Sobre el folklore en la actualidad y la pluralidad en la lectura

This paper analyzes the problems involved in the study of folklore and popular culture in a contemporary world, transnational and hybrid, apparently different from what the object/subject of folkloristics studies was supposed to be. The author argues that the different ways of literary transmission, in the present time, make up a plurality of readings. This plurality forces us to reconsider our own concept of reading since the contributions made by contemporary folkloristics about matters such as urban legends.Este trabajo presenta un análisis de la problemática relacionada con el estudio del folklore y la cultura popular en el mundo contemporáneo, transnacional e híbrido, aparentemente distinto de lo que se suponía era el objeto/sujeto de estudio tradicional. El autor argumenta que los diferentes modos de transmisión de la literatura, hoy, están determinando una pluralidad de la lectura que obliga, desde las aportaciones del estudio del folklore contemporáneo –como el de las llamadas “leyendas urbanas”–, a reconsiderar el propio concepto de lectura

Cifrando y descifrando el mundo: la Etnoliteratura, una Antropología desde lo literario

The relationship between anthropology and literature, like the more specific between anthropologists and writers, seems rich in both examples and matters of common interest. Yet there are not only agreements between the two realms, but also divergences: those that set apart art from science, coding the world from decoding it. Within this context of multiple interactions, the author follows on some of the proposals advanced by, among others, Manuel de la Fuente Lombo; he advocates an ethnoliterature that is less a subfield of study than a way of understanding anthropological activity: anthropology from the literary.La relación entre antropología y literatura, así como —más concretamente— entre antropólogos y escritores, parece rica en ejemplos y en asuntos de mutuo interés. Pero no todas son coincidencias: existen también las divergencias propias que se dan entre arte y ciencia, entre cifrar el mundo y descifrarlo. Dentro de ese contexto de múltiples relaciones se reivindica aquí —siguiendo algunas de las propuestas ya realizadas, entre otros autores, por Manuel de la Fuente Lombo— la orientación de la etnoliteratura más que como un subcampo de estudio como una manera de entender el quehacer antropológico: la antropología desde lo literario

Can the intake of antiparasitic secondary metabolites explain the low prevalence of hemoparasites among wild Psittaciformes?

Background: Parasites can exert selection pressure on their hosts through effects on survival, on reproductive success, on sexually selected ornament, with important ecological and evolutionary consequences, such as changes in population viability. Consequently, hemoparasites have become the focus of recent avian studies. Infection varies significantly among taxa. Various factors might explain the differences in infection among taxa, including habitat, climate, host density, the presence of vectors, life history and immune defence. Feeding behaviour can also be relevant both through increased exposure to vectors and consumption of secondary metabolites with preventative or therapeutic effects that can reduce parasite load. However, the latter has been little investigated. Psittaciformes (parrots and cockatoos) are a good model to investigate these topics, as they are known to use biological control against ectoparasites and to feed on toxic food. We investigated the presence of avian malaria parasites (Plasmodium), intracellular haemosporidians (Haemoproteus, Leucocytozoon), unicellular flagellate protozoans (Trypanosoma) and microfilariae in 19 Psittaciformes species from a range of habitats in the Indo-Malayan, Australasian and Neotropical regions. We gathered additional data on hemoparasites in wild Psittaciformes from the literature. We considered factors that may control the presence of hemoparasites in the Psittaciformes, compiling information on diet, habitat, and climate. Furthermore, we investigated the role of diet in providing antiparasitic secondary metabolites that could be used as self-medication to reduce parasite load. Results: We found hemoparasites in only two of 19 species sampled. Among them, all species that consume at least one food item known for its secondary metabolites with antimalarial, trypanocidal or general antiparasitic properties, were free from hemoparasites. In contrast, the infected parrots do not consume food items with antimalarial or even general antiparasitic properties. We found that the two infected species in this study consumed omnivorous diets. When we combined our data with data from studies previously investigating blood parasites in wild parrots, the positive relationship between omnivorous diets and hemoparasite infestation was confirmed. Individuals from open habitats were less infected than those from forests. Conclusions: The consumption of food items known for their secondary metabolites with antimalarial, trypanocidal or general antiparasitic properties, as well as the higher proportion of infected species among omnivorous parrots, could explain the low prevalence of hemoparasites reported in many vertebrates