Deshaciendo el palimpsesto: una aproximación a la secuencia cultural de la ocupación neandertal del abrigo de Navalmaíllo, Pinilla del Valle (España)

The Navalmaíllo site is a karstic rockshelter located in a mountain environment near the Lozoya river. The location of the site allows for the close monitoring of the surrounding area, for following the migrations of animals and for the temporary residence of human groups. The difficulties associated with estimating the time span of occupational processes at archaeological sites raise the problem of the synchrony and diachrony of occupations that form palimpsests. Archaeostratigraphy has revealed the integrity of the sedimentary deposit, how it has been affected by both natural agents (falling boulders and the conservation of the site) and human agents (the excavation method). The deformation of the plastic deposit is reflected in the archaeostratigraphy, but the two periods of occupation identified have been preserved and were not largely affected. The archaeostratigraphic approach has resulted in the identification of some of the taphosedimentary aspects of Layer F and in the deciphering of the cultural palimpsest, establishing the cultural sequence of occupations at the Navalmaíllo site.El yacimiento de Navalmaíllo es un abrigo kárstico localizado en un entorno de montaña cerca del río Lozoya. La ubicación del yacimiento permite un control del entorno, siguiendo las migraciones de animales y para el establecimiento temporal de los grupos humanos. Las dificultades asociadas con la temporalidad relacionada con los procesos ocupacionales de los yacimientos, desvelan la problemática vinculada a la sincronía y diacronía de las ocupaciones que componen los palimpsestos. La arqueoestratigrafía ha permitido conocer la integridad del depósito, y cómo se ha visto afectado por procesos naturales (la caída de bloques y la conservación del yacimiento) y humanos (el método de excavación). La deformación del depósito plástico ha quedado reflejada en la arqueoestratigrafía, pero los dos periodos de ocupación identificación han quedado preservados y apenas se han visto afectados por esta caída de bloques. El enfoque arqueoestratigráfico ha permitido la identificación de algunos de los aspectos tafosedimentarios del nivel F y desgranar el palimpsesto cultural, estableciendo la secuencia cultural de ocupaciones en el yacimiento de Navalmaíllo

Fourteen years of chiropterological studies in the Balearic islands

Abstract not availabl

Quinze anys d'estudis quiropterològics a les Illes Balears

[eng] Les ratapinyades són mamífers placentaris adaptats al vol que han tingut gran èxit evolutiu i han colonitzat la major part del planeta excepte les zones polars. Malgrat la seva importància ecològica, la distribució, l’ecologia i la dinàmica de les poblacions de ratapinyades solen ser poc estudiades. El present treball dóna a conèixer i analitza la informació quiropterològica obtinguda des de 1993, any en què el nostre equip inicià els estudis a les Illes Balears. S’han prospectat cavitats subterrànies, s’han capturat ratapinyades amb xarxes i s’han efectuat enregistraments i anàlisis dels senyals ultrasònics emesos pels quiròpters per tal d’ampliar la informació sobre la distribució de les ratapinyades a les Illes Balears. S’ha analitzat l’ocupació estacional de Miniopterus schreibersii, Myotis capaccinii, Myotis myotis i Rhinolophus ferrumequinum a 8 refugis situats a Mallorca i a Menorca i s’han estudiat desplaçaments estacionals de les anteriors espècies. S’han prospectat unes 470 localitats diferents i s’han observat 16 espècies de ratapinyades a les Illes Balears, de les quals algunes d’elles han estat citades per primera vegada. Aquest és el cas de N. leisleri a Menorca i Eivissa; P. pygmaeus a Menorca i P. pipistrellus, P. kuhlii, N. leisleri, M. capaccinii, B. barbastellus i T. teniotis a Sa Dragonera. P. pipistrellus, P. kuhlii i T. teniotis són les espècies de ratapinyades més abundants a les Illes Balears. Els resultats obtinguts fins ara, tot i que encara són parcials, indiquen que existeixen diferències en la composició de les comunitats de ratapinyades de cada illa, ja sigui en les espècies presents com en la freqüència de cadascuna d’elles. Mallorca és l’illa amb major diversitat d’espècies de quiròpters. L’anàlisi de l’ocupació estacional ha mostrat la importància quiropterològica de les cavitats estudiades i ha permès estimar el nombre de ratapinyades que s’hi refugien. La metodologia del captura - marcatge - recaptura ha possibilitat verificar diversos desplaçaments entre cavitats. R. ferrumequinum i M. myotis realitzen desplaçaments de curta distància, mentre que M. schreibersii i M. capaccinii recorren distàncies més llargues (tot i ser menors que les observades al continent). S’ha pogut comprovar, per primera vegada, desplaçaments de M. schreibersii i M. capaccinii entre colònies de Mallorca i Menorca.[eng] Bats are placental mammals adapted to flight and evolutionarily very successful, which has led them to colonize most of the planet except for polar areas. Despite their ecological importance, the distribution, ecology, and dynamics of bat populations are usually little studied. The present work reveals and analyses chiropterological information gathered since 1993, when our team began studying bats from the Balearic Islands. In order to further extend the information about Chiroptera distribution in the Balearic Islands underground cavities have been explored, bats have been captured with nets, and recordings and analyses of ultrasonic signals sent out by bats have been performed. Seasonal roosting of Miniopterus schreibersii, Myotis capaccinii, Myotis myotis, and Rhinolophus ferrumequinum has been analysed in eight roosts and seasonal movements of the same species have been studied in Mallorca and Menorca. About 470 different localities have been explored and 16 bat species have been observed in the Balearic Islands, some of which being reported for the first time, such as N. leisleri in Menorca and Eivissa; P. pygmaeus in Menorca and P. pipistrellus, P. kuhlii, N. leisleri, M. capaccinii, B. barbastellus, and T. teniotis in Sa Dragonera. P. pipistrellus, P. kuhlii i T. teniotis are bat species more abundant in Balearic Islands. The results obtained to date, although still partial, show differences in the composition of bat communities in each island, either in the species present or in their frequency. Mallorca is the island where Chiroptera species are more diverse. The analysis of seasonal roosting has revealed the chiropterological importance of the studied cavities and has allowed us to estimate the number of bats that roost in them. The methodology of capture – banding - recapture has allowed us to verify several movements between cavities. R. ferrumequinum and M. myotis make short distance displacements, whereas M. schreibersii and M. capaccinii travel longer distances (although shorter than those observed on the continent). Movements of M. schreibersii and M. capaccinii between colonies of Mallorca and Menorca have been proved for the first time

Unravelling the phylogenetic and ecological drivers of beak shape variability in cephalopods

19 pages, 5 figures, 4 tables, supplementary Information https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-022-09744-5.-- Data availability: Genetic data underlying this article are available in the GenBank Nucleotide Database at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genbank/ and can be accessed with the GenBank accession numbers OP151115-OP151122, OP161136-OP161143, OP235417-OP235424. The FastQ files can be accessed within the GenBank Nucleotide Database with the BioProject accession number PRJNA866317. Stable isotope and geometric morphometric data are available upon request from the corresponding author. Additional material is available in Supplementary files 1–3Cephalopod beaks are essential for prey acquisition and fragmentation during feeding. Thus, it is expected that ecological pressures affect cephalopod beak shape. From a practical perspective, these structures are also used to identify gut contents of marine megafauna, such as toothed whales, sharks, seabirds, and large pelagic fishes. Here, we investigated the relative importance of ecological pressures and phylogenetic relatedness in the evolution of beak shape using a wide range of Mediterranean cephalopod species. Phylogenetic analyses based on complete mitogenomes and nuclear ribosomal genes provided a well-supported phylogeny among the 18 included cephalopods. Geometric morphometric and stable isotope methods were implemented to describe interspecific beak shape and trophic niche variability, respectively. Phylogenetic signal was detected in the shape of both parts of the beak (upper and lower). However, lower beak shape was more distinct among closely related species, in line with the empirical notion that lower beak morphology is more useful as an identification tool in cephalopods. Interestingly, no association between beak shape and trophic niche (stable isotope values) was found. These results suggest that the evolution of cephalopod beak shape as quantified here is mainly driven by phylogenetic relationships, while feeding habits play a minor roleWe are thankful to the crew of the projects SAP (ARP029/18/00003, Departament d'Acció Climàtica, Alimentació i Agenda Rural, Generalitat de Catalunya), to BITER, OCTOSET and ECOPHYN (PID2020-114732RB-C31, RTI2018-097908-B-I00 and PID2021-126824NB-C32 respectively, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Gobierno de España) for granting the access to the samples and to Núria Lombarte Recasens for the illustrations provided of the beaks and major taxonomic groups. This study is part of the Master thesis of A.S.-M., who was supported by a JAE-Intro grant of CSIC (JAEIntro2020-ICM-2). F.Á.F.-Á. was supported by an Irish Research Council–Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Fellowship Award (ref. GOIPD/2019/460) and a JdC-I Postdoctoral Fellowship Grant (ref. IJC2020-043170-I) awarded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and the European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR. A.K. is supported by a Ramón y Cajal research grant co-funded by the Spanish State Research Agency and the European Social Fund (RYC2019-026688-I/AEI/10.13039/501100011033). M.T. was funded by a Ph.D. fellowship from the Irish Research Council (GOIPG/2017/1740) and was supported by the Dr. Tony Ryan Research Fund. This research was supported by the Spanish government through the ‘Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence’ accreditation (CEX2019-000928-S). [...] Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer NaturePeer reviewe

Gulls living in cities as overlooked seed dispersers within and outside urban environments

The yellow-legged gull is an opportunistic and generalist bird that has colonised urban areas, where it has found very favourable trophic resources but also causes disturbance to humans and damage to infrastructure. Here, we investigated the potential role that gulls play in the dispersal of plants in Barcelona, a highly populated city of northeastern Spain. We analysed the stomach contents of 145 chicks collected in urban nests and reported the presence of seeds of 27 plant taxa. We then developed a plant dispersal model based on the movements of 20 GPS-tracked yellow-legged gulls breeding in the city of Barcelona. We estimated seed dispersal distances, seed shadows and per- centage of seeds reaching habitats suitable for seeds regurgitated in pellets and those excreted in faeces. Seven of the 27 plant taxa found in the stomachs were alien taxa to Spain. Average dispersal distances of plant seeds by gulls were around 700 m, but maximum dispersal distances reached up to 35 km. Dispersal distances and seed spatial patterns did not differ between faeces and pellet models, as most strongly depended on gull movements. About 95% of the seeds were dispersed within urban environments and between 20 and 30% reached suitable habitats for seed deposition (urban woodlands, green urban parks and urban grasslands). Urban gulls frequently dispersed seeds (including alien species) within urban habitats, both via direct consumption or via secondary dispersal after consuming granivorous birds that had ingested the seeds, such as pigeons or parakeets. Urban planning for Barcelona is based on native plant species, and thus, special attention should be paid to alien plants dispersed by birds, which could pose a risk to native biodiversity in urban ecosystems

The significance of cephalopod beaks as a research tool: An update

The use of cephalopod beaks in ecological and population dynamics studies has allowed major advances of our knowledge on the role of cephalopods in marine ecosystems in the last 60 years. Since the 1960's, with the pioneering research by Malcolm Clarke and colleagues, cephalopod beaks (also named jaws or mandibles) have been described to species level and their measurements have been shown to be related to cephalopod body size and mass, which permitted important information to be obtained on numerous biological and ecological aspects of cephalopods in marine ecosystems. In the last decade, a range of new techniques has been applied to cephalopod beaks, permitting new kinds of insight into cephalopod biology and ecology. The workshop on cephalopod beaks of the Cephalopod International Advisory Council Conference (Sesimbra, Portugal) in 2022 aimed to review the most recent scientific developments in this field and to identify future challenges, particularly in relation to taxonomy, age, growth, chemical composition (i.e., DNA, proteomics, stable isotopes, trace elements) and physical (i.e., structural) analyses. In terms of taxonomy, new techniques (e.g., 3D geometric morphometrics) for identifying cephalopods from their beaks are being developed with promising results, although the need for experts and reference collections of cephalopod beaks will continue. The use of beak microstructure for age and growth studies has been validated. Stable isotope analyses on beaks have proven to be an excellent technique to get valuable information on the ecology of cephalopods (namely habitat and trophic position). Trace element analyses is also possible using beaks, where concentrations are significantly lower than in other tissues (e.g., muscle, digestive gland, gills). Extracting DNA from beaks was only possible in one study so far. Protein analyses can also be made using cephalopod beaks. Future challenges in research using cephalopod beaks are also discussed.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The significance of cephalopod beaks as a research tool: An update

The use of cephalopod beaks in ecological and population dynamics studies has allowed major advances of our knowledge on the role of cephalopods in marine ecosystems in the last 60 years. Since the 1960’s, with the pioneering research by Malcolm Clarke and colleagues, cephalopod beaks (also named jaws or mandibles) have been described to species level and their measurements have been shown to be related to cephalopod body size and mass, which permitted important information to be obtained on numerous biological and ecological aspects of cephalopods in marine ecosystems. In the last decade, a range of new techniques has been applied to cephalopod beaks, permitting new kinds of insight into cephalopod biology and ecology. The workshop on cephalopod beaks of the Cephalopod International Advisory Council Conference (Sesimbra, Portugal) in 2022 aimed to review the most recent scientific developments in this field and to identify future challenges, particularly in relation to taxonomy, age, growth, chemical composition (i.e., DNA, proteomics, stable isotopes, trace elements) and physical (i.e., structural) analyses. In terms of taxonomy, new techniques (e.g., 3D geometric morphometrics) for identifying cephalopods from their beaks are being developed with promising results, although the need for experts and reference collections of cephalopod beaks will continue. The use of beak microstructure for age and growth studies has been validated. Stable isotope analyses on beaks have proven to be an excellent technique to get valuable information on the ecology of cephalopods (namely habitat and trophic position). Trace element analyses is also possible using beaks, where concentrations are significantly lower than in other tissues (e.g., muscle, digestive gland, gills). Extracting DNA from beaks was only possible in one study so far. Protein analyses can also be made using cephalopod beaks. Future challenges in research using cephalopod beaks are also discussed

A multilayered post-GWAS assessment on genetic susceptibility to pancreatic cancer

Funder: Fundación Científica Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer (ES)Funder: Cancer Focus Northern Ireland and Department for Employment and LearningFunder: Intramural Research Program of the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, USAAbstract: Background: Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a complex disease in which both non-genetic and genetic factors interplay. To date, 40 GWAS hits have been associated with PC risk in individuals of European descent, explaining 4.1% of the phenotypic variance. Methods: We complemented a new conventional PC GWAS (1D) with genome spatial autocorrelation analysis (2D) permitting to prioritize low frequency variants not detected by GWAS. These were further expanded via Hi-C map (3D) interactions to gain additional insight into the inherited basis of PC. In silico functional analysis of public genomic information allowed prioritization of potentially relevant candidate variants. Results: We identified several new variants located in genes for which there is experimental evidence of their implication in the biology and function of pancreatic acinar cells. Among them is a novel independent variant in NR5A2 (rs3790840) with a meta-analysis p value = 5.91E−06 in 1D approach and a Local Moran’s Index (LMI) = 7.76 in 2D approach. We also identified a multi-hit region in CASC8—a lncRNA associated with pancreatic carcinogenesis—with a lowest p value = 6.91E−05. Importantly, two new PC loci were identified both by 2D and 3D approaches: SIAH3 (LMI = 18.24), CTRB2/BCAR1 (LMI = 6.03), in addition to a chromatin interacting region in XBP1—a major regulator of the ER stress and unfolded protein responses in acinar cells—identified by 3D; all of them with a strong in silico functional support. Conclusions: This multi-step strategy, combined with an in-depth in silico functional analysis, offers a comprehensive approach to advance the study of PC genetic susceptibility and could be applied to other diseases