The spider Losdolobus nelsoni Pompozzi, 2015 - the first report of the family Orsolobidae in Uruguay (Araneae: Synspermiata)

The family Orsolobidae Cooke, 1965, is newly recorded for Uruguay, with the first record of Losdolobus nelson Pompozzi, 2015, a recently described species that is endemic to the Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, and herein recorded in the Rocha and Montevideo departments. The biogeographic implications of this record are commented on and some data on the phenology of the species are presented

Tetra­kis(μ2-ferrocene­carboxyl­ato-κ2 O:O′)bis­[(methanol-κO)copper(II)] methanol disolvate

The complex mol­ecule of the title compound, [Cu2Fe4(C5H5)4(C6H4O2)4(CH3OH)2]·2CH3OH, lies about an inversion centre and contains two centrosymetrically related CuII atoms bridged by four O:O′-bidentante ferrocene­carboxyl­ate anions, leading to a dimeric tetra­bridged unit with a paddle-wheel geometry. The CuII atom has a distorted square-pyramidal coordination environment with four O atoms from four ferrocene­carboxyl­ate ligands in basal positions and an O atom from a methanol mol­ecule in an apical position. One of the two crystallographically independent ferrocenyl groups has a staggered conformation, while the other is eclipsed. The mol­ecules are connected into a chain along the b axis by O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds involving coordinated and uncoordinated methanol mol­ecules and the O atom from a ferrocene­carboxyl­ate unit

Mapa de Riesgo a Inundaciones para el sector norte del Ejido Urbano de la ciudad de Mar del Plata

Los Mapas de Riesgo son representaciones cartográficas que permiten visualizar la distribución de determinados riesgos en un territorio específico, en este caso, anegamientos producidos por precipitaciones recurrentes. En el presente trabajo se dispone a realizar un Mapa de Riesgo de Inundaciones (MRI) para un sector del norte de la ciudad de Mar del Plata. Varios proyectos de agua y saneamiento para la ciudad de Mar del Plata son desarrollados por Obras Sanitarias Sociedad de Estado (OSSE). Este MRI se acopla al Sistema de Información Geográfica (SIG) de la empresa y servirá para gestionar y planificar futuros proyectos. Este trabajo muestra la primera etapa del proyecto del MRI, el cual tiene como objetivo cartografiar toda la ciudad y ubicar sectores con alto riesgo para poder prevenir potenciales conflictos con la infraestructura de la empresa y posibles consecuencias sobre la población local. También se tuvieron en cuenta los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible de la agenda 2030. Mediante el uso del software libre QGIS se realizó un análisis multivariable, siguiendo los lineamientos legales y de recomendación de organismos locales, nacionales e internacionales. Se obtuvo como resultado un MRI para cuatro sectores del norte de la ciudad, ubicando distintas zonas de riesgo: fueron analizadas y corroboradas in situ y con fotografías históricas georeferenciadas de diversas inundaciones. Dentro de las conclusiones se determinan los próximos pasos a seguir para lograr un MRI de todo el ejido urbano de Mar del Plata y cómo ampliar el proyecto a los sectores periurbanos del partido de General Pueyrredon

Aqua­(1,10-phenanthroline-κ2 N,N′)(valinato-κ2 N,O)copper(II) nitrate dihydrate

In the title compound, [Cu(C5H10NO2)(C12H8N2)(H2O)]NO3·2H2O, the CuII atom displays a distorted square-pyramidal coordination (τ = 0.03) where the water mol­ecule occupies the apical position and the base is defined by the N atom, one of the O atoms from the valinate ligand, and both phenanthroline N atoms. The phenanthroline chelate ring plane is slightly distorted from planarity (r.m.s. deviation = 0.0057 Å), whereas the five-membered ring formed by the valinate ligand presents an envelope conformation with the N atom being the flap atom. The crystal packing is stabilized by O—H⋯O and N—H⋯O hydrogen-bonding inter­actions, creating a three-dimensional network superstructure

Arañas y carábidos como potenciales bioindicadores en ambientes con distinto grado de intervención antrópica en el este uruguayo: un estudio preliminar = Spiders and carabids as potential bioindicators in Eastern Uruguayan environments with different degree of anthropic intervention: a preliminary study

Algunos grupos de artrópodos son considerados buenos indicadores de calidad ambiental. Para ello deben cumplir con algunas condiciones, como poseer características biológicas y morfológicas que faciliten su hallazgo e identificación. Las trampas de caída (pitfall) son ampliamente utilizadas para recolectar artrópodos predadores potencialmente bioindicadores de las características del ambiente que ocupan. Se realizaron recolecciones quincenales, durante nueve meses, en tres sistemas productivos con diferente grado de intervención antrópica en la cuenca de la Laguna Negra, Rocha: área con baja intensidad de pastoreo de vacunos; área con bajo pastoreo de ganado vacuno y ovino, y área con altas cargas de ganado vacuno y agricultura inverno-estival. En cada área se instalaron dos series de 10 trampas pitfall separadas a una distancia mínima de 100 m y a una distancia de 10 m entre trampas. Dos morfoespecies de arañas, Mesabolivar sp (Pholcidae) y Steatoda sp (Theridiidae), fueron determinadas como indicadoras de los ambientes con menor y mayor intensidad de disturbio, respectivamente. Otras cuatro morfoespecies, pertenecientes a las familias Nemesiidae, Oxyopidae, Lycosidae y Palpimanidae, fueron caracterizadas como detectoras de los diferentes ambientes. Cuatro morfoespecies de coleópteros de la familia Carabidae (Calosoma retusum, Galerita collaris, Brachinus sp y Pelecium sp) resultaron indicadoras del ambiente de mayor intensidad productiva, con agricultura

Abundance and phenology of predatory arthropods in soybean: preliminary analysis

Los artrópodos son organismos que se han adaptado a múltiples ecosistemas, incluyendo los agroecosistemas. La soja es un agroecosistema que ha sufrido una gran expansión y también la fauna acompañante. El conocimiento de esta fauna es escaso en Uruguay, fundamentalmente la de artrópodos depredadores, agentes de control biológico conservativo. En este trabajo se evaluó la fauna de depredadores de suelo en etapas fenológicas de germinación, primer nudo, floración, y llenado de grano. Se recolectó la fauna mediante trampas pitfall a lo largo y ancho del cultivo, y en zonas aledañas, con vegetación natural. Las familias predominantes fueron Lycosidae (Araneae), Carabidae (Coleoptera) y Formicidae (Hymenoptera). En general los índices de diversidad mostraron menores valores en la etapa de llenado de grano. Se encontró una interacción significativa entre el orden y la abundancia de artrópodos con una dominancia consistente de las arañas a lo largo de la mayoría de etapas fenológicas. En general, estos resultados preliminares, coinciden con otros estudios realizados a nivel regional. Se deberán muestrear otros sitios en diferentes zonas del país para evaluar si se mantiene la tendencia encontrada. Además, es necesario evaluar la eficacia de los depredadores encontrados sobre insectos-plaga de soja.Arthropods are organisms that have been able to adapt to multiple ecosystems, including agroecosystems. Soybean is an agroecosystem that has undergone great expansion and also the accompanying fauna. The knowledge of this fauna is scarce in Uruguay, mainly for native predatory arthropods, agents of conservative biological control. In the present work, the fauna of soil predators is evaluated in the phenological stages of germination, first node, flowering, and grain filling. The fauna was collected by pitfall traps throughout the crop, and in surrounding areas, with natural vegetation. The predominant families were Lycosidae (Araneae), Carabidae (Coleoptera) and Formicidae (Hymenoptera). The diversity varied across phenological stages, being lower in the grain filling stage. We also found a significant interaction between the phenological stage, and arthropod order abundance, where spiders were one of the most abundant groups. Overall,these preliminary results agree with other studies carried out in soybean and other crops. Other sites in different areas of the country should be sampled to assess whether the trend found is maintained. Furthermore, it is necessary to evaluate together with the abundance the predatory efficacy of the groups in soybean insects-plague

MWP phase shifters integrated in PbS-SU8 waveguides

We present new kind of microwave phase shifters (MPS) based on dispersion of PbS colloidal quantum dots (QDs) in commercially available photoresist SU8 after a ligand exchange process. Ridge PbS-SU8 waveguides are implemented by integration of the nanocomposite in a silicon platform. When these waveguides are pumped at wavelengths below the band-gap of the PbS QDs, a phase shift in an optically conveyed (at 1550 nm) microwave signal is produced. The strong light confinement produced in the ridge waveguides allows an improvement of the phase shift as compared to the case of planar structures. Moreover, a novel ridge bilayer waveguide composed by a PbS-SU8 nanocomposite and a SU8 passive layer is proposed to decrease the propagation losses of the pump beam and in consequence to improve the microwave phase shift up to 36.5° at 25 GHz. Experimental results are reproduced by a theoretical model based on the slow light effect produced in a semiconductor waveguide due to the coherent population oscillations. The resulting device shows potential benefits respect to the current MPS technologies since it allows a fast tunability of the phase shift and a high level of integration due to its small size

Citizen Science Reveals Unexpected Continental-Scale Evolutionary Change in a Model Organism

Organisms provide some of the most sensitive indicators of climate change and evolutionary responses are becoming apparent in species with short generation times. Large datasets on genetic polymorphism that can provide an historical benchmark against which to test for recent evolutionary responses are very rare, but an exception is found in the brown-lipped banded snail (Cepaea nemoralis). This species is sensitive to its thermal environment and exhibits several polymorphisms of shell colour and banding pattern affecting shell albedo in the majority of populations within its native range in Europe. We tested for evolutionary changes in shell albedo that might have been driven by the warming of the climate in Europe over the last half century by compiling an historical dataset for 6,515 native populations of C. nemoralis and comparing this with new data on nearly 3,000 populations. The new data were sampled mainly in 2009 through the Evolution MegaLab, a citizen science project that engaged thousands of volunteers in 15 countries throughout Europe in the biggest such exercise ever undertaken. A known geographic cline in the frequency of the colour phenotype with the highest albedo (yellow) was shown to have persisted and a difference in colour frequency between woodland and more open habitats was confirmed, but there was no general increase in the frequency of yellow shells. This may have been because snails adapted to a warming climate through behavioural thermoregulation. By contrast, we detected an unexpected decrease in the frequency of Unbanded shells and an increase in the Mid-banded morph. Neither of these evolutionary changes appears to be a direct response to climate change, indicating that the influence of other selective agents, possibly related to changing predation pressure and habitat change with effects on micro-climate

Arañas y carábidos como potenciales bioindicadores en ambientes con distinto grado de intervención antrópica en el este uruguayo: un estudio preliminar

Some arthropod groups are considered to be good bioindicators of environmental quality. For that, they must fill some conditions, such as biological and morphological characteristics that lead to their easy find and identification. The pit-fall traps are widely used as an efficient method to collect predator arthropods that may have a good potential as bioindicators of the characteristics of their environment. During a nine months period, fortnightly collects were made in three production systems with different intensity of anthropic intervention, in the Laguna Negra basin, Rocha, Uruguay: natural grassland with low intensity of bovine cattle grazing; bovine and sheep grazed area, and an area under high bovine grazing intensity with winter-summer agriculture. In each of the three areas two series of 10 pitfall traps were installed with a distance 100 m minimum between series and 10 m between traps. Two spider morphospecies,  Mesabolivar sp (Pholcidae) y Steatoda sp (Theridiidae) appeared to be good indicators for the less and most intensified environments, respectively. Other four morphospecies of the families Nemesiidae, Oxyopidae, Lycosidae y Palpimanidae were characterized as detectors to different environments. Four morphospecies of the coleopteran family Carabidae (Calosoma retusum, Galerita collaris, Brachinus sp and Pelecium sp) were defined as indicators of the more intensified system, with agriculture.Algunos grupos de artrópodos son considerados buenos indicadores de calidad ambiental. Para ello deben cumplir con algunas condiciones, como poseer características biológicas y morfológicas que faciliten su hallazgo e identificación. Las trampas de caída (pitfall) son ampliamente utilizadas para recolectar artrópodos predadores potencialmente bioindicadores de las características del ambiente que ocupan. Se realizaron recolecciones quincenales, durante nueve meses, en tres sistemas productivos con diferente grado de intervención antrópica en la cuenca de la Laguna Negra, Rocha: área con baja intensidad de pastoreo de vacunos; área con bajo pastoreo de ganado vacuno y ovino, y área con altas cargas de ganado vacuno y agricultura inverno-estival. En cada área se instalaron dos series de 10 trampas pitfall separadas a una distancia mínima de 100 m y a una distancia de 10 m entre trampas. Dos morfoespecies de arañas, Mesabolivar sp (Pholcidae) y Steatoda sp (Theridiidae), fueron determinadas como indicadoras de los ambientes con menor y mayor intensidad de disturbio, respectivamente. Otras cuatro morfoespecies, pertenecientes a las familias Nemesiidae, Oxyopidae, Lycosidae y Palpimanidae, fueron caracterizadas como detectoras de los diferentes ambientes. Cuatro morfoespecies de coleópteros de la familia Carabidae (Calosoma retusum, Galerita collaris, Brachinus sp y Pelecium sp) resultaron indicadoras del ambiente de mayor intensidad productiva, con agricultura

Análisis de esfuerzo de muestreo de himenópteros parasitoides en tres ambientes del Este uruguayo

Hymenopteran parasitoids offer an ecosystem service as biological control of agricultural pests. Many of these parasitoids are tiny insects and, therefore, their screening and identification are highly complex. Fortnightly sampling, between December 2014 and December 2015, was conducted with two Malaise traps in three areas: natural area, cattle grazing pastures and cattle grazing with winter-summer agriculture, near Castillos, Rocha, Uruguay. Taxa were screened at the Centro Universitario Regional del Este (CURE) – Rocha and parasitoids identification, at family level of the order Hymenoptera, was made in Ribeirão Preto, Brasil. In total, 36.718 parasitoid individuals from 31 Hymenoptera families were collected. Data sets were created with information transformed to proportional abundance in the sample: considering one (N = 72) or two (N = 144) fortnights, and a family accumulation multivariate analysis was applied (perMANOVA). Considering half (one fortnight) or total (two fortnights) number of sampling dates, indistinctly, it is possible to adjust sampling effort in order to decrease the sampling frequency or dates, without a significant reduction on the recovering of new families. Thus, this is a contribution to maintain the recovery efficiency and the value of the study, while helping to reduce costs in material and human resources.Los himenópteros parasitoides brindan el servicio ecosistémico de control biológico de numerosas plagas agrícolas. Muchos de ellos son minúsculos y su separación e identificación son altamente trabajosas. Entre diciembre de 2014 y diciembre de 2015 se condujeron colectas quincenales con dos trampas Malaise en un área natural, una de pastoreo con ganado vacuno y una con ganadería vacuna con agricultura inverno-estival, en las cercanías de la ciudad de Castillos, Rocha, Uruguay. La separación de taxones colectados se realizó en el Centro Universitario Regional del Este (CURE) – Rocha y se identificaron las familias de los himenópteros parasitoides en Ribeirão Preto, Brasil. Se colectaron 36.718 parasitoides de 31 familias de Hymenoptera parasitoides. Con datos transformados a abundancia proporcional en la muestra se construyeron sets considerando una (N = 72) o dos quincenas (N = 144) y se realizó un análisis multivariado de acumulación de familias (perMANOVA). Considerando la mitad (una quincena) o la totalidad (dos quincenas) de las fechas, indistintamente, es posible ajustar el esfuerzo de muestreo para disminuir la frecuencia y/o los meses de muestreo, sin pérdida significativa en el hallazgo de nuevas familias. Este estudio contribuye a mantener la eficiencia y validez del trabajo y a reducir costos en recursos humanos y materiales