Enjoying the warming Mediterranean: transcriptomic responses to temperature changes of a thermophilous keystone species in benthic communities

Information about the genomic processes underlying responses to temperature changes is still limited in non‐model marine invertebrates. In this sense, transcriptomic analyses can help to identify genes potentially related to thermal responses. We here investigated, via RNA‐seq, whole‐transcriptomic responses to increased and decreased temperatures in a thermophilous keystone sea urchin, Arbacia lixula, whose populations are increasing in the Mediterranean. This species is a key driver of benthic communities' structure due to its grazing activity. We found a strong response to experimentally induced cold temperature (7°C), with 1,181 differentially expressed transcripts relative to the control condition (13°C), compared to only 179 in the warm (22°C) treatment. A total of 84 (cold treatment) and three (warm treatment) gene ontology terms were linked to the differentially expressed transcripts. At 7°C the expression of genes encoding different heat shock proteins (HSPs) was upregulated, together with apoptotic suppressor genes (e.g., Bcl2), genes involved in the infection response and/or pathogen‐recognition (e.g., echinoidin) and ATP‐associated genes, while protein biosynthesis and DNA replication pathways were downregulated. At 22°C neither HSPs induction nor activation of the previously mentioned pathways were detected, with the exception of some apoptotic‐related activities that were upregulated. Our results suggest a strong transcriptional response associated with low temperatures, and support the idea of low water temperature being a major limitation for A. lixula expansion across deep Mediterranean and northern Atlantic waters

Occurrence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in the urban aquifer of Zaragoza (Spain) and its relationship with intensive shallow geothermal energy exploitation

A steady increase in the consumption of pharmaceuticals and personal-care products worldwide is increasing their occurrence in the biosphere. The current study describes the abundance of 42 selected emerging organic contaminants (EOCs), including human and veterinary antibiotics, UV-filters and analgesics in the groundwater of the urban aquifer of Zaragoza (Spain), which is affected by intensive exploitation of shallow geothermal resources. The presence of groundwater heat pump systems in the aquifer studied offered the opportunity to study the occurrence of EOCs in relation to groundwater temperature and other physicochemical effects derived from this technology. Analysis of the data obtained allowed us to identify statistically significant relationships between the presence of EOCs and temperature, as well as other physicochemical and geochemical properties of groundwater. The results obtained suggest that temperature is a minor factor controlling the degradation of the organic compounds analysed compared to the oxygen input from groundwater heat pump systems which is possibly increasing the aerobic redox conditions, thus preventing the degradation of organic pollutants. Intensive use of shallow geothermal resources therefore seems to contribute in the prevalence of such compounds in the aquifer close to geothermal systems

Raman threshold for nth-order cascade Raman amplification

We study theoretically and experimentally Raman threshold for 1, 2, ... , n orders Stokes in a free running configuration. Using alternative way to solve the differential coupled equations that describe the stimulate Raman scattering, we find simple mathematical expressions that allow calculating the necessary pumping power to obtain Raman threshold for nth-order Stokes and the maximum output power available in each Stokes. The theoretical calculations coincide with the results obtained experimentally

Diarrhea and parasitosis in Salta, Argentina

Background: Salta city is the capital of the province with the same name located in the northwest of Argentina. Its great growth over the last decade was not organized and the population expanded to occupy places where water and sanitation were not yet available. Although the Arenales River, crossing the city, receives the impact of point and non-point source pollution, the water is used for many purposes, including domestic in the poorest areas, industrial, and recreational with children as the main users. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 24% of the global disease burden and 23% of all deaths can be attributed to environmental factors. In particular, an estimated 94% of the diarrheal burden of disease is attributable to environment, and is associated with risk factors such as unsafe drinking water and poor sanitation and hygiene. Chronic diarrhea can be caused by an infection or other etiologies; however, most of the times the etiological agent is not identified. Methodology: All the cases of diarrhea and parasitosis reported during 2005 in four public health centers of the city of Salta were classified by gender and age, analyzed, and represented geographically to show areas of higher morbidity rates, which were probably related to environmental factors. Results: Water, poor sanitation, and pollution are candidate risk factors. Diarrhea cases showed seasonality, with the highest incidence during late spring and summer, while parasitosis was persistent throughout the year. Conclusion: Our spatial analysis permitted us to detect the regions of higher incidence of diarrhea and parasitosis during 2005 in the area of study.Fil: Aramayo, Cristian Fabian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Investigaciones para la Industria Química. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Investigaciones para la Industria Química; ArgentinaFil: Gil, José Fernando. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Investigaciones para la Industria Química. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Investigaciones para la Industria Química; ArgentinaFil: Cruz, Mercedes Cecilia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Investigaciones para la Industria Química. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Investigaciones para la Industria Química; ArgentinaFil: Poma, Hugo Ramiro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Investigaciones para la Industria Química. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Investigaciones para la Industria Química; ArgentinaFil: Last, Michael S.. University of California at Davis; Estados UnidosFil: Rajal, Verónica Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Investigaciones para la Industria Química. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Investigaciones para la Industria Química; Argentin

How Many Azores Bullfinches (Pyrrhula murina) Are There in the World? Case Study of a Threatened Species

The Azores bullfinch (Pyrrhula murina Godman, 1866) is a rare Passeriformes endemic from the eastern part of São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal. This bird was almost considered extinct in the first half of the 20th century, but due to recent conservation measures, it has experienced a recovery since the beginning of the 2000s. Despite the attention given to this bird, the size of its population is still controversial, and the most recent studies present significant divergences on this behalf. The purpose of the present study is to present data from the long-term monitoring and results of the third single-morning survey of the Azores bullfinch to update information about the population size and range of this species. In addition, we performed a literature review to highlight the limitations and advantages of the different approaches for monitoring this species. The Azores Bullfinch records during the single-morning survey indicated a reduction in the extent of occurrence and area of occupancy of this species in comparison with the previous studies, despite the increase in bird detection. However, we suggest that the distribution range of this species needs further analysis concerning its area to exclude non suitable habitats from this analysis. In this study, we conclude that the most likely size of the Azores bullfinch population is 500 to 800 couples, with a slow population growth tendency and an area of distribution of 136.5 km2.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Trophic consequences of introduced species: comparative impacts of increased inter-specific versus intra-specific competitive interactions

1. Invasive species can cause substantial ecological impacts on native biodiversity. Whilst ecological theory attempts to explain the processes involved in the trophic integration of invaders into native food webs and their competitive impacts on resident species, results are equivocal. In addition, quantifying the relative strength of impacts from non-native species (inter-specific competition) versus the release of native conspecifics (intra-specific competition) is important but rarely completed. 2. Two model non-native fishes, the globally invasive Cyprinus carpio and Carassius auratus, and the model native fish Tinca tinca, were used in a pond experiment to test how increased intra- and inter-specific competition influenced trophic niches and somatic growth rates. This was complemented by samples collected from three natural fish communities where the model fishes were present. The isotopic niche, calculated using stable isotope data, represented the trophic niche. 3. The pond experiment used additive and substitutive treatments to quantify the trophic niche variation that resulted from intra- and inter-specific competitive interactions. Although the trophic niche sizes of the model species were not significantly altered by any competitive treatment, they all resulted in patterns of inter-specific niche divergence. Increased inter-specific competition caused the trophic niche of T. tinca to shift to a significantly higher trophic position, whereas intra-specific competition caused its position to shift towards elevated 13C. These patterns were independent of impacts on fish growth rates, which were only significantly altered when inter-specific competition was elevated. 4. In the natural fish communities, patterns of trophic niche partitioning between the model fishes was evident, with no niche sharing. Comparison of these results with those of the experiment revealed the most similar results between the two approaches were for the niche partitioning between sympatric T. tinca and C. carpio. 5. These results indicate that trophic niche divergence facilitates the integration of introduced species into food webs, but there are differences in how this manifests between introductions that increase inter- and intra-specific competition. In entirety, these results suggest that the initial ecological response to an introduction appears to be a trophic re-organisation of the food web that minimises the trophic interactions between competing species

Excess of naturally occurring fluoride in groundwater discharge in Macaronesia: Brava Island, Cape Verde

A high concentration of fluoride in groundwater poses a risk to human health. One of the best-known problems related to excess fluoride in drinking water is dental fluorosis. The characteristic composition of volcanic rocks in oceanic islands tends to present high concentrations of fluoride in groundwater discharge in springs. This study investigates fluoride content in two springs (Encontro and Ferreiros) on the island of Brava (Cape Verde), with the objective of monitoring the operational control production and distribution of drinking water. Using a spectrophotometric method, the level of fluoride found in the water discharged from the Encontro spring was found to be in the range of 4.8 to 6.5 mg/L, whereas at the Ferreiros spring, it was 5.8 to 6.2 mg/L. These results are far above the threshold limit established in the decree No. 5 of 2017 of the Cape Verdean legislation, whose legal threshold value for fluoride is 1.5 mg/L, the same value established by the World Health Organization (WHO). Due to geological conditions and consequences for the health of the population, the water is not adequate for consumption without proper treatment.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Matching microscopic and macroscopic responses in glasses

We first reproduce on the Janus and Janus II computers a milestone experiment that measures the spin-glass coherence length through the lowering of free-energy barriers induced by the Zeeman effect. Secondly we determine the scaling behavior that allows a quantitative analysis of a new experiment reported in the companion Letter [S. Guchhait and R. Orbach, Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 157203 (2017)]. The value of the coherence length estimated through the analysis of microscopic correlation functions turns out to be quantitatively consistent with its measurement through macroscopic response functions. Further, non-linear susceptibilities, recently measured in glass-forming liquids, scale as powers of the same microscopic length.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

Is GNSS real-time positioning a reliable option to validate erosion studies at olive grove environments?

Aim of study: Soil degradation in agricultural areas is a widespread problem. In this framework, a data validation methodology is presented, including a study of the spatial resolution of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) measurements, the calculation of erosion/deposition models, and the contribution of dual frequency and low-cost single frequency GNSS receivers.Area of study: A test olive grove in SE Spain.Material and methods: The study is based on three observation campaigns, between 2016 and 2018, using different GNSS receivers and working modes. The comparison between different surveys provide the volumetric variation over the analyzed period.Main results: Considering the dual-frequency receiver, there was no statistically significant difference between the means and the variances from 1.5 m and from 4.5 m data resolution at the 0.05 significance level. In order to estimate vertical differences from successive GNSS campaigns a differential digital elevation approach was applied. Although the differences depended on the zone of the test area and they changed along the monitoring period, the erosion rate could be catalogued as very low. The dual-frequency receiver satisfied the vertical centimetric precision limits for high accurate Digital Elevation Model (DEM), making it a reliable and accurate option to validate erosion studies in small areas.Research highlights: The results have allowed the characterization of multi-annual spatial redistribution of the topsoil at local scale, being of great help to design future prevention actions for the “tillage erosion” in olive grove environments. However, more tests are needed to guarantee the feasibility of low-cost receivers

The Mpemba effect in spin glasses is a persistent memory effect

The Mpemba effect occurs when a hot system cools faster than an initially colder one, when both are refrigerated in the same thermal reservoir. Using the custom built supercomputer Janus II, we study the Mpemba effect in spin glasses and show that it is a non-equilibrium process, governed by the coherence length \xi of the system. The effect occurs when the bath temperature lies in the glassy phase, but it is not necessary for the thermal protocol to cross the critical temperature. In fact, the Mpemba effect follows from a strong relationship between the internal energy and \xi that turns out to be a sure-tell sign of being in the glassy phase. Thus, the Mpemba effect presents itself as an intriguing new avenue for the experimental study of the coherence length in supercooled liquids and other glass formers.Comment: Version accepted for publication in PNAS. 6 pages, 7 figure