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Global synthesis of apple pollination research highlights general pollen limitation and positive contributions of wild bees compared to honeybees
No full text1. Apple is one of the most important pollinator-dependent fruit crops worldwide. To secure high-quality yields, it is crucial to know which, and to what extent, pollinating insects contribute to its pollination success as measured by fruit set, fruit weight and seed set.
2. We perform a meta-analysis of field studies conducted across multiple orchards on insect-mediated pollination in apple cultivation, using raw data from 29 studies, totalling 532 orchard replicates. We assessed the extent of pollen limitation on different pollination outcomes and assessed the contribution of honeybees, wild bees and bee species richness to apple pollination.
3. Across all studies, we detected strong evidence of pollen limitation for fruit set and seed set, but not for fruit weight. Honeybees were the most abundant flower visitors (average relative visitation of 71.9%) compared to wild bees; but when correcting for their pollination efficiency, the relative pollination contribution of honeybees was lower compared to their relative visitation (vice versa for solitary bees).
4. We conclude that honeybee visitation rate did not influence fruit or seed set; yet increasing honeybee visitation had a small, negative effect on fruit weight. Fruit set was not influenced by wild bee visitation rate, whereas wild bee visitation had a small, but clear positive effect on fruit weight and seed set. Bee species richness had a small, positive effect on seed set; whereas it did not affect fruit set and fruit weight.
5. Syntheses and applications. Our study highlights that pollen limitation is common in this global crop. While managed honeybees are dominant pollinators, a diverse community of wild bees contributes significantly to apple pollination and high-quality yield. The positive effect of wild bees and species richness on fruit weight and seed set demonstrates that wild bee pollination results in better-quality fruit production (increased weight & seed set). Therefore, our synthesis highlights the importance of conserving pollinator diversity to maintain pollination services. The absence of a clear effect of honeybee visitation rate on fruit and seed set, coupled with its negative impact on fruit weight, suggests a need for further optimisation of honeybee management to improve the cost-efficiency of pollination management.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio
Differential impact of porcine reproductive and respiratory virus and swine Influenza A virus infections on respiratory Lymph Nodes B cells and macrophages
No full textPorcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV) has a profound impact on the swine industry due to its ability to persist in infected animals. The PRRSV family exhibits considerable genetic variability, with PRRSV-1 and PRRSV-2 now classified as two distinct species (Betaarterivirus suid 1 and 2). Interestingly, both species - and their corresponding attenuated vaccine strains - can persist for months, in part by delaying the appearance of neutralizing antibodies. Leveraging recently developed tools for in-depth analysis of the previously poorly characterized porcine inverted lymph node (LN), we investigated early events in LN B cell maturation during PRRSV-1 infection and compared them to those induced by acute swine influenza A virus infection. We highlighted PRRSV-specific mechanisms, including PD-L1 upregulation in efferent macrophages, the presence of extrafollicular centrocytes, and the influx of inflammatory monocytes/macrophages. These findings are consistent with previous observations in PRRSV-2 infections and may therefore reflect conserved immune evasion mechanisms across PRRSV strains.This work was supported by the European Union’s Infrastructure Program VetBioNet (INFRA-2016–1; Nº731014) and the Horizon Europe research and innovation program ISIDORe (Grant Agreement No. 101046133). This publication reflects the views only of the authors, and does not necessarily represent those of the European Commission (EC). The EC is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained herein.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio
Unraveling key environmental drivers and microbial key players in the rhizosphere of mature golf course putting greens
No full textUnraveling the role of environmental drivers and native microbial communities in sandy soils of golf course putting greens is imperative for more sustainable turf management practices. In this project, the soil rhizosphere microbial community of the Golf de Pals (Girona, Spain) putting greens is assessed in a chronosequence of 14- and 56-year-old greens. Note that 16S rRNA and ITS2 (where 16S rRNA is 16S ribosomal RNA and ITS is internal transcribed spacer) paired-end amplicon sequencing (16S-metabarcoding) was used to determine both the soil bacterial and fungal community, respectively, in a 2-year-long trial to determine microbial taxon richness, community composition, and abundances of taxa involved in N and C cycling and other plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium traits. The analysis of beta diversity showed a significant effect by the age and location. Main phyla were Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Chloroflexi, Acidobacteria, Planctomycetota, and Desulfobacterota, with significant differences depending on the location of the putting green. Mantel test revealed that the environmental parameters with higher and significant contribution to soil microbial diversity were solar radiation—photosynthetic photon flux density and physicochemical parameters such as, in order of importance, soil moisture and temperature, electric conductivity, organic matter, organic carbon, NKjeldahl, NO3−, POlsen, PTotal, and sulfates. Main phyla significantly influenced by soil parameters were Crenarcheota, Acidobacteria, Desulfobacterota, Chloroflexi, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Gemmatimonodata, whereas FAPROTAX (Functional Annotation of Prokaryotic Taxa) assessment revealed that the main potential metabolic pathways associated with the most predominant microbial community were nitrite respiration, nitrous oxide denitrification, nitrite denitrification, denitrification, and dark sulfide oxidation and methanogenesis.This research was funded by Syngenta Crop Protection AG, Basel (Switzerland), and by “Agència de Gestió d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca” (AGAUR–2021 DI-61). X. Giol-Casanova, M. Viñas, M. Guivernau, and Y. Lucas belong to Consolidated Research Group SOSBIO (ref. 2021 SGR 01568 Generalitat de Catalunya). The support of the CERCA Programme from the Generalitat de Catalunya is also acknowledged. X. Giol-Casanova was the recipient of the Industrial Doctorate fellowship (2021 DI-61) from Generalitat de Catalunya.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio
Diatoms and macroinvertebrates show distinct metacommunity assembly patterns in temporary rivers
No full textEnvironmental and spatial filtering are key drivers of metacommunity assembly in streams. Their relative importance may depend on factors such as network connectivity or species’ dispersal abilities. However, studies comparing different taxonomic groups across connectivity gradients in the same area remain rare. Here, we assessed metacommunity assembly in two groups with contrasting dispersal abilities (diatoms and macroinvertebrates) in a Mediterranean catchment where connectivity is disrupted by stream flow cessation. We combined local predictors (e.g., water and habitat quality) with drying variables at local and regional scales to evaluate the role of environmental and spatial factors using variation partitioning at annual and seasonal scales. Diatoms were mainly shaped by spatial factors, while macroinvertebrates responded more to local environmental conditions. High dispersal in diatoms and ongoing input from suboptimal habitats suggest a mass-effect archetype. In contrast, macroinvertebrates showed dispersal limitation, preventing mass effects but allowing for species-sorting. Drying effects varied seasonally, with a lower influence in spring. Considering flow direction improved the explanation of diatom distributions, shedding light on drift processes. These results underscore the importance of analyzing aquatic communities independently, accounting for taxonomic and seasonal differences, particularly in dynamic systems such as temporary rivers. Multi-taxon studies incorporating seasonal variability and river network connectivity are essential to deepen our understanding of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Such approaches can guide conservation and management efforts in temporary rivers worldwide, which are increasingly prevalent owing to global change.This study was carried out in the FEHM research group (Freshwater Ecology, Hydrology and Management) and supported by the MECODISPER (CTM2017-89295-P) and the DRY-Guadalmed projects (PID2021-126143OB-C21) funded by the Spanish “Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades – Agencia Estatal de Investigación’’ and by “ERDF A way of making Europe”. Núria Bonada are Serra Húnter Fellows. DCM has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 101062388.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio
Gestión integrada de plagas en cítricos: camino hacia una Agricultura Sostenible
No full textinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Computer simulation of ready-to-eat rice reheating on a microwave oven: Application of dielectric mixture equations in foods of varying porosity ratio
No full textPredictive modeling of dielectric heating in porous foods is challenging due to their nature as multiphase materials. To explore the relationship between the topological structure of multiphase foods and the accuracy of dielectric mixture models, the degree of anisotropy of two cooked rice samples with 26 and 32 % porosity was determined, and their dielectric properties were estimated using the Lichtenecker (LK), Landau-Lifshitz-Looyenga (LLL), and Complex Refractive Index Mixture (CRIM) equations. These properties were used in a predictive finite-element model for reheating an apparent homogeneous rice sample on a flatbed microwave (MW) for 120 s. The results were compared with experimental data and a validated two-element model. Unlike LK and LLL equations, the CRIM equation predicted heat accumulation towards the edges of the container at the two values of porosity ratio evaluated, in accordance with the experimental results and the isotropic nature of the sample. The simulated temperature distributions suggest that the three evaluated equations could predict the MW heating behavior of rice to some extent, but that in order to obtain more accurate results, it could be useful to obtain an empirical topology-related parameter specific for this sample. These results can provide insight on the relationship between the topology of the porous structure in the sample and the adequacy of different dielectric mixture models.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio
Com pot afectar l'episodi de pluges abundants al cereal d'hivern?
No full textinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Incorporating Genomic and Transcriptomic Effects in Joint Linear and Non-Linear Structural Models for Predicting Complex Traits in Pigs
No full textPhenotypes in livestock are shaped by genetic variation as well as downstream regulatory mechanisms, making the prediction of complex traits a key challenge for animal breeding. Transcriptomic data represent an intermediate biological layer between genotypes and phenotypes and may capture regulatory signals not fully explained by genomic information alone. The objective of this study was to evaluate the contribution of blood transcriptomic data, alone or combined with genomic information, to predict six immune, stress, and production traits in 255 Duroc pigs. Four traits were closely related to the sampled tissue and timepoint, whereas two were less biologically relevant. Bayesian regression methods (BayesC and RKHS) and a neural network linear mixed model were compared using either all transcripts or subsets selected by Partial Least Squares (PLS). High prediction accuracy was obtained for immunity-related traits, such as gamma delta T cells and leukocyte counts, with correlations of 0.74 and 0.67, respectively, when transcriptomic data were used. Moderate improvements were observed for cortisol prediction (r = 0.39), whereas SNP-based models performed best for carcass weight (r = 0.45). PLS-based feature selection showed that a small subset of features can perform equally well or better than the whole transcriptomic dataset and identified biologically relevant candidate genes, including MAF, SOX13, DDIT4, and FOS. In conclusion, blood transcriptomic data substantially improved prediction performance for traits biologically related to the sampled tissue, whereas SNP-based models performed better for less relevant traits, and combining omics provided only modest and non-significant gains; feature selection was essential to enhance prediction performance, computational efficiency, and to facilitate the identification of immune-related candidate genes.The study was funded by grants PID2020-112677RB-C21 and PID2023-148961OB-C21 and awarded by MCIN/ AEI/10.13039/501100011033. ITV was funded from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement N°101000236 (GEroNIMO). This project is part of EuroFAANG (https://eurofaang.eu).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Effect of fish oil in Iberian sow diets on fatty acid, oxylipins and immune traits of colostrum and milk, and suckling piglets’ growth performance
Full text linkIberian sow productivity is characterised by a low number of weaned piglets with higher within-litter
variation in piglet birth BW compared with conventional breeds. To overcome this, nutritional strategies,
such as the dietary addition of n-3 fatty acids (FAs), are being studied to improve sow performance, as
well as colostrum and milk composition. In addition, n-3 FAs and their derived oxylipins could also be
beneficial for the offspring due to their anti-inflammatory roles. The present study was conducted in
an outdoor production system where sows were group-fed during the mating and gestation periods,
while feed intake was provided individually during lactation. The study aimed to evaluate the effects
of including fish oil rich in eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids (EPA and DHA, respectively)
in Iberian sow diets on litter size, piglet growth during lactation, and the concentrations of antiinflammatory molecules in colostrum and milk. Forty sows were randomly assigned to either a control
or fish oil diet during pregnancy and lactation. Sow performance and litter traits were monitored until
weaning. Colostrum and milk were collected after the birth of the first piglet and at weaning, respectively. Their FA composition, oxylipin profile, and immune indicators were analysed. Despite the piglets
from the control group having greater average birth BW than those from the fish oil litters (P = 0.016), the
fish oil piglets were heavier at weaning (P < 0.028). Total n-3 FA concentration was increased in the colostrum and milk of fish oil-fed sows (all P < 0.001), mainly due to increases in EPA and DHA concentrations
(all P < 0.001). In the same way, most of their oxygenated derivatives were also increased in both colostrum and milk (P ≤ 0.045). The colostrum from fish oil-fed sows also presented higher concentrations of
immunoglobulins (Ig) G and A than that from control sows (P = 0.025 and P = 0.026, respectively). In conclusion, the inclusion of fish oil in sow diets increased the levels of IgG and IgA in colostrum, n-3 FAs and
their derived oxylipins in colostrum and milk, and piglet BW at weaningThis research was supported by the National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology (INIA), through project RTA2017-00086-C02-02, and the Junta of Extremadura. E. Llauradó-Calero obtained an INIA grant (PRE2018-086726) to conduct the current researchinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Role of tomato plant-derived food sources on Dolichogenidea gelechiidivoris, parasitic wasp of Tuta absoluta
Full text linkTuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) poses a significant threat to tomato crops worldwide. Following its detection in the Mediterranean basin, considerable efforts have been made to develop biological control programs against this pest. The larval parasitoid Dolichogenidea gelechiidivoris Marsh (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is widely distributed in northeastern Spain and has shown promise as a natural enemy in this region. Recent studies have demonstrated that access to floral nectar can improve the biological parameters of this parasitic wasp. However, the effects of other plant-derived food sources available in tomato crops, such as plant guttation and honeydew, have yet to be explored. This study assessed the impact of plant guttation and the honeydew of two phloem-feeding insects, Myzus persicae (Sulzer) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleurodidae), on the fitness (longevity and fecundity) and performance (parasitism and sex ratio) of D. gelechiidivoris under controlled laboratory conditions. Our results demonstrated that both honeydews enhanced the fitness and performance of this parasitoid, while tomato plant guttation did not have an effect on its fitness and negatively impacted parasitism. These findings highlight honeydew as a potential food source in integrated pest management (IPM) strategies. Further research is recommended to explore the specific chemical composition of tomato plant guttation and its broader effects on beneficial insects in tomato systems.This research was supported by the ADOPT-IPM project funded by the European Union program Horizon Europe (Grant Number 101060430). Angeliki Syropoulou holds a predoctoral fellowship awarded by AGAUR-FI ajuts (2023 FI-1 00749). IRTA researchers were also funded by the CERCA Programme of the Generalitat de Catalunya.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio