Tremella caloplacae (Zahlbr.) Diederich is a species complex including at least nine different species. Here, we formally describe the new species Tremella elegantis, T. nimisiana, T. parietinae, T. pusillae and T. sorediatae. Tremella elegantis induces galls in the hymenium of Rusavskia elegans and forms 2-celled basidia, where cells rarely elongate and sometimes give the appearance of two immature, independent basidia. Tremella nimisiana has small basidiomata (less than 1 mm diam.), narrowly ellipsoid to pyriform 2-celled, occasionally clavate to subcylindrical 3-celled basidia, and grows in the hymenium of Xanthocarpia species. Tremella parietinae is characterized by the exclusive growth in the hymenium of Xanthoria parietina, the broadly fusiform to ellipsoid probasidia, and the subspherical, pyriform or ellipsoid 2(–3)-celled basidia. Tremella pusillae has ellipsoidal probasidia, 2(–3)-celled pyriform or ellipsoidal basidia that sometimes are constricted at the septum, and grows only on Calogaya pusilla. Tremella sorediatae is characterized by inducing galls on the thallus of Rusavskia sorediata and by pyriform to ellipsoid basidia that sometimes are constricted at the septum. Three species are not formally described and are left unnamed as Tremella sp. 13 on Calogaya biatorina, Tremella sp. 14 on Calogaya decipiens and Tremella sp. 15 on Polycauliona sp. Tremella caloplacae in the strict sense is re-circumscribed as a species confined to Variospora species.

The lichenicolous ‘heterobasidiomycetes’ belong in the Tremellomycetes (Agaricomycotina) and in the Pucciniomycotina. In this paper, we provide an introduction and review of these lichenicolous taxa, focusing on recent studies and novelties of their classification, phylogeny and evolution. Lichen-inhabiting fungi in the Pucciniomycotina are represented by only a small number of species included in the genera Chionosphaera, Cyphobasidium and Lichenozyma. The phylogenetic position of the lichenicolous representatives of Chionosphaera has, however, never been investigated by molecular methods. Phylogenetic analyses using the nuclear SSU, ITS, and LSU ribosomal DNA markers reveal that the lichenicolous members of Chionosphaera form a monophyletic group in the Pucciniomycotina, distinct from Chionosphaera and outside the Chionosphaeraceae. The new genus Crittendenia is described to accommodate these lichen-inhabiting species. Crittendenia is characterized by minute synnemata-like basidiomata, the presence of clamp connections and aseptate tubular basidia from which 4–7 spores discharge passively, often in groups. Crittendenia, Cyphobasidium and Lichenozyma are the only lichenicolous lineages known so far in the Pucciniomycotina, whereas Chionosphaera does not include any lichenicolous taxa.

Glauconite and Ca phosphate peloids occur in Jurassic and Cretaceous bioclastic carbonate rocks from pelagic swell sequences of the Algayat-Crevillente Unit (Subbetic Zone). The size and morphology of the peloids are controlled by the bioclasts. The glauconite in both stratigraphic positions is K rich (>0.69 atoms p.f.u.) and shows well-defined 10 Å. lattice fringes. Poorly crystalline areas with a composition of Fe-smectite are found within the peloids, indicating the nature of the glauconitic precursor. This precursor would be formed in the shielded microenvironments of the bioclast and later transformed to glauconite by equilibration of peloids with sea water that culminated with the crystallization of a phosphatic phase. The greater presence of smectite areas in the Jurassic peloids and the lower K contents (0.69-0.81) of these glauconites, compared with the Cretaceous glauconites (0.81-0.89) can be explained by the calcitic early diagenetic cementation which stopped the process of glauconitization.

We have carried out optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM) studies of phyllosilicates from black slates of very low to low-grade metamorphism. Such slates belong to a Middle/Late Devonian basin and an Early Carboniferous basin associated with the Porto–Tomar–Ferreira do Alentejo strike-slip shear zone (Ossa-Morena Zone, Portuguese Iberian Variscan Massif). These black slates are imbricated in an Upper Proterozoic substratum of higher metamorphic grade. Kübler Index values of white micas and mineral assemblages deduced from the XRD, SEM and TEM data (muscovite, chlorite and pyrophyllite) indicate high anchizonal and epizonal metamorphic conditions for slates from these basins. The b parameter and the phengitic contents of mica suggest the occurrence of low pressures (1–2 kbar) related to an extensional geotectonic setting. The dense fracture network shown by SEM images and the high density of crystal defects revealed by the TEM study in the eastern basin, adjacent to faults produced by shearing, suggest that their epizonal phyllosilicates were more affected during deformation than those belonging to the western basin, favouring the development of a retrograde association (siderite, kaolin group minerals and Al-smectite) on the epizonal paragenesis. Microcavities formed along phyllosilicate cleavage acted as channels for fluid transport favouring alteration under low-temperature conditions.

Kaolinite aggregates are the major alteration product in the strongly deformed areas of a shear zone developed in contact-metamorphosed slates from the Southern Iberian Massif near Jaén (SE Spain). Muscovite and Fe-rich chlorite in strain shadows of broken andalusite crystals were observed in slates from less deformed areas. The presence of phyllosilicate packets nearly perpendicular to each other and veinlets parallel to {110} of andalusite reveal the importance of cleavage-controlled fracturing of andalusite to the mineral reactions. The compositional similarity between kaolinite and andalusite suggests a direct transformation of andalusite to kaolinite in the strongly altered area. The absence of clear preferred orientation of phyllosilicates relative to andalusite, and the compositional differences of andalusite with muscovite and chlorite from the less altered samples, indicate andalusite dissolution and chlorite-muscovite precipitation during a first mineral-growth stage. Muscovite-kaolinite and chlorite-kaolinite intergrowths indicate a later retrograde replacement stage.

Clay/polymer nanocomposites (CPN) exhibit improved technical properties compared to their microand macro-counterparts. Nevertheless, thermal degradation of CPN may limit the applicability of these hybrid materials. In this paper accelerated ageing (110°C and 150°C) was performed in injection moulded pure polyamide 66 (PA66-S-0 samples) and polyamide 66 reinforced with 5 wt.% sepiolite (PA66-S-5 samples) CPN. Polymer degradation was monitored by the amount of newly formed carbonyl bonds. The carbonyl indices obtained indicate that degradation occurs to a greater extent as the temperature of the ageing process increases. Moreover, the degradation increases with time at the highest treatment temperature (150°C). On the other hand, the occurrence of carbonaceous silicates in the nanocomposite samples at high temperatures yields greater thermal stability of sepiolite/PA66 nanocomposites compared to pure PA66. Furthermore, the sepiolite nanofibres maintain their position in the reticulated semicrystalline structure. In agreement with those results, differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction analyses show that the motion of the amide groups in the polymer chains are constrained by the well dispersed sepiolite.

This work attempts to confirm the effect of an enriched diet with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) trying to mitigate the reproductive performances issues such as low conception rate of primiparous rabbits. A total of 127 does were fed ad libitum throughout their two first cycles with two diets with different fat sources: mixed fat in the control and salmon oil in the enriched one, with 3.19 g/100 g (n=63 does) and 28.77 g/100 g (n=64 does) of n-3 of the total fatty acid, respectively. Feed intake was similar between groups (P>0.05). Plasma progesterone concentration was higher in the enriched females than in control ones at 7 (30.9±2.18 v. 23.9±2.30 ng/ml, respectively; P=0.029) and 14 (38.7±2.18 v. 28.2±2.30 ng/ml, respectively; P=0.001) days of first gestation. Considering both cycles, reproductive parameters of mothers (fertility, duration of gestation and prolificacy) and litter parameters (weight at parturition and weaning, mortality and average daily gain (ADG) of kits during lactation) were similar in both groups. However, individual measurements of neonates of enriched group improved 5.87%, 7.10% and 18.01% (P<0.05) in terms of crown-rump length, biparietal and thoracic diameters, respectively, compared to control ones at first parturition. It is noteworthy that at the second insemination, critical point in rabbit, fertility rate of enriched group did not decline as sharply as in the control group (89.7% v. 76.6%, respectively; P=0.067), although ADG and littler weight were slightly lower at the second lactation after PUFA enrichment (P<0.05). Total PUFA and unsaturated index of milk of enriched does group were significantly elevated than in control one (33.3±0.02 v. 23.2±0.02 g/100 g and 1.20±0.00 v. 0.86±0.00, respectively; P<0.05). Finally, plasma progesterone, ovulation rate, fertility and embryo development at 3.5 days after the artificial insemination were similar between diets (P>0.05), but embryo apoptosis rate was higher in control group than in enriched one (31.1±4.56% v. 17.1±3.87%, respectively; P<0.05). In conclusion, dietary PUFA enrichment from the rearing and throughout two productive cycles improved plasma progesterone during pregnancy, fertility, milk fatty acid profile and neonates development of primiparous supporting the beneficial effect of n-3 PUFA supplementation in rabbit does.

Slope deposits in semiarid regions are known to be very sensitive environments, especially those that occurred during the minor fluctuations of the late Holocene. In this paper we analyse Holocene colluvium genesis, composition, and paleoenvironmental meaning through the study of slope deposits in NE Spain. Two cumulative slope stages are described during this period. In the study area, both slope accumulations are superimposed and this has enabled an excellent preservation of the aggregative sequence and the paleosols corresponding to stabilisation stages. 14C and TL dating, as well as archaeological remains, provide considerable chronological precision for this sequence. The origin of the accumulation of the lower unit is placed around 4295–4083 cal yr BP/2346–2134 cal yr BC (late Chalcolithic) and it developed until the Iron Age in a cooler and wetter climate (Cold Iron Age). Under favourable conditions, a soil A-horizon was formed on top of this unit. A new slope accumulation was formed during the Little Ice Age. Within the slope two morphogenetic periods ending with A-horizons are distinguished and related with two main cold–wet climatic events. The study of these slopes provides a great amount of data for the paleoenvironmental and geoarchaeological reconstruction of the late Holocene in NE Spain.

Tremella cetrariicola is shown to be heterogeneous and to represent two phylogenetic sister species, which are shown here to be distinct in the morphology of the galls, basidia and basidiospores, and in their host selection. Tremella cetrariicola s. str. is confined to Tuckermannopsis, whilst the material on Cetrariella delisei is described here as the new Tremella cetrariellae. The new species is known from Finland, Greenland, Norway, Russia, Svalbard, and Sweden.

A worldwide innovative method to discriminate grapevine clones is presented. It is an alternative to ampelography, isozyme and DNA analysis. The spectra and their first and second derivatives of 201 bands in the visible and near-infrared wavelength range between 634 and 759 nm were used as inputs to a classifier created using partial least squares. The spectra were acquired in the laboratory for the adaxial side of the apical part of the main lobe of fully hydrated grapevine leaves. The classifier created allowed the separation of 100 leaves of the Cabernet Sauvignon (Vitis vinifera L.) variety into four clones, namely CS 15, CS 169, CS 685 and CS R5, comprising 25 leaves each. The percentages of leaves correctly classified for these clones were 98·2, 99·2, 100 and 97·8%, respectively, when the classifier input was the second derivative of the normalized spectra. These percentages were determined by Monte-Carlo cross-validation. With the new method proposed, each leaf of a given variety can be classified in a few seconds according to its clone in an environmentally friendly way.

The extent to which markers have been used in chickpea breeding programmes has not been clearly determined. In the current study, phenotypic and marker-assisted selection (MAS) were employed to select blight resistant genotypes, comparing the effectiveness of both methods. The phenotypic evaluation showed that the resistance could be recessive in the material employed. However, the high distorted segregation towards the susceptible parent detected on linkage group four (LG4) could also explain the phenotype distribution of resistance. Phenotypic selection in F2:4 and F2:5 generations lead to an increase in the frequency of the allele associated with the resistance of the markers CaETR and GAA47, indicating the usefulness of these markers for MAS. The markers TA72 and SCY17 could be also useful for MAS but the high distorted segregation towards the susceptible parent in the region where these markers are located could explain their low effectiveness. The costs associated with phenotypic selection and MAS for ascochyta blight resistance during three cycles of selection are presented in the current study, showing that MAS was more expensive than phenotypic selection. Nevertheless, the use of markers reduced the time taken to select resistant lines. The markers analysed in the current study were useful to select genotypes resistant to ascochyta blight in chickpea breeding programmes, allowing pyramiding genes or quantitative trait loci (QTL) related to different pathotypes. It is recommended that MAS should be employed in early generations of chickpea breeding programmes for the four QTL analysed because this makes it possible to develop populations with a high frequency of the favourable alleles conferring resistance to blight.

Studying the inner regions of protoplanetary disks (1-10 AU) is of importance to understand the formation of planets and the accretion process feeding the forming central star. Herbig AeBe stars are bright enough to be routinely observed by Near IR interferometers. The data for the fainter T Tauri stars is much more sparse. In this contribution we present the results of our ongoing survey at the VLTI. We used the PIONIER combiner that allows the simultaneous use of 4 telescopes, yielding 6 baselines and 3 independent closure phases at once. PIONIER's integrated optics technology makes it a sensitive instrument. We have observed 22 T Tauri stars so far, the largest survey for T Tauri stars to this date.

Our results demonstrate the very significant contribution of an extended component to the interferometric signal. The extended component is different from source to source and the data, with several baselines, offer a way to improve our knowledge of the disk geometry and/or composition. These results validate an earlier study by Pinte et al. 2008 and show that the dust inner radii of T Tauri disks now appear to be in better agreement with the expected position of the dust sublimation radius, contrary to previous claims.

The close environment of Herbig stars starts to be revealed step by step and it appears to be quite complex. Many physical phenomena interplay: the dust sublimation causing a puffed-up inner rim, a dusty halo, a dusty wind or an inner gaseous component. To investigate more deeply these regions, getting images at the first Astronomical Unit scale is necessary. This has become possible with near infrared instruments on the VLTI. We have developed a new imaging method adapted to young stellar objects where we process separately the stellar component from the rest of the image to reveal the environment by using the spectral differences between these two components. We present the result of this method on the first imaging survey of Herbig stars carried out by PIONIER on the VLTI.

Maternal protein restriction (MPR) during pregnancy impaired the reproduction of male offspring. We investigated, during the first wave of spermatogenesis, whether MPR exerts deleterious effects on germ cell proliferation and differentiation, as well as androgen receptor (AR) protein expression, which was used as a marker for Sertoli cell (SC) maturation. At the beginning of pregnancy (day 0), dams were fed a control diet (C: 20% casein) or a restricted isocaloric diet (R: 10% casein). After birth, four groups were established: CC, RR, CR and RC (first letter diet during pregnancy and second during lactation). Male offspring were studied at postnatal days 14, 21 and 36. At birth, pup body weight was unchanged. Body weight and testis weight were reduced in RR and CR groups at all ages evaluated. MPR delayed the germinal epithelium development at all ages evaluated. On performing Western blot and immunohistochemistry, AR expression was found to be lower in the three restricted groups. The results suggest that MPR during pregnancy and/or lactation delays SC maturation and germ cell differentiation, and affects intratubular organization. These changes might be responsible for the lower fertility rate at older ages.

Several specimens of a lichen-inhabiting Tremella, inducing the formation of pale yellow, dark brown or black galls on species of Diploschistes, have been collected in three localities in Sweden and in one locality in the USA. Morphological and molecular studies confirm that this material represents a single species, which differs from other described Tremella species in the combination of gall morphology, basidium morphology, basidium and basidiospore sizes, presence of thick-walled hyphidia, and a different host-selection. We consequently describe this fungus as Tremella diploschistina sp. nov., on the basis of morphology and phylogenetic analyses of ITS and nLSU sequences. The phylogenetic analyses reveal that the fungus clearly belongs in Tremella, although the relationships with other species in the genus remain unclear.

Recently, the number of cryptic species known has increased considerably, showing that species diversity has in many cases been underestimated in the past. Parmelia sulcata is a widely distributed species and one of the most common taxa in temperate Europe. The first intra-specific molecular studies on P. sulcata showed an unexpectedly high genetic variability. In the present work, we study the biodiversity of this taxon including specimens from four continents and using three molecular markers (nuITS, nuIGS rDNA, and partial β-tubulin gene). Two monophyletic groups of P. sulcata were encountered; one of these is epitypified as P. sulcata s. str and the other one is segregated as the new cryptic species P. encryptata sp. nov. Issues surrounding the lectotypification of Parmelia sulcata have also been elucidated.