Análisis de la relación entre las dimensiones del WISC-IV y el test de la mirada en población infantil y adolescentes con TEA de alto funcionamiento.

El autismo es un síndrome conductual que engloba un grupo de trastornos neuropsiquiátricos con unas características clínicas comunes, pero de difícil categorización etiológica y diagnóstica. El objetivo general de la presente Tesis Doctoral es el estudio de la relación entre el cociente cognitivo total y los diferentes subtests del test de inteligencia WISC-IV y los resultados obtenidos en el Reading the Mind in the Eye Test (RMET) en niños y adolescentes con diagnóstico de síndrome de Asperger. En un primer estudio empírico se realiza una exhaustiva revisión bibliográfica sobre la relación entre el cociente de inteligencia total, verbal y manipulativa y el rendimiento en el RMET. Los resultados obtenidos en este estudio demuestran que existe una diferencia importante entre los individuos diagnosticados dentro del trastorno generalizado del desarrollo y los diagnosticados de síndrome de Asperger, sugiriendo la necesidad de hacer una separación en los diagnósticos clínicos dentro de los individuos con clínica compatible con el espectro autista. Por ello para completar el estudio, en un segundo estudio empírico se ha evaluado y caracterizado mediante un estudio descriptivo y comparativo transversal, una cohorte de 84 niños y adolescentes diagnosticados de síndrome de Asperger. Se ha realizado una evaluación de su cociente intelectual total y de los diferentes subtests del test de inteligencia WISC-IV para niños y adolescentes y la realización del RMET versión para niños. En este estudio se ha demostrado una débil correlación positiva entre el RMET y la inteligencia cognitiva total, el razonamiento perceptivo, la memoria de trabajo y la comprensión verbal pero no con la velocidad de procesamiento. Estos resultados son consistentes con los encontrados en el primer estudio de esta Tesis Doctoral, en el que se encontró una débil correlación positiva entre la inteligencia cognitiva total y el RMET en individuos diagnosticados con síndrome de Asperger. Estos resultados sugieren que, al existir una correlación débil entre el rendimiento en el RMET y la inteligencia cognitiva total, funcionarían de manera independiente en estos individuos. Por tanto, teniendo en cuenta el objetivo general de la presente Tesis Doctoral y tras haber focalizado el estudio en niños y adolescentes con diagnóstico de síndrome de Asperger, se ha observado que los resultados difieren mucho al analizar por separado esta nosología del resto de los trastornos del espectro autista. A su vez, podemos concluir que el RMET y el cociente de inteligencia total funcionan de forma independiente en estos individuos, por lo que se debería tener en cuenta en futuros estudios de investigación que incluyan participantes con síndrome de Asperger

Masting plants: Why combine abstinence and lust in reproduction?

La majoria de plantes perennes produeixen llavors cada any, però n’hi ha algunes que mostren un comportament reproductiu estrany: les seves poblacions produeixen extraordinàries collites de manera erràtica i sincrònica, però passen alguns anys pràcticament sense reproduir-se. Són les espècies anyívoles i el motiu d’aquest comportament sexual, com es produeix, i les conseqüències que té per a les xarxes tròfiques ha intrigat els ecòlegs. En aquest treball presentem un resum del coneixement actual sobre les causes evolutives i ecològiques que promourien aquest comportament. Les dues hipòtesis més versemblants de la seva evolució serien els avantatges de controlar les poblacions de depredadors de llavors i afavorir que algunes escapin (saciat dels depredadors) i/o una millor eficàcia en la pol·linització de plantes pol·linitzades pel vent (eficiència en la pol·linització). La variabilitat entre anys en la mida de les collites seria el resultat de la possibilitat que les plantes puguin dedicar més o menys recursos a la reproducció a partir de les condicions ambientals (p. ex. meteorològiques, de mobilització de nutrients) mentre que la sincronia entre individus, fins i tot a grans escales espacials, seria el resultat de l’anomenat Efecte Moran, és a dir, la resposta a una condició ambiental amb àmplia sincronia espacial com és la meteorologia i els seus efectes en la floració o la maduració dels fruits. Finalment, es presenta el coneixement més recent sobre les causes que determinen que una espècie com l’alzina (Quercus ilex), tan important i abundant al nostre país, sigui anyívola i les seves conseqüències.Most perennial plants produce seeds every year, but some species show a bizarre reproductive behaviour: they produce bumper crops randomly and synchronously in some years, while in other years they produce virtually no seeds. These are known as masting species and the benefits of this behaviour, how it occurs, and the consequences for trophic networks have long intrigued ecologists. Here we present a summary of current knowledge about the evolutionary and ecological causes that promote masting. The two most likely hypotheses for its evolution are the advantages of controlling seed predator populations and encouraging some seeds to escape (predator satiation) and/or better efficiency in the pollination of wind-pollinated plants (pollination efficiency). The variability between years in the size of crops results from the fact that plants devote more or fewer resources to reproduction depending on the environmental conditions (e.g. meteorological conditions and nutrient mobilization). In addition, the synchrony between individuals, even at large spatial scales, is the result of the so-called Moran Effect: i.e. the response to an environmental condition with a broad spatial synchronization such as meteorology and its effects on the flowering or maturation of the fruits. Finally, we present the most recent knowledge on the reasons why the holm oak (Quercus ilex), so important and abundant in Catalonia, exhibits masting behaviour, and its consequences

Assessing intraspecific trait variability during seedling establishment to improve restoration of tropical dry forests

Forest restoration is an effective tool to mitigate climate change, but its implementation in highly diverse and threatened tropical dry forests (TDFs) is particularly challenging due to the hostile environment. Intraspecific trait variability (ITV) in response to these constraints may be very informative for predicting the potential for species acclimation and therefore for improving trait-based species screenings that best match each particular scenario of forest restoration. We analyzed ITV during seedling establishment of three widely distributed and ecologically contrasting TDF species in a greenhouse multifactorial experiment crossing levels of resource availability (nutrients and water) and herbivory to assess the capacity of ITV to discern strategies of seedling establishment and to predict species' growth rates and acclimation potential. The three species studied had contrasting responses to the experimental treatments, suggesting different strategies of seedling establishment. The species with the most plastic pattern of growth performed the best, especially due to its ability to modulate the trade-off of root-to-shoot allocation of biomass depending on nutrient availability. Almost 50% of the variation in the root mass ratio was within species, half of which was a direct response of the treatments, indicating a strong acclimation potential. Individual-level trait measurements, however, were poor predictors of seedling growth rates. ITV, particularly the ability to adapt the pattern of biomass allocation, can be critical during seedling establishment. We propose incorporating information about ITV and the ability of species to modulate their phenotypic expression to cope with environmental variability into programs of forest restoration. Easily implemented and standardized greenhouse experiments are an inexpensive way to obtain high-quality data on the plasticity of forest species, which can be very valuable for predicting the potential of species acclimation and thus improving the selection of species that better match each particular scenario of restoration

The effects of local climate on the correlation between weather and seed production differ in two species with contrasting masting habit

Altres ajuts: MB was supported by the Polish National Science Centre grant Sonatina No. 2017/24/C/NZ8/00151. JSz was supported by the Foundation for Polish Science (FNP) scholarship "Start". MFM is a postdoctoral fellow of the Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO)Many plant species present inter-annual cycles of seed production (mast seeding), with synchronized high seed production across populations in some years. Weather is believed to be centrally involved in triggering masting. The links between meteorological conditions and seeding are well-recognized for some species, but in others consistent correlates have not been found. We used a spatially extensive data set of fruit production to test the hypothesis that the influence of weather on seed production is conditioned by local climate and that this influence varies between species with different life history traits. We used two model species. European beech (Fagus sylvatica) that is a flowering masting species, i.e. seed production is determined by variable flower production, and sessile oak (Quercus petrea) that is a fruit-maturation masting species, i.e. seed production is determined by variable ripening of more constant flower production. We predicted that climate should strongly modulate the relationship between meteorological cue and fruit production in Q. petrea, while the relationship should be uniform in F. sylvatica. The influence of meteorological cue on reproduction in fruiting masting species should be strongly conditioned by local climate because the strength of environmental constraint that modulates the success of flower-to-fruit transition is likely to vary with local climatic conditions. In accordance, the meteorological cuing was consistent in F. sylvatica. In contrast, in Q. petraea the relationship between spring temperature and seed production varied among sites and was stronger in populations at colder sites. The clear difference in meteorological conditioning of seed production between the two studied species suggests the responses of masting plants to weather can be potentially systematized according to their masting habit: i.e. fruiting or flowering

Traditional plant functional groups explain variation in economic but not size-related traits across the tundra biome

Aim Plant functional groups are widely used in community ecology and earth system modelling to describe trait variation within and across plant communities. However, this approach rests on the assumption that functional groups explain a large proportion of trait variation among species. We test whether four commonly used plant functional groups represent variation in six ecologically important plant traits. Location Tundra biome. Time period Data collected between 1964 and 2016. Major taxa studied 295 tundra vascular plant species. Methods We compiled a database of six plant traits (plant height, leaf area, specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content, leaf nitrogen, seed mass) for tundra species. We examined the variation in species‐level trait expression explained by four traditional functional groups (evergreen shrubs, deciduous shrubs, graminoids, forbs), and whether variation explained was dependent upon the traits included in analysis. We further compared the explanatory power and species composition of functional groups to alternative classifications generated using post hoc clustering of species‐level traits. Results Traditional functional groups explained significant differences in trait expression, particularly amongst traits associated with resource economics, which were consistent across sites and at the biome scale. However, functional groups explained 19% of overall trait variation and poorly represented differences in traits associated with plant size. Post hoc classification of species did not correspond well with traditional functional groups, and explained twice as much variation in species‐level trait expression. Main conclusions Traditional functional groups only coarsely represent variation in well‐measured traits within tundra plant communities, and better explain resource economic traits than size‐related traits. We recommend caution when using functional group approaches to predict tundra vegetation change, or ecosystem functions relating to plant size, such as albedo or carbon storage. We argue that alternative classifications or direct use of specific plant traits could provide new insights for ecological prediction and modelling

Visible ozone-like injury, defoliation, and mortality in two Pinus uncinata stands in the Catalan Pyrenees (NE Spain)

Ozone concentrations in the Pyrenees have exceeded the thresholds for forest protection since 1994. We surveyed the severity of visible O₃ injuries, crown defoliation, and tree mortality of Pinus uncinata, the dominant species in subalpine forests in this mountain range, along two altitudinal and O₃ gradients in the central Catalan Pyrenees and analysed their relationships with the local environmental conditions. The severity of visible O₃ injuries increased with increasing mean annual [O₃] when summer water availability was high (summer precipitation/potential evapotranspiration above 0.96), whereas higher [O₃] did not produce more visible injuries during drier conditions. Mean crown defoliation and tree mortality ranged between 20.4-66.4 and 0.6-29.6 %, respectively, depending on the site. Both were positively correlated with the accumulated O₃ exposure during the last 5 years and with variables associated with soil-water availability, which favours greater O₃ uptake by increasing stomatal conductance. The results indicate that O₃ contributed to the crown defoliation and tree mortality, although further research is clearly warranted to determine the contributions of the multiple stress factors to crown defoliation and mortality in P. uncinata stands in the Catalan Pyrenees

Human breathable air in a Mediterranean forest: characterization of monoterpene concentrations under the canopy

Monoterpenes have been identified as potential determinants of the human health effects induced by forest exposure. The present study characterizes the total monoterpene concentrations at nose height in a Mediterranean Holm oak forest located in North-East Iberian Peninsula during the annual emission peak (summer and autumn: June to November) using a Proton Transfer Reaction–Mass Spectrometry (PTR-MS). Results show a strong variability of the total monoterpene concentrations in season and daytime. The concentration peak appears during July and August. These two months displayed two average maxima in their diel cycles: One during early morning (from 6:00 to 8:00, 0.30 ppbv for July and 0.41 ppbv for August) and another one at early afternoon (from 13:00 to 15:00, 0.27 ppbv during July and 0.32 ppbv during August). Monoterpene concentrations were strongly related with the temperature (exponentially) and solar radiation (rectangular hyperbolic relationship). The concentrations registered here are similar or higher than in previous ex situ studies showcasing the effects of forests on human health. These findings provide relevant data for the scientific and healthcare community by improving the understanding of monoterpene dynamics at nose height and suggesting further research on the effects of forests on human health, particularly in the Mediterranean region.The research leading to these results has received funding from “la Caixa” Foundation. Furthermore, this study was supported by the Spanish Government Grant CGL2013-48074-P, the Catalan Government grant SGR 2017-1005, the European Research Council Synergy grant ERC-2013-SyG 610028 IMBALANCE-P

Tree Sapling Responses to 10 Years of Experimental Manipulation of Temperature, Nutrient Availability, and Shrub Cover at the Pyrenean Treeline

Treelines are sensitive to environmental changes, but few studies provide a mechanistic approach to understand treeline dynamics based on field experiments. The aim of this study was to determine how changes in the abiotic and/or biotic conditions associated with global change affect the performance of tree seedlings (later saplings) at the treeline in a 10-year experiment. A fully factorial experiment in the Central Pyrenees was initiated in autumn 2006; 192 Pinus uncinata seedlings were transplanted into microplots with contrasting environmental conditions of (1) increased vs. ambient temperature, (2) increased nutrient availability vs. no increase, and (3) presence vs. absence of the dominant shrub Rhododendron ferrugineum. We assessed the performance of young pines on several occasions over 10 years. The pines were removed at the end of the experiment in autumn 2016 to characterize their morphology and to conduct chemical and isotopic analyses on their needles. Both the warming and the fertilization treatments increased seedling growth soon after the start of the experiment. R. ferrugineum facilitated the survival and development of pine seedlings during the early years and affected the chemical composition of the needles. Toward the end of the experiment, the transplanted P. uncinata individuals, by then saplings, competed with R. ferrugineum for light and nutrients; the presence of the shrub probably altered the strategy of P. uncinata for acquiring nutrients and buffered the effects of warming and fertilization. The pines were highly sensitive to all factors and their interactions throughout the entire experimental period. These findings indicated that the interactive effects of several key abiotic and biotic drivers associated with global change should be investigated simultaneously for understanding the contribution of young trees to treeline dynamics

Hacia la gestión de un nuevo desarrollo rural: el caso de los pequeños productores de flor en Villa Guerrero, México

El caso de los pequeños productores de flor en dos localidades de Villa Guerrero, muestra que el desarrollo rural se construye de maneras muy diversas, el denominador común es la preeminencia de la racionalidad económica inducida o aprendida, la cual fortalece los valores individuales y empresariales, por encima de los requerimientos sociales de un desarrollo rural equitativo. Se utiliza la información estadística disponible e información obtenida mediante entrevistas aplicadas a pequeños productores de las localidades de San Felipe y Buena Vista.El caso de los pequeños productores de flor en dos localidades de Villa Guerrero, muestra que el desarrollo rural se construye de maneras muy diversas, el denominador común es la preeminencia de la racionalidad económica inducida o aprendida, la cual fortalece los valores individuales y empresariales, por encima de los requerimientos sociales de un desarrollo rural equitativo. Se utiliza la información estadística disponible e información obtenida mediante entrevistas aplicadas a pequeños productores de las localidades de San Felipe y Buena Vista

Características Epidemiológicas de los brotes de Hepatitis A en España (años 2015-2019).

[ES] Aunque España sea considerada actualmente como un país de baja endemicidad de hepatitis A, en los últimos años se siguen produciendo en nuestro país brotes causados por este virus. Se realizó una revisión de los brotes de hepatitis A notificados a la Red Nacional de Vigilancia Epidemiológica (RENAVE) de 2015 a 2019, periodo durante el cual se notificaron 500 brotes. El principal ámbito de exposición fue el hogar familiar y el principal mecanismo de transmisión el contacto directo persona-persona. La mediana del tamaño y duración de los brotes fue de 2 casos y 26 días respectivamente, siendo superior en determinados ámbitos como las escuelas o guarderías y la restauración colectiva. Además, el 8% de los brotes fueron declarados como importados, fundamentalmente de países del norte de África (Marruecos y Argelia). En el 91% de los brotes con información sobre vacunación post-exposición de contactos susceptibles constaba la aplicación de esta medida. [EN] In recent years, major hepatitis A outbreaks continue to occur in Spain, even in a context of low endemicity. Hepatitis A outbreaks reported to the National Epidemiological Surveillance Network (RENAVE in Spanish) from 2015 to 2019 were reviewed. During that period, 500 outbreaks were reported, most of them in households and transmitted from person-to-person. Median size and duration of outbreaks were 2 cases and 26 days, respectively, being greater in certain settings such as kindergartens/schools and restaurants/bars/canteens. Furthermore, 8% of the outbreaks were notified as imported, mainly from North African countries (Morocco and Algeria). In 91% of outbreaks with information on post-exposure vaccination of susceptible contacts, this measure was applied.N