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OBJETIVO: determinar la correlación entre actitud religiosa y actitud hacia la homosexualidad en estudiantes de psicología clínica de una Universidad privada en 2021. MÉTODO: La investigación tuvo un enfoque cuantitativo, con diseño no experimental transaccional y alcance descriptivo. Se trabajó con una muestra no probabilística, compuesta por 127 personas. En su mayoría fueron mujeres (85.8%) la edad de los participantes varió entre 18 y 50 años. (MD = 24; DE = 6.31). RESULTADOS: existe una correlación inversa moderada, estadísticamente significativa entre actitud religiosa y actitud hacia la homosexualidad. CONCLUSIÓN: se tiene una actitud negativa hacia la homosexualidad a mayor actitud religiosa.

Summary tables for all the details of nesting seasons for Sea Turtles (Leatherbacks and hawkbills) during years 2009 until 2018 in the Gulf of Paria, Venezuela. Dates, precipitation, timing, nest numbers, and clutch size.

El género neotropical Camarotus Germar, 1833 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), es un grupo de insectos relativamente pequeño y del cual se conoce poco sobre su biología y ecología. El presente trabajo da a conocer las especies vegetales asociadas a este género de gorgojos y sus nuevos reportes de especies. Para ello, se consultó las publicaciones existentes acerca del género y se identificaron especímenes colectados en Panamá y otros países del Neotrópico, gracias al apoyo de instituciones nacionales y extranjeras, mediante el préstamo de especímenes tipo y otros materiales. Encontramos que, la vegetación asociada con Camarotus está representada por seis órdenes, ocho familias, 10 géneros y 11 especies vegetales: Brosimum utile, Luehea seemannii, Apeiba membranacea, Miconia theaezans, Vochysia ferruginea, Combretum fruticosum, Acalypha diversifolia, Tapirira guianensis, Eschweilera atropetiolata, Eschweilera rodriguesiana y Corytophora alta; estando presentes en Panamá las ocho primeras, asociadas con cinco especies de Camarotus. Adicionalmente, se reconocen 12 especies de Camarotus para Panamá, de las cuales 11 representan nuevos reportes: C. angustifrons, C. attelaboides, C. coccinelloides, C. costaricensis, C. crenulatus, C. ferrugineus, C. flammeus, C. fusiger, C. granada, C. ohausi y C. peltatus; mientras que en Perú se reconocen nueve nuevos reportes: C. attelaboides, C. carinatus, C. carrapatus, C. coccinelloides, C. dispar, C. fusiger, C. punctatus, C. submaculatus y C. werneri. No se conocen los hábitos de las larvas de Camarotus, por lo cual las plantas son consideradas asociadas.

Sustainability indices are a way of quantifying the progress that a certain region has achieved in terms of sustainability that can be transmitted to society and decision makers. The watershed approach has become relevant for managing water resources and ensuring their sustainability. This study combined the above two approaches by applying an adapted watershed sustainability index (WSI) to evaluate the sustainable development of the Santiago–Guadalajara River basin (SGRB), which passes through Guadalajara, the second-most populous city in Mexico. The river is the most polluted waterway in the country. The WSI of each sub-basin places the SGRB at a sustainability level between low in the upper and lower basin region and intermediate in the central basin region. Regions with a low sustainability level are characterized by environmental degradation due to changes in land use, while in the region with intermediate sustainability, the factor that most affect the evaluation is water availability. An overall sustainability score of WSI = 0.36 was obtained for the study area, which is lower than that of any other basins evaluated in the same manner around the world. These results send a clear message to decision makers of the three government levels, in charge of the environmental sustainability of the basin, of the need to take action to facilitate its recovery.

Groundwater is the main source of drinking water supply in most urban environments around the world. The content of potentially toxic elements is increasing in many groundwater systems owing to inadequate groundwater recharge, aquifer overexploitation, natural source release, or various anthropogenic activities that lead to groundwater quality degradation. The ingestion of groundwater contaminated with potentially toxic elements has been reported to have harmful health effects. This study aimed to assess the presence of several potentially toxic elements (Al, As, B, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn) in groundwater of the Monterrey metropolitan area in Northern Mexico and the carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic human health risks associated with exposure. Multivariate statistics and geospatial analysis were applied to identify the causative determinants that modify the groundwater quality along the metropolitan area. Mean concentrations of trace metals remained below drinking water standards and World Health Organization guidelines. The risk of harmful effects on human health due to ingestion of all eight metal(loid)s in groundwater was assessed as 2.52 × 10−2 for adults and 2.16 × 10−2 for children, which can be considered as negligible chronic risk and a very low cancer risk. However, the risks of oral consumption of Cr being carcinogenic to children and adults were 7.9 × 10−3 and 9.2 × 10−4, respectively. As these values exceeded the target risk of 1 × 10−4, it can thus be considered “unacceptable”.

El Programa Jóvenes Construyendo el Futuro surge como una política para combatir el desempleo, subempleo y los bajos salarios en la población joven. El programa pretende capacitar y vincular a los jóvenes con el sector productivo, con la finalidad de que encuentren empleos estables y mejor remunerados. Algunos de los efectos potenciales de esta política pública podrían relacionarse con el crecimiento económico e impactar en otros aspectos sociales (vivienda, salud, seguridad). Derivado de ello, el presente escrito tiene como objetivo realizar un análisis integral del programa, utilizando el modelo de etapas de Subirats, así como la definición de actores, recursos, reglas y componentes de la política pública y el modelo de Bardach, lo que permitirá efectuar algunas recomendaciones. Los hallazgos muestran que uno de los aspectos a mejorar en la implementación de este programa es el establecimiento de mecanismos de evaluación, por lo que se sugiere una modificación en las reglas de operación del programa, que incluyan los indicadores de evaluación de resultados, la focalización de beneficiarios, la creación de incentivos fiscales para los centros de trabajo participantes y una definición precisa de los planes de capacitación que potencien la vinculación con el sector productivo.

International audience; Ants are a major ecological group in tropical rainforests. Few studies in the Neotropics have documented the distribution of ants from the ground to the canopy, and none have included the understorey. A previous analysis of an intensive arthropod study in Panama, involving 11 sampling methods, showed that the factors influencing ant β diversity (i.e., changes in assemblage composition) were, in decreasing order of importance, the vertical (height), temporal (season), and horizontal (geographic distance) dimensions. In the present study, we went one step further and aimed (1) to identify the best sampling methods to study the entire ant assemblage across the three strata, (2) to test if all strata show a similar horizontal β diversity and (3) to analyze the functional structure of the entire ant assemblage. We identified 405 ant species from 11 subfamilies and 68 genera. Slightly more species were sampled in the canopy than on the ground; they belonged to distinct sub-assemblages. The understorey fauna was mainly a mixture of species found in the other two strata. The horizontal β diversity between sites was similar for the three strata. About half of the ant species foraged in two (29%) or three (25%) strata. A single method, aerial flight interception traps placed alongside tree trunks, acting as arboreal pitfall traps, collected half of the species and reflected the vertical stratification. Using the functional traits approach, we observed that generalist species with mid-sized colonies were by far the most numerous (31%), followed by ground- or litter-dwelling species, either specialists (20%), or generalists (16%), and arboreal species, either generalists (19%) or territorially dominant (8%), and finally army ants (5%). Our results reinforce the idea that a proper understanding of the functioning of ant assemblages requires the inclusion of arboreal ants in survey programs.

In the tropics, antagonistic seed predation networks may have different properties than mutualistic pollination and seed dispersal networks, but the former have been considerably less studied. We tested whether the structure of antagonistic tripartite networks composed of host plants, insects developing within seeds and fruits, and their insect parasitoids could be predicted from plant phylogenetic distance and plant traits. We considered subsets of the networks (“subnetworks”) at three rainforest locations (Panama, Thailand, Papua New Guinea), based on insect families, plant families or plant functional groups. We recorded 3,197 interactions and observed a low percentage of realized interactions, especially in Panama, where insect host specificity was higher than in Thailand or New Guinea. Several factors may explain this, including insect faunal composition, incidence of dry fruits, high fruit production and high occurrence of Fabaceae at the Panamanian site. Host specificity was greater among seed-eaters than pulp-eaters and for insects feeding on dry fruits as opposed to insects feeding on fleshy fruits. Plant species richness within plant families did not influence insect host specificity, but site characteristics may be important in this regard. Most subnetworks were extremely specialized, such as those including Tortricidae and Bruchinae in Panama. Plant phylogenetic distance, plant basal area and plant traits (fruit length, number of seeds per fruit) had important effects on several network statistics in regressions weighted by sampling effort. A path analysis revealed a weak direct influence of plant phylogenetic distance on parasitoid richness, indicating limited support for the “nasty host hypothesis”. Our study emphasizes the duality between seed dispersal and seed predation networks in the tropics, as key plant species differ and host specificity tends to be low in the former and higher in the latter. This underlines the need to study both types of networks for sound practices of forest regeneration and conservation.

El estudio tuvo como objetivo identificar el nivel de satisfacción con la vida en un grupo de migrantes guatemaltecos retornados desde los EE. UU. a Guatemala. Participaron 110 personas (hombres 86,50 % y 13,50 % mujeres). Se utilizó una escala de datos sociodemográficos y la escala de satisfacción con la vida (Diener et al., 1985). Los resultados indican que 74,80 % de los participantes manifiestan estar satisfechos con su vida a pesar de haber sido deportados desde los EE. UU. Se realizó una serie de correlaciones entre las variables sociodemográficas y el nivel de satisfacción con la vida y se evidenció una correlación negativa entre satisfacción con la vida y el número de intentos por llegar a Estados Unidos (r=-0.318; p< 0.01).

Isla Barro Colorado (BCI) es una reserva natural ubicada en el lago Gatún del Canal de Panamá, ha sido un áreatropical importante para estudios en biología y ecología tropical. Sin embargo, ciertos grupos biológicos no cuentan con inventarios faunísticos, uno de ellos son los escarabajos ambrosiales (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Por tal razón realizó un inventario enriquecido de los Scolytinae y Platypodinae reportados para BCI. Para desarrollar el inventario, se realizó: 1) revisión de literatura científica con registros de especies en la isla, 2) revisión de especímenes en colecciones entomológicas de la Universidad de Panamá y 3) identificación taxonómica de especímenes en muestras capturadas por el Instituto Smithsoniano de Investigaciones Tropicales. Un total de 48 especies de Scolytinae y cinco de Platypodinae se habían registrado para la isla en publicaciones científicas. La identificación taxonómicade muestras y especímenes en colecciones aportaron 64 especies de Scolytinae y tres de Platypodinae como nuevos registros para la isla.La cantidad de especies de Scolytinae conocidas para la isla alcanza las 113, mientras que los Platypodinae alcanzan 8; sin embargo, con la confirmación taxonómica de algunas especies, las cifras pueden aproximarse a 138 especies para Scolytinae y 20 para Platypodinae.

Los parásitos coccidiales afectan varias especies de reptiles a nivel mundial y son responsables de la muerte de cientos de ejemplares cautivos y silvestres en diferentes regiones del planeta. Entre los años 2011 y 2013, cuatro de 108 tortugas verdes (3,70 %) rescatadas por Grupo de Trabajo en Tortugas Marinas del Golfo de Venezuela, a través de la “Red de Aviso Oportuno (RAO)”, presentaron diferentes estadios evolutivos morfológicamente semejantes a Caryospora sp. en heces o tejidos. Los animales infectados fueron juveniles de tortuga verde capturados por pesquerías artesanales. Se les practicaron exámenes físicos, coprológicos y hematológicos. En tres ejemplares se observaron abundantes ooquistes de morfología compatible con Caryospora cheloniae (K001, K002, SB001). Uno de los animales presentó en capa blanca, leucocitos que contenían estructuras parecidas a esporozoitos de Caryospora sp, indicativo de coccidiosis sistémica. Dos de las tortugas se encontraron asintomáticas (K003, SB001), y dos se presentaron clínicamente enfermas con signos neurológicos como movimientos involuntarios de cabeza y aletas, espasmos musculares, movimientos natatorios circulares y depresión. Dos animales murieron (K001, K002), en ambos se encontraron diversos estadios de un organismo coccidial consistente con Caryospora sp. en intestino, además una enteritis necrótica moderada. Este constituye el primer reporte de coccidiosis en tortugas marinas en Venezuela y en el Caribe sur.

The aim of this article is to analyze the level of association and effect between work alienation, deviant workplace behavior, and performance in public sector organizations. Based on a literature review and relying on the theoretical perspective of the knowledge-based view strategy, the hypotheses were formulated. The method consisted of a cross-sectional study in Mexican public organizations, and a multivariate analysis of structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed. The results confirmed the association between work alienation, deviant workplace behavior, and performance. Furthermore, findings showed a high and positive relationship between work alienation and organizational performance within the context. The originality lies in the positive incidence among the variables under study within the public sector context; this is not consistent with what is suggested by the related literature.

Although sea turtles have received substantial focus worldwide, research on the immature life stages is still relatively limited. The latter is of particular importance, given that a large proportion of sea turtle populations comprises immature individuals. We set out to identify knowledge gaps and identify the main barriers hindering research in this field. We analyzed the perceptions of sea turtle experts through an online survey which gathered their opinions on the current state of affairs on immature sea turtle research, including species and regions in need of further study, priority research questions, and barriers that have interfered with the advancement of research. Our gap analysis indicates that studies on immature leatherback Dermochelys coriacea and hawksbill Eretmochelys imbricata turtles are lacking, as are studies on all species based in the Indian, South Pacific, and South Atlantic Oceans. Experts also perceived that studies in population ecology, namely on survivorship and demography, and habitat use/behavior, are needed to advance the state of knowledge on immature sea turtles. Our survey findings indicate the need for more interdisciplinary research, collaborative efforts (e.g. data-sharing, joint field activities), and improved communication among researchers, funding bodies, stakeholders, and decision-makers. Fil: Wildermann, Natalie E.. Florida State University; Estados Unidos Fil: Gredzens, Christian. Florida State University; Estados Unidos Fil: Avens, Larisa. National Ocean And Atmospheric Administration; Estados Unidos Fil: Barrios Garrido, Héctor A.. Universidad del Zulia; Venezuela. Florida State University; Estados Unidos Fil: Bell, Ian. Aquatic Species Program. Conservation And Biodiversity Operations Branch; Australia Fil: Blumenthal, Janice. Cayman Islands Department Of Environment; Islas Caimán Fil: Bolten, Alan B.. University of Florida; Estados Unidos Fil: McNeill, Joanne Braun. National Ocean And Atmospheric Administration; Estados Unidos Fil: Casale, Paolo. Università degli Studi di Pisa; Italia Fil: Di Domenico, Maikon. Universidade Federal do Paraná; Brasil Fil: Domit, Camila. Universidade Federal do Paraná; Brasil Fil: Epperly, Sheryan P.. National Ocean And Atmospheric Administration; Estados Unidos Fil: Godfrey, Matthew H.. North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission; Estados Unidos. University of North Carolina; Estados Unidos. University of Duke; Estados Unidos Fil: Godley, Brendan J.. University of Exeter; Reino Unido Fil: González Carman, Victoria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Subsede Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Pesquero; Argentina Fil: Hamann, Mark. James Cook University; Australia Fil: Hart, Kristen M.. United States Geological Survey; Estados Unidos Fil: Ishihara, Takashi. Sea Turtle Association of Japan; Japón. Suma Aqualife Park; Japón Fil: Mansfield, Kate L.. University Of Central Florida; Estados Unidos Fil: Metz, Tasha L.. No especifica; Fil: Miller, Jeffrey D.. No especifica; Fil: Pilcher, Nicolas J.. Marine Research Foundation; Malasia Fil: Read, Mark A.. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority; Australia Fil: Sasso, Christopher. National Ocean And Atmospheric Administration; Estados Unidos Fil: Seminoff, Jeffrey A.. National Ocean And Atmospheric Administration; Estados Unidos Fil: Seney, Erin E.. University Of Central Florida; Estados Unidos Fil: Williard, Amanda Southwood. University of North Carolina; Estados Unidos Fil: Tomás, Jesús. Universidad de Valencia; España Fil: Vélez Rubio, Gabriela M.. Universidad de la República; Uruguay. Karumbé Ngo; Uruguay Fil: Ware, Matthew. Florida State University; Estados Unidos Fil: Jessica L. Williams. Tartarugas para o Amanhã; Mozambique Fil: Wyneken, Jeanette. Florida Atlantic University; Estados Unidos Fil: Fuentes, Mariana M. P. B. Florida State University; Estados Unidos

The longnose stingray ( Dasyatis guttata ) is a target species in the artisanal fisheries of the southern Gulf of Venezuela. Despite its economic importance, nowadays, studies about its status are lacking. During six continuous months (18 working days in total), we followed the artisanal fishery activities from Zapara Island, and evaluated morphometric characteristics, sex ratio, and the capture per unit effort (CPUE/ind/1000 hooks) of D. guttata . Biological sampling included: disc widths (AD), body mass total (PT), and sex. Using statistical analysis we assessed: a) the length-weight relationships by sex, b) monthly body condition, using the Fulton Index (K), and c) the CPUE. We evaluated 210 individuals of D. guttata . The mean values of our results were: AD = 64.14 ± 13.18cm (range 32-95 cm); PT = 8.36 ± 4.87 kg (range 0.80- 24.50 kg). The sexual proportion was (2.26♀: 1♂) ( X 2 = 31.716, P < 0.05); hence we presume a spatial segregation occurred between females and males in the studied area. Length-weight relationship was statistically significant (P < 0.0001), and also varied according to the sex ♀: PT(kg) = [(0.00027)×(AD(cm) 2.46 )]; ♂: PT(kg) = [(0.00035)×(AD(cm) 2.34 )]. The K value showed differences between sexes during November and December. We obtained a CPUE of 4.88 individuals/1000 hooks. We compared our findings with previous research carried out in the southern Caribbean. Further research about this species in the area is recommended.

The top‐down and indirect effects of insects on plant communities depend on patterns of host use, which are often poorly documented, particularly in species‐rich tropical forests. At Barro Colorado Island, Panama, we compiled the first food web quantifying trophic interactions between the majority of co‐occurring woody plant species and their internally feeding insect seed predators. Our study is based on more than 200 000 fruits representing 478 plant species, associated with 369 insect species. Insect host‐specificity was remarkably high: only 20% of seed predator species were associated with more than one plant species, while each tree species experienced seed predation from a median of two insect species. Phylogeny, but not plant traits, explained patterns of seed predator attack. These data suggest that seed predators are unlikely to mediate indirect interactions such as apparent competition between plant species, but are consistent with their proposed contribution to maintaining plant diversity via the Janzen–Connell mechanism.

Human societies are closely linked to their ecological environments. Natural ecosystems and wildlife populations are often in better condition in countries with healthy, educated and economically prosperous populations compared to countries with lower health and literacy conditions, and depressed economies. In the latter countries, these socio-economic factors can compromise government's capacity to manage their natural resources. Thus, the conservation capacity of a government is likely to play key role in the protection of threatened species, such as marine turtles. This paper aims: (1) to evaluate the conservation capacity and enforcement within the 58 Regional Management Units (RMUs) of the seven species of marine turtles throughout the world, and (2) to develop a proxy that predicts the conservation status of RMUs. We developed a Conservation and Enforcement Capacity index (CECi) by integrating the following indices: (a) the economic level and, (b) the Human Development Index (HDI) of each country, plus (c) the risks and threats in the RMUs. We used the conservation status of 15 RMUs recently assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature - IUCN to predict the conservation status of the 43 RMUs without updated IUCN categorisation. CECi values ranged from 0 to 1, where lower values represent a better capacity for implementation of conservation initiatives. We found that using our multi-index model, we predicted the status of 33 of 58 RMUs, 57% of which may be of threatened conservation status due to their high CECi values. This study highlighted how socio-economic aspects may impact conservation of endangered species.

We propose a new classification of rain forest plants into eight fruit syndromes, based on fruit morphology and other traits relevant to fruit‐feeding insects. This classification is compared with other systems based on plant morphology or traits relevant to vertebrate fruit dispersers. Our syndromes are based on fruits sampled from 1,192 plant species at three Forest Global Earth Observatory plots: Barro Colorado Island (Panama), Khao Chong (Thailand), and Wanang (Papua New Guinea). The three plots differed widely in fruit syndrome composition. Plant species with fleshy, indehiscent fruits containing multiple seeds were important at all three sites. However, in Panama, a high proportion of species had dry fruits, while in New Guinea and Thailand, species with fleshy drupes and thin mesocarps were dominant. Species with dry, winged seeds that do not develop as capsules were important in Thailand, reflecting the local importance of Dipterocarpaceae. These differences can also determine differences among frugivorous insect communities. Fruit syndromes and colors were phylogenetically flexible traits at the scale studied, as only three of the eight seed syndromes, and one of the 10 colors, showed significant phylogenetic clustering at either genus or family levels. Plant phylogeny was, however, the most important factor explaining differences in overall fruit syndrome composition among individual plant families or genera across the three study sites.

Forests are complex three-dimensional ecosystems, but little is known about the influence of vertical stratification of forest structure on biodiversity and species turnover. Saproxylic beetles make a substantial contribution to forest biodiversity and ecosystem functions such as nutrient cycling. Management measures aimed at supporting saproxylic biodiversity are becoming an integral part of sustainable forest management practices. Yet, monitoring is carried out under the assumption that saproxylic activity at ground level will be a realistic reflection of saproxylic biodiversity in the forest as a whole. To investigate the validity of this assumption we compare vertical stratification and composition of saproxylic beetle assemblages between three forest types of varying altitude and latitude, including a tropical lowland forest in Panama, a temperate lowland forest and a temperate montane forest, both in the eastern Czech Republic. Beetles were sampled following a standardized sampling protocol using flight intercept traps arranged in vertical transects. Overall, the tropical forest was estimated to harbour two to three times more saproxylic beetle species than the temperate lowland and the montane forest, respectively. However, point richness estimates within vertical strata were remarkably similar between biomes. Species richness was similar in the understorey of all three forests. It peaked in the canopy of the tropical forest but in the understorey of temperate forests. So, while the beetle assemblages were clearly vertically stratified in all three forest types, stratification patterns varied markedly between tropical and temperate forests. This trend is driven primarily by the high richness of saproxylic beetles in the tropical forest canopy. However these richness differences belie the strong similarities in stratification of feeding guild composition observed all three forest types. This would tend to suggest that similar trophic structuring forces might operate across very different forest biomes of the world. Similarities in feeding guild composition suggest that management measures aiming at conserving biodiversity of saproxylic beetles are likely to be effective across different forest types. The differences in vertical stratification, however, suggest that understorey monitoring alone will be insufficient to understand management effects on saproxylic biodiversity. In the tropics, in particular, more emphasis will need to be placed on managing the diverse, three-dimensional structure of forest canopies as habitat for saproxylic beetles.

Insect seed predators are important agents of mortality for tropical trees, but little is known about the impact of these herbivores in rainforests. During 3 years at Khao Chong (KHC) in southern Thailand we reared 17,555 insects from 343.2 kg or 39,252 seeds/fruits representing 357 liana and tree species. A commented list of the 243 insect species identified is provided, with details about their host plants. We observed the following. (i) Approximately 43% of identified species can be considered pests. Most were seed eaters, particularly on dry fruits. (ii) Approximately 19% of parasitoid species (all Opiinae) for which we could determine whether their primary insect host was a pest or not (all Bactrocera spp. breeding in fruits) can be considered beneficials. (iii) The seeds/fruits of approximately 28% of the plant species in this forest were free of attack. Phyllanthaceae, Rubiaceae and Meliaceae were attacked relatively infrequently; in contrast, Annonaceae, Fabaceae, Sapindaceae and Myristicaceae were more heavily attacked. There was no apparent effect of plant phylogeny on rates of attack but heavily attacked tree species had larger basal area in the KHC plot than rarely attacked tree species. (iv) Insects reared from fleshy fruits were more likely to show relatively stable populations compared to insects reared from dry fruits, but this was not true of insects reared from dipterocarps, which appeared to have relatively stable populations throughout the study period. We tentatively conclude that insects feeding on seeds and fruits have little effect on observed levels of host abundance in this forest.

Fisheries, either directed or via bycatch, are a major cause of decline in global populations of marine turtles. Although artisanal fisheries are often seen as lower-impact than industrial fisheries, they may be among the most serious threats to green turtles. Between 2005 and 2008, to better understand the impacts of such fisheries in the High Extraction Zone of the Gulf of Venezuela (HEZ-GV), an important feeding habitat for green turtles, we interviewed fishers, observed fishing activities directly, and counted, measured, and marked discarded turtle carapaces at fishing ports and traditional markets. From these, we estimated that at least 3,402 ± 247 turtles/year were extracted with artisanal nets, suggesting that the HEZ-GV artisanal turtle fishery may have been among the most active in the Caribbean at the time, with a CPUE of 0.04 turtles/km-net*hour ±0.014. However, capture was not selective, confirming prior anecdotal information suggesting that this fishery supplies mainly subsistence and not commercial use. Harvested turtles consisted mainly of juveniles (64%, CCLmin = 55.7 cm ± SE 0.9), and subadults (35%, CCLmin = 78.9 cm ± 0.6 cm), with very few adults (1%, CCLmin = 98 cm ± 0.6 cm). Our findings highlight the need for continued monitoring of the artisanal turtle fishery in the HEZ-GV, particularly given the possibility of increased reliance on aquatic bushmeat sources in Venezuela's present socio-economic crisis. More broadly, they also indicate that scientifically based catch guidelines for marine turtles may be just as important in artisanal as in commercial fisheries, to ensure sustainability and mitigate harvest impacts.

Aim Insects feeding on seeds and fruits represent interesting study systems, potentially able to lower the fitness of their host plants. In addition to true seed eaters, a suite of insects feed on the fleshy parts of fruits. We examined the likelihood of community convergence in whole insect assemblages attacking seeds/fruits in three tropical rainforests. Location Three ForestGEO permanent forest plots within different biogeographical regions: Barro Colorado Island (Panama), Khao Chong (Thailand) and Wanang (Papua New Guinea). Methods We surveyed 1,186 plant species and reared 1.1 ton of seeds/fruits that yielded 80,600 insects representing at least 1,678 species. We assigned seeds/fruits to predation syndromes on the basis of plant traits relevant to insects, seed/fruit appearance and mesocarp thickness. Results We observed large differences in insect faunal composition, species richness and guild structure between our three study sites. We hypothesize that the high species richness of insect feeding on seeds/fruits in Panama may result from a conjunction of low plant species richness and high availability of dry fruits. Insect assemblages were weakly influenced by seed predation syndromes, both at the local and regional scale, and the effect of host phylogeny varied also among sites. At the driest site (Panama), the probability of seeds of a plant species being attacked depended more on seed availability than on the measured seed traits of that plant species. However when seeds were attacked, plant traits shaping insect assemblages were difficult to identify and not related to seed availability. Main conclusions We observed only weak evidence of community convergence at the intercontinental scale among these assemblages. Our study suggests that seed eaters may be most commonly associated with dry fruits at relatively dry tropical sites where fleshy fruits may be less prevalent.

Plant cell suspension cultures of Taxus brevifolia and Taxus globosa were used as biocatalysts on an exogenous racemic substrate in order to determine the influence of several parameters on its configurational deracemization bioactivity. Taxus brevifolia demonstrated a directly proportional relationship between the enantiomeric ratio (er) [1] and the time of reaction, yielding a mixture of 90(S):10(R) after 7 days. Pure enantiomers were tested and the results showed that the (S)-enantiomer remained intact, whereas the (R)-enantiomer was biotransformed. The buffer solution did not present any effect. Sucrose and temperature modified the reaction time and the er. The pH was a critical variable in relation to the age of the suspension cultures. Taxus globosa showed a low efficiency for distinguishing between the enantiomers.

Background Marine turtles play an important role in the culture and economy of numerous coastal communities around the world. However, the legal framework that regulates the consumptive use of these reptiles varies among countries.For example, the consumption of these reptiles has been regarded as common in several rural areas of Venezuela, especially in the eastern coast of the Guajira Peninsula. Methods To assess the scale and cultural component of this use, we interviewed 35 residents from the southwestern coast of the Gulf of Venezuela (Venezuelan part of the Guajira Peninsula), using a combination of in-depth and semi-structured interviews. We carried out a field and detailed market-based observations on the Guajira Peninsula to detect the sale and use of marine turtle products. We focused on three main categories of use; the type of product, routes of trade, and the price of products. Results All of the marine turtle species reported from the Gulf of Venezuela were used, and the prices of products varied among their type, species of origin, and the distance from the capture area to a marketplace. We obtained evidence connecting Wayuú Indigenous people's traditions and beliefs with marine turtle use, and also they are used as traditional products such as medicine, and as an economic resource to sustain their communities. Conclusion It is probable that trade of marine turtle products is placing pressure on populations in the Gulf of Venezuela. We recommend the implementation of an inter-institutional conservation-portfolio be developed for the Peninsula to evaluate actions related to this concern.

International audience; We have little knowledge of the response of invertebrate assemblages to climate change in tropical ecosystems, and few studies have compiled long-term data on invertebrates from tropical rainforests. We provide an updated list of the 72 species of Saturniidae moths collected on Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama, during the period 1958-2016. This list will serve as baseline data for assessing long-term changes of saturniids on BCI in the future, as 81% of the species can be identified by their unique DNA Barcode Index Number, including four cryptic species not yet formally described. A local species pool of 60 + species breeding on BCI appears plausible, but more cryptic species may be discovered in the future. We use monitoring data obtained by light trapping to analyze recent population trends on BCI for saturniid species that were relatively common during 2009-2016, a period representing >30 saturniid generations. The abundances of 11 species, of 14 tested, could be fitted to significant time-series models. While the direction of change in abundance was uncertain for most species, two species showed a significant increase over time, and forecast models also suggested continuing increases for most species during 2017-2018, as compared to the 2009 base year. Peaks in saturniid abundance were most conspicuous during El Nino and La Nina years. In addition to a species-specific approach, we propose a reproducible functional classification based on five functional traits to analyze the responses of species sharing similar functional attributes in a fluctuating climate. Our results suggest that the abundances of larger body-size species with good dispersal abilities may increase concomitantly with rising air temperature in the future, because short-lived adults may allocate less time to increasing body temperature for flight, leaving more time available for searching for mating partners or suitable oviposition sites.

Calluses from seasonal mature shoots of Taxus globosa Schltdl. were subcultured in new medium containing 1 mg l -1 NAA, 0.5 mg l -1 2, 4-D, 0.025 mg l -1 BA. Calluses growing for 30 and 40 days in a medium added with 0.1-5.0 mg l -1 of chlorocholine chloride (CCC) were harvested for determination of taxol, phenolic compounds, and for polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity. The results showed that by increasing the CCC concentration, callus growth was decreased, phe- nolic level was raised up, but taxol content and PPO activity changed differently. The highest taxol production (0.0269 mg g -1 dry weight callus) and PPO activity (4.53 U g -1 fresh weight callus) were achieved at day 40 with a medium containing 0.5 mg l -1 CCC. Possible reason of higher taxol level stimulated by CCC is discussed in the text.