Subtidal macrozoobenthos communities from northern Chile during and post El Niño 1997–1998

Despite a large amount of climatic and oceanographic information dealing with the recurring climate phenomenon El Niño (EN) and its well known impact on diversity of marine benthic communities, most published data are rather descriptive and consequently our understanding of the underlying mechanisms and processes that drive community structure during EN are still very scarce. In this study, we address two questions on the effects of EN on macrozoobenthic communities: (1) how does EN affect species diversity of the communities in northern Chile? and (2) is EN a phenomenon that restarts community assembling processes by affecting species interactions in northern Chile? To answer these questions, we compared species diversity and co-occurrence patterns of soft-bottoms macrozoobenthos communities from the continental shelf off northern Chile during (March 1998) and after (September 1998) the strong EN event 1997–1998. The methods used varied from species diversity and species co-occurrence analyses to multivariate ordination methods. Our results indicate that EN positively affects diversity of macrozoobenthos communities in the study area, increasing the species richness and diversity and decreasing the species dominance. EN represents a strong disturbance that affects species interactions that rule the species assembling processes in shallow-water, sea-bottom environments

Inter-hemispheric EEG coherence analysis in Parkinson's disease : Assessing brain activity during emotion processing

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is not only characterized by its prominent motor symptoms but also associated with disturbances in cognitive and emotional functioning. The objective of the present study was to investigate the influence of emotion processing on inter-hemispheric electroencephalography (EEG) coherence in PD. Multimodal emotional stimuli (happiness, sadness, fear, anger, surprise, and disgust) were presented to 20 PD patients and 30 age-, education level-, and gender-matched healthy controls (HC) while EEG was recorded. Inter-hemispheric coherence was computed from seven homologous EEG electrode pairs (AF3–AF4, F7–F8, F3–F4, FC5–FC6, T7–T8, P7–P8, and O1–O2) for delta, theta, alpha, beta, and gamma frequency bands. In addition, subjective ratings were obtained for a representative of emotional stimuli. Interhemispherically, PD patients showed significantly lower coherence in theta, alpha, beta, and gamma frequency bands than HC during emotion processing. No significant changes were found in the delta frequency band coherence. We also found that PD patients were more impaired in recognizing negative emotions (sadness, fear, anger, and disgust) than relatively positive emotions (happiness and surprise). Behaviorally, PD patients did not show impairment in emotion recognition as measured by subjective ratings. These findings suggest that PD patients may have an impairment of inter-hemispheric functional connectivity (i.e., a decline in cortical connectivity) during emotion processing. This study may increase the awareness of EEG emotional response studies in clinical practice to uncover potential neurophysiologic abnormalities

Above- and below-ground net primary productivity across ten Amazonian forests on contrasting soils

Copyright © 2009 European Geosciences Union. This is the published version available at http://www.biogeosciences.net/6/2759/2009/bg-6-2759-2009.html © Author(s) 2009. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.The net primary productivity (NPP) of tropical forests is one of the most important and least quantified components of the global carbon cycle. Most relevant studies have focused particularly on the quantification of the above-ground coarse wood productivity, and little is known about the carbon fluxes involved in other elements of the NPP, the partitioning of total NPP between its above- and below-ground components and the main environmental drivers of these patterns. In this study we quantify the above- and below-ground NPP of ten Amazonian forests to address two questions: (1) How do Amazonian forests allocate productivity among its above- and below-ground components? (2) How do soil and leaf nutrient status and soil texture affect the productivity of Amazonian forests? Using a standardized methodology to measure the major elements of productivity, we show that NPP varies between 9.3±1.3MgC ha−1 yr−1 (mean±standard error), at a white sand plot, and 17.0±1.4MgC ha−1 yr−1 at a very fertile Terra Preta site, with an overall average of 12.8±0.9MgC ha−1 yr−1. The studied forests allocate on average 64±3% and 36±3% of the total NPP to the above and below-ground components, respectively. The ratio of above-ground and below-ground NPP is almost invariant with total NPP. Litterfall and fine root production both increase with total NPP, while stem production shows no overall trend. Total NPP tends to increase with soil phosphorus and leaf nitrogen status. However, allocation of NPP to below-ground shows no relationship to soil fertility, but appears to decrease with the increase of soil clay content

Turnip yellow mosaic virus in Chinese cabbage in Spain: Commercial seed transmission and molecular characterization

[EN] Seed transmission of Turnip yellow mosaic virus (TYMV, genus Tymovirus) was evaluated in the whole seeds and seedlings that emerged from three commercial Chinese cabbage (Brassica pekinensis) seed batches. Seedlings in the cotyledon stage and adult plants were assayed for TYMV by DAS-ELISA and confirmed by RT-PCR. The proportion of whole seeds infected with TYMV was at least 0.15 %. The seeds of the three seed batches were grown in Petri dishes, and surveyed in the cotyledon stage in trays that contained a peat:sand mixture grown in greenhouses or growth chambers, which were analysed in the cotyledon and adult stages. The seed-to-seedling transmission rate ranged from 2.5 % to 2.9 % in two different seed batches (lot-08 and lot-09, respectively). Spanish isolates derived from turnip (Sp-03) and Chinese cabbage (Sp-09 and Sp-13), collected in 2003, 2009 and 2013 in two different Spanish regions, were molecularly characterised by analysing the partial nucleotide sequences of three TYMV genome regions: partial RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), methyltransferase (MTR) and coat protein (CP) genes. Phylogenetic analyses showed that the CP gene represented two different groups: TYMV-1 and TYMV-2. The first was subdivided into three subclades: European, Australian and Japanese. Spanish isolate Sp-03 clustered together with European TYMV group, whereas Sp-09 and Sp-13 grouped with the Japanese TYMV group, and all differed from group TYMV-2. The sequences of the three different genomic regions examined clustered into the same groups. The results suggested that Spanish isolates grouped according to the original hosts from which they were isolated. The inoculation of the Spanish TYMV isolates to four crucifer plants species (turnip, broccoli, Brunswick cabbage and radish) revealed that all the isolates infected turnip with typical symptoms, although differences were observed in other hosts.Alfaro Fernández, AO.; Serrano, A.; Tornos, T.; Cebrian Mico, MC.; Córdoba-Sellés, MDC.; Jordá, C.; Font San Ambrosio, MI. (2016). Turnip yellow mosaic virus in Chinese cabbage in Spain: Commercial seed transmission and molecular characterization. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PLANT PATHOLOGY. 146(2):433-442. doi:10.1007/s10658-016-0929-3S4334421462Assis Filho, M., & Sherwood, J. L. (2000). Evaluation of seed transmission of Turnip yellow mosaic virus and Tobacco mosaic virus in Arabidopsis thaliana. Phytopathology, 90, 1233–1238.Benetti, M. P., & Kaswalder, F. (1983). Trasmisione per seme del virus del mosaico giallo rapa. Annali dell Istituto Sperimentale per la Patologia Vegetale, 8, 67–70.Blok, J., Mackenzie, A., Guy, P., & Gibbs, A. (1987). Nucleotide sequence comparisons of Turnip yellow mosaic virus isolates from Australia and Europe. Archives of Virology, 97, 283–295.Brunt, A., Crabtree, K., Dallwitz, M., Gibbs, A., Watson, L., & Zurcher, E.J. (1996). Plant Viruses Online: Descriptions and Lists from the VIDE Database. Version: 20th August 1996. URL http://biology.anu.edu.au/Groups/MES/vide/ .Campbell, R. N., Wipf-Scheibel, C., & Lecoq, H. (1996). Vector-assissted seed transmission of melon necrotic spot virus in melon. Phytopathology, 86, 1294–1298.Dreher, T. W., & Bransom, K. L. (1992). Genomic RNA sequence of Turnip yellow mosaic virus isolate TYMC, a cDNA-based clone with verified infectivity. Plant Molecular Biology, 18, 403–406.Fakhro, A., Von Bargen, S., Bandte, M., Büttner, C., Franken, P., & Schwarz, D. (2011). Susceptibility of different plant species and tomato cultivars to two isolates of Pepino mosaic virus. European Journal of Plant Pathology, 129, 579–590.Gibbs, A. J., & Gower, J. C. (1960). The use of a multiple-transfer method in plant virus transmission studies: some statistical points arising in the analysis of results. Annals of Applied Biology, 48, 75–83.Hayden, C. M., Mackenzie, A. M., & Gibbs, A. J. (1998a). Virion protein sequence variation among Australian isolates of turnip yellow mosaic tymovirus. Archives of Virology, 143, 191–201.Hayden, C. M., Mackenzie, A. M., Skotnicki, M. L., & Gibbs, A. (1998b). Turnip yellow mosaic virus isolates with experimentally produced recombinant virion proteins. Journal of General Virology, 79, 395–403.Hein, A. (1984). Transmission of Turnip yellow mosaic virus through seed of Camelina sativa gold of pleasure. Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection, 91, 549–551.Herrera-Vásquez, J. A., Córdoba-Sellés, M. C., Cebrián, M. C., Alfaro-Fernández, A., & Jordá, C. (2009). Seed transmission of Melon necrotic spot virus and efficacy of seed-disinfection treatments. Plant Pathology, 58, 436–452.Hull, R. (2002). Matthews’ plant virology (4a ed.1001 pp). San Diego: Academic Press.Johansen, E., Edwards, M. C., & Hampton, R. O. (1994). Seed transmission of viruses: current perspectives. Annual Review of Phytopathology, 32, 363–386.Kirino, N., Inoue, K., Tanina, K., Yamazaki, Y., & Ohki, S. T. (2008). Turnip yellow mosaic virus isolated from Chinese cabbage in Japan. Journal of General Plant Pathology, 74, 331–334.Markham, R., & Smith, K. S. (1949). Studies on the virus of turnip yellow mosaic. Parasitology, 39, 330–342.Mathews, R. E. F. (1980). Turnip yellow mosaic virus, CMI/AAB Descriptions of plant virus No. 230 (No. 2 revised). Kew: Commonwealth Mycology Institute/Association of Applied Biologists.Mitchell, E. J., & Bond, J. M. (2005). Variation in the coat protein sequence of British isolates of Turnip yellow mosaic virus and comparison with previously published isolates. Archives of Virology, 150, 2347–2355.Pagán, I., Fraile, A., Fernández-Fueyo, E., Montes, N., Alonso-Blanco, C., & García-Arenal, F. (2010). Arabidopsis thaliana as a model for the study of plant-virus co-evolution. Philosophical Transations of the Royal Society Biological Sciences, 365, 1983–1995.Paul, H. L., Gibbs, A., & Wittman-Liebold, B. (1980). The relationships of certain Tymoviruses assessed from the amino acid composition of their coat proteins. Intervirology, 13, 99–109.Pelikanova, J. (1990). Garlic mustard a spontaneous host of TYMV. Ochrana Rostlin, 26, 17–22.Procházková, Z. (1980). Host range and symptom differences between isolates of Turnip mosaic virus obtained from Sisymbrium loeselii. Biologia Plantarum, 22, 341–347.Rimmer, S. R., Shtattuck, V. I., & Buchwaldt, L. (2007). Compendium of brassica diseases (1ª Edición ed.p. 117). USA: APS press.Rot, M. E., & Jelkman, W. (2001). Characterization and detection of several filamentous viruses of cherry: Adaptation of an alternative cloning method (DOP-PCR), and modification of an RNA extraction protocol. European Journal of Plant Pathology, 107, 411–420.Sabanadzovic, S., Abou-Ghanem, N., Castellano, M. A., Digiaero, M., & Martelli, G. P. (2000). Grapevine fleck virus-like in Vitis. Archives of Virology, 145, 553–565.Špack, J., & Kubelková, D. (2000). Serological variability among European isolates of Radish mosaic virus. Plant Pathology, 49, 295–301.Špack, J., Kubelková, D., & Hnilicka, E. (1993). Seed transmission of Turnip yellow mosaic virus in winter turnip and winter oilseed rapes. Annals of Applied Biology, 123, 33–35.Stobbs, L. W., Cerkauskas, R. F., Lowery, T., & VanDriel, L. (1998). Occurrence of Turnip yellow mosaic virus on oriental cruciferours vegetables in Southern Ontario, Canada. Plant Disease, 82, 351.Tamura, K., Peterson, D., Peterson, N., Stecher, G., Nei, M., & Kumar, S. (2011). MEGA5: molecular evolutionary genetics analysis using maximum likelihood, evolutionary distance, and maximum parsimony methods. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 28, 2731–2739

Sí Se Puede: Using Participatory Research to Promote Environmental Justice in a Latino Community in San Diego, California

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) increasingly is seen as a potent tool for studying and addressing urban environmental health problems by linking place-based work with efforts to help effect policy-level change. This paper explores a successful CBPR and organizing effort, the Toxic Free Neighborhoods Campaign, in Old Town National City (OTNC), CA, United States, and its contributions to both local policy outcomes and changes in the broader policy environment, laying the groundwork for a Specific Plan to address a host of interlocking community concerns. After briefly describing the broader research of which the OTNC case study was a part, we provide background on the Environmental Health Coalition (EHC) partnership and the setting in which it took place, including the problems posed for residents in this light industrial/residential neighborhood. EHC’s strong in-house research, and its training and active engagement of promotoras de salud (lay health promoters) as co-researchers and policy change advocates, are described. We explore in particular the translation of research findings as part of a policy advocacy campaign, interweaving challenges faced and success factors and multi-level outcomes to which these efforts contributed. The EHC partnership's experience then is compared with that of other policy-focused CBPR efforts in urban environmental health, emphasizing common success factors and challenges faced, as these may assist other partnerships wishing to pursue CBPR in urban communities

DNA Fingerprinting Validates Seed Dispersal Curves from Observational Studies in the Neotropical Legume Parkia

Background: Determining the distances over which seeds are dispersed is a crucial component for examining spatial patterns of seed dispersal and their consequences for plant reproductive success and population structure. However, following the fate of individual seeds after removal from the source tree till deposition at a distant place is generally extremely difficult. Here we provide a comparison of observationally and genetically determined seed dispersal distances and dispersal curves in a Neotropical animal-plant system. Methodology/Principal Findings: In a field study on the dispersal of seeds of three Parkia (Fabaceae) species by two Neotropical primate species, Saguinus fuscicollis and Saguinus mystax, in Peruvian Amazonia, we observationally determined dispersal distances. These dispersal distances were then validated through DNA fingerprinting, by matching DNA from the maternally derived seed coat to DNA from potential source trees. We found that dispersal distances are strongly rightskewed, and that distributions obtained through observational and genetic methods and fitted distributions do not differ significantly from each other. Conclusions/Significance: Our study showed that seed dispersal distances can be reliably estimated through observational methods when a strict criterion for inclusion of seeds is observed. Furthermore, dispersal distances produced by the two primate species indicated that these primates fulfil one of the criteria for efficient seed dispersers. Finally, our stud