Anatomy of flower and fruit of Vassobia breviflora (Solanaceae) in the south of the southern Yungas (Argentina)

Solanaceae es una familia con aproximadamente 2400 especies de distribución cosmopolita. Vassobia breviflora es la única especie del género presente en Argentina. El objetivo de este trabajo fue revisar y caracterizar la anatomía de la flor y fruto de V. breviflora a partir de muestras recolectadas en poblaciones de las Yungas del noroeste argentino. Se aplicaron técnicas anatómicas convencionales. Los resultados mostraron que la mayoría de las estructuras de la flor, el fruto y la semilla no difirieron de lo previamente reportado respecto de la organización estructural descripta para otras especies de Solanaceae. No obstante, por primera vez, describimos el androceo, el fruto, la semilla, pedicelo floral y frutal, cinco tipos de tricomas y cinco tipos de estomas en el perianto. Encontramos diferencias en la forma del tejido de transmisión y del tipo de óvulo respecto de lo previamente descripto. Además, localizamos el parénquima y las células epidérmicas secretoras del nectario. En el contexto de la familia Solanaceae, discutimos la función y valor diagnóstico de las estructuras descriptas.Solanaceae is a family with nearly 2400 species of cosmopolitan distribution. Vassobia breviflora is the only species of the genus present in Argentina. The goal of this work was to review and characterize the anatomy of the flower and fruit of V. breviflora from samples collected in populations of Yungas in the argentine Northwest. Conventional anatomical techniques were applied. The results showed that most flower, fruit and seed structures did not differ from those previously reported regarding the structural organization described for other species of the Solanaceae family. However, for the first time, we described the androecium, fruit, seed, floral and fruit pedicels, five types of tricomes and five types of stomata in the perianth. We found some differences in the shape of the transmission tissue and in the type of ovule with respect to that previously reported. Also, we located the parenchyma and the epidermic secretory cells of the nectary. In the context of the family Solanaceae, we discussed the function and diagnostic value of the described structures.Fil: Bernacki, F. G.. Fundación Miguel Lillo; ArgentinaFil: Albornoz, P. L.. Fundación Miguel Lillo; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo; ArgentinaFil: Valoy, M.. Fundación Miguel Lillo; ArgentinaFil: Ordano, Mariano Andrés. Fundación Miguel Lillo; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

May Measurement Month 2018: a pragmatic global screening campaign to raise awareness of blood pressure by the International Society of Hypertension

Aims Raised blood pressure (BP) is the biggest contributor to mortality and disease burden worldwide and fewer than half of those with hypertension are aware of it. May Measurement Month (MMM) is a global campaign set up in 2017, to raise awareness of high BP and as a pragmatic solution to a lack of formal screening worldwide. The 2018 campaign was expanded, aiming to include more participants and countries. Methods and results Eighty-nine countries participated in MMM 2018. Volunteers (≥18 years) were recruited through opportunistic sampling at a variety of screening sites. Each participant had three BP measurements and completed a questionnaire on demographic, lifestyle, and environmental factors. Hypertension was defined as a systolic BP ≥140 mmHg or diastolic BP ≥90 mmHg, or taking antihypertensive medication. In total, 74.9% of screenees provided three BP readings. Multiple imputation using chained equations was used to impute missing readings. 1 504 963 individuals (mean age 45.3 years; 52.4% female) were screened. After multiple imputation, 502 079 (33.4%) individuals had hypertension, of whom 59.5% were aware of their diagnosis and 55.3% were taking antihypertensive medication. Of those on medication, 60.0% were controlled and of all hypertensives, 33.2% were controlled. We detected 224 285 individuals with untreated hypertension and 111 214 individuals with inadequately treated (systolic BP ≥ 140 mmHg or diastolic BP ≥ 90 mmHg) hypertension. Conclusion May Measurement Month expanded significantly compared with 2017, including more participants in more countries. The campaign identified over 335 000 adults with untreated or inadequately treated hypertension. In the absence of systematic screening programmes, MMM was effective at raising awareness at least among these individuals at risk

Methods for collection and analysis for data on fruit reflectance

Methods for collection and analysis for data on fruit reflectance

Bases and criteria for fruit consumption data

The first step in the multi-step process we used to make raw data on fruit consumption comparable, consisted in the delimitation of datasets that were homogeneous with respect to their geographic location, forest type, collection date and sampling technique. This entailed, on the one hand, the split of some large raw datasets (e.g. covering various types of forests, or more than one season) and, on the other, the grouping of similar opportunistic records from different sources in a same dataset

Bird fruit consumption results from the interaction between fruit-handling behaviour and fruit crop size

Bird foraging behaviour is a major factor involved in mutualistic interactions of fleshy-fruited plants. Despite much research, we still lack quantified demonstrations of how fruit display traits affect fruit removal behaviour. Although the fruit crop size hypothesis proposes a general mechanism for fruit trait selection, it overlooks the fact that distinctive bird behaviours in a bird assemblage would have different effects on fruit crop size. Here, we show that the relevance of fruit crop size for bird fruit consumption is driven by two basic components of fruit foraging behaviour: fruit handling and residence time. We assessed bird fruit-eating behaviour (fruit consumption, fruit handling and residence time) and its relationship with fruit crop size, taking into account body size and spatial focal context (conspecific neighbour density and distance to the forest edge from individual plants) in a population of Vassobia breviflora (Solanaceae) in Tucumán, Argentina. At the assemblage level, fruit consumption was positively related to fruit crop size and residence time, and the interaction between fruit crop size and residence time depended on fruit-handling behaviour. At the functional group level, both gulpers and pulp consumers showed a positive relationship between fruit consumption and residence time. However, gulpers showed a negative interaction between fruit crop size and residence time, while pulp consumers showed no interaction. At the species level, fruit consumption by Turdus rufiventris (gulper) was positively related to fruit crop size, whereas fruit consumption by Thraupis sayaca and Zonotrichia capensis (pulp consumers) depended positively on residence time. Essentially, gulpers spent short residence times in plants with larger fruit crops, whereas pulp consumers spent long residence times in plants regardless of fruit crop size. The segregation between fruit-eating behaviours and their relationship with fruit crop size suggests that bird functional groups (i.e. gulpers and pulp consumers) would shape fruit display traits with different intensities.Fil: Palacio, Facundo Xavier. Fundación Miguel Lillo; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Valoy, M.. Fundación Miguel Lillo; ArgentinaFil: Bernacki, F.. Fundación Miguel Lillo; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo; ArgentinaFil: Sanchez, Mariano Sebastian. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú | Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú; ArgentinaFil: Nuñez Montellano, Maria Gabriela. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Bio y Geociencias del NOA. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales. Museo de Ciencias Naturales. Instituto de Bio y Geociencias del NOA; ArgentinaFil: Varela, O.. Fundación Miguel Lillo; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Chilecito; ArgentinaFil: Ordano, Mariano Andrés. Fundación Miguel Lillo; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Bird fruit consumption results from the interaction between fruit-handling behaviour and fruit crop size

<p>Bird foraging behaviour is a major factor involved in mutualistic interactions of fleshy-fruited plants. Despite much research, we still lack quantified demonstrations of how fruit display traits affect fruit removal behaviour. Although the fruit crop size hypothesis proposes a general mechanism for fruit trait selection, it overlooks the fact that distinctive bird behaviours in a bird assemblage would have different effects on fruit crop size. Here, we show that the relevance of fruit crop size for bird fruit consumption is driven by two basic components of fruit foraging behaviour: fruit handling and residence time. We assessed bird fruit-eating behaviour (fruit consumption, fruit handling and residence time) and its relationship with fruit crop size, taking into account body size and spatial focal context (conspecific neighbour density and distance to the forest edge from individual plants) in a population of <i>Vassobia breviflora</i> (Solanaceae) in Tucumán, Argentina. At the assemblage level, fruit consumption was positively related to fruit crop size and residence time, and the interaction between fruit crop size and residence time depended on fruit-handling behaviour. At the functional group level, both gulpers and pulp consumers showed a positive relationship between fruit consumption and residence time. However, gulpers showed a negative interaction between fruit crop size and residence time, while pulp consumers showed no interaction. At the species level, fruit consumption by <i>Turdus rufiventris</i> (gulper) was positively related to fruit crop size, whereas fruit consumption by <i>Thraupis sayaca</i> and <i>Zonotrichia capensis</i> (pulp consumers) depended positively on residence time. Essentially, gulpers spent short residence times in plants with larger fruit crops, whereas pulp consumers spent long residence times in plants regardless of fruit crop size. The segregation between fruit-eating behaviours and their relationship with fruit crop size suggests that bird functional groups (i.e. gulpers and pulp consumers) would shape fruit display traits with different intensities.</p

Competing models in the GLM procedure

Competing models in the GLM procedure to determine the importance of fruit conspicuousness on fruit consumption by birds