Testing species boundaries in Pardosa sierra (Araneae: Lycosidae) using female morphology and COI mtDNA

MIGUEL MAURICIO CORREA RAMIREZ MARIA LUISA JIMENEZ JIMENEZ FRANCISCO JAVIER GARCIA DE LEON (2010)

"The wolf spider Pardosa sierra was described and illustrated by Banks in 1898 based on specimens from the Sierra de la Laguna, Baja California Sur. Later, two morphologically similar species, P. atromedia Banks 1904 from Claremont, California, and P. sura Chamberlin & Ivie 1941, also from California, were described. However, the latter two species were subsequently synonymized with P. sierra, due to similarities in male genitalia. In this study we test the species limits within this group. We suggest that the details of the epigynum are different enough among the genitalic morphs studied to consider them different species as originally designated. We conducted a morphological and genetic-distance analysis of a fragment of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene sequences of some species of lapidicina group, as well as some sequences of Pardosa astrigera L. Koch 1878 from the GenBank database. Genetic analysis revealed greater genetic distances (GD) among haplotypes of P. sierra, P. atromedia, and P. sura (GD 5 0.053–0.069) than with other species of the lapidicina group. Moreover, P. sierra was closest to P. sura (GD 5 0.053), P. sura was closest to P. vadosa Barnes 1959 (GD 5 0.040), and P. atromedia was closest to P. steva Barnes 1959 (GD 5 0.052). Overall, morphological and genetic differences, and disjoint distributions, suggest that the synonymy of P. sierra, P. atromedia, and P. sura was in error, and that these ‘‘morphs’’ do indeed represent different species."

Article

Pardosa sierra, female morphology BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA CIENCIAS DE LA VIDA BIOLOGÍA ANIMAL (ZOOLOGÍA) TAXONOMÍA ANIMAL TAXONOMÍA ANIMAL

Introgressive hybridization in a trophically polymorphic cichlid

C. Darrin Hulsey FRANCISCO JAVIER GARCIA DE LEON (2013)

"Trophically polymorphic species could represent lineages that are rapidly diverging along an ecological axis or could phenotypically mark the collapse of species through introgressive hybridization. We investigated patterns of intro- gression between the trophically polymorphic cichlid fish Herichthys minckleyi and its relative H. cyanoguttatus using a combination of population genetics and species tree analyses. We first examined the distribution of mitocondrial haplotypes within the alternative H. minckleyi pharyngeal jaw morphotypes that are endemic to the small desert valley of Cuatro Cienegas. We recovered two clusters of mitochondrial haplotypes. The first contained a number of slightly differentiated cytochrome b (cytb) haplotypes that showed some phylogeo-graphic signal and were present in both jaw morphotypes. The other haplotype was monomorphic, highly differentiated from the other cluster, present in equal frequencies in the morphotypes, and identical to H. cyanoguttatus haplotypes found outside Cuatro Cienegas. Then, we investigated whether H. minckleyi individuals with the H. cyanoguttatus cytb were more evolutionarily similar to H. cyanoguttatus or other H. minckleyi using a species tree analysis of 84 nuclear loci. Both H. minckleyi pharyngeal morphotypes, regardless of their cytb haplotype, were quite distinct from H. cyanoguttatus. However, hybridization could be blurring subdivision within H. minckleyi as the alternative jaw mor-photypes were not genetically distinct from one another. Accounting for introgression from H. cyanoguttatus will be essential to understand the evolution of the trophically polymorphic cichlid H. minckleyi."

Article

Gene flow, Mexico, pharyngeal jaw, trophic adaptation BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA CIENCIAS DE LA VIDA BIOLOGÍA ANIMAL (ZOOLOGÍA) GENÉTICA ANIMAL GENÉTICA ANIMAL

Spatial mosaic evolution of snail defensive traits

C. Darrin Hulsey FRANCISCO JAVIER GARCIA DE LEON (2007)

"Recent models suggest that escalating reciprocal selection among antagonistically interacting species is predicted to occur in areas of higher resource productivity. In a putatively coevolved interaction between a freshwater snail (Mexipyrgus churinceanus) and a molluscivorous cichlid (Herichthys minckleyi), we examined three components of this interaction: 1) spatial variation in two putative defensive traits, crushing resistance and shell pigmentation; 2) whether abiotic variables or frequency of molariform cichlids are associated with spatial patterns of crushing resistance and shell pigmentation and 3) whether variation in primary productivity accounted for small-scale variation in these defensive traits."

Article

freshwater snail, genetic, geographic divergence BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA CIENCIAS DE LA VIDA BIOLOGÍA ANIMAL (ZOOLOGÍA) GENÉTICA ANIMAL GENÉTICA ANIMAL

Abundancia y adaptación al hábitat de la liebre negra (Lepus insularis) en el Complejo Insular Espíritu Santo, Golfo de California, México

María José Morán Gutiérrez (2023)

"La liebre negra (Lepus insularis) es un lagomorfo endémico al Complejo Insular Espíritu Santo, en el Área de Protección de Flora y Fauna “Islas del Golfo de California”. Se encuentra bajo protección especial por la legislación mexicana (NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010) y como “vulnerable” por la Unión Internacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza. La información ecológica sobre la liebre negra es escasa y se desconoce su estatus población actual. Además, en 2021 se detectó la presencia del virus causante de la Enfermedad Hemorrágica Viral de los Conejos Tipo 2 en la población. En respuesta a este potencial escenario de vulnerabilidad, decidimos crear una línea base de conocimiento sobre la ecología de la liebre negra, a través del análisis de su abundancia espaciotemporal y de uso del hábitat. La abundancia relativa de la liebre negra se estimó a partir del conteo de grupos fecales frescos y rascaderos mensualmente durante un año en 8 senderos de 500 m × 2 m, y se colocaron 30 cámaras-trampa en 6 de los transectos para monitorear el horario de actividad de la liebre. Asimismo, se establecieron 20 senderos de 500 m × 2 m divididos en 10 tramos de 50 m para evaluar la influencia de las variables del hábitat sobre la abundancia de la liebre negra. En cada tramo se delimitó una parcela circular de 314.2 m2 en la que se midieron 7 variables ambientales y topográficas, y se utilizaron estos factores para modelar la abundancia. Finalmente, se construyó un modelo de idoneidad de hábitat para L. insularis. En 2021 los valores más altos de abundancia se registraron durante los meses de abril y mayo, y se encontró que es dependiente de la estacionalidad climática y el tipo de microhábitat. Además, se comprobó que L. insularis es un animal de hábitos crepusculares y nocturnos, que prefiere las zonas compuestas por suelos arenosos y/o pedregosos con abundante cobertura arbórea. Por el contrario, la liebre negra evita los terrenos inclinados y con presencia de competidores."

"The black-jackrabbit (Lepus insularis) is an endemic lagomorph only present in the Espíritu Santo Archipelago, Gulf of California, protected by the Mexican law, and categorized as vulnerable by the IUCN. Ecological knowledge about this species is scarce and even its population status is poorly known. Additionally, in 2021 the Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus type II was detected in some dead individuals. In response to this potential vulnerability scenario, we generated a baseline study of its current habitat use and spatial-temporal abundance. We delimitated a grid composed by cells of 2.5 km × 2.5 km along the archipelago and then we selected 20 cells by random sampling, where we established a total of twenty 500-m-long transects divided in ten 50-m-long sampling points. We considered the number of fresh fecal pellets as an indicator of black-jackrabbit abundance. To reach our first objective, monthly counted fresh fecal pellets in eight 500 m-long transects for a year, and estimated relative abundance monthly, per season and per habitat. To determinate the habitat use, we installed 30 camera traps throughout different areas of xeric scrubland to register the activity pattern. Then, we measured 8 topographical and ecological variables (fecal abundance, bare ground, coverage by vegetation height, altitude, slope, soil type, competitors' presence, food availability) in 200 plots of 314.2 m2 allocated in 20 transects and analyzed the relationship between species abundance and habitat variables with a GLM. Finally, we constructed an habitat suitability model using a minimum volume ellipsoid (MVE). Our results suggest that in 2021 the black-jackrabbit was more abundant during the dry season, especially in the months of April and May and its abundance is related to the seasonality and habitat type. We also found the daily activity pattern of L. insularis peaks during the twilight, and the preferred areas are zones with sandy or rocky soils with abundant tree cover."

Master thesis

excretas, idoneidad de hábitat, lepórido, mamíferos, patrón de actividad activity patterns, feces, leporid, mammals, suitability model BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA CIENCIAS DE LA VIDA BIOLOGÍA ANIMAL (ZOOLOGÍA) ECOLOGÍA ANIMAL ECOLOGÍA ANIMAL

EXPRESIÓN DE HEMO OXIGENASA Y CITOCINAS PROINFLAMATORIAS (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6) EN LEUCOCITOS DE Tursiops truncatus Y Homo sapiens EN RESPUESTA A RETOS PROINFLAMATORIOS

CARLOS ARMANDO REYES RAMOS (2023)

"Los cetáceos son un grupo de especies que cuenta con adaptaciones y respuestas fisiológicas a la vida acuática, así como con un robusto sistema de defensa antioxidante que les permite mitigar el daño ocasionado por los ciclos de isquemia/reperfusión asociados con el buceo. Existe una mayor comprensión de las cascadas de señalización que caracterizan la inflamación isquémica en humanos que en cetáceos y, por lo tanto, los mecanismos moleculares y bioquímicos asociados a las adaptaciones fisiológicas de cetáceos para tolerar eventos inflamatorios no son comprendidos en su totalidad. La hemo oxigenasa (HO) es una proteína citoprotectora que participa en la respuesta antiinflamatoria. La HO cataliza el primer paso en la degradación oxidativa del grupo hemo. La isoforma inducible HO-1 es regulada por varios estímulos, incluyendo hipoxia, estrés oxidativo y mediadores inflamatorios. El objetivo de este estudio fue caracterizar la HO-1 del tursión (Tursiops truncatus) in silico y comparar su estructura con la de mamíferos terrestres, así como evaluar la respuesta de HO-1 y citocinas proinflamatorias (IL-1β, IL-6 y TNF-α) en respuesta a retos proinflamatorios en leucocitos de tursiones en comparación con leucocitos de humanos. La secuencia ‘upstream’ de HO-1 fue obtenida de las bases de datos NCBI y Ensemble, y la estructura del gen fue determinada con herramientas bioinformáticas. Se identificaron cinco exones y cuatro intrones, y en la región ‘upstream’ se detectaron elementos reguladores proximales. La ‘huella digital’ de HO-1 y la His-25 se encontraron altamente conservadas en las especies analizadas. El alineamiento de secuencias aminoacídicas y la evidencia de selección negativa sugieren que HO-1 es una proteína conservada; sin embargo, se encontraron aminoácidos con rotación diferente en el sitio activo de la molécula del tursión. En leucocitos aislados de humanos y tursiones se determinó experimentalmente el efecto del lipopolisacárido (LPS) en la expresión de los genes IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, HMOX1 y GAPDH, los niveles de IL-1β, IL-6, y TNF-α, así como la actividad enzimática de la HO. En los leucocitos de humano se encontró una respuesta clásica proinflamatoria, mientras que en leucocitos del tursión la respuesta fue atenuada. Se observó un aumento significativo de la actividad de HO (p<0.05) en leucocitos de tursiones expuestos a LPS..."

"Cetaceans are a group of species that have adaptations and physiological responses to aquatic life, as well as a robust antioxidant defense system that allows them to mitigate the damage caused by ischemia/reperfusion cycles associated with diving. There is a greater understanding of the signaling cascades that characterize ischemic inflammation in humans than in cetaceans, and, in turn, the molecular and biochemical mechanisms associated with the physiological adaptations of cetaceans to tolerate inflammatory events are not fully understood. Heme oxygenase (HO) is a cytoprotective protein and is involved in the anti-inflammatory response. HO catalyzes the first step in the oxidative degradation of the heme group. The inducible isoform HO-1 is regulated by several stimuli, including hypoxia, oxidative stress, and inflammatory mediators. The objective of this study was to characterize the HO-1 of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in silico and compare its structure with that of terrestrial mammals, as well as to evaluate the response of HO-1 and proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α) in response to proinflammatory challenges in leukocytes of bottlenose dolphins compared to leukocytes of humans. The upstream sequence of HO-1 was obtained from the NCBI and Ensemble databases, and the structure of the gene was determined with bioinformatics tools. Five exons and four introns were identified, and proximal regulatory elements were detected in the upstream region. The 'fingerprint' of HO-1 and His-25 was found to be highly conserved in the species analyzed. Amino acid sequence alignment and evidence of negative selection suggest that HO-1 is a conserved protein. However, amino acids with different rotation were found at the active site of the bottlenose dolphin molecule. In leukocytes isolated from humans and bottlenose dolphins, the effect of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on the expression of the IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, HMOX1 and GAPDH genes, the levels of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α, as well as the enzymatic activity of HO, was experimentally determined. In human leukocytes a classic proinflammatory response was found, while in leukocytes of bottlenose dolphins the response was attenuated. A significant increase in HO activity (p<0.05) was observed in leukocytes from bottlenose dolphins exposed to LPS..."

Doctoral thesis

inflamación, mamíferos marinos, isquemia, buceo, una salud nflammation, marine mammals, ischemia, diving, one health BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA CIENCIAS DE LA VIDA BIOLOGÍA ANIMAL (ZOOLOGÍA) FISIOLOGÍA ANIMAL FISIOLOGÍA ANIMAL

Isolation and characterization of eight polymorphic microsatellite markers from pink conch (Strombus gigas)

ROBERTO ZAMORA BUSTILLOS ROSSANA DEL PILAR RODRIGUEZ CANUL FRANCISCO JAVIER GARCIA DE LEON (2007)

"Many marine organisms have pelagic larvae, and these are often important agents of dispersal. The larval phase and the multiple paternity that occur in marine gastropods such as Strombus gigas are crucial for the success of this species throughout the Caribbean Sea. To analyse these factors, we developed eight microsatellite loci specific to S. gigas. On the same set of individuals, the microsatellite loci exhibited a greater level of polymorphism than previously studied allozyme markers and thus, will permit fine-scale analysis and larval pool studies."

Article

heterozygosity, microsatellite, PCR, Strombus gigas BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA CIENCIAS DE LA VIDA BIOLOGÍA ANIMAL (ZOOLOGÍA) GENÉTICA ANIMAL GENÉTICA ANIMAL

Modelling potential distribution of the endemic ringtail (Bassariscus astutus saxicola) on an island of the Gulf of California

GUSTAVO ALBERTO ARNAUD FRANCO SARAHI SANDOVAL ESPINOZA Jonathan Gabriel Escobar Flores RIGEL EDUARDO SANSORES SANCHEZ (2021)

"Objetivo: Analizar la topografía de la isla mediante modelos digitales de elevación (DEM) con a 30 m de resolución espacial y generar el primer modelo de distribución potencial para un carnívoro endémico de las islas del Golfo de California.

Diseño / Metodología / Enfoque: En este estudio se empleó el software Maxent para encontrar la distribución potencial del babisuri en la Isla Espíritu Santo. Los muestreos se realizaron en 2015–2016, los babisuris se muestrearon en ocho bahías en el oeste de la isla. Se capturaron un total de 74 individuos, con nueve recapturas.

Resultados: Las variables con mayores aportes a los modelos fueron elevación, aportando 71.6%; índice de carga de calor el 15% y la rugosidad del 11.8%. El modelo predice> 0.5 probabilidades de presencia de este carnívoro en 3.018 hectáreas de la isla. Obtuvimos un valor alto de AUC (0.928), lo que indica que el modelo es exacto, y posteriormente lo confirmamos con un valor de pAUC = 1,917.

Limitaciones / Implicaciones del estudio: El hábitat del babisuri (Bassariscus astutus saxicola) era poco conocido principalmente porque es una especie endémica. Y no existe un artículo publicado que muestre su distribución dentro de la isla.

Conclusiones: Este modelo muestra que las variables topográficas son útiles para explicar la distribución potencial del babisuri, principalmente porque la topografía está relacionada con sitios que pueden ofrecer refugio termal, abundancia de alimento y rutas de escape de depredadores, entre otras características."

Article

carnívoro endémico, GIS, modelo de distribución, topografía BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA CIENCIAS DE LA VIDA BIOLOGÍA ANIMAL (ZOOLOGÍA) ECOLOGÍA ANIMAL ECOLOGÍA ANIMAL

EVOLUTION AND DIVERSITY OF TROUT SPECIES IN THE SIERRA MADRE OCCIDENTAL OF MEXICO

HECTOR SALVADOR ESPINOSA PEREZ GORGONIO RUIZ CAMPOS FRANCISCO JAVIER GARCIA DE LEON (2010)

"The trout species of Mexico‘s Sierra Madre Occidental (SMO) range have been essentially ignored in science except for the efforts of Needham and Gard (1959) in the mid-20th century. Even after their work documenting the existence of the Mexican Golden Trout Oncorhynchus chrysogaster no focused efforts to study the diversity in the SMO south of the USA were initiated until 1997. Sampling in the Sierra Madre Occidental is extremely difficult, but our efforts since that year have revealed that all of Mexico‘s SMO trout are native (except for hatchery-reared) to the Río Yaqui system southward to the Río Acaponeta, and in the Río Conchos drainage. Morphological and genetic studies of the populations from these rivers support the hypothesis of multiple divergent lineages that we argue are distinct evolutionary species. Conservation and protection of these lineages are critical and should constitute a coordinated effort involving governmental agencies, private organizations, nonprofit groups, and individuals. More inventory work is warranted to better understand the distributions of the native trout and efforts should be made to eliminate the introduction of ―hatchery rainbow trout‖ Oncorhynchus mykiss into grow-out facilities in these mountains, instead replaced with propagation efforts on the different native species within their respective drainages. The diversity of wildlife and natural features across the SMO could, with proper planning and maintenance, serve as a fundamental, environmentally sound, sustainable resource for the region via ecotourism."

Book part

trout species of Mexico, Sierra Madre Occidental BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA CIENCIAS DE LA VIDA BIOLOGÍA ANIMAL (ZOOLOGÍA) ECOLOGÍA ANIMAL ECOLOGÍA ANIMAL

Isotopic composition of the eastern gray whale epidermis indicates contribution of prey outside Arctic feeding grounds

MICHELLE GELIPPI Javier Caraveo Patiño MARCO FRIEDRICH WALTER GAUGER Brian Popp MARIA DEL ROCIO MARCIN MEDINA (2022)

"Eastern gray whales’ distribution range and plasticity in feeding behavior complicates the understanding of critical life-history such as pregnancy and lactation. Our goal was to determine if females who experienced gestation, gave birth, and lactated their calves, assimilated a high proportion of benthic amphipods from the Bering Sea, which are considered the species’ main prey. We used Bayesian stable isotope mixing models to estimate the probability of contribution of food items sampled along the species’ distributional range, using isotopic data on amphipods from the Bering Sea, mysids from Vancouver Island, and amphipods and polychaetes from Ojo de Liebre Lagoon. We sampled epidermal tissue from lactating females (n = 25) and calves (n = 34) and analyzed their carbon and nitrogen isotopic composition. Model outcome indicated that benthic amphipods from the Bering Sea were not the primary food for the eastern gray whale. Each mother performed a different feeding strategy, and prey from Vancouver Island were generally as important as that from the Bering Sea. Moreover, model results indicate a constant use of Ojo de Liebre Lagoon as a feeding ground. Our results appear to agree with previous studies that report continuous feeding by females to satisfy certain physiological requirements (e.g., fatty acids omega-6) during migration and breeding time. Future investigations of the isotopic composition of all those prey items that could be assimilated by the eastern gray whale emerge as critical. Both historical and recent information, that would provide insights in the species feeding ecology under past and present environmental conditions, should be considered as equally important to establish conservation and management plans."

Article

gray whale, distribution range, feeding behavior BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA CIENCIAS DE LA VIDA BIOLOGÍA ANIMAL (ZOOLOGÍA) COMPORTAMIENTO ANIMAL COMPORTAMIENTO ANIMAL

Population trends of seabirds in Mexican Islands at the California Current System

Federico Alfonso Méndez Sánchez YULIANA ROCIO BEDOLLA GUZMÁN EVARISTO MANUEL ROJAS MAYORAL ALFONSO AGUIRRE MUÑOZ Fernando I. Alvarez-Santana GUSTAVO ALBERTO ARNAUD FRANCO Luis Felipe Beltrán Morales ESMERALDA BRAVO HERNANDEZ Aradit Castellanos Vera María Félix-Lizárraga ANELY FERNANDEZ ROBLEDO JULIO CESAR HERNANDEZ MONTOYA Eduardo Inigo Elias Alfredo Ortega Rubio (2022)

"

The Baja California Pacific Islands (BCPI) is a seabird hotspot in the southern California Current System supporting 129 seabird breeding populations of 23 species and over one million birds annually. These islands had a history of environmental degradation because of invasive alien species, human disturbance, and contaminants that caused the extirpation of 27 seabird populations. Most of the invasive mammals have been eradicated and colonies have been restored with social attraction techniques. We have recorded the number of breeding pairs annually for most of the colonies since 2008. To assess population trends, we analyzed these data and show results for 19 seabird species on ten island groups. The maximum number of breeding pairs for each nesting season was used to estimate the population growth rate (λ) for each species at every island colony. We performed a moving block bootstrap analysis to assess whether seabird breeding populations are increasing or decreasing. San Benito, Natividad, and San Jerónimo are the top three islands in terms of abundance of breeding pairs. The most widespread species is Cassin’s Auklet (Ptychoramphus aleuticus) with 14 colonies. Thirty-one populations of 14 species are significantly increasing while eleven populations of seven species are decreasing. We did not find statistical significance for 19 populations, however, 15 have λ>1 which suggest they are growing. Twelve of the 18 species for which we estimated a regional population trend are significantly increasing, including seven surface-nesting species: Brandt’s Cormorant (Phalacrocorax penicillatus), Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis), Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia), Double-crested Cormorant (P. auritus), Elegant Tern (Thalasseus elegans), Laysan Albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis) and Western Gull (Larus occidentalis), and five burrow-nesting species: Ainley’s (Hydrobates cheimomnestes), Ashy (H. homochroa) and Townsend’s (H. socorroensis) Storm-Petrels, and Craveri’s (Synthliboramphus craveri) and Guadalupe (S. hypoleucus) Murrelets. The BCPI support between 400,000 and 1.4 million breeding individuals annually. Our results suggest that these islands support healthy and growing populations of seabirds that have shown to be resilient to extreme environmental conditions such as the “Blob”, and that such resilience has been strengthen from conservation and restoration actions such as the eradication of invasive mammals, social attraction techniques..."

Article

SEABIRDS, MEXICAN ISLANDS BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA CIENCIAS DE LA VIDA BIOLOGÍA ANIMAL (ZOOLOGÍA) ECOLOGÍA ANIMAL ECOLOGÍA ANIMAL