Does microhabitat use affect population differentiation? A test with southwestern Palaearctic forest birds

We tested whether microhabitat use afects dispersal and population diferentiation in forest birds of the southwestern Palaearctic, a link previously suggested in Neotropical birds. To approach this, the number of subspecies within 32 species was used as a metric of population diferentiation and was related to their feeding substrata and seasonal changes in abundance (a surrogate of dispersal) in a mountain range (Guadarrama Mountains, Central Spain). Multivariate analyses in which the efect of range size (a main correlate of within-species diversifcation) and phylogeny relatedness were considered, showed that those birds adapted to exploit the tree canopy had lower seasonal changes in abundance and more subspecies than grounddweller birds. Our results support a cause-efect link between the use of stable resources in the canopy, seasonal movements and population diferentiation of birds from temperate forests of the southwestern Palaearctic

El uso didáctico del diablo cartesiano en la formación inicial de maestros

La relación didáctica entre profesorado y estudiante es esencial para alcanzar que éste construya su saber a partir de una transposición de los conocimientos. El primero debe plantear qué propuesta metodológica es la apropiada para que el alumnado alcance las competencias previstas. Los contenidos transpuestos no han de contradecir sustancialmente los planteamientos científicos que explican los fenómenos, independientemente del nivel educativo. El trabajo que se presenta propone la utilización de textos históricos para implicar al alumnado en la comprensión de los fenómenos físicos-biológicos a partir de actividades prácticas similares a las que condujeron a interpretar la función de la vejiga natatoria y paralelamente a la difusión del diablillo cartesiano, vinculado con la construcción de los primeros termoscopios.The didactic relationship between teacher and student is essential for the achievement of students´ knowledge from a transposition of their ideas. The teacher must consider what methodological proposal is appropriate with the objective of reaching the expected educational competences by the student. Independently of the educational level, the transposed contents must not substantially contradict scientific approaches that explain phenomena. This work proposes the use of historical texts to involve the students in understanding the physico-biological phenomena from practical activities. These activities should be similar to those that led to interpret the function of the swim bladder and in parallel to the diffusion of Cartesian devil, linked to the first building thermoscopes

Genomics reveals introgression and purging of deleterious mutations in the Arabian leopard (Panthera pardus nimr)

In endangered species, low-genetic variation and inbreeding result from recent population declines. Genetic screenings in endangered populations help to assess their vulnerability to extinction and to create informed management actions toward their conservation efforts. The leopard, Panthera pardus, is a highly generalist predator with currently eight different subspecies. Yet, genomic data are still lacking for the Critically Endangered Arabian leopard (P. p. nimr). Here, we sequenced the whole genome of two Arabian leopards and assembled the most complete genomic dataset for leopards to date. Our phylogenomic analyses show that leopards are divided into two deeply divergent clades: the African and the Asian. Conservation genomic analyses indicate a prolonged population decline, which has led to an increase in inbreeding and runs of homozygosity, with consequent purging of deleterious mutations in both Arabian individuals. Our study represents the first attempt to genetically inform captive breeding programmes for this Critically Endangered subspecies

Pristurus guweirensis Haas, 1943 (Gekkota: Sphaerodactylidae): the most abundant and widely distributed species of Pristurus previously referred to as Pristurus sp. 1

Peer reviewe

Hidden in the sand: Phylogenomics unravel an unexpected evolutionary history for the desert-adapted vipers of the genus Cerastes

The desert vipers of the genus Cerastes are a small clade of medically important venomous snakes within the family Viperidae. According to published morphological and molecular studies, the group is comprised by four species: two morphologically similar and phylogenetically sister taxa, the African horned viper (Cerastes cerastes) and the Arabian horned viper (Cerastes gasperettii); a more distantly related species, the Saharan sand viper (Cerastes vipera), and the enigmatic Böhme's sand viper (Cerastes boehmei), only known from a single specimen in captivity allegedly captured in Central Tunisia. In this study, we sequenced one mitochondrial marker (COI) as well as genome-wide data (ddRAD sequencing) from 28 and 41 samples, respectively, covering the entire distribution range of the genus to explore the population genomics, phylogenomic relationships and introgression patterns within the genus Cerastes. Additionally, and to provide insights into the mode of diversification of the group, we carried out niche overlap analyses considering climatic and habitat variables. Both nuclear phylogenomic reconstructions and population structure analyses have unveiled an unexpected evolutionary history for the genus Cerastes, which sharply contradicts the morphological similarities and previously published mitochondrial approaches. Cerastes cerastes and C. vipera are recovered as sister taxa whilst C. gasperettii is a sister taxon to the clade formed by these two species. We found a relatively high niche overlap (OI > 0.7) in both climatic and habitat variables between C. cerastes and C. vipera, contradicting a potential scenario of sympatric speciation. These results are in line with the introgression found between the northwestern African populations of C. cerastes and C. vipera. Finally, our genomic data confirms the existence of a lineage of C. cerastes in Arabia. All these results highlight the importance of genome-wide data over few genetic markers to study the evolutionary history of species.This work was supported by grants PGC2018-098290-B-I00 (MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE), Spain, PID2021-128901NB-I00 (MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by ERDF, A way of making Europe), Spain, and grant 2021-SGR-00751 from the Departament de Recerca i Universitats from the Generalitat de Catalunya, Spain to SC. GM-R is supported by an FPI grant from the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Spain (PRE2019-088729), BB-C is supported by FPU grant from Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Spain (FPU18/04742), AT is supported by “la Caixa” doctoral fellowship program (LCF/BQ/DR20/11790007), HT-C is supported by a “Juan de la Cierva - Formación” postdoctoral fellowship (FJC2021-046832-I) funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by the European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR, GV-A was supported by the FCT (CEECIND/00937/2018) and recently by a Ramón y Cajal research grant (Ref. RYC-2019-026959-I/AEI/10.13039/501100011033), JŠ was supported by the Czech Science Foundation (GAČR) under grant number 22-12757S and by the Charles University Research Centre under grant number 204069 and FM-F and JCB are supported by FCT - Fundação para a Ciencia e Tecnologia de Portugal (DL57/2016/CP1440/CT0010, CEECINST/00014/2018/CP1512/CT0001, respectively).Peer reviewe

Treatment with tocilizumab or corticosteroids for COVID-19 patients with hyperinflammatory state: a multicentre cohort study (SAM-COVID-19)

Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the association between tocilizumab or corticosteroids and the risk of intubation or death in patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) with a hyperinflammatory state according to clinical and laboratory parameters. Methods: A cohort study was performed in 60 Spanish hospitals including 778 patients with COVID-19 and clinical and laboratory data indicative of a hyperinflammatory state. Treatment was mainly with tocilizumab, an intermediate-high dose of corticosteroids (IHDC), a pulse dose of corticosteroids (PDC), combination therapy, or no treatment. Primary outcome was intubation or death; follow-up was 21 days. Propensity score-adjusted estimations using Cox regression (logistic regression if needed) were calculated. Propensity scores were used as confounders, matching variables and for the inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTWs). Results: In all, 88, 117, 78 and 151 patients treated with tocilizumab, IHDC, PDC, and combination therapy, respectively, were compared with 344 untreated patients. The primary endpoint occurred in 10 (11.4%), 27 (23.1%), 12 (15.4%), 40 (25.6%) and 69 (21.1%), respectively. The IPTW-based hazard ratios (odds ratio for combination therapy) for the primary endpoint were 0.32 (95%CI 0.22-0.47; p < 0.001) for tocilizumab, 0.82 (0.71-1.30; p 0.82) for IHDC, 0.61 (0.43-0.86; p 0.006) for PDC, and 1.17 (0.86-1.58; p 0.30) for combination therapy. Other applications of the propensity score provided similar results, but were not significant for PDC. Tocilizumab was also associated with lower hazard of death alone in IPTW analysis (0.07; 0.02-0.17; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Tocilizumab might be useful in COVID-19 patients with a hyperinflammatory state and should be prioritized for randomized trials in this situatio

Terapia homeopática con nosodes para el control de mastitis subclínica bovina

El estudio se realizó en la finca "La Esperanza", del municipio de Condega, Departamento de Estelí, Nicaragua. El objetivo fue evaluar ·el efecto de la aplicación de nosodes homeopático en vacas positivas a la pmeba California Mastitis Test (CMT) como alt.emativa sostenible de control de mastitis subclinica bovina. Se trabajó con 82 vacas, 28 vacas en T 1: Tratamiento homeopático (DHI O) y 29 vaca.~ en T2: Tratamiento homeopático (CHIO). En 25 vacas negativas a la prueba se midió la evolución de prevalencia e infestación del hato. En el TI y T2 se realizaron 6 aplicaciones de 2 ml de nosodes por vía anocaudal (3 aplicaciones cada 24 .horas por tres días y tres aplicaciones mas con inte1valos semanales). Para el análisis se utilizó estadística descriptiva y ANDE VA con la prueba Kmslcal Wallis (.a prevalencia en vacas se redujo a 43% en el Tl y 28% en T2; en cuartos mamarios disminuyó 70.14% en el Tly 83.78% en el T2, esta reducción fué estadísticamente significativa (P< 0.05). Se aislaron bacterias de 57 vacas positivas a CMT: Staphylococcus aureus. Streptococcus epidermis y Klebsiella pneumoniae. El rebaño de vacas negativas a la prueba de CMT al inicio del experimento y que estuvieron expuestas bajo las mismas condiciones de manejo de las vacas tratadas, evolucionaron significativamente a diferentes grados de infestación de mastitis; mostrando una tendencia creciente en el tiempo

Sclerophrys arabica (Arabian Toad). Predation.

This video demonstrates behavior. Most videos in this collection have no audible language and for those that do, the language isn't necessary to understand the behavior. For that reason, transcripts are not provided.Integrative Biolog

Species boundaries to the limit: Integrating species delimitation methods is critical to avoid taxonomic inflation in the case of the Hajar banded ground gecko (Trachydactylus hajarensis)

With the advent of molecular phylogenetics and the implementation of Multispecies Coalescent-based (MSC) species delimitation methods (SDM), the number of taxonomic studies unveiling and describing cryptic sibling species has greatly increased. However, speciation between early divergent lineages is often defined without evaluating population structure or gene flow, which can lead to false claims of species status and, subsequently, taxonomic inflation. In this study, we focus on the intriguing case of the Arabian gecko Trachydactylus hajarensis (Squamata: Gekkonidae). We generated mitochondrial data (12S rDNA) and genome-wide SNP data (ddRADseq) for 52 specimens to determine phylogenomic relationships, population structure and genetic diversity within this species. Then, we applied a set of different SDMs to evaluate several competing species hypotheses through the MSC. Results show that T. hajarensis is comprised by three well-defined population lineages, two of them in the Hajar Mountains of eastern Arabia, and one in Masirah Island, on the southeastern coast of Oman. Strong mito-nuclear discordances were found between populations inhabiting the Hajar Mountains, but we did not find evidence of current gene flow between them. Surprisingly, discordances in species tree topology were found when different downsampled datasets were used, and especially when linking population sizes, a commonly implemented feature in species tree reconstruction with genomic data. Different SDMs yielded different results, supporting from four species within the group, to T. hajarensis being a single species. With such contrasting results we suggest caution before splitting T. hajarensis. Overall, this study highlights the importance of sample and prior choice and the integration of several SDMs to not incur into taxonomic inflation, providing a set of already available tools to assess population structure, genetic diversity, and SDMs before describing new species.SC is supported by grants PGC2018-098290-B-I00 (MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE) and PID2021-128901NB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by ERDF, a way of making Europe. BB-C was funded by FPU grant from Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Spain (FPU18/04742). GR was funded by an FPI grant from the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Spain (PRE2019-088729). AT is supported by “la Caixa” doctoral fellowship programme (LCF/BQ/DR20/11790007). HT-C is supported by a “Juan de la Cierva - Formación” postdoctoral fellowship (FJC2021-046832-I) funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by the European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR.Peer reviewe