Protecting stable biological nomenclatural systems enables universal communication: A collective international appeal.

peer reviewedThe fundamental value of universal nomenclatural systems in biology is that they enable unambiguous scientific communication. However, the stability of these systems is threatened by recent discussions asking for a fairer nomenclature, raising the possibility of bulk revision processes for "inappropriate" names. It is evident that such proposals come from very deep feelings, but we show how they can irreparably damage the foundation of biological communication and, in turn, the sciences that depend on it. There are four essential consequences of objective codes of nomenclature: universality, stability, neutrality, and transculturality. These codes provide fair and impartial guides to the principles governing biological nomenclature and allow unambiguous universal communication in biology. Accordingly, no subjective proposals should be allowed to undermine them

El reto de la inclusión de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible en la formación inicial de profesores de secundaria: creación del MOOC curso cero sobre educación y ODS, inclusión en asignaturas y en trabajos fin de máster

Memoria ID-041. Ayudas de la Universidad de Salamanca para la innovación docente, curso 2021-2022

Cualificación en los Objetivos establecidos en la Agenda 2030 de estudiantes y profesores en el Máster Universitario en Profesor de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria y Bachillerato, Formación Profesional y Enseñanza de Idiomas (MUPES)

Memoria ID2022-157 Ayudas de la Universidad de Salamanca para la innovación docente, curso 2022-2023

Innovaciones y mejoras en el proyecto tutoría entre compañeros. Curso 2015-2016

Memoria ID-0137. Ayudas de la Universidad de Salamanca para la innovación docente, curso 2015-2016

Protocols for studying the crayfish plague pathogen, Aphanomyces astaci, and its host-pathogen interactions

The crayfish plague caused by the pathogen Aphanomyces astaci has decimated the European and Asian populations of freshwater crayfish and represents an important threat to the other highly susceptible crayfish species in the world, such as the Australian, Madagascar, and South American species. The development and application of molecular methods addressed to the identification of A. astaci has increased exponentially during the last decades in contrast to a slow trend of the pathogen biology and host interaction. There is still a need for a better comprehension of the A. astaci-crayfish interactions, specifically the resistance and tolerance immune mechanism. These types of studies required a robust basic knowledge on the developmental biology of the pathogen in order to reproduce life stages and to perform infection experiments. A great piece of work in this area was carried out during the 1960 s to 80 s in University of Uppsala. Thus, the purpose of this work was to update previous protocols as well as to generate new guidelines to reproduce key developmental biology stages of A. astaci, to eventually identify crayfish populations with higher resistance and tolerance to this pathogen. This work also refers to other methodologies and guidelines for the diagnosis of crayfish plague, the pathogen isolation, and the in vitro production of zoospores

A new kid in town: First case of an alien worm, Xironogiton victoriensis (Annelida: Clitellata) on a native European freshwater crayfish

Worldwide biodiversity is suffering a “biogeographical homogenization” due to biological invasions. The translocation of freshwater crayfish around the world for aquaculture and the pet trade is also spreading their symbionts, so that all of the association's members have the potential to form invasive populations. In Europe, the signal crayfish, Pacifastacus leniusculus, is often concomitant with the branchiobdellidan Xironogiton victoriensis and through repeated translocations their ranges are expanding. In this study, we report the first observation of X. victoriensis on a native European crayfish population of Austropotamobius pallipes. This work is an alert to the authorities and decision makers on the risks to native species when aquaculture projects introduce alien crayfish species and their symbionts into an area. Future studies are needed to evaluate the impact of this non-native ectosymbiont on native crayfish populations

eDNA monitoring as a tool for evaluating the reintroduction of Austropotamobius pallipes after a crayfish plague outbreak

The crayfish plague, a severe disease caused by the oomycete Aphanomyces astaci, is responsible for most population declines of susceptible crayfish in Europe. This pathogen has been devastating native populations of Austropotamobius pallipes since the 1970s in the Iberian Peninsula. In this study, we report a massive mortality event in one of the most important Spanish populations of A. pallipes. We aimed to: (i) identify the cause of the mortality, and (ii) evaluate the reintroduction viability of the species. Over the course of six months, we used environmental DNA (eDNA) and traditional trap-based methods to detect the presence of A. astaci or of native or invasive crayfish in order to evaluate the reintroduction viability of A. pallipes to the affected population. We did not capture any live crayfish or detect the presence of A. astaci in the reservoir water during the six months following the mass mortality event. Our analyses indicated that it was feasible to initiate a reintroduction program at the site, which will continue to be monitored for three to five years and will help improve the conservation status of A. pallipes.Peer reviewe

The invasive alien red-eared slider turtle, Trachemys scripta, as a carrier of STEF-disease pathogens

The fungal pathogens Fusarium falciforme and Fusarium keratoplasticum are responsible for the sea turtle egg fusariosis (STEF) throughout main nesting areas of the world. In this study, we investigated whether eggs of the invasive alien red-eared slider turtle, Trachemys scripta, can carry these fungal pathogens. Using multilocus sequence typing of four nuclear DNA regions, we found that eggs of T. scripta naturally can carry these two Fusarium pathogenic species, as well as other Fusarium species belonging to the Fusarium solani species complex. Physiological studies on F. falciforme and F. keratoplasticum isolates revealed that their optimal growth temperature coincided with the pivotal temperature for T. scripta embryos, ca 29.5 ± 0.5 °C, providing an evidence of a potential advantageous biological property for host colonization and virulence. A host-pathogen interaction network analysis of species of the FSSC and their hosts confirmed that F. falciforme and F. keratoplasticum are generalist pathogens in a wide range of animal hosts of worldwide geographical distribution. Finally, we show that nesting areas of this invasive turtle T. scripta in the Mediterranean freshwater marshes can act as chronic reservoirs of these STEF pathogens, and this invasive species can act as a potential vector for the spread of STEF among wild native species and even to humans

Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) threaten Andean amphibians

[EN] Amphibian populations are declining due to a myriad of abiotic and biotic factors, including invasive species and pathogens. In temperate freshwater ecosystems, for example, amphibian populations are threatened by the predation of introduced salmonids. Salmonids not only directly predate upon amphibian eggs and larvae but may also transport deadly pathogens into freshwater systems. Though most research has focused on temperate systems, much less is known about the effects of introduced species in Neotropical streams. We conducted two experiments to investigate the impacts of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in two Neotropical anurans. First, we assessed the effect of the rainbow trout on tadpole survivorship and morphology in Nymphargus grandisonae, a glassfrog species endemic of the Andes. Tadpoles of N. grandisonae were subjected to three treatments involving the absence of rainbow trout (control) and its presence with different types of chemical cues – kairomones (from rainbow trout) and cue alarms (from tadpole prey); the results show that the presence of rainbow trout affects the larval morphology of this glassfrog. In the second experiment, to test whether rainbow trout is a vector of the pathogenic freshwater mold Saprolegnia diclina (Oomycetes), eggs of Engystomops petersi were placed with infected and uninfected rainbow trout. There was a high mortality rate in the embryos of E. petersi exposed to trout infected with S. diclina. This represents the first evidence that rainbow trout may have a direct negative effect on Neotropical amphibian populations, and thus should be considered a threat. Management programs should be implemented to eradicate trout from Andean rivers, especially in areas with high number of endangered amphibians.[ES] Las poblaciones de anfibios están disminuyendo debido a una serie de factores, incluyendo las especies invasoras y patógenos. En los ecosistemas templados, por ejemplo, los anfibios están amenazados por salmónidos introducidos. Los salmónidos no solo depredan directamente los huevos y larvas, sino que también son vectores de patógenos en los ecosistemas acuáticos. A pesar de que existe una serie de investigaciones en zonas templadas, el efecto de las especies introducidas en sistemas neotropicales es prácticamente desconocido. En este trabajo estudiamos experimentalmente el efecto de la trucha arcoíris (Onchorhynchus mykiss) en dos especies de anuros neotropicales. Primero, determinamos el efecto de la trucha en la supervivencia y morfología de renacuajos de Nymphargus grandisonae, una rana de cristal endémica a los Andes. Los renacuajos fueron sometidos a tres tratamientos, los cuales combinan la ausencia de la trucha (control) y su presencia con diferentes señales químicas: cairomonas (de las truchas) y de alarma (producidas por los renacuajos depredados). Los resultados demuestran que la presencia de la trucha afecta la morfología de los renacuajos. En el segundo experimento, para determinar si la trucha actúa como vector del pátogeno Saprolegnia diclina (Oomycetes), los huevos del sapo Engystomops petersi fueron expuestos a la presencia truchas infectadas o no infectadas con S. diclina. El experimento muestra que la trucha actúa como vector de S. diclina, la cual produce una alta mortalidad en los huevos de E. petersi. Este es el primer estudio que claramente indica el efecto negativo de la trucha arcoíris en anfibios neotropicales. Recomendamos implementar programas de manejo dirigidos a erradicar a este pez introducido de los ríos andinos, especialmente en áreas con una alta presencia de especies amenazadas de anfibios.Peer Reviewe

Citas y apuntes corológicos de interés en ciperáceas ibéricas

We present chorological additions and corrections for four species of Iberian sedges of interest.Se presentan novedades y correcciones corológicas para cuatro especies de ciperáceas ibéricas de interés