Non-linear loss of suitable wine regions over Europe in response to increasing global warming

Evaluating the potential climatic suitability for premium wine production is crucial for adaptation planning in Europe. While new wine regions may emerge out of the traditional boundaries, most of the present-day renowned winemaking regions may be threatened by climate change. Here, we analyse the future evolution of the geography of wine production over Europe, through the definition of a novel climatic suitability indicator, which is calculated over the projected grapevine phenological phases to account for their possible contractions under global warming. Our approach consists in coupling six different de-biased downscaled climate projections under two different scenarios of global warming with four phenological models for different grapevine varieties. The resulting suitability indicator is based on fuzzy logic and is calculated over three main components measuring (i) the timing of the fruit physiological maturity, (ii) the risk of water stress and (iii) the risk of pests and diseases. The results demonstrate that the level of global warming largely determines the distribution of future wine regions. For a global temperature increase limited to 2°C above the pre-industrial level, the suitable areas over the traditional regions are reduced by about 4%/°C rise, while for higher levels of global warming, the rate of this loss increases up to 17%/°C. This is compensated by a gradual emergence of new wine regions out of the traditional boundaries. Moreover, we show that reallocating better-suited grapevine varieties to warmer conditions may be a viable adaptation measure to cope with the projected suitability loss over the traditional regions. However, the effectiveness of this strategy appears to decrease as the level of global warming increases. Overall, these findings suggest the existence of a safe limit below 2°C of global warming for the European winemaking sector, while adaptation might become far more challenging beyond this threshold.     

Testing different 3D techniques using geometric morphometrics: Implications for cranial fluctuating asymmetry in humans

This study aimed to test the performance of 3D digitizer, CT scanner, and surface scanner in detecting cranial fluctuating asymmetry. Sets of 32 landmarks (6 in the midline and 13 bilateral) were acquired from 14 archeological crania using a 3D digitizer, and from 3D models generated from a CT scanner and surface scanner using Viewbox 4. Levels of shape variation were analyzed in MorphoJ using Procrustes analysis of variance and Principal component analysis. Intra-observer error accounted for 1.7%, 1.8%, and 4.5% of total shape variation for 3D digitizer, CT scanner, and surface scanner respectively. Fluctuating asymmetry accounted for 15%–16% of total shape variation. Variation between techniques accounted for 18% of total shape variation. We found a higher level of missing landmarks in our surface scan data than for both 3D digitizer and CT scanner data, and both 3D model-based techniques sometimes obscured taphonomic damage. All three 3D techniques are appropriate for measuring cranial fluctuating asymmetry. We advise against combining data collected with different techniques.     

Two centuries of spatial and temporal dynamics of freshwater fish introductions

Aim

Investigating major freshwater fish flows (translocations) between biogeographic regions and their temporal dynamics and also quantifying spatial patterns and temporal changes in the array of introduced species, and the emergence and distance between major donor and recipient regions.

Location

Global.

Time Period

1800–2020.

Major Taxa Studied

Freshwater fishes.

Methods

We analysed a global dataset on freshwater fish introductions (4241 events of 688 species). Freshwater fish flows were investigated with flow diagrams and χ² tests, while PERMANOVA (permutational multivariate analysis of variance) was used to test the association between species and regions and temporal shifts. Cluster analysis revealed major recipient areas and composition of the introduced species. Finally, changes in distances between donor and recipient sites were tested with PERMANOVA.

Results

The number of introductions between biogeographic regions mirrored the European and North American dominance before World War II (WWII) and the trends in recreational fishing, biocontrol programmes and food production, especially in the Sino-Oriental region, which has a long tradition of aquaculture and fishkeeping. Over the years, the origins and composition of introduced species changed uniquely in each biogeographic region, although the most introduced species are common to every region. Salmonids and other cold-water species were frequently introduced before the 1950s, whereas tropical ornamental and aquaculture species currently prevail. Distances between donor and recipient sites did not vary over the time. After WWII, the Sino-Oriental region consolidated its dominance and the Ethiopian and Neotropical regions emerged as new global donor and recipient regions.

Main Conclusions

Global policy should focus on tropical ornamental and aquaculture species, which could benefit from global warming, especially in the Sino-Oriental region, because it currently dominates freshwater fish species flows, and the Ethiopian and Neotropical regions, because they recently emerged as important global donor and recipient regions of freshwater fish introductions.     

Continuous polyhydroxybutyrate production from biogas in an innovative two-stage bioreactor configuration

Biogas biorefineries have opened up new horizons beyond heat and electricity production in the anaerobic digestion sector. Added-value products such as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), which are environmentally benign and potential candidates to replace conventional plastics, can be generated from biogas. This work investigated the potential of an innovative two-stage growth-accumulation system for the continuous production of biogas-based polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) using Methylocystis hirsuta CSC1 as cell factory. The system comprised two turbulent bioreactors in series to enhance methane and oxygen mass transfer: a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) and a bubble column bioreactor (BCB) with internal gas recirculation. The CSTR was devoted to methanotrophic growth under nitrogen balanced growth conditions and the BCB targeted PHB production under nitrogen limiting conditions. Two different operational approaches under different nitrogen loading rates and dilution rates were investigated. A balanced nitrogen loading rate along with a dilution rate (D) of 0.3 day⁻¹ resulted in the most stable operating conditions and a PHB productivity of ~53 g PHB m⁻³ day⁻¹. However, higher PHB productivities (~127 g PHB m⁻³ day⁻¹) were achieved using nitrogen excess at a D = 0.2 day⁻¹. Overall, the high PHB contents (up to 48% w/w) obtained in the CSTR under theoretically nutrient balanced conditions and the poor process stability challenged the hypothetical advantages conferred by multistage vs single-stage process configurations for long-term PHB production.     

In Silico Design of an Oseltamivir Derivative with Increased Affinity against Wild-Type and Mutant Variants of Neuraminidase and Hemagglutinin of Influenza A H1N1 Virus

Antiviral resistance has turned into a world concern nowadays. Influenza A H1N1 emerged as a problem at the world level due to the neuraminidase (NA) mutations. The NA mutants conferred resistance to oseltamivir and zanamivir. Several efforts were conducted to develop better anti-influenza A H1N1 drugs. Our research group combined in silico methods to create a compound derived from oseltamivir to be tested in vitro against influenza A H1N1. Here we show the results of a new compound derived from oseltamivir but with specific chemical modifications, with significant affinity either on NA (in silico and in vitro assays) or HA (in silico) from influenza A H1N1 strain. We include docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the oseltamivir derivative at the binding site onto NA and HA of influenza A H1N1. Additionally, the biological experimental results show that oseltamivir derivative decreases the lytic-plaque formation on viral susceptibility assays, and it does not show cytotoxicity. Finally, oseltamivir derivative assayed on viral NA showed a concentration-dependent inhibition behavior at nM, depicting a high affinity of the compound for the enzyme, corroborated with the MD simulations results, placing our designed oseltamivir derivative as a potential antiviral against influenza A H1N1.     

Female Preferences for Call Traits and Male Mating Success in the Neotropical Frog Physalaemus enesefae

Female preferences for male call traits may affect male mating success and the evolution of exaggerated secondary sexual traits. We used phonotaxis experiments to examine female preferences in the frog Physalaemus enesefae in relation to variation in male call duration, dominant frequency, intercall interval and amplitude (dB SPL). Females preferred long calls, low and average dominant frequency calls, short intercall intervals and more intense calls. We compared the patterns of female preferences with those of acoustic variation among males to test the prediction that properties with low within‐male variation are associated with stabilizing or weakly directional female preferences, whereas properties with high within‐male variation are associated with directional preferences. Females had weakly directional preferences for the dominant frequency of the call and strongly directional preferences for call duration and call rate. We also determined whether the temporal relationship between calls influenced preferences based on the dominant frequency of the call. Preferences for low‐frequency over high‐frequency calls disappeared when calls partially overlapped. Females preferred the leading call regardless of its dominant frequency. We also investigated mating patterns in the field. There was size‐assortative mating, as male and female body sizes snout‐vent length (SVL) were positively correlated. In addition, differences in the frequency distributions of body length (SVL) between mated and unmated males approached significance; lower SVL classes were underrepresented among mated males. These patterns may reflect female preferences for lower dominant frequency calls, as there is a negative correlation between male mass and the dominant frequency of the call.     

Entamoeba histolytica: gene linkage groups and relevant features of its karyotype

We identified some gene linkage groups in Entamoeba histolytica using a 4-M urea improved transversal alternating field electrophoresis (TAFE) method. Complex rosette-structured DNA molecules were found trapped along the gel lanes, explaining the fuzziness of the patterns. Using several episomal probes, including 16 S, 5.8 S, and 25 S ribosomal (r)Dna genes, an autonomous replication sequence (ARS), and EhVR1, we identified a complete ribosomal episome linkage group (CELG) at the 1.2-Mb position. Three other incomplete groups were found: IELG-1, formed by EhVR1,16 S, 5.8 S, and 25 S genes; IELG-2 formed by EhVR1, 16 S and 25 S; and IELG-3 formed only by 5.8 S. Ehadh3, Ehpfo, and Ehredox genes migrated at the 1.8-Mb position, forming the non-ribosomal linkage group, NRLG-1.8, while the Ehenl-1 gene migrated at 1.6 Mb forming the NRLG-1.6 group. Ehhk was located at 1.2, 0.8, and 0.17 Mb in three different groups: NRLG-1.2, IELG-3-0.8, and NRLG-0.17. Putative lineal chromosomes were also identified using an heterologous telomeric probe. By in situ hybridization experiments, the rDNA and Ehhk genes were located in both nucleus and cytoplasm, while the Ehpfo and Ehredox genes were found mainly in the nucleus. We propose a model hypothezising that the 16 S and 25?S genes are in a linear molecule, duplicated in two inverted repeats, which may be looped out of the linear DNA to form an episome probably lacking or not the 5.8 S sequence, which could be added later by recombination.