Macroplastic pollution in riparian corridors of urban and pristine mountain streams in Patagonia (Argentina).

Plastic pollution has garnered much more attention in marine environments, while scientific research on freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems has been relatively overlooked. Numerous studies worldwide have highlighted the presence of macroplastics (>2.5 cm) in mountain riverine environments, revealing that even these seemingly pristine ecosystems are not invulnerable to plastic contamination.

HNF4A and HNF1A exhibit tissue specific target gene regulation in pancreatic beta cells and hepatocytes.

HNF4A and HNF1A encode transcription factors that are important for the development and function of the pancreas and liver. Mutations in both genes have been directly linked to Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young (MODY) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk. To better define the pleiotropic gene regulatory roles of HNF4A and HNF1A, we generated a comprehensive genome-wide map of their binding targets in pancreatic and hepatic cells using ChIP-Seq.

Impact of treated effluent discharges on fish communities: Evaluating the effects of pollution on fish distribution, abundance and environmental integrity.

Domestic effluent discharges change water quality and habitat conditions in urban watersheds, though less known about how these impact fish communities. This work assessed the impact of chronic wastewater pollution on biotic and abiotic factors in six urban streams in Patagonia. Stream hydrological features, water quality conditions and fish communities were analyzed during a one-year period.

The role of temperature in shaping mosquitoes life history traits in its southern limit of distribution (Patagonia-Argentina).

There is substantial evidence showing that temperature have a great impact on insects behavior, phenology and life histories. Because of mosquito global importance as disease vectors, in temperate regions where climatic conditions could be only borderline suitable for mosquito development, there is a growing interest in understanding the effect of temperature shifts on vital statistics to more accurately define how such changes could impact distribution and abundance patterns, as well as disease transmission cycles. We determined the role of ambient temperature under fluctuating conditions in shaping (Diptera: Culicidae) life history traits, and estimated its development threshold and physiological time, in its southern limit of distribution in the Argentine Patagonia region.