Spatial heterogeneity of climate change as an experiential basis for skepticism

We postulate that skepticism about climate change is partially caused by the spatial heterogeneity of climate change, which exposes experiential learners to climate heuristics that differ from the global average. This hypothesis is tested by formalizing an index that measures local changes in climate using station data and comparing this index with survey-based model estimates of county-level opinion about whether global warming is happening. Results indicate that more stations exhibit cooling and warming than predicted by random chance and that spatial variations in these changes can account for spatial variations in the percentage of the population that believes that "global warming is happening." This effect is diminished in areas that have experienced more record low temperatures than record highs since 2005. Together, these results suggest that skepticism about climate change is driven partially by personal experiences; an accurate heuristic for local changes in climate identifies obstacles to communicating ongoing changes in climate to the public and how these communications might be improved

Spatial heterogeneity of climate change as an experiential basis for skepticism

We postulate that skepticism about climate change is partially caused by the spatial heterogeneity of climate change, which exposes experiential learners to climate heuristics that differ from the global average. This hypothesis is tested by formalizing an index that measures local changes in climate using station data and comparing this index with survey-based model estimates of county-level opinion about whether global warming is happening. Results indicate that more stations exhibit cooling and warming than predicted by random chance and that spatial variations in these changes can account for spatial variations in the percentage of the population that believes that "global warming is happening." This effect is diminished in areas that have experienced more record low temperatures than record highs since 2005. Together, these results suggest that skepticism about climate change is driven partially by personal experiences; an accurate heuristic for local changes in climate identifies obstacles to communicating ongoing changes in climate to the public and how these communications might be improved

Estudio de la infección vírica presente en el hongo endofitico Epichloë festuca en poblaciones naturales de Festuca rubra

5 páginas, 2 figuras. -- Trabajo generado en XLIV Reunión Científica de la SEEP en Salamanca[EN]The presence of mycoviruses in natural populations of the endophytic fungus Epichloë festucae has been analyzed in asymptomatic plants of Festuca rubra, in pasture lands. These infections represent a problem in animal grazing pastures. In these ecosystems, which are considered a center of genetic diversity of Festuca rubra, it has been found that up to 70% of plants were infected by the endophyte E. Festucae. On the other hand, it has been investigated the existence of two viruses: Efv-1 and Efv-2, their frequency of appearance, and the way they are transmitted in native populations of E. festucae. This has allowed to discover the presence of different lineages in a population of E. festucae, where the presence of micoviruses had been detected. The advantages the plant may get with the endophytic infection, together with the benefits the virus may give to the endophyte have got enough interest to achieve an investigation with a view to using the relation virus-endophyte-plant intending to improve grass.[ES]En este trabajo se ha estudiado la presencia de micovirus en poblaciones naturales del hongo endofítico Epichloë festucae, en plantas asintomáticas de Festuca rubra en pastos de dehesa. Las plantas que están infectadas por endofitos contienen alcaloides que son tóxicos para herbívoros, lo que puede representar un problema en los pastos destinados al consumo animal. En estos ecosistemas, considerados como centro de diversidad genética de Festuca rubra, se ha encontrado que hasta el 70% de estas plantas estan infestadas por E. festucae. También se ha analizado la presencia de dos virus Efv-1 y Efv-2, la frecuencia con la que aparecen y la manera en que se transmiten dentro de las poblaciones naturales de E. festucae. Esto ha permitido detectar la presencia de diferentes linajes dentro de una misma población de E. festucae, determinándose además la presencia de micovirus. Los beneficios que la planta consigue con la infección endofítica, junto con el que el virus puede proporcionar al endofito, generan suficiente interés para realizar estudios que permitan conocer la relación virus-endofito-planta.Este trabajo ha sido financiado por el MCYTT proyecto AGL2002-02766Peer reviewe