Gut microbiota plays a key role in host physiology and metabolism. Indeed, the relevance of a well-balanced gut microbiota composition to an individual’s health status is essential for the person’s ...well-being. Currently, investigations are focused on analyzing the effects of pre- and probiotics as new therapeutic tools to counteract the disruption of intestinal bacterial balance occurring in several diseases. Polyphenols exert a wide range of beneficial health effects. However, although specific attention has been paid in recent years to the function of this “biological entity” in the metabolism of polyphenols, less is known about the modulatory capacity of these bioactive compounds on gut microbiota composition. This review provides an overview of the latest investigations carried out with pure polyphenols, extracts rich in polyphenols, and polyphenol-rich dietary sources (such as cocoa, tea, wine, soy products, and fruits) and critically discusses the consequences to gut microbiota composition which are produced.
Abstract
Background and aims
Within-population genetic and phenotypic variation play a key role in the development of adaptive responses to environmental change. Between-population variation is also ...an essential element in assessing the evolutionary potential of species in response to changes in environmental conditions. In this context, common garden experiments are a useful tool to separate the genetic and environmental components of phenotypic variation. We aimed to assess within- and between-population phenotypic variation of Lupinus angustifolius L. in terms of its evolutionary potential to adapt to ongoing climate change.
Methods
We evaluated populations’ phenotypic variation of foliar, phenological and reproductive traits with a common garden experiment. Patterns of functional trait variation were assessed with (1) mixed model analyses and coefficients of variation (CVs) with confidence intervals, (2) principal component analyses (PCAs) and (3) correlations between pairs of traits. Analyses were performed at the population level (four populations) and at the latitude level (grouping pairs of populations located in two latitudinal ranges).
Key Results
Phenotypic variation had a significant genetic component associated with a latitudinal pattern. (1) Mixed models found lower specific leaf area, advanced flowering phenology and lower seed production of heavier seeds in southern populations, whereas CV analyses showed lower within-latitude variation especially in phenological and reproductive traits in southern populations. (2) PCAs showed a clearer differentiation of phenotypic variation between latitudes than between populations. (3) Correlation analyses showed a greater number of significant correlations between traits in southern populations (25 vs. 13).
Conclusions
Between-population phenotypic variation was determined by contrasting temperature and drought at different latitude and elevation. Southern populations had differential trait values compatible with adaptations to high temperatures and drought. Moreover, they had lower within-population variation and a greater number of trait correlations probably as a result of these limiting conditions, making them more vulnerable to climate change.
Although the number of plant translocations has been rapidly increasing for two decades, no study is available to date that examines the directions and distances of plant displacements, which is ...essential (though not sufficient) information for considering translocations as a management tool to enable species to cope with the consequences of climate change.
In this paper, we study the geographical and climatic directions and distances from source to host sites in 638 source‐and‐host site pairs of plant translocations that aimed to achieve viable populations in the last decades in the Western Palearctic (Europe and the Mediterranean). Translocation distances ranged from 0 to 661 km, but were generally short, most (82%) being <25 km, due to both ecological considerations and legal and administrative constraints. The host sites were not preferentially located in any geographical direction or in any altitude relative to the source sites. In contrast, on a climate compass constructed from a principal component analysis of seven bioclimatic variables, the host sites were slightly, but significantly, under colder climatic conditions than the source sites.
This observation appears more to be the consequence of an effort to counteract already felt effects of climate change than to anticipate future changes. The climatic distance between source sites and actual host sites was generally smaller than between source sites and randomly selected host sites at a given distance or within a given geographical area, which may be the result of a desire to minimise climatic differences or differences in other ecological factors correlated with climatic differences.
Synthesis. This study is the first to compare, geographically and climatically, the source sites of biological material and the host sites in translocations of wild plant species to obtain viable populations. Past translocations in the Western Palearctic are in line with mitigating the consequences of global warming on plant species because the host sites were in slightly cooler conditions than the source sites. Despite this, climate considerations seem to have little been taken into account in plant translocation projects and will certainly have to be much more so in a future with rapid anthropogenic climate change.
Résumé
Bien que le nombre de translocations de plantes ait augmenté rapidement depuis deux décennies, aucune étude sur les directions et les distances des déplacements de plantes n'est aujourd'hui disponible. Ce sont pourtant des informations essentielles si on considère que les translocations peuvent être un outil de gestion qui aide les espèces à faire face aux conséquences du changement climatique.
Dans cet article, nous étudions les directions et les distances géographiques et climatiques entre les sites sources et les sites hôtes de 638 paires de sites sources et hôtes de translocations de plantes effectuées dans le Paléarctique occidental (Europe et Méditerranée) au cours des dernières décennies, et dans le but d'obtenir des populations viables. Les distances de translocations, de 0 à 661 km, étaient généralement faibles, la plupart (82%) étant inférieures à 25 km, en raison à la fois de considérations écologiques et de contraintes juridiques et administratives. Les sites d'accueil n'étaient pas localisés dans une direction géographique préférentielle par rapport aux sites d'origine, ni, en moyenne, à une altitude différente. En revanche, sur une boussole climatique construite à partir d'une analyse en composantes principales de sept variables bioclimatiques, les sites hôtes étaient légèrement, mais significativement, situés dans des conditions climatiques plus froides que les sites sources.
Cette observation semble être davantage la conséquence d'un effort des gestionnaires visant à contrecarrer les effets déjà ressentis du changement climatique que pour anticiper les changements futurs. La distance climatique entre les sites sources et les sites hôtes observés était généralement plus faible qu'entre les sites sources et des sites hôtes choisis aléatoirement à une distance donnée, ou dans une zone géographique donnée. Cette observation peut résulter d'une volonté de minimiser soit les différences climatiques en elles‐mêmes, entre sites source et hôte, soit les différences sur d'autres caractéristiques écologiques corrélées aux différences climatiques.
Synthèse. Cette étude est la première à comparer, sur les plans géographique et climatique, les sites sources du matériel biologique et les sites hôtes des translocations d'espèces de plantes sauvages pour obtenir des populations viables. Les translocations passées dans le Paléarctique occidental sont en accord avec le souci d'atténuer les conséquences du réchauffement climatique sur les espèces végétales, car les sites hôtes étaient dans des conditions légèrement plus fraîches que les sites sources. Malgré cela, les considérations climatiques semblent avoir été peu prises en compte dans les projets de translocation de plantes et devront certainement l'être plus dans un avenir où le changement climatique lié aux activités humaines sera rapide.
Climatic position of host sites for plant translocations in Europe and the Mediterranean according the climatic distance and direction from source sites all grouped together at a single standardized central climatic point, where the color of the dots depends on the geographic distance between source and host sites (green <1 km, purple 1–25 km, blue >25 km). The host sites were in slightly, but significantly, cooler conditions than the source sites.
The evolutionary potential of populations inhabiting marginal areas has been extensively debated and directly affects their conservation value. Gene flow is one of the main factors influencing ...selection, adaptive potential and thus, local adaptation processes in marginal areas. The effects of differential gene flow provenance are still not well understood, since studies on gene flow between marginal populations have been underrepresented in the literature. This kind of gene flow can be especially beneficial because it can provide both adaptive allelic combinations originated under similar environmental conditions and genetic variation on which selection can act.
We conducted a study on the effects of different gene flow provenance on marginal populations of Mediterranean alpine Silene ciliata Pourret (Caryophyllaceae) replicated in three mountain ranges of Central Spain. The delineation of optimal and marginal areas of the species distribution was based on environmental differentiation and relied on the ecological definition of centrality and marginality. We experimentally tested the effect of three different types of pollen‐mediated gene flow on germination rate, seedling size and survival rate in marginal populations and assessed their effects by establishing in situ common gardens. To further assess the evolutionary potential of marginal populations, we performed a reciprocal sowing experiment and measured the same fitness components to determine the extent of local adaptation.
We found that gene flow between marginal populations improved germination rate and seedling survival with regard to gene flow from optimal to marginal populations and within marginal populations. In reciprocal sowing experiments, seedling survival rate was higher when the seed source was from marginal areas than when it was from optimal areas in both marginal and optimal sowing sites.
Synthesis. Our results suggest that gene flow between marginal populations from similar environmental conditions increases the fitness of the recipient population by increasing genetic diversity and simultaneously providing adaptive alleles generated under similar selective pressures. Results also highlight the adaptive potential of marginal populations as genetic diversity from marginal areas may provide a fitness advantage to the populations in optimal areas. In this context, the adaptive value of marginal populations increases their relevance and potential use in conservation management.
Resumen
El potencial evolutivo de las poblaciones que habitan en áreas marginales ha sido ampliamente debatido y afecta directamente a su valor de conservación. El flujo genético es uno de los principales factores que influyen sobre la selección, el potencial adaptativo y, por tanto, sobre los procesos de adaptación local en áreas marginales. Los efectos diferenciales del flujo genético según su procedencia aún no se comprenden bien ya que los estudios sobre el flujo genético entre poblaciones marginales son muy escasos en la literatura. Este tipo de flujo genético puede ser especialmente beneficioso porque puede proporcionar combinaciones alélicas adaptativas originadas en condiciones ambientales similares y aportar variación genética en las poblaciones, sobre la cual puede actuar la selección.
Realizamos un estudio sobre los efectos de diferentes procedencias de flujo genético en poblaciones marginales de Silene ciliata Pourret (Caryophyllaceae), una especie alpina del Mediterráneo, en tres cadenas montañosas del centro de España. Las áreas óptimas y marginales se delimitaron basándose en la diferenciación ambiental entre ellas y en la definición ecológica de centralidad‐marginalidad Estudiamos experimentalmente el efecto de tres tipos diferentes de flujo genético mediados por polen sobre la tasa de germinación, el tamaño de las plántulas y la tasa de supervivencia en poblaciones marginales y evaluamos sus efectos realizando jardines comunes in situ. Para evaluar de manera directa el potencial evolutivo de las poblaciones marginales, realizamos un experimento de siembra recíproca y tomamos medidas de las mismas variables utilizadas en el experimento anterior para determinar el alcance de la adaptación local.
Encontramos que el flujo de genes entre poblaciones marginales mejoró la tasa de germinación y la supervivencia de las plántulas con respecto al flujo de genes de poblaciones óptimas a marginales y dentro de poblaciones marginales. En los experimentos de siembra recíproca, la tasa de supervivencia de las plántulas fue mayor, tanto en áreas de siembra marginales como óptimas, cuando las semillas provenían de áreas marginales que cuando provenían de áreas óptimas.
Síntesis. Nuestros resultados sugieren que el flujo de genes entre poblaciones marginales que experimentan condiciones ambientales similares mejora la eficacia biológica de la población receptora al aumentar la diversidad genética y, simultáneamente, proporcionar alelos adaptativos generados bajo presiones selectivas similares. Los resultados también destacan el potencial adaptativo de las poblaciones marginales, ya que la diversidad genética de las áreas marginales puede proporcionar una mejora en la eficacia biológica de las poblaciones en las áreas óptimas. En este contexto, el valor adaptativo de las poblaciones marginales aumenta su relevancia y uso potencial en el manejo de la conservación.
Our results suggest that gene flow between marginal populations from similar environmental conditions increases the fitness of the recipient population by increasing genetic diversity and simultaneously providing adaptive alleles generated under similar selective pressures. Results also highlight the adaptive potential of marginal populations as genetic diversity from marginal areas may provide a fitness advantage to the populations in optimal areas. In this context, the adaptive value of marginal populations increases their relevance and potential use in conservation management.
Spatial patterns of plant species are determined by an array of ecologica factors including biotic and abiotic environmental constraints and intrinsic species traits. Thus, an observed aggregated ...pattern may be the result of short-distance dispersal, the presence of habitat heterogeneity, plant–plant interactions or a combination of the above. Here, we studied the spatial pattern of Mediterranean alpine plant Silene ciliata (Caryophyllaceae) in five populations and assessed the contribution of dispersal, habitat heterogeneity and conspecific plant interactions to observed patterns. For this purpose, we used spatial point pattern analysis combined with specific a priori hypotheses linked to spatial pattern creation. The spatial pattern of S. ciliata recruits was not homogeneous and showed small-scale aggregation. This is consistent with the species’ shortdistance seed dispersal and the heterogeneous distribution of suitable sites for germination and establishment. Furthermore, the spatial pattern of recruits was independent of the spatial pattern of adults. This suggests a low relevance of adultrecruits interactions in the spatial pattern creation. The difference in aggregation between recruits and adults suggests that once established, recruits are subjected to self-thinning. However, seedling mortality did not erase the spatial pattern generated by seed dispersal, as S. ciliata adults were still aggregated. Thus, the spatial aggregation of adults is probably due to seed dispersal limitation and the heterogeneous distribution of suitable sites at seedling establishment rather than the presence of positive plant–plant interactions at the adult stage. In fact, a negative density-dependent effect of the conspecific neighbourhood was found on adult reproductive performance. Overall, results provide empirical evidence of the lack of a simple and direct relationship between the spatial structure of plant populations and the sign of plant–plant interactions and outline the importance of considering dispersal and habitat heterogeneity when performing spatial analysis assessments.
Due to the increasing importance of mangroves in climate change mitigation projects, more accurate and cost-effective aboveground biomass (AGB) monitoring methods are required. However, field ...measurements of AGB may be a challenge because of their remote location and the difficulty to walk in these areas. This study is based on the Livelihoods Fund Oceanium project that monitors 10,000 ha of mangrove plantations. In a first step, the possibility of replacing traditional field measurements of sample plots in a young mangrove plantation by a semiautomatic processing of UAV-based photogrammetric point clouds was assessed. In a second step, Sentinel-1 radar and Sentinel-2 optical imagery were used as auxiliary information to estimate AGB and its variance for the entire study area under a model-assisted framework. AGB was measured using UAV imagery in a total of 95 sample plots. UAV plot data was used in combination with non-parametric support vector regression (SVR) models for the estimation of the study area AGB using model-assisted estimators. Purely UAV-based AGB estimates and their associated standard error (SE) were compared with model-assisted estimates using (1) Sentinel-1, (2) Sentinel-2, and (3) a combination of Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 data as auxiliary information. The validation of the UAV-based individual tree height and crown diameter measurements showed a root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.21 m and 0.32 m, respectively. Relative efficiency of the three model-assisted scenarios ranged between 1.61 and 2.15. Although all SVR models improved the efficiency of the monitoring over UAV-based estimates, the best results were achieved when a combination of Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 data was used. Results indicated that the methodology used in this research can provide accurate and cost-effective estimates of AGB in young mangrove plantations.
We evaluated the short-term effect of mixtures of ambient air pollutants on respiratory and circulatory morbidity in four Colombian cities.
Daily Emergency Department (ED) visit records for ...respiratory and circulatory selected diagnosis and daily concentrations for six criteria air pollutant were obtained in four of the five major cities in Colombia: Bucaramanga, Bogota, Cali, and Medellin during 2011–2014. Using conditional Poisson time series analysis with fixed effects, we assessed the effect of air pollutants on health outcomes using single-pollutant, two-pollutant and specific mixtures-of-pollutant models controlling for meteorology and time trends. The percentages of change in the rate of ED visits and their 95% confidence interval were estimated for the joint effect of pollutants.
In single-pollutant models increases in gases concentrations were associated with increases in ED visits for respiratory and circulatory diseases. The two-pollutant models for respiratory diseases showed that the effect of NO2 alone (% change 2.86 95% CI 1.87–3.85) is higher than the joint effect of any of its combinations except for its combination with SO2 (% change 3.05 95%CI 1.04–5.05). The two-pollutant models for circulatory diseases showed synergistic effects between NO2 and PM2.5 (% change 2.13 95%CI 0.001–4.26). Specific mixtures models showed that the mixture of “traffic-related pollutants” has the higher joint effect on circulatory morbidity and respiratory morbidity.
The results show the dominant effect of NO2 in air pollution mixtures on respiratory and circulatory morbidity, and the synergistic effect of NO2 and SO2 in air pollution mixtures on respiratory morbidity.
Display omitted
•Multipollutant analyses of air pollutant effects is limited in developing countries.•We assessed short-term joint effect of mixtures in a tropical developing country.•We found a dominant effect of NO2 in air pollution mixtures on morbidity.•There is evidence of synergistic effect NO2 and SO2 on respiratory morbidity.•Some mixtures effects are well represented by single-pollutant effects.
Adipose tissue releases bioactive mediators called adipokines. This review focuses on the effects of omentin, vaspin, cardiotrophin-1, Tumor necrosis factor-like Weak Inducer of Apoptosis (TWEAK) and ...nephroblastoma overexpressed (NOV/CCN3) on obesity and diabetes. Omentin is produced by the stromal-vascular fraction of visceral adipose tissue. Obesity reduces omentin serum concentrations and adipose tissue secretion in adults and adolescents. This adipokine regulates insulin sensitivity, but its clinical relevance has to be confirmed. Vaspin is produced by visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissues. Vaspin levels are higher in obese subjects, as well as in subjects showing insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes. Cardiotrophin-1 is an adipokine with a similar structure as cytokines from interleukin-6 family. There is some controversy regarding the regulation of cardiotrophin-1 levels in obese -subjects, but gene expression levels of cardiotrophin-1 are down-regulated in white adipose tissue from diet-induced obese mice. It also shows anti-obesity and hypoglycemic properties. TWEAK is a potential regulator of the low-grade chronic inflammation characteristic of obesity. TWEAK levels seem not to be directly related to adiposity, and metabolic factors play a critical role in its regulation. Finally, a strong correlation has been found between plasma NOV/CCN3 concentration and fat mass. This adipokine improves insulin actions.
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