[Prevention measures to avoid COVID-19 spreading by: from the everyday to the technical-scientific actions.] / Medidas de prevención para evitar el contagio por la COVID-19: de lo cotidiano a lo técnico-científico.

BACKGROUND: In the attempt to reactivate the economy after several months of the pandemic generated by COVID-19, several South American countries have been forced to attenuate the restriction measures created to prevent contagion, leaving all the responsibility to citizens to safeguard their lives. Faced with this situation, the objective of the work was to promote good prevention practices against COVID-19 in the general population to avoid the collapse of the public health system. METHODS: An exploratory review on prevention measures against COVID-19 was carried out in the databases Elsevier, Pubmed, Wiley, Scopus, Scielo and, in general, in academic Google, to obtain gray information. RESULTS: The role of seven individual protection and prevention measures and barriers to stop the advance of community infections by COVID-19 were described and analyzed. Studies showed that the use of preventive measures can play a critical role in containing the pandemic. However, they can also provide a false security of protection, predisposing to neglect the correct use and handling of all containment measures. CONCLUSIONS: Given the drastic rise in infections and deaths from COVID-19 in Latin America, it becomes necessary to continue with biosecurity campaigns so that citizens are clear that prevention is an integrated process and that the use of one measure does not replace another.

OBJETIVO: En el intento de reactivar la economía tras varios meses de pandemia generada por COVID-19, varios países sudamericanos se han visto obligados a reducir las medidas de restricción creadas para evitar contagios, dejando toda la responsabilidad a la ciudadanía a salvaguardar sus vidas. Ante esta situación, el objetivo del trabajo fue promover buenas prácticas de prevención contra COVID-19 en la población general para evitar el colapso del sistema público de salud. METODOS: Se realizó una revisión exploratoria sobre medidas de prevención contra COVID-19 en las bases de datos Elsevier, Pubmed, Wiley, Scopus, Scielo y, en forma general, en Google académico para obtener información gris. RESULTADOS: Se describieron y analizaron el rol de siete medidas y barreras de protección y prevención individual para detener el avance de los contagios comunitarios por COVID-19. Los estudios mostraron que el uso de medidas de prevención puede desempeñar un papel fundamental en la contención la pandemia. No obstante, también pueden brindan una falsa seguridad de protección, predisponiendo a dejar de lado el uso y manejo correcto de todas las medidas de contención. CONCLUSIONES: Ante el ascenso drástico de los contagios y muerte por la COVID-19 en América Latina, se vuelve necesario continuar con las campañas de bioseguridad para que la ciudadanía tenga claro que la prevención es un proceso integrado y que el uso de una medida no reemplaza otra.

Rasgos morfológicos regenerativos en una comunidad de especies leñosas en un bosque seco tropical tumbesino / Regenerative morphological traits in a woody species community in Tumbesian tropical dry forest

ResumenEl estudio de rasgos morfológicos funcionales nos permite conocer muchos aspectos fundamentales de la dinámica de las comunidades vegetales en hábitats particulares y a nivel mundial, los rasgos morfológicos regenerativos cumplen un rol importante en la ecología e historia de las plantas por estar relacionados con la dispersión, germinación, colonización y establecimiento de las plántulas en determinados hábitas, sin embargo estos rasgos no han sido debidamente estudiados a nivel de toda una comunidad de especies leñosas en los bosques secos neotropicales. Los objetivos del presente estudio fueron; a) evaluar rasgos morfológicos funcionales en frutos, semillas y embriones de especies leñosas, b).- determinar que patrones morfológicos caracterizan a las semillas de la comunidad de especies leñosas y c) analizar la masa de la semillas con respecto a otros bosques tropicales. Entre el 2010 y 2014 se recolectaron en un bosque seco tumbesino ubicado al sur occidente del Ecuador frutos con semillas maduras de 79 especies pertenecientes a 42 árboles y 37 arbustos de 31 familias más representativas de los bosques secos tumbesinos. Se midió y describió un total de 18 rasgos morfológicos, 7 cuantitativos y 11 cualitativos en frutos, semillas y embriones. La descripción y análisis de los rasgos se realizaron en el Banco de Germoplasma de la UTPL. Los resultados mostraron gran heterogeneidad en los rasgos cuantitativos medidos, el tamaño de las semillas varió de 1.3 a 39 mm de largo x 0.6 a 25 mm de ancho, mientras que el promedio del largo de los embriones fue de 8.1 mm. El volumen, masa y número de semillas por fruto fueron los rasgos que presentaron mayor variabilidad. La mayoría de especies de bosque seco se caracterizaron por presentar frutos secos dispersados por animales, con semillas ovaladas sin areola, lisas y de testa dura. Encontramos solamente seis tipos de embriones en las semillas, el 40 % de las especies se caracterizó por presentar embriones invertidos bien desarrollados con cotiledones grandes y gruesos que ocupan todo el interior de la semillas y cumplen la función de almacenamiento de reservas nutritivas. En conclusión, existe gran variabilidad y heterogeneidad en los rasgos morfológicos de las semillas de especies leñosas del bosque seco, lo que les permitiría tener un amplio rango de mecanismos y comportamiento para soportar condiciones de estrés ambiental en zonas áridas. Las implicaciones ecológicas que podrían tener los rasgos que caraterizan a los frutos, semillas y embriones de la comunidad de especies leñosas posiblemente les permitan estar mejor preparadas para soportar los cambios climáticos globales pronosticados para los próximos años.

AbstractThe study of functional morphological traits enables us to know fundamental aspects of the dynamics of plant communities in local and global habitats. Regenerative morphological traits play an important role in defining plant history and ecological behavior. Seed and fruit characteristics determine to a large extent the patterns for dispersal, germination, establishment and seedling recruitment a given species exhibits on its natural habitat. Despite their prominent role, seed and fruit traits have been poorly studied at the community level of woody plant species in neo-tropical dry forests. In the present study we aimed at i) evaluate the functional role of morphological traits of seeds, fruits and embryo in woody plant species; ii) determine which are the morphological patterns present in seeds collected from the community of woody species that occur in neo-tropical dry forests; and iii) compare woody plant species seed mass values comparatively between neo-tropical dry and tropical forests. To do so, mature seeds were collected from 79 plant species that occur in the Tumbesian forest of Southwest Ecuador. The studied species included the 42 and 37 most representative tree and shrubbery species of the Tumbesian forest respectively. A total of 18 morphological traits (seven quantitative and 11 qualitative) were measured and evaluated in the seeds, fruits and embryos of the selected species, and we compared the seeds mass with other forest types. Our results showed a huge heterogeneity among traits values in the studied species. Seed mass, volume and number were the traits that vary the most at the community level, i.e. seed length ranged from 1.3 to 39 mm, and seed width from 0.6 to 25 mm. Only six embryo types were found among the 79 plant species. In 40 % of the cases, fully developed inverted embryos with large and thick cotyledons to store considerable amount of nutrients were recorded. We concluded that highly variable and functionally complementary morphological traits occur among the studied woody plants of the Tumbesian dry forest. The latter favors a plethora of behavioral mechanisms to coexist among woody species of the dry forest in response to the environmental stress that is typical of arid areas. Rev. Biol. Trop. 64 (2): 859-873. Epub 2016 June 01.

[Regenerative morphological traits in a woody species community in Tumbesian tropical dry forest]. / Rasgos morfológicos regenerativos en una comunidad de especies leñosas en un bosque seco tropical tumbesino.

The study of functional morphological traits enables us to know fundamental aspects of the dynamics of plant communities in local and global habitats. Regenerative morphological traits play an important role in defining plant history and ecological behavior. Seed and fruit characteristics determine to a large extent the patterns for dispersal, germination, establishment and seedling recruitment a given species exhibits on its natural habitat. Despite their prominent role, seed and fruit traits have been poorly studied at the community level of woody plant species in neo-tropical dry forests. In the present study we aimed at i) evaluate the functional role of morphological traits of seeds, fruits and embryo in woody plant species; ii) determine which are the morphological patterns present in seeds collected from the community of woody species that occur in neo-tropical dry forests; and iii) compare woody plant species seed mass values comparatively between neo-tropical dry and tropical forests. To do so, mature seeds were collected from 79 plant species that occur in the Tumbesian forest of Southwest Ecuador. The studied species included the 42 and 37 most representative tree and shrubbery species of the Tumbesian forest respectively. A total of 18 morphological traits (seven quantitative and 11 qualitative) were measured and evaluated in the seeds, fruits and embryos of the selected species, and we compared the seeds mass with other forest types. Our results showed a huge heterogeneity among traits values in the studied species. Seed mass, volume and number were the traits that vary the most at the community level, i.e. seed length ranged from 1.3 to 39 mm, and seed width from 0.6 to 25 mm. Only six embryo types were found among the 79 plant species. In 40 % of the cases, fully developed inverted embryos with large and thick cotyledons to store considerable amount of nutrients were recorded. We concluded that highly variable and functionally complementary morphological traits occur among the studied woody plants of the Tumbesian dry forest. The latter favors a plethora of behavioral mechanisms to coexist among woody species of the dry forest in response to the environmental stress that is typical of arid areas.