The role of metals in soils and accumulation in the laurel forest of La Gomera (Canary Islands, Spain): preliminary results

The evergreen laurel forest is a relic of ancient subtropical/tropical forests, of which the best remnant in the Canary Islands is in Garajonay National Park, on La Gomera island. The soil microbiome associated with a mature undisturbed (unburned) laurel forest was characterized at two locations at different topographical positions on the mountain: The slope and the ridge crest. Given the unusual circumstance of an intense wildfire that severely affected part of this forest, the burned soils were also studied. The soil in undisturbed areas was relatively uniform. The bacterial community composition was dominated by bacteria from phyla Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Actinobacteria. The wildfire changed the composition of the bacterial communities. The Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Alphaproteobacteria (dominant class in unburned forests) significantly decreased in burned soils along with a parallel high increase in Betaproteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Firmicutes. We further showed the dramatic effect of a wildfire on the soil microbiome of the laurel forest, appearing as a loss of species richness and diversity, species dominance, and changes in the composition of the bacterial communities.

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Discus (Canaridiscus) laurisilvae sp. nov., a species from the laurel forest of La Gomera, Canary Islands (Gastropoda: Pulmonata: Discidae)

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.3224.1.5 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 3224 (1) ◽

pp. 62

Author(s):

CHRISTOPH ALLGAIER ◽

MATTHIAS KLEMM

Keyword(s):

Canary Islands ◽

Land Snail ◽

Shell Morphology ◽

Snail Species ◽

Laurel Forest ◽

The Family ◽

La Gomera

A new endemic land snail species of the family Discidae, Atlantica (Canaridiscus) saproxylophaga Alonso, G. Holyoak & Yanes 2011, was recently described from La Gomera, Canary Islands (in Yanes et al. 2011). According to Rähle & Allgaier (2011) it is provisorily considered as belonging to the genus Discus. This species lives in the laurel forest and has the largest shell of all the Discidae hitherto known from Macaronesia. In the same habitat where D. saproxylophagus lives, we found individuals of similar size belonging to a second species of the taxon Canaridiscus. These two species show clear differences with respect to both shell morphology and genital anatomy, as described herein.

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Oromia orahan (Curculionidae, Molytinae), a new subterranean species for the Canarian underground biodiversity

Subterranean Biology ◽

10.3897/subtbiol.35.52583 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 35 ◽

pp. 1-14

Author(s):

Rafael García ◽

Carmelo Andújar ◽

Pedro Oromí ◽

Heriberto López

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Canary Islands ◽

The Other ◽

Laurel Forest ◽

Subterranean Species ◽

La Gomera

A new blind weevil belonging to the genus Oromia Alonso-Zarazaga, 1987 is described, being found in the underground of the laurel forest of La Gomera (Canary Islands). Individuals were mainly collected in a colluvial mesocavernous shallow substratum, besides one specimen collected in the deep humic layer of soil. This new species has clear diagnostic differences from the other Oromia species. The number of taxa in this endemic Canarian genus increases to four species, easily identified using the key provided in this article. New data on other Canarian subterranean weevils are also provided.

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Anatomy and function of the penial twin papillae system of the Helicinae (Gastropoda: Helicoidea: Helicidae) and description of two new, small Hemicycla species from the laurel forest of the Canary Islands

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.1482.1.1 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 1482 (1) ◽

pp. 1-23 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

MARÍA R. ALONSO ◽

MIGUEL IBÁÑEZ

Keyword(s):

Canary Islands ◽

Deep Penetration ◽

Main Function ◽

Genital System ◽

Species Status ◽

Laurel Forest ◽

And Function ◽

La Gomera

Hemicycla laurijona sp. nov. and H. fulgida sp. nov. are described from the laurel forests of La Gomera and Tenerife islands, respectively (Canary Islands). Both species belong to the Helicinae group of genera sharing the “presence of a specialized twin papillae system” in the penis, the adaptive advantage of which has not hitherto been discussed. Both species present a proximal penial papilla homologous to the “penial papilla” of other Stylommatophora, and an apomorphic distal penial papilla. The arrangement of these organs is described in a specimen with the distal genital system everted, showing that the distal penial papilla is an accessory papilla whose main function may be to lengthen the male duct in the evaginated penis. The accessory papilla may also have another function; its base forms a protuberant ring in the everted penis, perhaps for anchorage during mating or to impede a too deep penetration. The dart and an undigested part of the spermatophore of H. fulgida are also described, the species status of both H. invernicata (Mousson, 1872) and H. consobrina (A. Férussac, 1822) is confirmed and some aspects of Hemicycla relationships are discussed.

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Role of bone window repositioning in lateral sinus floor elevation: comparative evaluation based on the preliminary results of an ongoing randomized, controlled trial

10.26226/morressier.5ac3832a2afeeb00097a39c7 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Zsuzsanna Papp

Keyword(s):

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Comparative Evaluation ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Lateral Sinus ◽

Sinus Floor Elevation ◽

Preliminary Results ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Bone Window ◽

Sinus Floor

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The role of the duration of untreated psychosis in cognitive deficit in schizophrenia – preliminary results

10.26226/morressier.5b681763b56e9b005965c05d ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Juraj Jonáš ◽

Veronika Vorackova

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Deficit ◽

Duration Of Untreated Psychosis ◽

Preliminary Results

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The sociobiological aspects of the National Survey on Fecundity and Fertility in Belgium

Journal of Biosocial Science ◽

10.1017/s0021932000007343 ◽

1969 ◽

Vol 1 (4) ◽

pp. 369-388 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

R. L. Cliquet

Keyword(s):

National Survey ◽

Evaluation Method ◽

Modern Society ◽

Western Society ◽

Gene Frequencies ◽

Potential Fecundity ◽

Preliminary Results ◽

Human Needs ◽

Belgian Population

SummaryIn 1966, a National Survey on Fecundity and Fertility was organized in Belgium. Approximately 3000 married women under 41 years of age and living with their husbands were interviewed and asked about their reproductive histories. The present paper records the sociobiological aims and methods and some preliminary results of this survey. The aims were to:(1) study the influences of contraception on human needs and qualities, in this case mainly potential fecundity;(2) study the influence of attempts to increase the potential fecundity level in modern society on fecundity gene frequencies;(3) study the influences of the overall socio-cultural environment on fecundity and fertility variables with particular reference to differences in social status in Western society;(4) analyse the role of social assortment of fecundity and fertility variables on the biological structure, and possibly the composition, of modern populations.A relatively large, but far from complete body of data has been collected on a number of individual fecundity and fertility variables, on the medical processes employed to increase fecundity, on contraception, and on a number of conventional sociological and demographic variables.The principles underlying the present approach to the study of fecundity are explained, and a few preliminary results for one of the general fecundity classifications are shown.The information collected on contraception has been qualitatively analysed and a correction and evaluation method is described. Data on the use of the different contraceptive methods show that substantial sections of the Belgian population are limiting their family size in a way which is inefficient, from both sexual and familial standpoints.

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