Genetic variability on worldwide populations of the scale insect Pulvinariella mesembryanthemi

The South African scale insect Pulvinariella mesembryanthemi was introduced worldwide in several coastal areas with Mediterranean climate, probably through infested plants of Carpobrotus sp. Its high host specificity and its capacity to produce severe damages in the invasive Carpobrotus sp. plants makes this insect a potential biocontrol agent. To test the efficiency and host range of insects used for biocontrol, population genetic studies can help to unravel cryptic complexes and intraspecific diversity. In this study we performed a genetic analysis including native and exotic populations of P. mesembryanthemi, through Sanger sequencing of mitochondrial (cytochrome c oxidase I, COI) and ribosomal (D2–D3 expansion segments of the large subunit ribosomal RNA gene 28S) gene fragments. Accidentally, an endosymbiont was sequenced with one of the pair of primers used. The exotic populations of the insect did not show any variability among populations for both studied genes, which suggest a common origin of all studied introduced populations. Contrastingly, native populations showed high variability and seemed to be a cryptic species complex. Moreover, the Gauteng populations (from NE South Africa) were phylogenetically the closest to the exotic ones, suggesting that the exotic populations could be original from somewhere near this area. An endosymbiont of P. mesembryanthemi was detected, and the sequenced coxA gene was similar to that of the Rickettsiaceae family from the α-Proteobacteria, and close to other insect endosymbionts. To the best of our knowledge, this was the first mention of this endosymbiont in P. mesembryanthemi, although α-Proteobacteria endosymbionts have been reported for other sap-sucking insects.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A narrative video game for adults with subjective and objective cognitive impairment. Design and preliminary results on user-interaction and efficacy

The design of a narrative video game for cognitive training of memory and executive functions in older adults with subjective and objective cognitive impairment is reported along with preliminary results on preferences (Study 1), user interaction experience (Study 2), and efficacy of the game (Study 3). A study of aesthetic preferences in backgrounds and avatars was implemented in 13 older adults, who were asked for their opinion on the acceptability of the plot. After completion of the design, a user interaction study was conducted in a sample of 19 older adults. In addition, a Matched Paired Experimental Design (MPED) was implemented as a preliminary test of the efficacy of the narrative video game in a sample of 22 participants with Subjective Cognitive Decline (SCD) and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). Preferences for free violence content in videogames was supported in our sample of low-frequency adult gamers and acceptability of the plot was high. The video game was rated favourably by the older adults in terms of user preferences and acceptability. The results of the preliminary MPED study suggest that the video game could be a useful tool for cognitive training in SCD and MCI older adults.This work was financially supported through FEDER founds (‘A way to make Europe’) by the Spanish AEI (Doi: 10.13039/501100011033; Refs. PID2020-114521RB-C21 and PSI2017-89389-C2-1-R) and by the Galician Government (Consellería de Cultura, Educación e Ordenación Universitaria; axudas para a consolidación e estruturación de unidades de investigación competitivas do Sistema Universitario de Galicia; GI-1807-USC: Ref. ED431C 2021/04).S

Predicting progression of cognitive decline to dementia using dyadic patterns of subjective reporting: evidence from the CompAS longitudinal study

ObjectiveTo analyze the validity of self and informant reports, depressive symptomatology, and some sociodemographic variables to predict the risk of cognitive decline at different follow-up times.MethodsA total of 337 participants over 50 years of age included in the CompAS and classified as Cognitively Unimpaired (CU), Subjective Cognitive Decline (SCD) and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) groups were assessed at baseline and three follow-ups. A short version of the QAM was administered to assess the severity of subjective cognitive complaints (SCCs), and the GDS-15 was used to evaluate the depressive symptoms. At each follow-up assessment, participants were reclassified according to the stability, regression or progression of their conditions. Logistic regression analysis was used to predict which CU, SCD and MCI participants would remain stable, regress or progress at a 3rd follow-up by using self- and informant-reported complaints, depressive symptomatology, age and education at baseline and 2nd follow-ups as the predictive variables.ResultsOverall, self-reported complaints predicted progression between the asymptomatic and presymptomatic stages. As the objective deterioration increased, i.e., when SCD progressed to MCI or dementia, the SCCs reported by informants proved the best predictors of progression. Depressive symptomatology was also a predictor of progression from CU to SCD and from SCD to MCI.ConclusionA late increase in self-reported complaints make valid estimates to predict subjective decline at asymptomatic stages. However, an early increase in complaints reported by informants was more accurate in predicting objective decline from asymptomatic stages. Both, early and late decrease in self-reported complaints successfully predict dementia from prodromic stage. Only late decrease in self-reported complaints predict reversion from prodromic and pre-symptomatic stages

Effects on soil and alternatives for biological control of the invasive plant Carpobrotus edulis

The invasive plant Carpobrotus edulis can alter soil properties through its necromass (chemically different from natives’). Depending on the accumulated necromass, C. edulis has contrasting effects on soil pH, leading to different effects on nutrient availability. Carpobrotus edulis alters the soil nitrogen cycle through changes in nitrogen fluxes that can limit nitrogen availability. Until now, potential agents for biocontrol of C. edulis had not been studied. The fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum can infect C. edulis, but with no long‐term consequences in greenhouse conditions. The insect Pulvinariella mesembryanthemi can reduce survival and growth of the plant. This insect was introduced accidentally in NW Spain, where its potential distribution roughly overlaps that of C. edulis, but its abundance may be restricted by weather conditions in winter, parasitism and predation. Worldwide introductions of P. mesembryanthemi seem to originate from one native population, and most of its genetic variability resides in its native area

VI Encontro da Mocidade Investigadora: Libro de resumos

Libro de resumos correspondentes ás presentacións durante o VI Encontro da Mocidade Investigadora - CienciasUniversidade de Santiago de Compostela. Centro Internacional de Estudos de Doutoramento e Estudos Avanzado

Pathogenicity and histological response of alder to Phytophthora and Halophytophthora species

ESM 1 Contrast tests of pathogen species (‘Sp’) and isolate (‘Is’) nested within species (‘df’, degrees of freedom, ‘Res’, residuals): one-way ANOVA when they meet the assumptions (transformed as x0.3 for lesion and IAP and x0.5 for IRP); χ² for binomial variables and KruskalWallis test when assumptions not met. Bold numbers are significant factors (p ≤ 0.05). Variables: Blue cells in phloem (P) and xylem (X); hyphae (H); tyloses (RT); lignin presence (LI); calloses in sieve plates (SP); lesion (length); necrosis in cambium (NC); fibers/vessels (FV), axial (AP) and ray (RP) parenchyma cells altered and axial (IAP) and ray (IRP) cells altered with iodine-potassium iodide.-- ESM 2 Factor loadings from the principal component analysis (PCA) of the variables measured in alder saplings inoculated with different Phytophthora and Halophytophthora species. Key: 'AB, S', Astra blue and Safranine staining; 'CW', Calcofluor white staining.-- ESM 3 Comparison of correlations (Spearman coefficients) between Phytophthora and Halophytophthora species for the variables lesion length, tyloses and hyphae in phloem and xylem and altered fibers/vessels and axial and ray parenchyma cells (with Astra blue ('AB’) and Safranine (‘S’) or Iodide (‘I’) staining) of inoculated alder saplings. Significance levels: *** p ≤ 0.001; **p  ≤  0.01; *p  ≤  0.05. Significant values (p  ≤  0.05) are shown in bold face.-- ESM 4 Phytophthora species isolated from symptomatic alders in riparian forests of Catalonia (NE Spain)This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.Peer reviewe

The ADnet Bayesian belief network for alder decline: Integrating empirical data and expert knowledge

International audienc

Make EU trade with Brazil sustainable

Brazil, home to one of the planet's last great forests, is currently in trade negotiations with its second largest trading partner, the European Union (EU). We urge the EU to seize this critical opportunity to ensure that Brazil protects human rights and the environment