scholarly journals Diversity, structure and natural history of amphibians in the upper Claro River basin, a buffer zone of the National Natural Park Los Nevados, Central Cordillera of Colombia

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 13261-13277
Author(s):  
Julián Andrés Rojas-Morales ◽  
Mateo Marín-Martínez

We present an assessment on composition, diversity and structure of amphibians in three zones along an elevation gradient (2,400–3,000 m) in the Central Cordillera of Colombia.  For this purpose, we carried out two field trips in November 2014 and February 2015, covering rainy and dry seasons, respectively.  Diurnal (08:00–12:00 h) and nocturnal (18:00–22:00 h) visual encounter surveys were made without spatial restrictions.  The diversity for each zone (alpha) and for the entire landscape (gamma) was evaluated by the effective number of species, and the structure of the communities was analyzed by range-abundance curves.  The inequality factor for each of the sampling zones was also calculated.  A total of 15 species belonging to seven genera and three families were recorded, all of the order Anura.  Craugastoridae with 11 species (73.3% of richness) and Pristimantis (eight species) were the most diverse family and genus, respectively.  The average alpha diversity per zone was 6.6 effective species, with zone A being the most diverse with eight species.  In terms of beta diversity we found 2.5 effective communities at the landscape level, and differences between zones are given by the rare species, while the most abundant ones (e.g., Pristimantis uranobates) are shared between them.  It is presumed that the greater diversity of zone A is due to the lower elevation and better state of conservation if compared to the other two zones.  Of the total species recorded, three are threatened with extinction: Endangered (Hypodactylus latens, Osornophryne percrassa), and Critically Endangered (Niceforonia adenobrachia).  The finding of three yet undescribed species is highlighted.

Author(s):  
L. A. Dimeyeva ◽  
V. N. Permitina ◽  
R. E. Sadvokasov ◽  
B. Sh. Kaliyev ◽  
Zh. K. Salmukhanbetova

The article presents the results of mapping ecosystems of the protected area of the Natural Park “Medeu”,located on the northern slope of the Trans-Ili Alatau mountain range. The map of ecosystems and a legend has beencompiled. The legend contains 13 numbers. The largest sections of the legend are the natural ecosystems of the protectedarea and the natural-anthropogenic ecosystems of the buffer zone and the zone of limited economic activity. The habitatsof species from Red Data book of Kazakhstan that form communities (Malus sieversii (Ledeb.) M. Roem., Armeniacavulgaris Lam., Celtis australis subsp. caucasica (Willd.) C. C. Towns. identified, and their brief characteristics are given.


Author(s):  
Joseph A. Gutierrez ◽  
Natalie Bursztyn

Increasing enrollment and costs in introductory geoscience classes are making the logistics of organizing on-location field trips challenging; but with modern technology, virtual field trips (VFTs) can provide a proxy. Students entering college today are digital natives with short attention spans, suggesting they would find a VFT appealing and easy to navigate. While not a replacement for an actual field trip, VTFs offer interactive alternatives to traditional lectures, and several have been successful in engaging and educating students. This proposed VFT utilizes the iconic geology of Yosemite National Park to teach the effects of climate change at geologic and anthropogenic timescales. The story is told along Yosemite's four roads and is designed for use as a roadside geology accompaniment in the park, or as a standalone interactive tool in the classroom. VFT stops narrate the geologic history of the area and use photos with illustrated overlays to further describe concepts.


Zootaxa ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4750 (4) ◽  
pp. 499-523 ◽  
Author(s):  
ALDEMAR A. ACEVEDO ◽  
ORLANDO ARMESTO ◽  
R. EDUARDO PALMA

We describe two new species of the genus Pristimantis from the western margin of the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia. The species have a sympatric distribution and are found in the humid tropical forests of the lower part of the Tamá National Natural Park (PNN Tamá) and its buffer zone. The new species were described from morphological comparisons and phylogenetic reconstruction from the sequencing of three mitochondrial and two nuclear genes. With these two new species, the number of Pristimantis species known in the department of Norte de Santander has increased to 10. In addition, we included new sequences for the species P. anolirex, P. nicefori, P. mondolfii, and P. yukpa. Our explorations in the last decade indicate that there are probably between five and 10 species that have not been described in the northeastern part of Colombia, especially in areas where the armed conflict has predominated in the last five decades. 


2012 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 666 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Javier Lozano ◽  
Susana Suárez-Seoane ◽  
Estanislao de Luis-Calabuig

We investigate how fire regime may influence both temporal patterns and drivers of vegetation regeneration in a Natural Park (NW Spain) affected by a long history of fire events and human activities. To address this issue, we evaluate the suitability of five spectral indices derived from Landsat imagery (for the period 1992–2005) for estimating biophysical properties of vegetation and monitoring post-fire recovery. Complementarily, we assess the role of the observation level (pixel and patch) on the results, identifying which of them is more informative for land management. Tasselled Cap Wetness was the best-performing index and total cover was the vegetation property more closely related to spectral data. Most post-fire recovery occurred within the 2 years following the fire event. Fire recurrence did not influence patch extent or shape nor did it affect ecosystem resilience. However, patch extent and shape affected resilience. The relevance of the environmental drivers behind vegetation recovery was not related to fire recurrence and changed over time. Prior vegetation status and rainfall were the most important drivers, while topography and vegetation type had a more secondary role. Our results advocate the consideration of patches as the most appropriate organisational unit when monitoring vegetation recovery.


1990 ◽  
Vol 183 (1-4) ◽  
pp. 225-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Claude Ringenbach ◽  
Jean François Stephan ◽  
Philippe Maleterre ◽  
Herve Bellon

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Houda Bahig ◽  
Clifton D Fuller ◽  
Aparna Mitra ◽  
Travis Solley ◽  
Sweet Ping Ng ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTPurposeTo describe the baseline and serial tumor microbiome in HPV-associated oropharynx cancer (OPC) over the course of radiotherapy (RT).MethodsPatients with newly diagnosed HPV-associated OPC treated with definitive radiotherapy +/- concurrent chemotherapy were enrolled in this prospective study. Using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, dynamic changes in tumor microbiome during RT were investigated. Surface tumor samples were obtained before RT and at week 1, 3 and 5 of RT. Radiological primary tumor response at mid-treatment was categorized as complete (CR) or partial (PR).ResultsTen patients were enrolled. Mean age was 63 years (range: 51-71). As per AJCC 8th Ed, 50%, 20% and 30% of patients had stage I, II and III, respectively. At 4-weeks, 7 patients had CR and 3 patients had PR; at follow-up imaging post treatment, all patients had CR. Baseline diversity of tumoral and buccal microbiomes was not statistically different. For the entire cohort, alpha diversity was significantly decreased over the course of treatment (p=0.02). There was a significant alteration in the bacterial community within the first week of radiation. Baseline tumor alpha diversity of patients with CR was significantly higher than those with PR (p=0.03). While patients with CR had significant reduction in diversity over the course of radiation (p=0.02), the diversity remained unchanged in patients with PR. Patients with history of smoking had significantly increased abundance of Granulicatella (p=0.04), and Kingella (0.05) and lower abundance of Alloprevotella (p=0.04) compared to never smokers.ConclusionsThe tumor microbiome of HPV-associated OPC exhibits reduced alpha diversity and altered taxa abundance over the course of radiotherapy. The baseline bacterial profiles of smokers vs. non-smokers were inherently different. Baseline tumor alpha diversity of patients with CR was higher than patients with PR, suggesting that the microbiome as a biomarker of radiation response deserves further investigation.


2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 82 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Duque-Trujillo ◽  
Camilo Bustamante ◽  
Luigi Solari ◽  
Álvaro Gómez-Mafla ◽  
Gloria Toro-Villegas ◽  
...  

The Antioquia batholith represents the magmatic record of the interaction between the Farallón and Caribbean plates with the NW part of the South American Plate during the Meso-Cenozoic. Several authors have reported zircon U-Pb ages and whole rock geochemistry in order to constrain the crystallization history of this batholith and its formation conditions. The present work aims to gather the existing data with new data obtained from the Ovejas batholith and La Unión stock, both genetically related to the main intrusion. Gathering our new data with information obtained in previous works, we conclude that the Antioquia batholith was constructed by successive pulses from ca. 97 to 58 Ma in an arc-related setting. The initial pulses are related to syn-collisional tectonics, during the early interaction between the Farallón plate and NW South America. The final pulses, that record Eocene ages, are related to a post-collisional setting, similar to that recorded in other plutons of the Paleogene magmatic arc of the Central Cordillera.


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