Geographical patterns of deep mitochondrial differentiation in widespread Malagasy reptiles

Using sequences of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene, we reconstructed the phylogeography of six widely distributed Malagasy reptiles: two gekkonid lizard species, Phelsuma lineata and Hemidactylus mercatorius; two chameleons, the Calumma brevicorne complex, and Furcifer lateralis; and two skinks, Trachylepis gravenhorstii and Trachylepis elegans. Genetic differentiation among major haplotype lineages was high and in some cases indicates or confirms species status of the divergent populations. Maximum uncorrected sequence divergences were between 2.2% and 8.3% within the various species or species complexes. Haplotype lineages were exclusive to geographic regions, except in the commensal H. mercatorius where in three anthropogenic habitats coexistence of haplotype lineages was observed, possibly due to human translocation. The eastward flowing rivers Mangoro and Mananara may represent barriers to gene flow in the case of three species each. Some species sampled from humid eastern and arid western Madagascar showed no differentiation between populations from these two regions; instead the pattern observed was in several cases more concordant with a differentiation along a north-south axis

A New Biomarker to Examine the Role of Hippocampal Function in the Development of Spatial Reorientation in Children: A Review

Spatial navigation is an adaptive skill that involves determining the route to a particular goal or location, and then traveling that path. A major component of spatial navigation is spatial reorientation, or the ability to reestablish a sense of direction after being disoriented. The hippocampus is known to be critical for navigating, and has more recently been implicated in reorienting in adults, but relatively little is known about the development of the hippocampus in relation to these large-scale spatial abilities in children. It has been established that, compared to school-aged children, preschool children tend to perform poorly on certain spatial reorientation tasks, suggesting that their hippocampi may not be mature enough to process the demands of such a task. Currently, common techniques used to examine underlying brain activity, such as electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), are not suitable for examining hippocampal development in young children. In the present paper, we argue instead for the use of eyeblink conditioning (EBC), a relatively under-utilized, inexpensive, and safe method that is easy to implement in developing populations. In addition, EBC has a well defined neural circuitry, which includes the hippocampus, making it an ideal tool to indirectly measure hippocampal functioning in young children. In this review, we will evaluate the literature on EBC and its relation to hippocampal development, and discuss the possibility of using EBC as an objective measure of associative learning in relation to large-scale spatial skills. We support the use of EBC as a way to indirectly access hippocampal function in typical and atypical populations in order to characterize the neural substrates associated with the development of spatial reorientation abilities in early childhood. As such, EBC is a potential, simple biomarker for success in tasks that require the hippocampus, including spatial reorientation

Self-Regulation and Students Well-Being: A Systematic Review 2010–2020

This article belongs to the Section Psychology of Sustainability and Sustainable Development[Abstract] In recent years, there has been particular interest in studying the relationship between student self-regulation and variables such as students’ well-being, satisfaction, and school engagement. Although in other fields such as healthcare, self-regulation in different areas seems to influence individuals’ well-being, this is not so well established in the educational arena. We performed a systematic search of research articles published between 2010 and 2020 which explored the relationships between self-regulation and student well-being. The present article presents a report of a systematic review of 14 research articles. The analysis showed that some executive functions and self-regulation strategies employed in the learning process, and some self-regulatory deficits are significantly associated with different dimensions of student well-being.This research was funded by Deputación Provincial de A Coruña through The Research Grants Program 2021 in social and legal sciences. Grant number: 2021000025393, FPI Program of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (PRE2018-084938) and Xunta de Galicia (Consellería de Cultura, Educación y Universidad) under a predoctoral fellowship [ED481A 2021/351]Deputación Provincial de A Coruña; 2021000025393Xunta de Galicia; ED481A 2021/35

COVID-19 Lockdown: Key Factors in Citizens’ Stress

[Abstract] Background: Confinement due to COVID-19 can have a short‐ and long-term impact on mental health (increased levels of stress and anxiety and emotional upheaval) and on people’s quality of life. Knowing what factors are behind the stress can benefit the development of strategies and resources for future situations of a similar nature. The purpose of this study is to examine the incidence of a series of sociodemographic factors, confinement conditions, and work situation on the stress reported by confined citizens. Method: The sample is made up of 2008 citizens (19.9% men), the Perceived Stress Scale of 14 items (PSS-14) was used to assess the stress level of the population, as well as a sociodemographic questionnaire and different questions aimed at obtain information about the characteristics of the confinement and the employment situation. Data were collected using exponential snowball-type non-probability sampling. Results: The results suggest that sociodemographic factors such as age, gender, and income level could be good predictors of confinement stress. Post-confinement work expectancy along with pre-confinement working conditions can be key to protecting the well-being of confined populations. Limitations: This is a transversal study that forces us to be cautious with causal interpretations. The questionnaire was administered online, which means it excluded a good proportion of the population. Conclusion: The perception of stress being higher in women than men, with the lowest stress in older people and those with higher reported incomes. Stress levels increase as populations spend more weeks in confinement and the pre-confinement work situation seems key to protecting the well-being of the population. A lower stress is observed among stable couples without children confined in residential or suburban areas. Low income or economic instability is associated with a higher rate of stress and anxiety. The results can contribute to prioritizing actions and aid by contributing to the formation of teams and the design of tools for work in the current pandemic situation.This study was funded by the research project EDU2013-44062-P (MINECO) and EDU2017-82984-P (MEIC) and the FPU program (FPU18/02191) and the FPI program (PRE2018-084938) from the Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities to two of the author

The importance of comparative phylogeography in diagnosing introduced species: a lesson from the seal salamander, Desmognathus monticola

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In most regions of the world human influences on the distribution of flora and fauna predate complete biotic surveys. In some cases this challenges our ability to discriminate native from introduced species. This distinction is particularly critical for isolated populations, because relicts of native species may need to be conserved, whereas introduced species may require immediate eradication. Recently an isolated population of seal salamanders, <it>Desmognathus monticola</it>, was discovered on the Ozark Plateau, ~700 km west of its broad continuous distribution in the Appalachian Mountains of eastern North America. Using Nested Clade Analysis (NCA) we test whether the Ozark isolate results from population fragmentation (a natural relict) or long distance dispersal (a human-mediated introduction).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Despite its broad distribution in the Appalachian Mountains, the primary haplotype diversity of <it>D. monticola </it>is restricted to less than 2.5% of the distribution in the extreme southern Appalachians, where genetic diversity is high for other co-distributed species. By intensively sampling this genetically diverse region we located haplotypes identical to the Ozark isolate. Nested Clade Analysis supports the hypothesis that the Ozark population was introduced, but it was necessary to include haplotypes that are less than or equal to 0.733% divergent from the Ozark population in order to arrive at this conclusion. These critical haplotypes only occur in < 1.2% of the native distribution and NCA excluding them suggest that the Ozark population is a natural relict.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our analyses suggest that the isolated population of <it>D. monticola </it>from the Ozarks is not native to the region and may need to be extirpated rather than conserved, particularly because of its potential negative impacts on endemic Ozark stream salamander communities. Diagnosing a species as introduced may require locating nearly identical haplotypes in the known native distribution, which may be a major undertaking. Our study demonstrates the importance of considering comparative phylogeographic information for locating critical haplotypes when distinguishing native from introduced species.</p

Caracterización de la respuesta citotóxica de la pectenotoxina-2 (PTX-2) en dos modelos celulares humanos: células de neuroblastoma y células Caco-2

[ESP] La presencia de pectenotoxinas (PTX) en los moluscos fue descubierta debido a su elevada toxicidad aguda en el bioensayo en ratón mediante inyección intraperitoneal de extractos lipofílicos. Los estudios en animales indican que son mucho menos potentes vía oral y que no inducen diarrea. En este trabajo, hemos caracterizado la respuesta citotóxica de la PTX-2 in vitro en dos líneas celulares, las células de Caco-2 y las células de neuroblastoma, incluyendo marcadores de citotoxicidad y de apoptosis. Hemos evaluado los potentes cambios estructurales que provoca la PTX-2 sobre ambos modelos celulares, el desprendimiento del sustrato, el redondeamiento celular y los cambios en el citoesqueleto, así como la integridad de la membrana plasmática que no se ve afectada por la PTX-2 en ninguna de las líneas celulares estudiadas. Por otro lado, hemos abordado el estudio de distintos marcadores de apoptosis: potencial de membrana de mitocondria, fragmentación del DNA y activación de caspasas. Entre ellos el que más se ve afectado por el tratamiento celular con la PTX-2 es el potencial de membrana de mitocondria, mientras que otros marcadores o no se ven afectados o el efecto es poco relevante.Este trabajo se financió con fondos de los proyectos AGL-2004- 08268-C02-01/ALI y REN-2003-06598-C02-02 del Ministerio de Ciencia y Teconologí

Disminución del contenido en ácido domoico en vieiras (Pecten maximus) mediante un proceso fácilmente aplicable en la industria transformadora

[ESP] La incidencia económica de las mareas rojas con toxicidad ASP (Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning) es especialmente trágica en el sector de la vieira (Pecten maximus) debido a su baja tasa de detoxificación natural. El ácido domoico se acumula mayoritariamente en el hepatopáncreas de este molusco. Por ello, la normativa comunitaria actual permite la ablación del hepatopáncreas para disminuir la toxicidad, si bien exige garantías de que este procedimiento consiga disminuir la concentración de toxina en la parte comestible hasta niveles tolerables. Por otra parte, existe normativa específica para la disminución de la toxicidad PSP (Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning) en el corruco o langostillo (Acanthocardia tubercu- latum). En este trabajo hemos estudiado el efecto de la combinación de ambos procedimientos sobre la toxicidad ASP en vieiras. Los resultados obtenidos sugieren que la combinación de ambos métodos es más efectiva que la ablación por sí sola y que puede suponer una alternativa para disminuir el efecto económico negativo de la toxicidad ASP sobre el sector de la vieira.Este trabajo se financió con los fondos del proyecto PGIDIT06RMA00804CT de la Xunta de Galicia

Functional colour genes and signals of selection in colour polymorphic salamanders

Coloration has been associated with multiple biologically relevant traits that drive adaptation and diversification in many taxa. However, despite the great diversity of colour patterns present in amphibians the underlying molecular basis is largely unknown. Here, we use insight from a highly colour-variable lineage of the European fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra bernardezi) to identify functional associations with striking variation in colour morph and pattern. The three focal colour morphs—ancestral black-yellow striped, fully yellow and fully brown—differed in pattern, visible coloration and cellular composition. From population genomic analyses of up to 4,702 loci, we found no correlations of neutral population genetic structure with colour morph. However, we identified 21 loci with genotype–phenotype associations, several of which relate to known colour genes. Furthermore, we inferred response to selection at up to 142 loci between the colour morphs, again including several that relate to coloration genes. By transcriptomic analysis across all different combinations, we found 196 differentially expressed genes between yellow, brown and black skin, 63 of which are candidate genes involved in animal coloration. The concordance across different statistical approaches and ‘omic data sets provide several lines of evidence for loci linked to functional differences between colour morphs, including TYR, CAMK1 and PMEL. We found little association between colour morph and the metabolomic profile of its toxic compounds from the skin secretions. Our research suggests that current ecological and evolutionary hypotheses for the origins and maintenance of these striking colour morphs may need to be revisited.This research was supported by a Natural Environment Research Council; a Royal Society Research Grant; a Glasgow Natural History Society grant; a Wellcome Trust ISSF Catalyst Grant and a Spanish Ministry of Science Grant

Potential of different common (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) and Tartary (Fagopyrum tataricum (L.) Gaertn.) buckwheat accessions to sustainably manage surrounding weeds

Twenty-nine accessions of two buckwheat species (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench (common buckwheat) and Fagopyrum tataricum (L.) Gaertn. (Tartary buckwheat) were evaluated for their allelopathic potential against two resistant weeds, the monocot Lolium rigidum Gaud. and the dicot Portulaca oleracea L. The bulking use of synthetic herbicides and their consequent contamination of the environment and resulting increment of herbicide-resistant weeds, imminently requires a solution to achieve sustainable weed management without chemical inputs. The results obtained in this study suggest that buckwheat accessions can sustainably manage weeds through plant interference as competition or allelopathy. This research showed that accessions differ in their potential for sustainably managing both weeds with F. esculentum accessions being more effective against L. rigidum and F. tataricum accessions against both, monocot and dicot weeds. The chemical profile of buckwheat accessions was evaluated to know the content of polyphenols in common and Tartary buckwheat accessions and to know more about their ability to manage weeds sustainably. Differences in the chemical profile between the two buckwheat species were clear. While common buckwheat accessions showed more orientin, vitexin and hyperoside, Tartary buckwheat accessions had higher amounts of rutin, quercetin and kaempferol. We propose that the screening and selection of accessions with strong polyphenol content and vigorous growth can be a step towards organic farming due to its relation to the weed management.Universidade de Vigo/CISU