Pires DF, Pires AM, Collares‐Pereira MJ, Magalhães MF. Variation in fish assemblages across dry‐season pools in a Mediterranean stream: effects of pool morphology, physicochemical factors and spatial context. Ecology of Freshwater Fish 2010: 19: 74–86. © 2009 John Wiley & Sons A/S Abstract –  Knowledge of patterns of refuge use by fish is critical for maintaining biodiversity in drought‐prone streams. In this study, the fish assemblages of 21 dry‐season pools in a Mediterranean stream were characterised and related to three sets of factors reflecting pool morphology, physicochemistry and spatial context. Fish were associated with the three sets of variables, with variation partitioning indicating that overall species richness and abundance were primarily related to pool morphology but relative species abundances were mainly associated with physicochemical contexts. In general, species richness was the highest but overall fish abundance was the lowest in large pools. Pools well shaded by riparian canopy held the highest richness and abundance of native fish, but relative species abundances and assembly structure varied among pools contingent on canopy cover, substrate composition and spatial location. These results suggested that conservation of fish diversity in Mediterranean streams requires networks of pools with diverse sizes and physicochemical contexts.

Movement may critically influence population persistence in the face of disturbance. However, data on individual movements into and out of refugia in response to disturbance remain limited, leading to an incomplete understanding of the ecological significance of mobility. Using individually marked chubs Squalius torgalensis in a seasonally drying Mediterranean stream, we quantified the rate, direction and magnitude of movements out of dry season pools, and of movements displayed across the stream over the period of hydrological connection. Recapture rate was lower in individuals marked in dry season pools (3.3%; n = 894) than in individuals marked during hydrological connection (13.0%; n = 522). Nearly half the recaptures (46.7%; n = 30) of chubs marked in dry season pools corresponded to movements that were generally longer than 100 m, overpassing the average distance among isolated pools. The frequency and distances travelled out of dry season pools were similar in upstream and downstream directions. Only 20.6% of recaptures of individuals marked during hydrological connection corresponded to movements, with more frequent and larger movements in the upstream direction. Body size was related to movement probability only for chubs marked during hydrological connection. Our results highlight considerable individual variability in movement and underscore the importance of understanding the consequences of this variation and how it may be maintained in fish populations facing increasing fragmentation and intermittency of riverscapes.

ARTICLE INFO ______________________________________________________________ ______________________Introduction: HPV infection is a highly prevalent sexually transmitted disease and there is evidence of the relationship of HPV infection and the development of genital warts, penile intraepitelial neoplasia, invasive penile carcinoma and cervical cancer. However, there is sparse data regarding the prevalence of HPV types and co-infection of different HPV types among men. Objectives: To assess the prevalence of HPV subtypes infections and rates of co-infection among men. Materials and Methods: 366 men were evaluated from March to October 2010. Men were referred to our institution for HPV diagnostic evaluation based on the following criteria: 1. presence of a genital wart; 2. presence of an atypical genital lesion; 3. absence of symptoms and a partner with a HPV diagnosis; 4. absence of symptoms and a desire to undergo a full STD diagnostic evaluation. Genital samples were collected from the urethra, penile shaft, scrotum and anus with Digene® collection and preservation kit and submitted to HPV genotype microarray detection (Papillocheck®). All men were tested for the low-risk HPV types 6-11-40-42-43-44 and for the high-risk HPV types 16-18-31-33-35-39-45-51-52-53-56-58-59-66-68-70-73-82. Results: Of the 366 men, 11 were tested inconclusive and were excluded from the analysis. 256 men (72.1% of the men from the cohort referred to our institution) tested positive with genotype micro-array detection and 99 tested negative. The most prevalent HPV-subtypes in the studied population were 6, 42, 51 and 16. Co-infection was found in 153 men. Of those, 70 (19.7%) had a co-infection by 2 types, 37 (10.4%) by 3 types; 33 men (9.2%) by 4 types; 8 men (2.2%) by 5 types; 1 man (0.3%) by 6 types; 1 man (0.3%) by 7 types; 2 men (0.6%) by 8 types and 1 man (0.3%) by 9 types. Conclusion: The most frequent HPV types were 6, 16, 42 and 51. Co-infection was found in 59% of our patients. This information is vital to drive future public health policies including massive public vaccination campaign.

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