Search

El trabajo fuera del aula presenta un elevado interés didáctico. Ello es debido, principalmente, a su valía a la hora de reforzar contenidos y fijar conocimientos. Existen diferentes tipologías de trabajo fuera del aula; para sacar el máximo partido de este recurso didáctico, se presenta una sistematización y una tipificación de las principales modalidades de trabajo.

La plaga de la filoxera se localizó por primera vez en España en la provincia de Málaga. Desde Málaga la enfermedad se dispersó por distintos puntos de Andalucía con relativa rapidez. Las informaciones que tenemos al respecto son diversas. El feliz hallazgo de unos informes redactados por la diplomacia francesa destacada en Andalucía, aportan nuevos datos sobre el tema, y constituyen una fuente de información novedosa que complementa a la bibliografía tradicional.

Se conoce que, de un tiempo a esta parte, distintos planteamientos han tomado el paisaje como eje central de su discurso, canalizando parte de sus propuestas a través del amplio abanico de las políticas públicas. De esta guisa, el concepto «paisaje» ha pasado a formar parte de la esfera de lo público y lo legislativo, favoreciendo una nueva coyuntura de gran interés en Geografía. En las líneas que siguen se resumen las principales ideas e instrumentos derivados de este encuentro, proponiendo una síntesis que tiene por objetivo resumir la diversidad existente.

Urban fringes set complex landscapes, in transition from rural to natural and urban, with fuzzy boundaries in mutual interdependence. The European Landscape Convention gives notorious importance to everyday landscapes, including those of suburban character. Few landscape evaluation researches are done in suburban areas, which is surprising considering its importance and abundance. This paper shows a methodology, yield on geographical information systems (GIS), for landscape assessment of suburban areas, useful in urban planning. Its main interest lies in a double assessment, which considers both landscape quality and landscape fragility, applied systematically. The procedure is applied in Muntanyes d’Ordal in the metropolitan area of Barcelona (Spain), an area with pronounced regional strengths and contrasted landscape values. Results are of important applicability and indicate a predominance of mean values, both for landscape quality and landscape fragility.

The FOXP3 gene encodes for a protein (Foxp3) involved in the development and functional activity of regulatory T cells (CD4+/CD25+/Foxp3+), which exert regulatory and suppressive roles over the immune system. After allogeneic stem cell transplantation, regulatory T cells are known to mitigate graft versus host disease while probably maintaining a graft versus leukemia effect. Short alleles (≤(GT)15) for the (GT)n polymorphism in the promoter/enhancer of FOXP3 are associated with a higher expression of FOXP3, and hypothetically with an increase of regulatory T cell activity. This polymorphism has been related to the development of auto- or alloimmune conditions including type 1 diabetes or graft rejection in renal transplant recipients. However, its impact in the allo-transplant setting has not been analyzed. In the present study, which includes 252 myeloablative HLA-identical allo-transplants, multivariate analysis revealed a lower incidence of grade III-IV acute graft versus host disease (GVHD) in patients transplanted from donors harboring short alleles (OR = 0.26, CI 0.08-0.82, p = 0.021); without affecting chronic GVHD or graft versus leukemia effect, since cumulative incidence of relapse, event free survival and overall survival rates are similar in both groups of patients.

Fundamento: El uso de bombas de infusión continua de insulina (BICI) para la diabetes mellitus tipo 1 (DM1) se ha relacionado con un mejor control metabólico al compararlo con las múltiples dosis de insulina (MDI). Este mejor control puede traducirse en una disminución de las complicaciones asociadas a la DM1 y por lo tanto una reducción de los costes asociados. Sin embargo el uso de esta terapia ha quedado mermado, al menos en parte, debido a su mayor coste inicial de adquisición. El objetivo del presente estudio fue estimar las consecuencias clínicas y económicas del uso de BICI frente a MDI a través de un análisis de coste-utilidad. Métodos: Se adaptó un modelo matemático de simulación que emplea datos clínicos y económicos de ámbito nacional, para simular las consecuencias clínicas y económicas a largo plazo de un paciente con DM1. El horizonte temporal fue el de toda la vida del paciente, incluyendo sólo costes directos sanitarios, y actualizando tanto costes como beneficios a una tasa del 3% anual. Resultados: En el caso base los pacientes tratados con BICI experimentaron una ganancia de vida de 0,890 años (p

The relationship between genetic diversity and fitness, a major issue in evolutionary and conservation biology, is expected to be stronger in traits affected by many loci and those directly influencing fitness. Here we explore the influence of heterozygosity measured at 15 neutral markers on individual survival, one of the most important parameters determining individual fitness. We followed individual survival up to recruitment and during subsequent adult life of 863 fledgling pied flycatchers born in two consecutive breeding seasons. Mark-recapture analyses showed that individual heterozygosity did not influence juvenile or adult survival. In contrast, the genetic relatedness of parents was negatively associated with the offspring's survival during the adult life, but this effect was not apparent in the juvenile (from fledgling to recruitment) stage. Stochastic factors experienced during the first year of life in this long-distance migratory species may have swamped a relationship between heterozygosity and survival up to recruitment.

Understanding why host species differ so much in symbiont loads and how this depends on ecological host and symbiont traits is a major issue in the ecology of symbiosis. A first step in this inquiry is to know whether observed differences among host species are species-specific traits or more related with host-symbiont environmental conditions. Here we analysed the repeatability (R) of the intensity and the prevalence of feather mites to partition within- and among-host species variance components. We compiled the largest dataset so far available: 119 Paleartic passerine bird species, 75,944 individual birds, ca. 1.8 million mites, seven countries, 23 study years. Several analyses and approaches were made to estimate R and adjusted repeatability (R(adj)) after controlling for potential confounding factors (breeding period, weather, habitat, spatial autocorrelation and researcher identity). The prevalence of feather mites was moderately repeatable (R = 0.26-0.53; R(adj) = 0.32-0.57); smaller values were found for intensity (R = 0.19-0.30; R(adj )= 0.18-0.30). These moderate repeatabilities show that prevalence and intensity of feather mites differ among species, but also that the high variation within species leads to considerable overlap among bird species. Differences in the prevalence and intensity of feather mites within bird species were small among habitats, suggesting that local factors are playing a secondary role. However, effects of local climatic conditions were partially observed for intensity.

Texto resumen.

Resumen

After the quasi-extinction of much of the European vertebrate megafauna during the last few centuries, many reintroduction projects seek to restore decimated populations. However, the future of numerous species depends on the management scenarios of metapopulations where the flow of individuals can be critical to ensure their viability. This is the case of the bearded vulture Gypaetus barbatus, an Old World, large body-sized and long-lived scavenger living in mountain ranges. Although persecution in Western Europe restrained it to the Pyrenees, the species is nowadays present in other mountains thanks to reintroduction projects. We examined the movement patterns of pre-adult non-breeding individuals born in the wild population of the Pyrenees (n = 9) and in the reintroduced populations of the Alps (n = 24) and Andalusia (n = 13). Most birds were equipped with GPS-GSM radio transmitters, which allowed accurate determination of individual dispersal patterns. Two estimators were considered: i) step length (i.e., the distance travelled per day by each individual, calculated considering only successive days); and ii) total dispersal distance (i.e., the distance travelled between each mean daily location and the point of release). Both dispersal estimators showed a positive relationship with age but were also highly dependent on the source population, birds in Andalusia and Alps moving farther than in Pyrenees. Future research should confirm if differences in dispersal distances are the rule, in which case the dynamics of future populations would be strongly influenced. In summary, our findings highlight that inter-population differences can affect the flow of individuals among patches (a key aspect to ensure the viability of the European metapopulation of the endangered bearded vulture), and thus should be taken into account when planning reintroduction programs. This result also raises questions about whether similar scenarios may occur in other restoration projects of European megafauna.

Migratory divides are thought to facilitate behavioral, ecological, and genetic divergence among populations with different migratory routes. However, it is currently contentious how much genetic divergence is needed to maintain distinct migratory behavior across migratory divides. Here we investigate patterns of neutral genetic differentiation among Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla) populations with different migratory strategies across Europe. We compare the level of genetic divergence of populations migrating to southwestern (SW) or southeastern (SE) wintering areas with birds wintering in the British Isles following a recently established northwesterly (NW) migration route. The migratory divide between SW and SE wintering areas can be interpreted as a result of a re-colonization process after the last glaciation. Thus we predicted greater levels of genetic differentiation among the SW/SE populations. However, a lack of genetic differentiation was found between SW and SE populations, suggesting that interbreeding likely occurs among Blackcaps with different migratory orientations across a large area; therefore the SW/SE migratory divide can be seen as diffuse, broad band and is, at best, a weak isolating barrier. Conversely, weak, albeit significant genetic differentiation was evident between NW and SW migrants breeding sympatrically in southern Germany, suggesting a stronger isolating mechanism may be acting in this population. Populations located within/near the SW/SE contact zone were the least genetically divergent from NW migrants, confirming NW migrants likely originated from within the contact zone. Significant isolation-by-distance was found among eastern Blackcap populations (i.e. SE migrants), but not among western populations (i.e. NW and SW migrants), revealing different patterns of genetic divergence among Blackcap populations in Europe. We discuss possible explanations for the genetic structure of European Blackcaps and how gene flow influences the persistence of divergent migratory behaviors.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Exposure to environmental contaminants may result in reduced reproductive success and long-lasting population declines in vertebrates. Emerging data from laboratory studies on model species suggest that certain life-stages, such as development, should be of special concern. However, detailed investigations of long-term consequences of developmental exposure to environmental chemicals on breeding performance are currently lacking in wild populations of long-lived vertebrates. Here, we studied how the developmental exposure to a mine spill (Aznalcóllar, SW Spain, April 1998) may affect fitness under natural conditions in a long-lived bird, the White Stork (Ciconia ciconia). METHODOLOGY: The reproductive performance of individually-banded storks that were or not developmentally exposed to the spill (i.e. hatched before or after the spill) was compared when these individuals were simultaneously breeding during the seven years after the spill occurred (1999-2005). PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Female storks developmentally exposed to the spill experienced a premature breeding senescence compared with their non-developmentally exposed counterparts, doing so after departing from an unusually higher productivity in their early reproductive life (non-developmentally exposed females: 0.5 ± 0.33SE fledglings/year at 3-yr old vs. 1.38 ± 0.31SE at 6-7 yr old; developmentally exposed females: 1.5 ± 0.30SE fledglings/year at 3-yr old vs. 0.86 ± 0.25SE at 6-7 yr old). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Following life-history theory, we propose that costly sub-lethal effects reported in stork nestlings after low-level exposure to the spill-derived contaminants might play an important role in shaping this pattern of reproduction, with a clear potential impact on population dynamics. Overall, our study provides evidence that environmental disasters can have long-term, multigenerational consequences on wildlife, particularly when affecting developing individuals, and warns about the risk of widespread low-level contamination in realistic scenarios.

El autor presenta una perspectiva histórica y farmacológica de la psilocibina como introducción previa a un análisis de las investigaciones actuales en las que se ha autorizado la experimentación de esta substancia con seres humanos. Se incluyen investigaciones tanto en proyecto, en curso como terminadas. Se resumen los informes científicos publicados hasta la fecha analizando las principales conclusiones obtenidas. En total se recogen once estudios que abarcan cuestiones tan amplias como el empleo de la psilocibina como substancia terapéutica para determinadas dolencias, efectos neuropsicológicos, físicos y cognitivos y seguimiento de experimentos llevados a cabo durante la década de los sesenta.

Background Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor mobilized peripheral blood stem cells are increasingly used instead of bone marrow as a stem cell source for transplantation. Whereas this change is almost complete for autologous transplantation, there are some concerns when considering allogeneic transplants.Design and Methods We performed a retrospective case-control study including 820 adult patients who had received an allogeneic stem cell transplant from an HLA-identical sibling donor. Quality of life (QoL) was assessed in 150 patients using the EORTC Quality of Life Questionnaire C30 (QLQ-C30).Results There were no statistically significant differences in overall survival at ten years (bone marrow: 48.9% vs. peripheral blood stem cells: 39.8%; p=0.621), transplant-related mortality (bone marrow: 28.9% vs. peripheral blood stem cells: 34.4%; p=0.682) or relapse incidence at 9 years (29.4% vs. 35.2%, respectively; p=0.688). Similar outcomes were maintained independently of the phase of the disease. However, multivariate analysis identified a higher incidence of acute graft-versus-host disease grades II-IV (p: 0.023; Hazard ratio [HR]: 1.41; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05–1.89) and grades III-IV (p: 0.006; HR: 1.89; 95% CI: 1.20–2.98), in the peripheral blood stem cells-stem cell transplant group. As previously described, extensive chronic graft-versus-host disease was also more frequent in the peripheral blood stem cells group (28% vs. 15.6%; p

El término paisaje comporta un número elevado de acepciones que, en ámbitos académicos, se traduce en una importante diversidad de planteamientos de trabajo. A menudo no resulta sencillo diferenciar estos enfoques y es fácil confundir tendencias de estudio. Bajo esta coyuntura, se ofrece una sistematización de las diferentes consideraciones que, desde el mundo académico, se tiene acerca del paisaje, fijando especial atención en lo relativo a la Geografía.The voice landscape implies an elevated number of meanings that, in academic circles, are translated in a diversity of approaches. Often it is not easy to differentiate these approaches and it is easy to confuse tendencies. Under this conjuncture, a systematization of the different considerations is offered, making special attention towards Geography.

BackgroundDepartures from power law group size frequency distributions have been proposed as a useful tool to link individual behavior with population patterns and dynamics, although examples are scarce for wild animal populations.Methodology/principal findingsWe studied a population of Lesser kestrels (Falco naumanni) breeding in groups (colonies) from one to ca. 40 breeding pairs in 10,000 km(2) in NE Spain. A 3.5 fold steady population increase occurred during the eight-year study period, accompanied by a geographical expansion from an initial subpopulation which in turn remained stable in numbers. This population instability was mainly driven by first-breeders, which are less competitive at breeding sites, being relegated to breed solitarily or in small colony sizes, and disperse farther than adults. Colony size frequency distributions shifted from an initial power law to a truncated power law mirroring population increase. Thus, we hypothesized that population instability was behind the truncation of the power law. Accordingly, we found a power law distribution through years in the initial subpopulation, and a match between the power law breakpoint (at ca. ten pairs) and those colony sizes from which the despotic behavior of colony owners started to impair the settlement of newcomers. Moreover, the instability hypothesis was further supported by snapshot data from another population of Lesser kestrels in SW Spain suffering a population decline.Conclusions/significanceAppropriate analysis of the scaling properties of grouping patterns has unraveled the link between local agonistic processes and large-scale (population) grouping patterns in a wild bird population.

In the global scenario of increasing habitat fragmentation, finding appropriate indicators of population viability is a priority for conservation. We explored the potential of learned behaviours, specifically acoustic signals, to predict the persistence over time of fragmented bird populations. We found an association between male song diversity and the annual rate of population change, population productivity and population size, resulting in birds singing poor repertoires in populations more prone to extinction. This is the first demonstration that population viability can be predicted by a cultural trait (acquired via social learning). Our results emphasise that cultural attributes can reflect not only individual-level characteristics, but also the emergent population-level properties. This opens the way to the study of animal cultural diversity in the increasingly common human-altered landscapes.

Leafcutting bees are important native pollinators of North America. They use cut leaves to construct nests in cavities (mostly in rotting wood). They create multiple cells in the nest, each with a single larva and pollen stored for the larvae to eat. Leafcutting bees are important pollinators of wildflowers, fruits, vegetables and other crops. Leafcutting bees, Osmia spp. are even used as commercial pollinators (like honey bees) in crops such as alfalfa and blueberries. This document is EENY-342, one of a series of Featured Creatures from the Entomology and Nematology Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Published: January 2005. EENY-342/IN619: Leafcutting Bees, Megachilidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Megachilidae: Megachilinae) (ufl.edu)

The yellowstriped oakworm, Anisota peigleri, is an occasional pest on oak trees in the southeastern United States. In Florida, outbreak populations defoliated laurel, water and Shumard oaks in Gainesville from 1996 until 2001. Even when defoliation is not severe, the falling frass (droppings) and large numbers of caterpillars are a major concern for many homeowners. Frass commonly stains driveways, walkways, pool decks and other outdoor structures.

RESUMEN: El desarrollo económico de las zonas aledañas al Nevado Cayambe (Pichincha, Ecuador) ha puesto de manifiesto una presión social sobre los recursos naturales, en especial sobre el agua, la cual en parte proviene de los deshielos del nevado. El estudio evalúa las implicaciones hidrológicas a partir de cambios en la ocupación del suelo, utilizando fotografías aéreas y ortofotomapas a escala detallada. En cuanto a datos hidro meteorológicos, se emplean valores mensuales de precipitación (1976 - 2010), caudales medios mensuales de estaciones hidrológicas, y de autorizaciones y concesiones de uso de agua en el área de estudio. A partir de esta información y junto con datos de uso y tipos del suelo se obtienen y validan los coeficientes de escorrentía. Los coeficientes obtenidos se emplean en un modelo de simulación OfertaDemanda, que se implementa en el sistema de información geográfica ArcGIS, para obtener el estrés hídrico actual en los distintos tramos del rio Blanco. Los principales resultados obtenidos se relacionan con el incremento de áreas de cultivo hacia las partes altas de las cuencas, las cuales introducen modificaciones significativas en la circulación de aguas del páramo. ABSTRACT: The economic development of the areas near the Cayambe Icecap (Pichincha, Ecuador) has revealed social and human pressure on natural resources, especially on water, which partly comes from melting of the Cayambe Icecap. The study assesses the hydrological implications that have occurred from changes in land use by using aerial photographs and detailed scale orthophoto. As for hydrometeorological data monthly precipitation values (1976 - 2010), monthly flows of hydrological stations, and authorizations and concessions for water use in the study area are used. From this information and with land use and soil type data runoff coefficients are obtained and validated. These coefficients are used in a Supply-Demand simulation model, which is implemented in ArcGIS to obtain current water stress in different parts along the river. The main results are related to the increase of cultivated areas toward the upper part of the basin, which introduce significant changes in the circulation of water in the high lands (páramos).