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In coastal dunes, shrub encroachment disrupts natural disturbance, and reduces habitat heterogeneity and species composition. In this paper, we implemented a pilot scale trial aimed at restoring coastal dunes affected by the encroachment by the shrub Retama monosperma (hereinafter Retama) as well as strengthening the populations of Thymus carnosus (regionally cataloged as ‘Critically Endangered’). A total 3 ha of Retama shrub was clearcut in two sites with different Retama cover (54 and 72%). The effect of rabbits on vegetation recovery was assessed by placing exclosures both in treated and untreated plots in Spring, 2015. Plant composition, species richness and diversity were evaluated two years after treatments (with and without Retama clearing, and with and without rabbit exclusion). Retama clearing alone did not allow the recovery of plant composition typical of gray dunes two-years after treatments, but resulted in a biodiversity loss within the Retama understorey when rabbits were present. However, Retama clearing resulted in a significant vigor improvement of T. carnosus in the site with the highest density of Retama. Rabbit exclusion significantly increased species richness and Shannon-Wiener diversity index, and allowed the recovery of plant composition typical of gray dunes. The results suggest that shrub encroachment caused by Retama has a long-lasting negative impact on dune vegetation and that periodic clearing should be combined with rabbit exclusion at least during early restoration stages of dune vegetation. To recover the population of T. carnosus, Retama should be prevented from reaching high cover and periodic clearing without rabbit exclusion is suggested.

Pontederia cordata L. (Pontederiaceae) is an emerging aquatic plant native to the American continent that has been introduced to various continents through longdistance commerce as an ornamental plant. Individuals growing in the wild belonging to Pontederia L. genus where found in South Spain. The analysis of diagnostic characters of the collected specimens and their comparison to those represented in herbarium vouchers allowed us to distinguish them from its closest relative, P. sagittata C. Presl and to assign all the specimens found at the locality to P. cordata L. This is the southernmost European record of the species. It was clear that the origin of the introduction was the use as ornamental aquatic plant in the area. Its invasion risk was assessed for Europe, firstly, by analysing the suitability of European climate for the species, secondly, by assessing the potential impact. Results showed that from 92.5 to 92.9% of the meteorological stations analysed showed climate conditions that were compatible with the species' climatic requirements. The ecological characteristics of the species and the climatic features of the area analysed suggest a great risk of invasion that could lead to the species' spread in Europe. These findings suggest that P. cordata could threaten European wetlands.

Se informa del hallazgo de la planta acuática exótica invasora Eichhornia crassipes en la Dársena o canal Alfonso XIII, un brazo regulado del río Guadalquivir, en Sevilla (S. de la Península Ibérica). Se trata de la primera cita de esta especie para la provincia de Sevilla y se añade a diversas referencias ocasionales que existían en Andalucía., We present the finding of the invasive exotic aquatic plant Eichhornia crassipes in the Shipway or Alfonso XIII canal, a regulated tributary of the Guadalquivir river, Seville (S. Iberian Peninsula). This is the first record of this species for the province of Seville and it is added to several occasional references that previously had been reported for the Andalusian Region.

We present the finding of the invasive exotic aquatic plant Eichhornia crassipes in the Shipway or Alfonso XIII canal, a regulated tributary of the Guadalquivir river, Seville (S. Iberian Peninsula). This is the first record of this species for the province of Seville and it is added to several occasional references that previously had been reported for the Andalusian Region., Se informa del hallazgo de la planta acuática exótica invasora Eichhornia crassipes en la Dársena o canal Alfonso XIII, un brazo regulado del río Guadalquivir, en Sevilla (S. de la Península Ibérica). Se trata de la primera cita de esta especie para la provincia de Sevilla y se añade a diversas referencias ocasionales que existían en Andalucía.

Very few mass stranding events of invertebrates have been reported. In this paper, we report a mass stranding of multiple benthic organisms occurred at Punta Umbría beach (S Spain) after the passage of storm Emma (28 February to 5 March 2018). The most abundant organisms were identified, and exceptional meteorological and oceanographic events were analyzed, as a basis to understand the causes of stranding. The morphodynamic changes affecting the beach profile during the storm were inferred using a cross shore depth-integrated and time averaged numerical model (CSHORE). Among the stranded species, decapods (Upogebia spp., Atelecyclus undecimdentatus), sipunculids (Sipunculus nudus), starfish (Astropecten sp.), and sessile tunicates were dominant. Storm Emma involved extreme significant wave heights of up to 7.27 m, low pressures, strong SW winds, precipitations and spring tides that modified the seabed elevation to depth as deep as −10 m. Simulations suggest that benthic organisms living at a water depth between −10 to −0.3 m were buried under a layer of sediment of up to ca. 10 cm deposited during the storm. This burial preceded the transport of intertidal and subtidal benthic organisms to the dry beach, causing their stranding. Impacts on the quality of habitat, biodiversity and the productivity of coastal ecosystems are discussed.

[Background] Few women have been included in darunavir/cobicistat clinical development studies, and hardly any of them were antiretroviral experienced or treated with anything other than triple-based therapies., [Objectives] Our aim was to increase our knowledge about women living with HIV undergoing darunavir/cobicistat-based regimens., [Methods] A multicentre (21 hospitals), retrospective study including a centrally selected random sample of HIV-1 patients starting a darunavir/cobicistat-based regimen from June 2014 to March 2017 was planned. Baseline characteristics, 24 and 48 week viral load response (<50 copies/mL), CD4+ lymphocyte count increase, time to change darunavir/cobicistat and adverse event occurrence were all compared by sex. The study was approved by each of the 21 ethics committees, and patients signed informed consent., [Results] Out of 761 participants, 193 were women. Similar characteristics were found for both sexes, except that the women had a longer duration of HIV infection (P = 0.001), and were less frequently pre-treated with darunavir/cobicistat in their previous regimen (P = 0.02). The main reason for using a darunavir/cobicistat-based regimen was simplification, without differences by sex, while monotherapy seems to be more frequently prescribed in women than in men (P = 0.067). The main outcomes, HIV viral load response, CD4+ lymphocyte count increase at 24 or 48 weeks, occurrence of adverse events, main reasons for changing and time to the modify darunavir/cobicistat regimen, did not show differences between the sexes., [Conclusions] No sex disparities were found in the main study outcomes. These results support the use of a darunavir/cobicistat-based regimen in long-term pre-treated women. Clinical Trial.gov No. NCT03042390.

Despite the increasing number of invasive species, protocols devoted to assess the feasibility (i.e., probability of success or failure) of management actions in the field are scarce, yet success depends on a broad scope of issues beyond the biology of species and the ecosystem to be managed. In this paper we make a retrospective analysis of 90 actions and management proposals developed in Andalusia (southern Spain) in 2004 to 2018. Actions included 59 terrestrial and aquatic taxa. We identified items that in case of deficiency were responsible for either the rejection of action proposals (n = 44) or failure of implemented actions for which the goal was not achieved (n = 22). The most frequent deficiencies included the absence of funding during the necessary time to achieve the goals, the risk of reinvasion and an insufficient removal rate to achieve the specific objective. Based on the deficiencies found, we built a comprehensive, broadscope compliance checklist to assist decision-makers to identify deficiencies before action. In addition, implemented actions for which the goal was achieved (n = 24) were used for validating the checklist. The checklist contains 40 items related to IAS features, administrative features, methodology effectiveness, efficiency and impacts of the action, and invaded ecosystem features. The checklist is valid across all taxa and habitats. The use of this checklist will help reduce the degree of arbitrariness and subjectivity of actions aimed at managing IAS, and a more efficient use of resources.

The subtropical ocean gyres are recognized as great marine accummulation zones of floating plastic debris; however, the possibility of plastic accumulation at polar latitudes has been overlooked because of the lack of nearby pollution sources. In the present study, the Arctic Ocean was extensively sampled for floating plastic debris from the Tara Oceans circumpolar expedition. Although plastic debris was scarce or absent in most of the Arctic waters, it reached high concentrations (hundreds of thousands of pieces per square kilometer) in the northernmost and easternmost areas of the Greenland and Barents seas. The fragmentation and typology of the plastic suggested an abundant presence of aged debris that originated from distant sources. This hypothesis was corroborated by the relatively high ratios of marine surface plastic to local pollution sources. Surface circulation models and field data showed that the poleward branch of the Thermohaline Circulation transfers floating debris from the North Atlantic to the Greenland and Barents seas, which would be a dead end for this plastic conveyor belt. Given the limited surface transport of the plastic that accumulated here and the mechanisms acting for the downward transport, the seafloor beneath this Arctic sector is hypothesized as an important sink of plastic debris.