Poorer Quality of Life and Treatment Satisfaction is Associated with Diabetic Retinopathy in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes without Other Advanced Late Complications

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) may potentially cause vision loss and affect the patient's quality of life (QoL) and treatment satisfaction (TS). Using specific tools, we aimed to assess the impact of DR and clinical factors on the QoL and TS in patients with type 1 diabetes. This was a cross-sectional, two-centre study. A sample of 102 patients with DR and 140 non-DR patients were compared. The Audit of Diabetes-Dependent Quality of Life (ADDQoL-19) and Diabetes Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire (DTSQ-s) were administered. Data analysis included bivariate and multivariable analysis. Patients with DR showed a poorer perception of present QoL (p = 0.039), work life (p = 0.037), dependence (p = 0.010), and had a lower average weighted impact (AWI) score (p = 0.045). The multivariable analysis showed that DR was associated with a lower present QoL (p = 0.040), work life (p = 0.036) and dependence (p = 0.016). With regards to TS, DR was associated with a higher perceived frequency of hypoglycaemia (p = 0.019). In patients with type 1 diabetes, the presence of DR is associated with a poorer perception of their QoL. With regard to TS, these subjects also show a higher perceived frequency of hypoglycaemia.This study was supported by the Catalan Diabetes Association (Beca d’Educació Terapèutica 2015), Spain. Additional support from grants PI12/00183 and PI15/00625 from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Spain) to DM is acknowledged. CIBERDEM is an initiative from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Plan Nacional de I + D + I and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional). M.G.-C. holds a predoctoral fellowship from the Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte, FPU15/03005

Habitat specificity of a threatened and endemic cliff-dwelling halophyte

Research ArticleCoastal areas and other saline environments are major contributors to regional and global biodiversity patterns. In these environments, rapidly changing gradients require highly specialized plants like halophytes. In European coastal cliff-tops, rocky and sandy seashores, and saltmarshes, typical halophytes from the genus Limonium are commonly found. Among them, the aneuploid tetraploid (2n ¼ 4x ¼ 35, 36, 37) Limonium multiflorum, endemic to the west coast of Portugal, is an interesting case study for investigating the ecology and conservation of a halophyte agamospermic species. Although it is listed in the IUCN red list of threatened species, information on its population size or rarity, as well as its ecology, in some respects is still unknown. Field surveys in the largest known population were performed (Raso cape, Portugal) in order to determine habitat requirements and conservation status. A total of 88 quadrats were monitored, 43 of which contained at least one L. multiflorum individual. For each sampled quadrat, four abiotic and four biotic variables as well as two spatially derived variables were recorded. Principal component analysis and cluster analysis showed narrow habitat specificity for this species which appeared to be intolerant to competition with invasive alien plants. We conclude that in situ conservation in a local ‘hotspot’ of this rare and vulnerable species emerges as a priority in order to ensure that biodiversity is not los

MEDIDAS PARA LA CONSERVACIÓN DE LA BIODIVERSIDAD DE LOS POLINIZADORES SILVESTRES EN LA PENÍNSULA IBÉRICA

Los científicos y científicas abajo firmantes consideramos muy importante hacer llegar a instituciones, agricultores/as y a la sociedad en general, la necesidad urgente de implementar conjuntamente medidas y cambios que consigan frenar el declive de los polinizadores silvestres ocasionado por la actividad humana. Durante la última década, son múltiples los estudios que alertan de la creciente desaparición de los polinizadores por todo el mundo, en concreto de las abejas silvestres, (Biesmeijer et al. 2006; Potts et al. 2010; Burkle et al. 2013), y de las graves consecuencias que su déficit podría provocar sobre la biodiversidad global (Biesmeijer et al. 2006; Burkle et al. 2013; Lundgren et al. 2016) y sobre la producción agrícola (Aizen y Harder 2009; Garibaldi et al. 2013). No debemos olvidar que la península Ibérica es, por su condición mediterránea y su proximidad al continente africano, uno de los lugares con mayor diversidad de polinizadores de la Unión Europea y, en concreto, una de las zonas con mayor diversidad de abejas del mundo (Michener 2007; Nieto et al. 2014). Hasta el momento, el número de especies de abejas en España presentes en la zona íbero-balear es algo superior a 1.100, cifra a la que cabe añadir algunas especies exclusivas de Portugal más los nuevos hallazgos de los últimos años (Ortiz-Sánchez 2011). Esta gran diversidad de abejas y polinizadores en general está asociada al gran número de especies de plantas con flor presentes en la península Ibérica, alrededor de las 7.000 especies (Aguado Martín et al. 2015). En cuanto al número de mariposas y polillas (lepidópteros) se estima que existen en la península Ibérica unas 5.000 especies (Stefanescu et al. 2018). Más difícil es estimar el número exacto de especies de escarabajos florícolas (coleópteros polinizadores), pero atendiendo a la riqueza de los principales géneros podemos estimar su número en más de 750 (Stefanescu et al. 2018). Somos conscientes de que, a pesar del desarrollo explosivo de los últimos 10 años de la investigación en ecología y gestión de la polinización de los cultivos por insectos silvestres, hoy en día son numerosas las lagunas de conocimiento básico y aplicado sobre el estado de conservación de los insectos polinizadores silvestres. Y es, bajo esta premisa, que presentamos este trabajo de revisión de la literatura científica sobre insectos polinizadores desde principios del siglo XX hasta ahora, cuyo resultado ha quedado plasmado en una lista, no exhaustiva, de los aspectos que consideramos fundamentales para el desarrollo y debate de esta relevante cuestió

Contrasting water strategies of two Mediterranean shrubs of limited distribution: Uncertain future under a drier climate

Plants have evolved different strategies to cope with drought, involving alternative ecophysiologies and different levels of plasticity. These strategies are critical for species of limited distribution, which are especially vulnerable to the current rates of rapid environmental change. The aim of this study was to assess the water strategy of two species with limited distribution, Cneorum tricoccon L. and Rhamnus ludovici-salvatoris Chodat., and evaluate their interpopulation variability along an aridity gradient to estimate their vulnerability to a drier climate. We measured different ecophysiological traits influenced by drought - stomatal conductance, maximum photochemical efficiency of photosynthesis II, carbon isotope ratio and chlorophyll concentration - in two climatically contrasting years, before and during summer drought. Both species were vulnerable to drought at the aridity limit of the gradient, but showed contrasting water strategies: while C. tricoccon was consistent in its water conservation strategy across the aridity gradient, R. ludovici-salvatoris was not, displaying higher and more variable stomatal conductances and being able to increase water-use efficiency at the most xeric sites. Changes in length and intensity of drought events may favor one species' strategy to the detriment of the other: C. tricoccon is more vulnerable to chronic and prolonged droughts, whereas short but acute droughts might have a stronger effect on R. ludovici-salvatoris. In those communities where these two species coexist, such different strategies might lead to changes in community structure under climate change scenarios, with unknown cascade effects on ecosystem functioning. © 2013 The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: [email protected] was provided by the Spanish Ministry for Innovation and Science with the grants Consolider Montes (CSD2008_00040), VULGLO (CGL2010-22180-C03-03), PATSIMON (CGL2010-18759) and REMEDINAL II (CM-S2009/AMB-1783)Peer Reviewe

The role of sex and age in the architecture of intrapopulation howler monkey-plant networks in continuous and fragmented rain forests

We evaluated the structure of intrapopulation howler monkey-plant interactions by focusing on the plant species consumed by different sex and age classes in continuous and fragmented forests in southern Mexico. For this we used network analysis to evaluate the impact of fragmentation on howler population traits and on resource availability and food choice. A total of 37 tree and liana species and seven plant items (bark, immature fruits, flowers, mature fruits, immature leaves, mature leaves and petioles) were consumed, but their relative consumption varied according to sex and age classes and habitat type. Overall, adult females consumed the greatest number of plant species and items while infants and juveniles the lowest. For both continuous and fragmented forests, we found a nested diet for howler monkey-plant networks: diets of more selective monkeys represent subsets of the diets of other individuals. Nestedness was likely due to the high selectivity of early life stages in specific food plants and items, which contrasts with the generalized foraging behaviour of adults. Information on the extent to which different plant species and primate populations depend on such interactions in different habitats will help to make accurate predictions about the potential impact of disturbances on plant-animal interaction networks.This research was supported by grants from Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACyT, CB2005-C01-51043, CB2007-79121 to JBM) and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM, IN206111 to JBM). The Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas (UNAM) and CONACyT are greatly acknowledged for providing a doctorate scholarship to AMG and UNAM for a post-doctoral scholarship to APM. This manuscript was partially written while JBM was on sabbatical at IMEDEA and supported by DGAPA (UNAM).Peer Reviewe

Cómo la Macaronesia ha influido en nuestra perspectiva sobre los ecosistemas insulares

Actualmente el estudio de los ecosistemas insulares está pasando por un momento de constantes avances, siendo muchas de las nuevas y relevantes aportaciones fruto de estudios desarrollados en la Macaronesia (Azores, Canarias, Cabo Verde y Madeira). Ésta ha sido la mayor motivación para que el IBIG (Island Biology Interest Group – grupo de interés especial dentro de la AEET y de la SPECO) organizara un simposio dedicado a la Macaronesia, dentro del congreso internacional “Island Biology 2016 – II International Conference on Island Evolution, Ecology and Conservation”, realizado entre los días 18 y 22 de Julio, en Angra do Heroismo (isla Terceira, Azores), Portugal. El objetivo principal del simposio ha sido presentar una visión general de la investigación pasada y presente desarrollada en la región Macaronésica, colocándola en el contexto general de la biogeografía de islas.Peer Reviewe

Isolation and characterization of 10 microsatellite loci in Cneorum tricoccon (Cneoraceae), a Mediterranean relict plant

Premise of the study: The main aim of this study was to isolate and characterize microsatellite loci in Cneorum tricoccon (Cneoraceae), a Mediterranean shrub relict of the early Tertiary, which inhabits western Mediterranean islands and coasts. Microsatellites will be useful for investigating biogeography and landscape genetics across the species distribution range, including current or past gene flow. Methods and Results: Seventeen microsatellite loci were characterized, of which 10 were polymorphic and amplified for a total of 56 alleles in three populations of C. tricoccon. The markers revealed average coefficients of expected heterozygosity (H e = 0.425), observed heterozygosity (H o = 0.282), and inbreeding coefficient value per population (F IS = 0.408). Conclusions: These microsatellite primers will potentially be useful in the study of population and landscape genetics, conservation status of isolated populations, island-continental distribution, current or historical movements between populations, and in the investigation of the consequences of dispersal mechanisms of these plants. © 2012 Botanical Society of America.Financial support was provided by Global Change International Laboratory (CSIC-PUC, LincGlobal), the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (grants VULGLO CGL2010-22180-C03-03 and Consolider Montes CSD2008_00040), and by the Comunidad de Madrid grant REMEDINAL 2 (CM-S2009/AMB-1783)Peer Reviewe

Population size, center–periphery, and seed dispersers’ effects on the genetic diversity and population structure of the Mediterranean relict shrub Cneorum tricoccon

© 2017 The Authors.The effect of population size on population genetic diversity and structure has rarely been studied jointly with other factors such as the position of a population within the species’ distribution range or the presence of mutualistic partners influencing dispersal. Understanding these determining factors for genetic variation is critical for conservation of relict plants that are generally suffering from genetic deterioration. Working with 16 populations of the vulnerable relict shrub Cneorum tricoccon throughout the majority of its western Mediterranean distribution range, and using nine polymorphic microsatellite markers, we examined the effects of periphery (peripheral vs. central), population size (large vs. small), and seed disperser (introduced carnivores vs. endemic lizards) on the genetic diversity and population structure of the species. Contrasting genetic variation (H: 0.04–0.476) was found across populations. Peripheral populations showed lower genetic diversity, but this was dependent on population size. Large peripheral populations showed high levels of genetic diversity, whereas small central populations were less diverse. Significant isolation by distance was detected, indicating that the effect of long-distance gene flow is limited relative to that of genetic drift, probably due to high selfing rates (F = 0.155–0.887), restricted pollen flow, and ineffective seed dispersal. Bayesian clustering also supported the strong population differentiation and highly fragmented structure. Contrary to expectations, the type of disperser showed no significant effect on either population genetic diversity or structure. Our results challenge the idea of an effect of periphery per se that can be mainly explained by population size, drawing attention to the need of integrative approaches considering different determinants of genetic variation. Furthermore, the very low genetic diversity observed in several small populations and the strong among-population differentiation highlight the conservation value of large populations throughout the species’ range, particularly in light of climate change and direct human threats.Funding was provided by the Spanish Ministry for Innovation and Science with the grants Consolider Montes (CSD2008_00040) and VULGLO (CGL2010‐22180‐C03‐03) provided to FV, and the Minsitry of Economy and Competitiveness, grant ECOMETAS (CGL2014‐53840‐REDT) and Junta de Andalucía Excellence project to Juan Arroyo and AT.Peer Reviewe