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Background: We aimed to evaluate personality traits in patients with post-COVID syndrome, as well as the association with neuropsychiatric symptoms present in this disorder. Methods: The Big Five Structure Inventory was administered to 93 consecutive patients with a diagnosis of post-COVID syndrome as defined by the WHO and to demographically matched controls. We also performed a comprehensive evaluation of depression, anxiety, fatigue, sleep quality, cognitive function, and olfactory function. Results: Patients with post-COVID syndrome scored lower for emotional stability, equanimity, positive mood, and self-control. Extraversion, emotional stability, and openness correlated negatively with anxiety and depression levels. Conscientiousness correlated negatively with anxiety. No statistically significant correlations were observed between personality traits and cognitive function, sleep quality, olfactory function, or fatigue. Personality scores explained 36.3% and 41% of the variance in scores on the anxiety and depression scales, respectively. Two personality profiles with lower levels of emotional stability were associated with depression and anxiety. Conclusions: Our study shows higher levels of neuroticism in patients with post-COVID syndrome. Personality traits were predictive of the presence of depression and anxiety, but not cognitive function, sleep quality, or fatigue, in the context of post-COVID syndrome. These findings may have implications for the detection of patients at risk of depression and anxiety in post-COVID syndrome, and for the development of preventive and therapeutic interventions., Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)/FEDER, Comunidad de Madrid, Depto. de Medicina, Depto. de Psicobiología y Metodología en Ciencias del Comportamiento, Fac. de Medicina, Fac. de Psicología, TRUE, pub

The effects of climate change on oaks Quercus spp. constitute a main environmental concern for the conservation of temperate forests. In this context, we assessed the consequences of longer droughts on the interactions between the holm oak Quercus ilex L. and its main acorn pests. Infested acorns were prematurely abscised before reaching their potential size. The volume of the acorns attacked by Cydia fagiglandana (Lepidoptera) was smaller than those attacked by Curculio elephas (Coleoptera); however, their weight did not differ because Curculio larvae consumed more cotyledon. For the same reason, embryo survival likelihood was not lower in Cydia acorns despite their smaller size. Delays of late summer rain reduced infestation by Curculio, as soil hardness hampers adult emergence from their underground cells. By contrast, late and scarce precipitations benefited Cydia; rainfall might hamper adult flight and eggs/L1 larvae survival. There was not a “zero-sum” effect, because the decrease of Curculio infestation rates was not fully compensated by an increase of Cydia. Under the longer droughts projected for the Mediterranean Basin, our results predict lower infestation rates and higher acorn survival likelihood. However, further studies including other environmental factors are needed to better forecast the net consequences for holm oak fitness.

DNA barcoding identification needs a good characterization of intraspecific genetic divergence to establish the limits between species. Yet, the number of barcodes per species is many times low and geographically restricted. A poor coverage of the species distribution range may hamper identification, especially when undersampled areas host genetically distinct lineages. If so, the genetic distance between some query sequences and reference barcodes may exceed the maximum intraspecific threshold for unequivocal species assignation. Taking a group ofQuercusherbivores (moths) in Europe as model system, we found that the number of DNA barcodes from southern Europe is proportionally very low in the Barcoding of Life Data Systems. This geographical bias complicates the identification of southern query sequences, due to their high intraspecific genetic distance with respect to barcodes from higher latitudes. Pairwise intraspecific genetic divergence increased along with spatial distance, but was higher when at least one of the sampling sites was in southern Europe. Accordingly, GMYC (General Mixed Yule Coalescent) single-threshold model retrieved clusters constituted exclusively by Iberian haplotypes, some of which could correspond to cryptic species. The number of putative species retrieved was more reliable than that of multiple-threshold GMYC but very similar to results from ABGD and jMOTU. Our results support GMYC as a key resource for species delimitation within poorly inventoried biogeographic regions in Europe, where historical factors (e.g., glaciations) have promoted genetic diversity and singularity. Future European DNA barcoding initiatives should be preferentially performed along latitudinal gradients, with special focus on southern peninsulas.

DNA barcoding identification needs a good characterization of intraspecific genetic divergence to establish the limits between species. Yet, the number of barcodes per species is many times low and geographically restricted. A poor coverage of the species distribution range may hamper identification, especially when undersampled areas host genetically distinct lineages. If so, the genetic distance between some query sequences and reference barcodes may exceed the maximum intraspecific threshold for unequivocal species assignation. Taking a group of Quercus herbivores (moths) in Europe as model system, we found that the number of DNA barcodes from southern Europe is proportionally very low in the Barcoding of Life Data Systems. This geographical bias complicates the identification of southern query sequences, due to their high intraspecific genetic distance with respect to barcodes from higher latitudes. Pairwise intraspecific genetic divergence increased along with spatial distance, but was higher when at least one of the sampling sites was in southern Europe. Accordingly, GMYC (General Mixed Yule Coalescent) single‐threshold model retrieved clusters constituted exclusively by Iberian haplotypes, some of which could correspond to cryptic species. The number of putative species retrieved was more reliable than that of multiple‐threshold GMYC but very similar to results from ABGD and jMOTU. Our results support GMYC as a key resource for species delimitation within poorly inventoried biogeographic regions in Europe, where historical factors (e.g., glaciations) have promoted genetic diversity and singularity. Future European DNA barcoding initiatives should be preferentially performed along latitudinal gradients, with special focus on southern peninsulas.