social vulnerabilities, exacerbating their impact on the health and wellbeing of populations. This viewpoint highlights four main messages from the series, which presented key gaps from five different perspectives of health and climate. First, there is an overall need for local analyses of priority topics to inform public policy, which include national and sub-national evidence to adequately strengthen responses and preparedness for climate change hazards and address relevant social vulnerabilities in South American countries. Second, research in health and climate is done in silos and the intersection is not clear in terms of responsibility and leadership; therefore, transdisciplinary research and action are key. Third, climate research, policies, and action need to be reflected in effective funding schemes, which until now are very limited. For adaptation and mitigation policies to be effective, they need a robust and long-term funding scheme. Finally, climate action is a big opportunity for healthier and more prosperous societies in South America, taking the advantage of strategic climate policies to face the challenges of climate change and tackle existing social inequities

Molecular characterization of the diet of the planktonic community in Málaga Bay (NW Alboran Sea)

The seasonal changes in structure and functioning of the pelagic trophic web in Málaga Bay (NW Alboran Sea) are related to the annual hydrological cycle. However, time series analyses have shown that the relationship between interannual hydrological variability and the plankton community composition is weak. This might be due to different human-induced pressures (nutrient pollution, coastal fisheries) acting on different compartments of the trophic web. The net effect of all these factors would depend on how the ecosystem channels changes in the composition and abundance of each trophic level. Interactions of phytoplankton-ciliates-zooplankton might have a central role in the regulation of the trophic web in Málaga Bay, although the trophic relations of the dominant groups remain still undefined. In order to identify the dominant trophic relationships we aimed to characterise the diet of key ichthyo- and mesozooplankton species in the field. Given that gut content preys (phyto- and microplankton) are fragile and not easy to identify visually, we developed species-specific molecular markers to detect their presence/absence within the predators gut

Slavery of Indigenous People in the Caribbean: An Archaeological Perspective

European enslavement of Indigenous peoples in the Americas began in the Caribbean, quickly spreading to the rest of the continent and impacting the lives of millions. Despite its centrality to the creation of the colonial Caribbean, is still an understudied subject. This article summarizes the archaeological evidence on the topic and discusses the utility of the archaeological approach based on research conducted at the Cuban site of El Chorro de Maíta. The analyses of diet and paleodemography indicate substantial changes when compared to precolonial Indigenous populations. Indicators of ethnic diversity and geographic origin, as well as the mortuary patterns and distribution of material culture help to identify the presence of slaves.Archaeology of the America

Dental morphological variation in autochthonous Cuban populations.

The present study analyses the dental morphological characteristics, by means of the ASU Dental Anthropology System, of 1262 individuals from the Caribbean. The individuals, dated from 2000 BCE to the end of the 15th century AD, and relative to the islands of Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Guadeloupe were organized on the basis of chronology, cultural affiliation, and geographic provenance in 13 distinct groups and analysed for 66 discrete dental characteristics. When investigated using multivariate statistics the groups map out clearly: the Cuban Guanahatabeys and the Cueva Roja pre-ceramic sample from the Dominican Republic separate from all of the other groups. A second indication emerges within the cluster that includes all of the more recent, pottery-bearing, groups. These do not appear to separate on the basis of cultural affiliation but of geography: with all the individuals from the north-western portion of the area under investigation well distinct from the more south-eastern ones. The results suggest the Guanahatabeys and Cueva Roja populations shared a common origin and settled into the Caribbean after one of the earlier migratory waves. It furthermore indicates that the transition from these two groups to the pottery bearing cultures was accompanied by substantial immigration and population change, once again supporting theories discussed in some of our previous studies according to which there must have been at least two distinct migratory waves into the Caribbean. Funding: Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Diverse and Dynamic Dietary Patterns in Early Colonial Cuba: New Insights from Multiple Isotope Analyses

The European conquest and colonization of the Caribbean precipitated massive changes in indigenous cultures and societies of the region. One of the earliest changes was the introduction of new plant and animal foods and culinary traditions. This study presents the first archaeological reconstruction of indigenous diets and foodways in the Caribbean spanning the historical divide of 1492. We use multiple isotope datasets to reconstruct these diets and investigate the potential relationships between dietary and mobility patterns at multiple scales. Dietary patterns are assessed by isotope analyses of different skeletal elements from the archaeological skeletal population of El Chorro de Maíta, Cuba. This approach integrates carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses of bone and dentine collagen with carbon and oxygen isotope analyses of bone and enamel apatite. The isotope results document extreme intrapopulation dietary heterogeneity but few systematic differences in diet between demographic/social groups. Comparisons with published isotope data from other precolonial and colonial period populations in the Caribbean indicate distinct dietary and subsistence practices at El Chorro de Maíta. The majority of the local population consumed more animal protein resources than other indigenous populations in the Caribbean, and their overall dietary patterns are more similar to colonial period enslaved populations than to indigenous ones

Molecular identification of the zooplanktonic diet of Sardina pilchardus larvae in the SW Mediterranean Sea

Zooplankton are the main prey for small pelagic fishes. The most common small pelagic fish species in the Alboran Sea (SW Mediterranean Sea) is the European sardine (Sardina pilchardus). Despite its commercial importance in the region, little is known about its larval trophodynamics and the role that zooplankton play in their recruitment success. Microscopic characterization of the larval gut contents is challenging as they prey mostly on partly digested microplanktonic organisms. Several molecular tools have been developed that may overcome this caveat. The gut content of sardine larvae (6 - 21 mm standard length) collected over a diel cycle in the Northern Alboran Sea was analyzed by mitochondrial COI metabarcoding, and compared with the field zooplankton community composition. Diel variability was observed in zooplankton relative abundances, both in the larval gut contents and in the field. Sardine larvae preys included several copepod nauplii, but also DNA of cladocera, euphausiid, gastropod and hydrozoa was detected, suggesting an opportunistic foraging behavior, instead of a selective diet.Consejería de Economía, Innovación y Ciencia de la Junta de Andalucía; Unión Europea, Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (P20_00743

Molecular identification of the diet of Sardina pilchardus larvae in the SW Mediterranean Sea

Molecular techniques provide new insights into the feeding strategies and diets of planktonic organisms such as the larvae of marine fish. We applied multiplex PCR to obtain the first estimates of the diets of larval European sardine Sardina pilchardus in the Alboran Sea (SW Mediterranean), where this species represents an important fishery resource. The feasibility of this technique was tested in a 26 h continuous survey of a shoal of larvae (10.80 ± 0.73 mm standard length, mean ± SD). Multiplex PCR was designed to detect the presence of 5 copepod species, a microplanktonic dinoflagellate (Gymnodinium) and the picoeukaryote algae family Prasinophyceae in larval guts. We simultaneously sampled sardine larvae and their potential prey (pico- to mesoplankton) and compared diel variability of the prey field and ingested items. Microplankton was dominated by flagellates, and copepods represented the most abundant mesozooplankton, reaching peak abundance at night. Prey DNA was detected throughout the entire diel cycle, despite no visible prey in the guts of larvae collected at night. Sardine larvae preyed on early life stages of the most abundant copepod species (Oncaea waldemari, Paracalanus indicus and Temora stylifera), suggesting an opportunistic foraging behaviour. The use of multiplex PCR allowed species-level identification of ingested nauplii and protists, which otherwise would remain unidentified