A multidisciplinary team of researchers, coordinated by the University of Granada, describes this curious phenomenon in a particular species for the first time, which is due to ‘phenotypic plasticity’ (the ability of a genotype to produce different phenotypes in response to changes in the environment)
The higher temperatures and longer daylight hours in Summer trigger changes in the expression of more than 625 genes of this plant, which cause it to start producing radically different flowers: whereas, in Spring, they are large, cross-shaped, ultraviolet-reflecting lilac flowers, in Summer they are small, rounded, and white, and absorb the ultraviolet (UV) rays
A multidisciplinary team of researchers from the University of Granada, the Arid Zone Research Station (of the Spanish Higher Research Council), and Vigo, Pablo Olavide, and Rey Juan Carlos Universities have discovered that a particular plant, Moricandia arvensis (Brassicaceae), produces radically different flowers in Spring than in Summer because heat modifies the expression of its genes.
This curious phenomenon, which these researchers have described for the first time in a species, is due to what is known as ‘phenotypic plasticity’, which is the ability of a genotype to produce different phenotypes in response to changes in the environment. While it is an essential property of living beings, its role in species’ adaptation and acclimatisation to environmental changes is not yet fully understood.
These researchers have now published an article in the prestigious journal Nature Communications, in which they describe how their study demonstrates experimentally—both under natural conditions and in the laboratory—the phenotypic plasticity of the flowers of this particular plant species that lives in semi-arid environments.
They found that, in Spring, Moricandia arvensis produces large, cross-shaped, UV-reflecting lilac flowers. These attract mainly large long-tongued bees as pollinators. However, unlike most co-occurring species, M. arvensis continues to flower during the dry, hot western Mediterranean summer. «This is due to its plasticity in key vegetative and photosynthetic traits that adjust its metabolism to these extreme conditions of high temperature and water deficit,” explains Francisco Perfectti Álvarez, Professor of Genetics at the UGR and one of the principal authors of this work.
Changes in over 625 genes
The high temperatures and longer daylight hours of Summer trigger changes in the expression of more than 625 genes of this plant, which cause it to start producing radically different flowers: whereas, in Spring, they are large, cross-shaped, UV-reflecting lilac flowers, in Summer they are small, rounded, UV-absorbing, and white.
What is more, in Summer, these flowers attract a different assemblage of pollinators, comprising more generalist species. This change in the pollinator set (the pollination niche) enables this plant to successfully reproduce under difficult conditions.
«In light of our study, we can affirm that phenotypic plasticity in flower, vegetative, and photosynthetic traits appears to enable M. arvensis to cope with anthropogenic perturbations and climate change,» concludes the UGR researcher.
Bibliography:
Gómez, J.M., Perfectti, F., Armas, C., Narbona, E., González-Megías, A., Navarro, L., DeSoto, L., and Torices, R. (2020). ‘Within-individual phenotypic plasticity in flowers fosters pollination niche shift’, Nature Communications 11:4019. Online: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-17875-1
Francisco Perfectti Álvarez, Professor in the Department of Genetics at the UGR, is one of the main authors of this work
The flower produced by Moricandia arvensis in Spring vs. in Summer
A study conducted by the University of Granada and the Andalusian School of Public Health has analysed the main risk factors in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 during the national lockdown in Spain, including going out to work or living with patients diagnosed with COVID-19.
The authors warn of the need among dog-lovers to take extreme hygiene measures regarding their pets, as it is not yet clear whether the owners were infected because the animal acted as the host for the virus and transmitted it directly, or whether they picked it up indirectly due to the increased exposure of the dog to vehicles of the virus (that is, objects or surfaces where the virus lies)
“From a scientific point of view, there is no justification for children’s playgrounds being closed to prevent infections while parks where dogs are walked are allowed to remain open, when there are numerous objects there that can act as vehicles for SARS-CoV-2,” observe the authors
A study carried out by researchers from the University of Granada (UGR) and the Andalusian School of Public Health has analysed the main risk factors in the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus during the national lockdown in Spain, between March and May 2020.
The study, published in the journal Environmental Research, has revealed that living with a dog and buying basic products in the supermarket with home delivery were two of the socio-demographic variables (of those analysed) that most increased the risk of contracting COVID-19 during the period under study—by 78% in the case of living with a dog, and by 94% in that of supermarket home delivery.
The authors warn dog-owners of the need to take extreme hygiene measures in relation to their pets, as it is not yet clear whether the owners were infected because the animal acted as a host for the virus (and transmitted it) or due to having taken it out for a walk in public.
As explained by Cristina Sánchez González, a researcher at the UGR’s Biomedical Research Centre and the main author of this work, “in view of the rapid spread of the virus even during lockdown, we consider it important to study the socio-demographic characteristics, habits, and comorbidities of the SARS-CoV-2 infection in order to implement effective prevention strategies.”
To this end, the researchers designed a survey to capture variables of interest during the lockdown period that might help explain the exponential spread of the virus, despite the highly restrictive mobility conditions implemented nationally in Spain.
Study based on 2,086 individuals
This study, carried out throughout Spain, sought to shed light on other possible routes of transmission of the COVID-19 disease, risk factors, and the effectiveness of the hygiene measures recommended by the Authorities, in order to detect critical points of exposure to the virus and thus minimise its spread—not only in this pandemic but also for any future events that could compromise public health.
Based on a sample of 2,086 individuals, 41% of the population surveyed were aged between 40 and 54 years and had studied to degree (44%) or postgraduate (32%) level. This collective presented a prevalence of the disease of 4.7%.
The results showed that the risk of suffering from COVID-19 is 60 times higher among those who cohabit with a COVID-19 patient. In addition, of all the socio-demographic variables analysed, the one with the most powerful effect in terms of increasing the risk of contracting the disease (by up to 78%) was living with a dog and taking it for a walk. By contrast, having cats or other types of pets had no significant effect on the prevalence of the disease.
“The results of our research warn of increased contagion among dog-owners, and the reason for this higher prevalence has yet to be elucidated. Taking into account the current scarcity of resources to carry out the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 in humans, the possibility of diagnosis in dogs is extremely unlikely,” notes Sánchez González.
These results point to cohabiting with dogs as being a strong risk factor for COVID-19 infection, although further studies are needed to determine whether the reason for this sharp increase in the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection is due to transmission between humans and dogs, to the dog acting as a vehicle for the virus, or to the increased contact with other vehicles for the virus (that is, objects or surfaces where the virus is present). The latter could be caused by greater exposure to the virus due to the unhygienic behaviours and habits of dogs when out in the street and their subsequent return to the home.
“At the international level, there are several studies that have obtained results similar to ours regarding Coronavirus infection in dogs, but it is necessary to dig deeper on this issue and establish whether this prevalence of the virus among dog-owners is due to one reason or another,” explains the UGR researcher.
Sánchez González warns that, “in the midst of a pandemic and in the absence of an effective treatment or vaccine, preventive hygiene measures are the only salvation, and these measures should also be applied to dogs, which, according to our study, appear to directly or indirectly increase the risk of contracting the virus.”
The researcher also points out that “from a scientific point of view, there is no justification for children’s playgrounds being closed to prevent infections while parks where dogs are walked are allowed to remain open, when there are numerous objects there that can act as vehicles for SARS-CoV-2. At the same time, we should not rule out the possibility that the virus may be transmitted via faecal matter.”
Disinfecting supermarket products
In this study, the effect of certain variables—gender, age, educational level, type of residence, size of household, cohabitation with children or adolescents, the presence of workers among the household members, the presence of domestic workers in the home during lockdown, or having any type of pet other than a dog—was found to have no statistical significance.
The most effective hygiene measure in helping to reduce the prevalence of the disease was to disinfect products purchased from the market once back home (which reduced the risk by 94%). This was found to be more effective than other hygiene measures, such as the use of facemasks, gloves, disinfecting with ethanol or bleach, disinfecting shoes, and washing clothes when returning home.
Among mobility variables that were studied, those with the greatest effect in terms of increasing the prevalence of the virus were working outside the home (which increased the risk by 76%) and the use of public transport (particularly the underground system or tram network). A higher prevalence of the disease was also detected among those surveyed who had purchased their basic products at a supermarket and then used the home delivery service, compared to those who brought their shopping home themselves (the risk increased by 94% among the former group).
The authors emphasize that this was an epidemiological study, which neither addresses the mechanisms surrounding the virus nor establishes causal relationships. This was a descriptive study in which the selected variables were statistically associated with prevalence.
Bibliography:
Rodríguez Barranco, M., Rivas García, L., Quiles, J.L., Redondo Sánchez, D., Aranda, P., Llopis, J., Sánchez Pérez, M.J., & Sánchez González, C., ‘The spread of SARS-CoV-2 in Spain: Hygiene habits, sociodemographic profile, mobility patterns and comorbidities’. Environmental Research. Online: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2020.110223.
The research team from the University of Granada and the Andalusian School of Public Health that conducted this study
People walking their dogs along the street
Media enquiries:
Cristina Sánchez González,“José Mataix Verdú” Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology. Sport and Health Joint University Institute. Department of Physiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Granada
A team of researchers, led by the University of Granada, has unravelled the complex relationship between the two species concerning the carrion on which they feed, which will help to better understand how the two largest African carnivores can coexist even in small natural reserves
Lions, the dominant species, show a greater preference for large animal carcasses, while hyaenas also feed off smaller carcasses, which are practically ignored by lions
It is well known that lions (Panthera leo) and spotted hyaenas (Crocuta crocuta) compete over the same prey—primarily medium-to-large hoofed mammals. Lions can even steal the prey hunted by hyaenas, and vice versa, in an interaction known as ‘kleptoparasitism.’ However, the carrion-eating habits of these two species are even more complex, in that both take advantage of practically any dead animal they find when scanning the territory. In fact, they sometimes consume more carrion than live prey. But how do lions and hyaenas interact over the carrion?
A team of researchers, led by the University of Granada (UGR), has recently published a study in the journal Oikos that attempts to answer this question. The fieldwork was carried out in two South African nature reserves, one with both lions and hyaenas (Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park) and another with hyaenas but no lions (Mkhuze Game Reserve), both in the Zululand region.
Marcos Moleón Paiz, researcher at the UGR’s Department of Zoology and one of the authors of this work, explains how “the pattern of carrion-consumption was similar in both species, albeit we found important differences. For example, lions showed a stronger preference for large animal carcasses, while hyaenas also consumed smaller carcasses, which the lions virtually overlooked.”
The data indicate that, when both species are present around the same carrion—the probability of this scenario increasing, the larger the size of the carcass—the lion is the dominant species, especially when an adult male appears. “Hyaenas modify their behavior in the presence of their competitor,” continues Moleón. “On the one hand, they have to give up part of the feast to the lions. On the other, their behaviour becomes more diurnal than in the area where there are no lions, where they are genuinely nocturnal and crepuscular.”
Interestingly, the relationship between lions and hyaenas also includes positive interactions. For example, “hyaenas locate carrion faster if lions are already present, probably because the former listen, smell, or even actively follow the latter,” says Moleón.
This study reveals that, in order to guarantee the long-term coexistence of lion and hyaena populations in the same area (particularly in the case of small nature reserves), it is important to seek a varied supply of prey, which includes megaherbivores such as elephants and rhinoceroses.
Small populations
“Unfortunately, the populations of these megaherbivores are being dramatically reduced due to the trafficking of elephant ivory and rhinoceros horn, which is on the increase during these times of reduced environmental surveillance due to the COVID-19 epidemic,” laments the UGR researcher.
This study required years of intensive fieldwork. The sampling involved first placing the dead animals of different sizes—from chickens from a local farm to wild animals such as impalas, nyalas, wildebeest, buffalos, rhinoceroses (black and white), and even elephants. Next, close by, one or two camera–traps were placed to capture images of all the carrion-eating animals that approached. Once the carrion was consumed, the cameras were removed and the photographs analysed (in total, 6,927 images were obtained, including 789 of lions and 2,133 of hyaenas).
“In the case of some buffalo, rhinoceroses, and elephants,” explains Moleón, “when we arrived with the carcasses we found that lions or hyaenas were already ahead of us. So, we had to scare them off, a few metres away, while we positioned the camera. In these situations, for safety reasons, we were always accompanied by a rangerarmed with a rifle, although they never needed to shoot, not even into the air.”
To conduct the study, Moleón lived in one of the reserves (Hluhluwe-Imfolozi) for two years, in a small camp surrounded by an electrified fence. “Having the opportunity to experience Africa from within is an absolutely magical and unforgettable experience, both personally and professionally. Since I first arrived in Zululand in 2010, a large part of my research career has revolved around the megafauna of the African continent,” he comments.
“Future projects on this continent include studying how the presence of these large carnivores influences the ‘landscape of fear’of the other animals of the savannah, and how the African megafauna, in general, can act as an economic driver for African society.”
Bibliography:
Amorós et al. (2020), ‘Hyaenas and lions: How the largest African carnivores interact at carcasses.’ Oikos. Online: Doi: 10.1111/oik.06846
Lion – Pantherapardus (image credit: David Carmona)
A study of the dental wear of 106 individuals buried in the Castellón Alto archaeological site (Granada, Spain) found that only the women used their anterior teeth as tools to make threads and cords
The Journal of Archaeological Science recently published a paper on this research, in which the University of Granada participated
Between 2200 and 1550 Before the Common Era (BCE), the culture of El Argar developed in the south-eastern Iberian Peninsula. It is known that this was a complex society that practiced social differentiation based on gender, age, and specialisation in tasks such as craftwork—that is, working with ceramics, lithics, textiles, and metals. This understanding has now been reaffirmed by a new study published recently in Journal of Archaeological Science.
The study, led by Marina Lozano, researcher at the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES) and Rovira i Virgili University (URV), was conducted in collaboration with scientists from the Anthropology Laboratory of the University of Granada, including Ángel Rubio Salvador, one of the co-authors of the published study.
Analysis of dental wear from the remains of 106 individuals buried at the Castellón Alto archaeological site in Granada, Spain, revealed that, as early as the Bronze Age (1900–1600 BCE), women used their anterior (front) teeth to perform certain tasks associated with making threads and cords.
The signs of wear observed with different types of microscopy included notches, chipped enamel, and occlusal and interproximal grooves resulting from the manipulation of fibres of plant and animal origin. Such materials were already known to be related to textile and basketry production, thanks to pre-existing evidence of the material culture of El Argar, but prior to this new study, it had proved possible to establish such a direct relationship that would point to the identity of these artisans.
A dual division of labour
Thus, one of the most important findings of this study is the evidence that, as early as the end of the Bronze Age—that is, almost 4,000 years ago—there was a dual division of labour: only a small group of people were devoted to craftwork in the making of threads (the very basis of textile production), and this group comprised exclusively women using their teeth as tools.
Furthermore, given the fact that this behaviour has been identified from the remains of individuals of different ages— the older the individual, the more pronounced the wear—it can be inferred that this specialisation began in adolescence and that the women continued performing this task throughout their lives.
This study forms part of one of the research strands at the IPHES that aims to identify the use of teeth as tools. In this case, the research also generated data on age- and gender-based division of labour, thus providing a clearer understanding of the lifestyle and social organisation of the El Argar culture.
Bibliography:
Lozano, Marina, Jiménez-Brobeil, Sylvia A., Willman, John C., Sánchez-Barba, Lydia P., Molina, Fernando, Rubio, Ángel (2020), ‘Argaric craftswomen: Sex-based division of labor in the Bronze Age southeastern Iberia’. Journal of Archaeological Science. Online: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2020.105239
Image captions:
‘Individual 90’ from Castellón Alto, showing evidence of the use of teeth for non-masticatory purposes. Image credit: Ángel Rubio Salvador
A general overview of the Castellón Alto site. Image courtesy of the GEPRAN research group of the University of Granada
Grooves on the teeth of various females from the Castellón Alto site, indicative of having worked with cords and threads (arrows indicate points of wear). Image credit: Marina Lozano/IPHES
Ángel Rubio Salvador, researcher at the Anthropology Laboratory of the University of Granada
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