Person:
Arriero Higueras, Elena

First Name

Elena

Last Name

Arriero Higueras

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/74340

Affiliation

Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Faculty / Institute

Ciencias Biológicas

Department

Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución

Area

Zoología

Identifiers

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 15

Project number: 74/2014
Desarrollo de un glosario de términos biológicos en lengua de signos para alumnos de educación secundaria y universitaria.
(2015) Marquina Díaz, Domingo; Santos de la Sen, Antonio; Alonso Conde, Rafael Alejandro; Portillo Corcho, Alberto; Caballero Gómez, Ana; Arahuetes Portero, Rosa María; Pérez Gomáriz, Rosa; Carballo Cuervo, Serafín; Calvo de Pablo, Pilar; Garcia Moreno, Ana; Arriero Higueras, Elena; Gómez Miguel, Begoña; Pérez Urria Carril, Elena; Gomez Flechoso, Maria de los Angeles; Callejas Hervás, Carmen; Belda Aguilar, Ignacio
Este proyecto ha permitido crear un glosario de términos biológicos en lengua de signos española. Este glosario permitirá a los alumnos sordos de enseñanza media y superior tener una mayor accesibilidad a los términos específicos de las distintas disciplinas que constituyen las Ciencias Biológicas.
The locus of sexual selection: moving sexual selection studies into the post-genomics era
(Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 2015) Wilkinson, G. S.; Breden, F.; Mank, J.E.; Ritchies, M.G.; Higginson, A.D.; Radwan, J.; Jaquierie, J.; Salzburger, W.; Arriero Higueras, Elena; Barribeau, S. M.; Phillips, P. C.; Renn, S.C.P.; Rowe, L.
Sexual selection drives fundamental evolutionary processes such as trait elaboration and speciation. Despite this importance, there are surprisingly few examples of genes unequivocally responsible for variation in sexually selected phenotypes. This lack of information inhibits our ability to predict phenotypic change due to universal behaviours, such as fighting over mates and mate choice. Here, we discuss reasons for this apparent gap and provide recommendations for how it can be overcome by adopting contemporary genomic methods, exploiting underutilized taxa that may be ideal for detecting the effects of sexual selection and adopting appropriate experimental paradigms. Identifying genes that determine variation in sexually selected traits has the potential to improve theoretical models and reveal whether the genetic changes underlying phenotypic novelty utilize common or unique molecular mechanisms. Such a genomic approach to sexual selection will help answer questions in the evolution of sexually selected phenotypes that were first asked by Darwin and can furthermore serve as a model for the application of genomics in all areas of evolutionary biology.
Project number: 235
Programa piloto de uso del portafolio como herramienta docente en el Grado de Biología
(2020) Delgado Sáez, Juan Antonio; Jiménez Escobar, María Dolores; Pias Couso, María Beatriz; Herrero De Jáuregui, Cristina; Pérez Tris, Javier; Sánchez Jiménez, Abel; González Martín, Antonio; Saura Álvarez, María; Rodríguez Sousa, Antonio Alberto; Pardos Martínez, Fernando; Sánchez De Dios, Rut; Gutiérrez López, Mónica; Schmitz García, María Fe; Ramírez García, Álvaro; Vergara Carretero, Susana; Pulido Delgado, Francisco; Santos Martínez, Tomas; Acosta Gallo, Belén; Panetsos Petrova, Fivos; Arriero Higueras, Elena; Almodovar Pérez, Ana María; López De Pablo, Carlos Tomas; Alonso Campos, Germán; Miguel Garcinuño, José Manuel De; Gabriel Y Galán Moris, José María; Hernández Pazmiño, Nathalia
Memoria final del proyecto de Innovación educativa "Programa piloto de uso del portafolio como herramienta docente en el Grado de Biología"
Satellite tracking of red-listed nominate lesser black-backed gulls (Larus f. fuscus): Habitat specialisation in foraging movements raises novel conservation needs
(Global Ecology and Conservation, 2017) Juvaste, Risto; Arriero Higueras, Elena; Gagliardo, Anna; Holland, Richard; Huttunen, Markku J.; Mueller, Inge; Thorup, Kasper; Wikelski, Martin; Hannila, Juhani; Penttinen, Maija-Liisa; Wistbacka, Ralf
In contrast to many other gull species, nominate lesser black-backed gulls (Larus fuscus fuscus, nLBBG) have shown generally decreasing population trends throughout their breeding area in northern and eastern Fennoscandia over the past decades and are now red-listed. Interspecific competition, predation, increased disturbance, organochlorine poisoning and food shortages were suggested as main reasons for the overall decrease. Here we contribute to a better understanding of population declines by comparing foraging movements of satellite tracked adult gulls in three geographical areas of Finland (West, South, and East) that differ in their population trends. Our analysis examines potential differences and preferences in the feeding site behaviour of adult gulls. Our comparison of the three geographical areas showed that nLBBGs preferred feeding at fur farms in West Finland, waste dumps in South Finland, and lakes and fields in East Finland. We found individual gulls of this purportedly generalist species to be highly specialised in their foraging behaviour, particularly those that might be associated with their survival probabilities. We hypothesise that differences in foraging behaviour and food availability during the breeding season are partially responsible for differences in demographic trends between populations. Specifically, we identify potential local conservation problems such as shooting in birds visiting fur farms. Our data suggest that the effective conservation and management of endangered nLBBGs could be aided by simple actions in the breeding areas in addition to better protection throughout the annual movement cycle.
Flexibility of habitat use in novel environments: insights from a translocation experiment with lesser black-backed gulls
(Royal Society Open Science, 2017) Van Toor, Mariëlle L.; Arriero Higueras, Elena; Holland, Richard A.; Huttunen, Markku J.; Juvaste, Risto; Müller, Inge; Thorup, Kasper; Wikelski, Martin; Safi, Kamran
Being faced with unknown environments is a concomitant challenge of species' range expansions. Strategies to cope with this challenge include the adaptation to local conditions and a flexibility in resource exploitation. The gulls of the Larus argentatus-fuscus-cachinnans group form a system in which ecological flexibility might have enabled them to expand their range considerably, and to colonize urban environments. However, on a population level both flexibility and local adaptation lead to signatures of differential habitat use in different environments, and these processes are not easily distinguished. Using the lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus) as a system, we put both flexibility and local adaptation to a test. We compare habitat use between two spatially separated populations, and use a translocation experiment during which individuals were released into novel environment. The experiment revealed that on a population-level flexibility best explains the differences in habitat use between the two populations. We think that our results suggest that the range expansion and huge success of this species complex could be a result of its broad ecological niche and flexibility in the exploitation of resources. However, this also advises caution when using species distribution models to extrapolate habitat use across space.
True navigation in migrating gulls requires intact olfactory nerves
(Scientific reports, 2015) Wikelski, Martin; Arriero Higueras, Elena; Gagliardo, Anna; Holland, Richard A.; Huttunen, Markku J.; Juvaste, Risto; Mueller, Inge; Tertitski, Grigori; Thorup, Kasper; Wild, Martin; Alanko, Markku; Bairlein, Franz; Cherenkov, Alexander; Cameron, Alison; Flatz, Reinhard; Hannila, Juhani; Hüppop, Ommo; Kangasniemi, Markku; Kranstauber, Bart; Penttinen, Maija-Liisa; Safi, Kamran; Semashko, Vladimir; Schmid, Heidi; Wistbacka, Ralf
During migratory journeys, birds may become displaced from their normal migratory route. Experimental evidence has shown that adult birds can correct for such displacements and return to their goal. However, the nature of the cues used by migratory birds to perform long distance navigation is still debated. In this experiment we subjected adult lesser black-backed gulls migrating from their Finnish/Russian breeding grounds (from >60°N) to Africa (to sensory manipulation, to determine the sensory systems required for navigation. We translocated birds westward (1080 km) or eastward (885 km) to simulate natural navigational challenges. When translocated westwards and outside their migratory corridor birds with olfactory nerve section kept a clear directional preference (southerly) but were unable to compensate for the displacement, while intact birds and gulls with the ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal nerve sectioned oriented towards their population-specific migratory corridor. Thus, air-borne olfactory information seems to be important for migrating gulls to navigate successfully in some circumstances.
Project number: 55
Las mentorías como una herramienta para la capacitación académica y profesional: enfoque y adaptación al grado en Biología
(2015) Gómez-Flechoso, María de los Angeles; Marquina Díaz, Domingo; Arriero Higueras, Elena
Trade‑off between tolerance and resistance to infections: an experimental approach with malaria parasites in a passerine bird
(Oecologia, 2018) Arriero Higueras, Elena; Pérez Tris, Javier; Ramírez García, Álvaro; Remacha Sebastián, Carolina
Avian malaria parasites are known to have negative effects on their hosts, including consequences for reproductive success and survival. However, the outcome of disease may vary greatly among individuals, due to their particular genetic background, their past history of exposure to infections, or the way they respond to infections at the physiological level. We experimentally reduced parasitemia in naturally infected birds to examine individual-level variation in physiological parameters involved in anti-parasite defense, focusing specifically on disease resistance and tolerance. As a measure of disease resistance, we used circulating levels of IgY, and as a measure of disease tolerance, we estimated haptoglobin concentrations. Our results show individual consistency in the physiological parameters studied during the experiment, that was statistically significant for body condition, and marginally significant for IgY levels, and a trade-off between physiological mechanisms involved in resistance and tolerance that seem to be mediated by parasitemia. The medication experiment with primaquine was successful in reducing parasite intensity, but was not sufficient to clear the infection, and there was a generalized improvement in body condition in all birds maintained in captivity during the experiment. We suggest that the observed changes in the association between resistance and tolerance estimates may be due to the decrease in parasitemia attained through medication, to the improved nutritional status observed during the experiment or to the combined effect of both. Our study adds to the understanding of how wild animals cope with the diseases they are exposed to in their natural environment, and ultimately the consequences of parasitism at the individual level.
Galápagos mockingbirds tolerate introduced parasites that affect Darwin’s finches
(Ecology, 2016) Knutie, Sarah A.; Owen, Jeb P.; McNew, Sabrina M.; Bartlow, Andrew W.; Arriero Higueras, Elena; Herman, Jordan M.; DiBlasi, Emily; Thompson, Michael; Koop, Jennifer A. H.; Clayton, Dale H.
Introduced parasites threaten native host species that lack effective defenses. Such parasites increase the risk of extinction, particularly in small host populations like those on islands. If some host species are tolerant to introduced parasites, this could amplify the risk of the parasite to vulnerable host species. Recently, the introduced parasitic nest fly Philornis downsi has been implicated in the decline of Darwin’s finch populations in the Galápagos Islands. In some years, 100% of finch nests fail due to P. downsi; however, other common host species nesting near Darwin’s finches, such as the endemic Galápagos mockingbird (Mimus parvulus), appear to be less affected by P. downsi. We compared effects of P. downsi on mockingbirds and medium ground finches (Geospiza fortis) on Santa Cruz Island in the Galápagos. We experimentally manipulated the abundance of P. downsi in nests of mockingbirds and finches to measure the direct effect of the parasite on the reproductive success of each species of host. We also compared immunological and behavioral responses by each species of host to the fly. Although nests of the two host species had similar parasite densities, flies decreased the fitness of finches but not mockingbirds. Neither host species had a significant antibody-mediated immune response to P. downsi. Moreover, finches showed no significant increase in begging, parental provisioning, or plasma glucose levels in response to the flies. In contrast, parasitized mockingbird nestlings begged more than nonparasitized mockingbird nestlings. Greater begging was correlated with increased parental provisioning behavior, which appeared to compensate for parasite damage. The results of our study suggest that finches are negatively affected by P. downsi because they do not have such behavioral mechanisms for energy compensation. In contrast, mockingbirds are capable of compensation, making them tolerant hosts, and a possible indirect threat to Darwin’s finches.
Early exposure to Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis causes profound immunosuppression in amphibians
(European Journal of Wildlife Research, 2017) Fernández-Loras, Andrés; Fernández-Beaskoetxea, Saioa; Arriero Higueras, Elena; Fisher, Matthew C.; Bosch López, Jaime Alfonso
Fungal pathogens have evolved a broad suite of strategies aiming at evading the host immune response. Amphibians are globally infected by the panzootic chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) and, while robust innate immune defences have been characterised, there is little evidence for the existence of effective adaptive immunity. We determine the immune response of the common midwife toad following challenge by Bd as larvae. Immune function was described for both the cell-mediated and antibody-mediated immune responses following infectious challenge as larval amphibians. While there were no significant differences in the ratio of neutrophils/lymphocytes between infected and uninfected individuals, early exposure of tadpoles to Bd significantly dampened the levels of circulating immunoglobulins (IgM and IgY) in the serum of juveniles after metamorphosis. Our results show that Bd immunosuppresses amphibians when infection occurs as larvae with potentially broad effects on the remodelling of immunity during metamorphosis.