Cultivation of Tuber melanosporum in firebreaks: Short-term persistence of the fungus and effect of seedling age and soil treatment

[EN] Wildfires are a major threat to Mediterranean forests. Firebreaks are built as a prevention measure, but require a periodic and expensive maintenance. Cultivating the ectomycorrhizal mushroom Tuber melanosporum Vitt. in firebreaks could reduce costs and improve their sustainability. But firebreaks are built on forest soil, considered nonoptimum for T. melanosporum cultivation. A pot experiment was used to study the persistence of T. melanosporum in firebreak soils in the short term, as a first step to assess the viability of these plantations. The influence of seedlings, soil heating, and liming was also tested. During the 2 y after plantation, T. melanosporum mycorrhizas increased their number, showing its ability to proliferate. Percent root colonisation by native fungi importantly increased from month 12 to 22; although T. melanosporum remained dominant, with a colonisation level similar to those in standard truffle plantations. The age of seedlings at the time of planting influenced T. melanosporum proliferation, supporting a key role for nursery seedling quality in the performance of young plantations. Heating the soil before planting reduced the richness of native fungi, suggesting that this could increase plantation success. The results tend to support the viability of T. melanosporum cultivation in firebreaks, and encourage experimental field plantations. (C) 2013 The British Mycological Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.This work was funded by the INIA (Government of Spain) project PET2007-13-C07-04. The Fundacion CEAM is partly supported by Generalitat Valenciana and the projects GRACCIE (Consolider-Ingenio 2010) and FEEDBACKS (Prometeo-Generalitat Valenciana). Sylvain Robert collaborated in the setting-up and Ricardo Forcadell in the sampling.García Barreda, S.; Reyna Domenech, S. (2013). Cultivation of Tuber melanosporum in firebreaks: Short-term persistence of the fungus and effect of seedling age and soil treatment. Fungal Biology. 117(11-12):783-789. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.funbio.2013.10.001S78378911711-1

Below-ground ectomycorrhizal community in natural Tuber melanosporum truffle grounds and dynamics after canopy opening

[EN] The ectomycorrhizal fungus Tuber melanosporum fruits in association with Quercus in natural forests of Spain. Some of these stands are managed to keep an open canopy and meet the habitat requirements of the fungus. However, there are few quantitative studies analysing in these forests the relationship between soil environment and T. melanosporum. Eight forest stands which produce T. melanosporum have been monitored for 6 years in order to characterise the below-ground ectomycorrhizal community and to assess its temporal dynamics after experimental canopy opening. The brûlé, the ground where T. melanosporum fruits, shows a distinct ectomycorrhizal community, characterised by lower density of active ectomycorrhizal tips, lower morphotype richness per soil volume, higher abundance of T. melanosporum and lower abundance of Cenococcum geophilum than soil closest to the trunk of the host Quercus ilex. Opening the canopy has not stimulated an increase in T. melanosporum, suggesting that a shift in the soil environment alone will not trigger the formation of new truffières in the short term. The dry climate of these truffières may be a factor as T. melanosporum abundance appears to be sensitive to annual weather conditions. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Conselleria de Medi Ambient (Generalitat Valenciana) and VAERSA. Comments from anonymous reviewers and editorial suggestions from Randy Molina greatly helped in improving the manuscript. The Fundacion CEAM is partly supported by Generalitat Valenciana, Fundacion Bancaja and the projects GRACCIE (Consolider-Ingenio 2010) and FEEDBACKS (Prometeo-Generalitat Valenciana).García Barreda, S.; Reyna Domenech, S. (2012). Below-ground ectomycorrhizal community in natural Tuber melanosporum truffle grounds and dynamics after canopy opening. Mycorrhiza. 22(5):361-369. doi:10.1007/s00572-011-0410-2S361369225Agerer R (1987–2002) Colour atlas of ectomycorrhizae 1st-12th del. Eihorn-Verlag, BerlinÁgueda B, Fernández-Toirán LM, De Miguel AM, Martínez-Peña F (2010) Ectomycorrhizal status of a mature productive black truffle plantation. For Syst 19:89–97Barry-Etienne D, Ricard JM, Diente S, Moundy PJ, Chandioux O, Fiorese D, Jaillard B, Serre F, Jourdan C (2008) Distribution of Tuber melanosporum mycorrhizas on rootstocks of holm-oaks (Quercus ilex) in production. 3º Congresso Internazionale di Spoleto sul Tartufo, Spoleto, ItalyBonet JA, Fischer CR, Colinas C (2001) Evolución mensual en campo de las ectomicorrizas de Tuber melanosporum Vitt. inoculadas en plantas de Quercus ilex. In: Actas del III Congreso Forestal Español. Junta de Andalucía. Available in http://www.congresoforestal.es . Accessed 3 June 2011Claus A, George E (2005) Effect of stand age on fine-root biomass and biomass distribution in three European forest chronosequences. Can J For Res 35:1617–1625. doi: 10.1139/X05-079Courty P-E, Franc A, Pierrat J-C, Garbaye J (2008) Temporal changes in the ectomycorrhizal community in two soil horizons of a temperate oak forest. Appl Environ Microbiol 74(8):5792–5801. doi: 10.1128/AEM.01592-08De Román M (2003) Las ectomicorrizas de Quercus ilex subsp. ballota y su dinámica post-incendio en una zona potencialmente trufera. Dissertation, Universidad de NavarraDeschaseaux A, Ponge J-F (2001) Changes in the composition of humus profiles near the trunk base of an oak tree (Quercus petraea (Mattus.) Liebl). Eur J Soil Biol 37:9–16. doi: 10.1016/S1164-5563(01)01064-0Dickie IA, Reich PB (2005) Ectomycorrhizal fungal communities at forest edges. J Ecol 93:244–255. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2745.2005.00977.xGardes M, Bruns TD (1996) Community structure of ectomycorrhizal fungi in a Pinus muricata forest: above- and below-ground views. Can J Bot 74:1572–1583. doi: 10.1139/b96-190Granetti B (2005) Miglioramento e rinnovamento delle tartufaie. In: Granetti B, De Angelis A, Materozzi G (eds) Umbria terra di tartufi. Regione Umbria-Gruppo Micologico Ternano, Terni, Italy, pp 207–208Gregori G, Elisei S, Pasquini L, Sacchi A, Spezi D (2001) Rigenerazione di una vecchia tartufaia coltivata di Tuber melanosporum Vitt. In: Courvoisier M, Olivier JM, Chevalier G (eds) Actes du V Congrès International Science et Culture de la Truffe. Fédération Française des Trufficulteurs, Aix-en-Provence, pp 400–405Hagerman SM, Sakakibara SM, Durall DM (2001) The potential for woody understory plants to provide refuge for ectomycorrhizal inoculum at an interior Douglas-fir forest after clear-cut logging. Can J For Res 31:711–721. doi: 10.1139/cjfr-31-4-711Hall IR, Yun W, Amicucci A (2003) Cultivation of edible ectomycorrhizal mushrooms. Trends Biotechnol 21:433–438. doi: 10.1016/S0167-7799(03)00204-XHall IR, Brown GT, Zambonelli A (2007) Taming the truffle: the history, lore and science of the ultimate mushroom. Timber, PortlandJones MD, Durall DM, Cairney JWG (2003a) Ectomycorrhizal fungal communities in young forest stands regenerating after clearcut logging. New Phytol 157:399–422. doi: 10.1139/X09-072Jones RH, Mitchell RJ, Stevens GN, Pecot SD (2003b) Controls of fine root dynamics across a gradient of gap sizes in a pine woodland. Oecologia 134:132–143. doi: 10.1007/s00442-002-1098-yJones MD, Twieg BD, Durall DM, Berch SM (2008) Location relative to a retention patch affects the ECM fungal community more than patch size in the first season after timber harvesting on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. For Eco Manag 255:1342–1352. doi: 10.1016/j.foreco.2007.10.042Koide RT, Fernandez C, Petprakob K (2011) General principles in the community ecology of ectomycorrhizal fungi. Ann For Sci 68:45–55. doi: 10.1007/s1395-010-0006-6Lian C, Narimatsu M, Nara K, Hogetsu T (2006) Tricholoma matsutake in a natural Pinus densiflora forest: correspondence between above- and below-ground genets, in association with multiple host trees and alteration of existing ectomycorrhizal communities. New Phytol 171:825–836. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2006.01801.xLloret F, Peñuelas J, Ogaya R (2004) Establishment of co-existing Mediterranean tree species under a varying soil moisture regime. J Veg Sci 15:237–244. doi: 10.1111/j.1654-1103.2004.tb02258.xLuoma DL, Stockdale CA, Molina R, Eberhart JL (2006) The spatial influence of Pseudotsuga menziesii retention trees on ectomycorrhiza diversity. Can J For Res 36:2561–2573. doi: 10.1139/X06-143Martín-Benito D, Cherubini P, Del Río M, Cañellas I (2008) Growth response to climate and drought in Pinus nigra Arn. trees of different crown classes. Trees 22:363–373 doi: 10.1007/s00468-007-0191-6Mello A, Murat C, Bonfante P (2006) Truffles: much more than a prized and local fungal delicacy. FEMS Microbiol Lett 260:1–8. doi: 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2006.00252.xOlivier J-M, Savignac J-C, Sourzat P (2002) Truffe et trufficulture. Fanlac, Périgueux, FrancePargney JC, Chevalier G, Dupré C, Genet P, Jalade M (2001) Étude des stromas fongiques se développant sur les racines des plants mycorhizés par la truffe. In: Courvoisier M, Olivier JM, Chevalier G (eds) Actes du V Congrès International Science et Culture de la Truffe. Fédération Française des Trufficulteurs, Aix-en-Provence, France, pp 167–172Parsons WFJ, Miller SL, Knight DH (1994) Root-gap dynamics in a lodgepole pine forest: ectomycorrhizal and nonmycorrhizal fine root activity after experimental gap formation. Can J For Res 24:1531–1538. doi: 10.1139/x94-200Reyna S, Garcia S, Folch L, Pérez-Badia R, Galiana F, Rodríguez-Barreal JA, Domínguez-Núñez JA, Saiz de Omeñaca JA, Zazo J (2004) Selvicultura trufera en montes mediterráneos. In: Vallejo R, Alloza JA (eds) Avances en el estudio de la gestión del monte mediterránea. Fundación CEAM, Valencia, pp 523–546Ricard JM, Bergougnoux F, Callot R, Chevalier G, Olivier JM, Pargney JC, Sourzat P (2003) La truffe Guide technique de trufficulture. Ctifl, ParisSánchez-Durán S, De Miguel AM, Palazón C, González Armada B, Sáez R, Barriuso J (2009) Estado de micorrización de árboles truferos en función de su carácter productivo y su edad. In: Actas del 5º Congreso Forestal Español. Sociedad Española de Ciencias Forestales - Junta de Castilla y León. Available in http://www.congresoforestal.es . Accessed 3 June 2011Sourzat P, Génola L, Chaumeil F, Chédozeau N (2004) Questions d’ecologie appliquées à la trufficulture. Lycée Professionnel Agricole de Cahors-Le Montat, Le Montat, FranceSourzat P, Bouyssieres D, Brunet-Ruamps E, Chaumeil F, Dubiau J-M, Michels C, Génola L, Saenz W, Sanchez A (2008) La rénovation des anciennes plantations et la sylviculture truffière. Fédération Française des Trufficulteurs, Le Montat, FranceSplivallo R (2008) Biological significance of truffle secondary metabolites. In: Karlovsky P (ed) Secondary metabolites in soil ecology. Soil biology vol 14. Springer, BerlinTaylor AFS (2002) Fungal diversity in ectomycorrhizal communities: sampling effort and species detection. 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Effect of voicing and articulation manner on aerosol particle emission during human speech.

Previously, we demonstrated a strong correlation between the amplitude of human speech and the emission rate of micron-scale expiratory aerosol particles, which are believed to play a role in respiratory disease transmission. To further those findings, here we systematically investigate the effect of different 'phones' (the basic sound units of speech) on the emission of particles from the human respiratory tract during speech. We measured the respiratory particle emission rates of 56 healthy human volunteers voicing specific phones, both in isolation and in the context of a standard spoken text. We found that certain phones are associated with significantly higher particle production; for example, the vowel /i/ ("need," "sea") produces more particles than /ɑ/ ("saw," "hot") or /u/ ("blue," "mood"), while disyllabic words including voiced plosive consonants (e.g., /d/, /b/, /g/) yield more particles than words with voiceless fricatives (e.g., /s/, /h/, /f/). These trends for discrete phones and words were corroborated by the time-resolved particle emission rates as volunteers read aloud from a standard text passage that incorporates a broad range of the phones present in spoken English. Our measurements showed that particle emission rates were positively correlated with the vowel content of a phrase; conversely, particle emission decreased during phrases with a high fraction of voiceless fricatives. Our particle emission data is broadly consistent with prior measurements of the egressive airflow rate associated with the vocalization of various phones that differ in voicing and articulation. These results suggest that airborne transmission of respiratory pathogens via speech aerosol particles could be modulated by specific phonetic characteristics of the language spoken by a given human population, along with other, more frequently considered epidemiological variables

Estudio de las funciones fisiológicas y patológicas de la proteína tau mediante el uso de modelos murinos deficientes en tau

Tesis doctoral inédita. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Biología Molecular. Fecha de lectura: 03-12-201

Response of Tuber melanosporum fruiting to canopy opening in a PinusQuercus forest

[EN] The wild production of the highly appreciated fungus Tuber melanosporum is negatively affected by canopy closure in the stand. Habitat improvement has been proposed as a tool to recover the production in close forests, but evaluations based on scientific monitoring are still lacking. This study analyses the short-term effect of a pilot project on improvement of T. melanosporum reproduction habitat. The results support the project hypothesis that the canopy closure was hampering truffle fruiting in the larger brines. The silvicultural treatment alone has not triggered a clear positive response in all the truffieres, suggesting that complementary actions are necessary to ensure their sustainability. Weather conditions provoke a year-to-year variation in the fruiting and determine the responsiveness of the truffieres to the treatment. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Conselleria de Medi Ambient (Generalitat Valenciana) and VAERSA. CEAM is partly supported by Generalitat Valenciana, Fundacion Bancaja and the projects GRACCIE (Consolider-Ingenio 2010) and FEEDBACKS (Prometeo-Generalitat Valenciana).Garcia Barreda, S.; Reyna Domenech, S. (2013). Response of Tuber melanosporum fruiting to canopy opening in a PinusQuercus forest. Ecological Engineering. 53:54-60. doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2012.12.006S54605

Summer truffle in the Iberian Peninsula: current status and crop potential

La trufa de verano (Tuber aestivum, incluyendo Tuber uncinatum) es una especie de un gran valor económico y social, que se produce de modo silvestre en toda Europa, norte de África y parte de Oriente medio. Los esfuerzos de cultivo de esta especie en la península ibérica han permanecido en un segundo plano debido a las condiciones adecuadas de ciertos terrenos para cultivar especies de mayor valor económico, como la trufa negra (Tuber melanosporum). Sin embargo, la trufa de verano es una alternativa viable y muy productiva para zonas de dudosa aptitud para T. melanosporum. En este trabajo, mediante revisión bibliográfica, se ponen de manifiesto los siguientes aspectos: la distribución y ecología de T. aestivum, la situación actual del cultivo, así como las perspectivas de futuro propias de esta especie en la península ibérica. En rasgos generales, se ha constatado su mayor amplitud ecológica y geográfica en relación a la trufa negra y se ha observado que es un cultivo incipiente pero en crecimiento. Sin embargo, se ha deducido que aún es necesario realizar un gran esfuerzo para dar a conocer este producto tanto a cultivadores como a consumidores potenciales en España así como divulgar aspectos técnicos sobre la gestión de su cultivo.Summer truffle (Tuber aestivum, including Tuber uncinatum) is a species of great economic and social value. Wild summer truffles are produced all over Europe, North Africa and part of the Middle East. This species has been underutilized in the Iberian Peninsula due to ability of certain areas to cultivate species of greater economic value, such as the black truffle (Tuber melanosporum). However, the summer truffle is an alternative species for areas where the black truffle is not well adapted. In this paper, the distribution and ecology of T. aestivum, the current situation and the future prospects of this crop in the Iberian Peninsula is reviewed. Summer truffle is a growing crop, well adapted in greater ecological and geographical areas than black truffle. However, it is still necessary to carry out further efforts to publicize it to both growers and consumers in Spain and to spread technical aspects of its managementPublishe

Tree-ring distinctness, dating potential and climatic sensitivity of laurel forest tree species in Tenerife Island

Producción CientíficaMacaronesian laurel forests are the only remnants of a subtropical palaeoecosystem dominant during the Tertiary in Europe and northern Africa. These biodiverse ecosystems are restricted to cloudy and temperate insular environments in the North Atlantic Ocean. Due to their reduced distribution area, these forests are particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbances and changes in climatic conditions. The assessment of laurel forest trees’ response to climate variation by dendrochronological methods is limited because it was assumed that the lack of marked seasonality would prevent the formation of distinct annual tree rings. The aims of this study were to identify the presence of annual growth rings and to assess the dendrochronological potential of the most representative tree species from laurel forests in Tenerife, Canary Islands. We sampled increment cores from 498 trees of 12 species in two well-preserved forests in Tenerife Island. We evaluated tree-ring boundary distinctness, dating potential, and sensitivity of tree-ring growth to climate and, particularly, to drought occurrence. Eight species showed clear tree-ring boundaries, but synchronic annual tree rings and robust tree-ring chronologies were only obtained for Laurus novocanariensis, Ilex perado subsp. platyphylla, Persea indica and Picconia excelsa, a third of the studied species. Tree-ring width depended on water balance and drought occurrence, showing sharp reductions in growth in the face of decreased water availability, a response that was consistent among species and sites. Inter-annual tree-ring width variation was directly dependent on rainfall input in the humid period, from previous October to current April. The four negative pointer years 1995, 1999, 2008 and 2012 corresponded to severe drought events in the study area. This study gives the first assessment of dendrochronological potential and tree-ring climate sensitivity of tree species from the Tenerife laurel forest, which opens new research avenues for dendroecological studies in Macaronesian laurel forests.Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (projects PID2019-109906RA-I00, PID2020-118444GA-100 and PID2019-106908RA-I00/AEI/10.13039/501100011033)Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (predoctoral contract PRE2018-084106)Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (project CGL2017-87309-P and postdoctoral grant IJC2019-040571-I)Junta de Castilla y León (projects VA113G19 and IR2020-1-UVA08)Universidad de Valladolid (predoctoral contract 113-2019PREUVA22)Comunidad de Madrid (project S2018/EMT-4338

Diagnostic Performance Assessment of Saliva RT-PCR and Nasopharyngeal Antigen for the Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in Peru

Widely available and reliable testing for SARS-CoV-2 is essential for the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We estimated the diagnostic performance of reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) performed on saliva and the SD Biosensor STANDARD Q antigen test performed on nasopharyngeal swab compared to the reference standard, nasopharyngeal swab (NP) RT-PCR. We enrolled participants living and/or seeking care in health facilities in North Lima, Peru from November 2020 to January 2021. Consenting participants underwent same-day RT-PCR on both saliva and nasopharyngeal swab specimens, antigen testing on a nasopharyngeal swab specimen, pulse oximetry, and standardized symptom assessment. We calculated sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values for the nasopharyngeal antigen and saliva RT-PCR compared to nasopharyngeal RT-PCR. Of 896 participants analyzed, 567 (63.3%) had acute signs/symptoms of COVID-19. The overall sensitivity and specificity of saliva RT-PCR were 85.8% and 98.1%, respectively. Among participants with and without acute signs/symptoms of COVID-19, saliva sensitivity was 87.3% and 37.5%, respectively. Saliva sensitivity was 97.4% and 56.0% among participants with cycle threshold (CT) values of #30 and .30 on nasopharyngeal RT-PCR, respectively. The overall sensitivity and specificity of nasopharyngeal antigen were 73.2% and 99.4%, respectively. The sensitivity of the nasopharyngeal antigen test was 75.1% and 12.5% among participants with and without acute signs/symptoms of COVID-19, and 91.2% and 26.7% among participants with CT values of #30 and .30 on nasopharyngeal RT-PCR, respectively. Saliva RT-PCR achieved the WHO-recommended threshold of .80% for sensitivity for the detection of SARS-CoV-2, while the SD Biosensor nasopharyngeal antigen test did not. IMPORTANCE In this diagnostic validation study of 896 participants in Peru, saliva reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) had .80% sensitivity for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 among all-comers and symptomatic individuals, while the SD Biosensor STANDARD Q antigen test performed on nasopharyngeal swab had,80% sensitivity, except for participants whose same-day nasopharyngeal RT-PCR results showed cycle threshold values of,30, consistent with a high viral load in the nasopharynx. The specificity was high for both tests. Our results demonstrate that saliva sampling could serve as an alternative noninvasive technique for RT-PCR diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2. The role of nasopharyngeal antigen testing is more limited; when community transmission is low, it may be used for mass screenings among asymptomatic individuals with high testing frequency. Among symptomatic individuals, the nasopharyngeal antigen test may be relied upon for 4 to 8 days after symptom onset, or in those likely to have high viral load, whereupon it showed .80% sensitivity.Revisión por pare

MagicUWE4R: Una herramienta de refactoring en el modelado de aplicaciones web

El punto central de esta tesis es la inclusión de la práctica de refactoring dentro de una metodología de desarrollo de aplicaciones web existente. Es decir, se utiliza la técnica de refactoring (que siempre se relacionó con las metodologías ágiles y el código fuente) en el contexto del desarrollo de software dirigido por modelos (MDD). Ante la ausencia de herramientas de refactoring aplicadas al desarrollo Web dirigido por modelos, se desarrolla MagicUWE4R, que implementa los refactorings para el modelo de navegación y presentación de la metodología UWE. A su vez, se pone énfasis en el buen diseño de la herramienta, de manera que el motor de refactoring sea extensible para otros refactorings más complejos, mediante una implementación simple y elegante. Esto a causa de principalmente dos puntos claves: el uso de patrones de diseño y la composición de refactorings.Facultad de Informátic