Multiple approaches to understanding the taxonomic status of an enigmatic new scorpion species of the genus Tityus (Buthidae) from the biogeographic island of Paraje Tres Cerros (Argentina)

Andres Alejandro Ojanguren Affilastro (2017, [Artículo])

Tityus curupi n. sp., belonging to the bolivianus complex, is described from the biogeographically distinct area of Paraje Tres Cerros in north-eastern Argentina. We also present a molecular species delimitation analysis between Tityus curupi n. sp. and its sister species Tityus uruguayensis Borelli 1901 to confirm species integrity. Furthermore, a cytogenetic analysis is presented for these two species which contain different multivalent associations in meiosis, as a consequence of chromosome rearrangements, and the highest chromosome numbers in the genus. © 2017 Ojanguren-Affilastro et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Argentina, chromosome analysis, chromosome rearrangement, genus, human, meiosis, sister, species, anatomy and histology, animal, Argentina, chemistry, chromosome, classification, ecosystem, fluorescence in situ hybridization, genetics, geography, isl BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA CIENCIAS DE LA VIDA BIOLOGÍA DE INSECTOS (ENTOMOLOGÍA) BIOLOGÍA DE INSECTOS (ENTOMOLOGÍA)

Genetic analysis of Vibrio parahaemolyticus O3:K6 strains that have been isolated in Mexico since 1998

CARLOS ABRAHAM GUERRERO RUIZ (2017, [Artículo])

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is an important human pathogen that has been isolated worldwide from clinical cases, most of which have been associated with seafood consumption. Environmental and clinical toxigenic strains of V. parahaemolyticus that were isolated in Mexico from 1998 to 2012, including those from the only outbreak that has been reported in this country, were characterized genetically to assess the presence of the O3:K6 pandemic clone, and their genetic relationship to strains that are related to the pandemic clonal complex (CC3). Pathogenic tdh+ and tdh+/trh+ strains were analyzed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Also, the entire genome of a Mexican O3:K6 strain was sequenced. Most of the strains were tdh/ORF8-positive and corresponded to the O3:K6 serotype. By PFGE and MLST, there was very close genetic relationship between ORF8/O3:K6 strains, and very high genetic diversities from non-pandemic strains. The genetic relationship is very close among O3:K6 strains that were isolated in Mexico and sequences that were available for strains in the CC3, based on the PubMLST database. The whole-genome sequence of CICESE-170 strain had high similarity with that of the reference RIMD 2210633 strain, and harbored 7 pathogenicity islands, including the 4 that denote O3:K6 pandemic strains. These results indicate that pandemic strains that have been isolated in Mexico show very close genetic relationship among them and with those isolated worldwide. © 2017 Guerrero et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Article, bacterial strain, biofouling, controlled study, Crassostrea, food intake, gene sequence, genetic analysis, genetic variability, Japan, Mexican, Mexico, molecular phylogeny, nonhuman, pandemic, pathogenicity island, sea food, serotyping, toxi BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA CIENCIAS DE LA VIDA GENÉTICA GENÉTICA

INFLUENCIA DE CONDICIONES AMBIENTALES SOBRE LA DISTRIBUCIÓN, ABUNDANCIA Y DESARROLLO DE LARVAS DE Totoaba macdonaldi (Gilbert, 1890), EN EL ALTO GOLFO DE CALIFORNIA

Marcelo Vidal Curiel Bernal (2023, [Tesis de doctorado])

"La presente tesis aborda una investigación sobre la biología, ecología y crecimiento de la Totoaba macdonaldi en el alto golfo de California. La totoaba, una especie endémica a esta región se encuentra actualmente en peligro de extinción debido a una serie de amenazas como: cambios en su ecosistema reproductivo y de crianza, pesca, incidental de juveniles e ilegal de adultos. Aunque en los últimos 30 años la población dio signos de recuperación, existen indicios de que tanto la población adulta como las abundancias de larvas presentan una tendencia decreciente. Lo que resalta la importancia de estudiar cómo la variabilidad ambiental incide en la distribución y abundancia de larvas de totoaba y subsecuentemente en el stock recluta de la especie. El estudio comienza con un análisis de la variabilidad del crecimiento individual en etapas juveniles y adultas de la totoaba. Para este propósito, se utiliza la varianza observada como elemento clave para parametrizar modelos de crecimiento individual. Los resultados indican que este enfoque proporciona estimaciones sólidas de los parámetros de crecimiento. A continuación, se investiga el crecimiento de las larvas de totoaba en condiciones de cultivo. Los datos revelan que un modelo sigmoideo describe mejor el crecimiento y se identifican dos puntos de inflexión en el crecimiento de las larvas. Estos hallazgos tienen importantes implicaciones para la cría y el cultivo de la totoaba para efectos de repoblación. Por último, se analiza la ecología y el transporte de las larvas de totoaba en el alto golfo de California. Se identifica una ventana óptima para el desove de la totoaba en términos de temperatura y concentración de clorofila, y se sugiere que las condiciones ambientales y la distribución de los adultos pueden influir en las abundancias de larvas en diferentes años. Además, se destaca la importancia del frente permanente al sur del alto golfo de California como una posible zona de acumulación de larvas como factor que contribuye al endemismo en la región. En conjunto, esta tesis representa un enfoque multidisciplinario para comprender los aspectos clave de la biología, ecología y crecimiento de la totoaba en el alto golfo de California. Los resultados proporcionan información valiosa para la conservación de esta especie amenazada y destacan la importancia de un enfoque integral en la gestión de los recursos marinos en esta región única."

"The following thesis addresses a research on the biology, ecology, and growth of Totoaba macdonaldi in the upper gulf of California. The totoaba, a fish species endemic to this region, is currently endangered due to a series of threats such as: changes in its reproductive and breeding ecosystem, juvenile bycatch, and illegal fishing. Although over the last 30 years, the population has shown signs of recovery, there are indications that both the adult population and larval abundances are on a declining trend. This underscores the importance of studying how environmental variability affects the distribution and abundance of totoaba larvae and subsequently the recruitment stock of the species. The study begins with an analysis of growth in juvenile and adult stages of the totoaba. For this purpose, observed variance is used to parameterize individual growth models. Results indicate that this approach provides robust estimates of growth parameters. Next, the growth of cultivated totoaba larvae is investigated. The data reveal that a sigmoid model better describes the growth in the early life stages of the totoaba, and two inflection points in larval growth are identified. These findings have important implications for the breeding and cultivation of the totoaba for restocking purposes. Finally, the ecology and transport of totoaba larvae in the upper gulf of California are analyzed. An optimal window for totoaba spawning in terms of temperature and chlorophyll concentration is identified, and it is suggested that environmental conditions and the distribution of adults may influence larval abundances in different years. Additionally, the importance of the permanent front to the south of the upper gulf of California is highlighted as a possible larval accumulation zone and a contributing factor to endemism in the region. Overall, this thesis represents a multidisciplinary approach to understanding key aspects of the biology, ecology, and growth of the totoaba in the upper gulf of California. The results provide valuable information for the conservation of this threatened species and underscore the importance of a comprehensive approach in the management of marine resources in this unique region."

Variabilidad ambiental, crecimiento, dispersión, rutas larvarias Environmental variability, growth, dispersion, larval routes CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA CIENCIAS AGRARIAS PECES Y FAUNA SILVESTRE PROPAGACIÓN Y ORDENACIÓN PROPAGACIÓN Y ORDENACIÓN

Phylogenetic relationships of Pseudo-nitzschia subpacifica (Bacillariophyceae) from the Mexican Pacific, and its production of domoic acid in culture

Sonia Quijano (2020, [Artículo])

Pseudo-nitzschia is a cosmopolitan genus, some species of which can produce domoic acid (DA), a neurotoxin responsible for the Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning (ASP). In this study, we identified P. subpacifica for the first time in Todos Santos Bay and Manzanillo Bay, in the Mexican Pacific using SEM and molecular methods. Isolates from Todos Santos Bay were cultivated under conditions of phosphate sufficiency and deficiency at 16°C and 22°C to evaluate the production of DA. This toxin was detected in the particulate (DAp) and dissolved (DAd) fractions of the cultures during the exponential and stationary phases of growth of the cultures. The highest DA concentration was detected during the exponential phase grown in cells maintained in P-deficient medium at 16°C (1.14 ± 0.08 ng mL-1 DAd and 4.71 ± 1.11 × 10−5 ng cell-1 of DAp). In P-sufficient cultures DA was higher in cells maintained at 16°C (0.25 ± 0.05 ng mL-1 DAd and 9.41 ± 1.23 × 10−7 ng cell-1 of DAp) than in cells cultured at 22°C. Therefore, we confirm that P. subpacifica can produce DA, especially under P-limited conditions that could be associated with extraordinary oceanographic events such as the 2013–2016 "Blob" in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. This event altered local oceanographic conditions and possibly generated the presence of potential harmful species in areas with economic importance on the Mexican Pacific coast. © 2020 Quijano-Scheggia et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

domoic acid, domoic acid, kainic acid, Article, cell growth, controlled study, diatom, Mexico, morphology, nonhuman, Pacific Ocean, phylogeny, plant cell, plant growth, Pseudo nitzschia, toxin analysis, cell culture technique, classification, diatom, CIENCIAS FÍSICO MATEMÁTICAS Y CIENCIAS DE LA TIERRA CIENCIAS DE LA TIERRA Y DEL ESPACIO OCEANOGRAFÍA OCEANOGRAFÍA

Maintenance of Coastal Surface Blooms by Surface Temperature Stratification and Wind Drift

MARY CARMEN RUIZ DE LA TORRE (2013, [Artículo])

Algae blooms are an increasingly recurrent phenomenon of potentially socio-economic impact in coastal waters globally and in the coastal upwelling region off northern Baja California, Mexico. In coastal upwelling areas the diurnal wind pattern is directed towards the coast during the day. We regularly found positive Near Surface Temperature Stratification (NSTS), the resulting density stratification is expected to reduce the frictional coupling of the surface layer from deeper waters and allow for its more efficient wind transport. We propose that the net transport of the top layer of approximately 2.7 kilometers per day towards the coast helps maintain surface blooms of slow growing dinoflagellate such as Lingulodinium polyedrum. We measured: near surface stratification with a free-rising CTD profiler, trajectories of drifter buoys with attached thermographs, wind speed and direction, velocity profiles via an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler, Chlorophyll and cell concentration from water samples and vertical migration using sediment traps. The ADCP and drifter data agree and show noticeable current shear within the first meters of the surface where temperature stratification and high cell densities of L. polyedrum were found during the day. Drifters with 1m depth drogue moved towards the shore, whereas drifters at 3 and 5 m depth showed trajectories parallel or away from shore. A small part of the surface population migrated down to the sea floor during night thus reducing horizontal dispersion. The persistent transport of the surface bloom population towards shore should help maintain the bloom in favorable environmental conditions with high nutrients, but also increasing the potential socioeconomic impact of the blooms. The coast wise transport is not limited to blooms but includes all dissolved and particulate constituents in surface waters. © 2013 Ruiz-de la Torre et al.

chlorophyll, algal bloom, article, cell count, cell density, coastal waters, controlled study, dinoflagellate, Lingulodinium polyedrum, meteorological phenomena, Mexico, near surface temperature stratification, nonhuman, nutrient concentration, popul CIENCIAS FÍSICO MATEMÁTICAS Y CIENCIAS DE LA TIERRA CIENCIAS DE LA TIERRA Y DEL ESPACIO OCEANOGRAFÍA OCEANOGRAFÍA

Do marine reserves increase prey for California sea lions and Pacific harbor seals?

ALEJANDRO ARIAS DEL RAZO (2019, [Artículo])

Community marine reserves are geographical areas closed to fishing activities, implemented and enforced by the same fishermen that fish around them. Their main objective is to recover commercial stocks of fish and invertebrates. While marine reserves have proven successful in many parts of the world, their success near important marine predator colonies, such as the California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) and the Pacific harbor seal (Phoca vitulina richardii), is yet to be analyzed. In response to the concerns expressed by local fishermen about the impact of the presence of pinnipeds on their communities’ marine reserves, we conducted underwater surveys around four islands in the Pacific west of the Baja California Peninsula: two without reserves (Todos Santos and San Roque); one with a recently established reserve (San Jeronimo); and, a fourth with reserves established eight years ago (Natividad). All these islands are subject to similar rates of exploitation by fishing cooperatives with exclusive rights. We estimated fish biomass and biodiversity in the seas around the islands, applying filters for potential California sea lion and harbor seal prey using known species from the literature. Generalized linear mixed models revealed that the age of the reserve has a significant positive effect on fish biomass, while the site (inside or outside of the reserve) did not, with a similar result found for the biomass of the prey of the California sea lion. Fish biodiversity was also higher around Natividad Island, while invertebrate biodiversity was higher around San Roque. These findings indicate that marine reserves increase overall fish diversity and biomass, despite the presence of top predators, even increasing the numbers of their potential prey. Community marine reserves may help to improve the resilience of marine mammals to climate-driven phenomena and maintain a healthy marine ecosystem for the benefit of both pinnipeds and fishermen. © 2019 Arias-Del-Razo et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Article, biodiversity, biomass, climate change, ecosystem resilience, environmental exploitation, fish stock, fishing, marine environment, marine invertebrate, nonhuman, Phoca vitulina, Pinnipedia, prey searching, Zalophus californianus, animal, biom BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA CIENCIAS DE LA VIDA BIOLOGÍA ANIMAL (ZOOLOGÍA) BIOLOGÍA ANIMAL (ZOOLOGÍA)

Assessing the Response of Nematode Communities to Climate Change-Driven Warming: A Microcosm Experiment

RUTH GINGOLD WERMUTH (2013, [Artículo])

Biodiversity has diminished over the past decades with climate change being among the main responsible factors. One consequence of climate change is the increase in sea surface temperature, which, together with long exposure periods in intertidal areas, may exceed the tolerance level of benthic organisms. Benthic communities may suffer structural changes due to the loss of species or functional groups, putting ecological services at risk. In sandy beaches, free-living marine nematodes usually are the most abundant and diverse group of intertidal meiofauna, playing an important role in the benthic food web. While apparently many functionally similar nematode species co-exist temporally and spatially, experimental results on selected bacterivore species suggest no functional overlap, but rather an idiosyncratic contribution to ecosystem functioning. However, we hypothesize that functional redundancy is more likely to observe when taking into account the entire diversity of natural assemblages. We conducted a microcosm experiment with two natural communities to assess their stress response to elevated temperature. The two communities differed in diversity (high [HD] vs. low [LD]) and environmental origin (harsh vs. moderate conditions). We assessed their stress resistance to the experimental treatment in terms of species and diversity changes, and their function in terms of abundance, biomass, and trophic diversity. According to the Insurance Hypothesis, we hypothesized that the HD community would cope better with the stressful treatment due to species functional overlap, whereas the LD community functioning would benefit from species better adapted to harsh conditions. Our results indicate no evidence of functional redundancy in the studied nematofaunal communities. The species loss was more prominent and size specific in the HD; large predators and omnivores were lost, which may have important consequences for the benthic food web. Yet, we found evidence for alternative diversity-ecosystem functioning relationships, such as the Rivets and the Idiosyncrasy Model. © 2013 Gingold et al.

aquaculture, article, bacterivore, benthos, biodiversity, biomass, climate, community dynamics, controlled study, ecosystem, environmental temperature, microcosm, nematode, nonhuman, population abundance, species diversity, species richness, taxonomy CIENCIAS FÍSICO MATEMÁTICAS Y CIENCIAS DE LA TIERRA CIENCIAS DE LA TIERRA Y DEL ESPACIO OCEANOGRAFÍA OCEANOGRAFÍA

Retención larvaria en abulón azul Haliotis fulgens mediante análisis de parentesco en B.C.S., México

ADRIANA MAX AGUILAR (2014, [Tesis de maestría])

El abulón azul (Haliotis fulgens) es un molusco gasterópodo de importancia comercial en México. Es un recurso de alto valor comercial (70 M en 2011) debido a su gran demanda a nivel internacional; su pesquería constituye una de las actividades más importantes que se desarrollan en la costa occidental de la península de Baja California. Esta pesquería ha sufrido de manera histórica una disminución significativa, por lo que es necesario reforzar y continuar los programas de investigación y manejo actual para garantizar la recuperación de los bancos abuloneros. Un aspecto crucial en el manejo y administración de las pesquerías, es el claro entendimiento del concepto de unidad de stock, el cual requiere un mejor conocimiento del reclutamiento en función de la dinámica larvaria y la conectividad entre bancos (dados por los niveles de retención y dispersión), lo que ampliaría la precisión de las estrategias de manejo actuales. En el caso del abulón se han propuesto dos modelos de conectividad: (1) Las larvas son transportadas a grandes distancias de sus padres y llegan a sustentar otros bancos; y (2) el intercambio larvario entre bancos es limitado y cada banco es un pequeño stock que es autosustentable. En cualquier caso, es necesario determinar si en un banco lo que ocurre preponderantemente es el auto-reclutamiento, o si por el contrario, las larvas provienen principalmente de otros sitios. El objetivo del presente trabajo fue estimar el índice de retención larvaria del abulón azul Haliotis fulgens en dos sitios de la costa occidental de Baja California Sur, mediante el uso de marcadores genéticos tipo microsatélite en análisis de parentesco. Se estandarizaron y caracterizaron nuevos loci microsatélites específicos para H. fulgens con los cuales se determinó el índice de retención larvaria a través de la asignación genética de juveniles a progenitores que se encontraran en el mismo sitio de muestreo mediante análisis de paternidad con el programa CERVUS 3.0. Se obtuvieron 24 loci microsatélites potenciales para utilizarlos en análisis genéticos, de los cuales se caracterizaron 12 loci polimórficos. Se determinó que 11 de ellos son factibles de utilizar en análisis de parentesco por su alto polimorfismo (Número de alelos: de 5-17; HE de 0.69-0.92; PIC de 0.64-0.90) y presentar Equilibrio de Hardy-Weinberg [...]

The green abalone (Haliotis fulgens) is a marine gastropod mollusk in Mexico with a high commercial value (70 M in 2011) because of its high demand in the international market. Its fishery is an important commercial activity in the west coast of Baja California Sur, and has historically suffered a significant decline in its captures. Thus it is necessary to continue research and current management programs to ensure the recovery of abalone in reef systems. A crucial consideration in management and administration of this fishery is a clear understanding of the concept of a stock unit, which requires a better understanding of recruitment on defined spatial scales, depending on the larval dynamics and connectivity among reefs (given by the levels of retention and dispersal). This knowledge will extend the accuracy of current management strategies. Two different models on connectivity have been proposed for abalone: (1) the larvae can be transported for long distances from their parent’s reef and supply other distant reefs; and (2) larval exchange between reefs is limited, and each one is a small self-replenishing bank. In any case, it is necessary to determine whether a reef is mainly maintained by self-recruitment, or if larvae come mainly from other sites. The objective of this work was estimate the proportion of green abalone Haliotis fulgens larval retention in two sites on the western coast of Baja California Sur, using microsatellite markers in paternity analysis. New microsatellite markers in H. fulgens were standardized and characterized. The larval retention was estimated by the proportion of juveniles genetically assigned to the possible parents in the same site by paternity analysis using CERVUS 3.0. Twenty-four microsatellite loci potentially useful in genetic analysis were obtained, from which 12 polymorphic loci were characterized. From these, 11 were useful in paternity analysis due to their high polymorphism (number of alleles: 5-17; HE: 0.69-0.92; PIC: 0.64-0.90) and because they were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium [...]

Retención larvaria; microsatélites; auto-reclutamiento BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA CIENCIAS DE LA VIDA GENÉTICA GENÉTICA DE POBLACIONES GENÉTICA DE POBLACIONES

Biodiversity conservation in an anthropized landscape: Trees, not patch size drive, bird community composition in a low-input agroecosystem

ERIC MELLINK BIJTEL (2017, [Artículo])

One of the most typical agro-ecosystems in the Llanos de Ojuelos, a semi-arid region of central Mexico, is that of fruit-production orchards of nopales (prickly pear cacti). This perennial habitat with complex vertical structure provides refuge and food for at least 112 species of birds throughout the year. Nopal orchards vary in their internal structure, size and shrub/ tree composition, yet these factors have unknown effects on the animals that use them. To further understand the conservation potential of this agro-ecosystem, we evaluated the effects of patch-size and the presence of trees on bird community composition, as well as several habitat variables, through an information-theoretical modelling approach. Community composition was obtained through a year of census transects in 12 orchards. The presence of trees in the orchards was the major driver of bird communities followed by seasonality; bird communities are independent of patch size, except for small orchard patches that benefit black-chin sparrows, which are considered a sensitive species. At least 55 species of six trophic guilds (insectivores, granivores, carnivores, nectivores, omnivores, and frugivores) used the orchards. Orchards provide adequate habitat and food resources for several sensitive species of resident and migratory sparrows. The attributes that make orchards important for birds: trees, shrubs, herb seeds, and open patches can be managed to maintain native biodiversity in highly anthropized regions with an urgent need to find convergence between production and biological conservation. © 2017 Mellink et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

agroecosystem, carnivore, chin, conservation biology, driver, frugivore, granivore, habitat, human, insectivore, landscape, nonhuman, omnivore, orchard, resident, seasonal variation, shrub, sparrow, theoretical model, agriculture, animal, biodiversit CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA

Microbiological Analysis of the Air in a Popular Fish Processing and Marketing Area

Angélica Sinaí Quintanilla Martínez Lizet Aguirre Güitrón Luis Daniel Espinosa Chaurand MAYRA DIAZ RAMIREZ ALEJANDRO DE JESUS CORTES SANCHEZ (2022, [Artículo])

"Fish are marketed as a food and consumed worldwide. During the production of food, contamination by microorganisms is possible through the air, soil, water, surfaces, food handlers, etc. The air does not have a natural microbial composition, but it is a vehicle for the transmission of microorganisms of economic and health interest because they are associated with food spoilage and human diseases. The objective of this study was the microbiological analysis of the air in an area popular for the processing and marketing of fish products in the city of Tepic Nayarit. Using the passive or sedimentation method to collect microorganisms present in the air, the proportion of aerobic mesophile bacteria, coliform bacteria, fungi and yeast was determined at different locations in the fish processing and marketing area for four weeks. The results indicated that the aerobic mesophiles had the highest counts among all the microbial groups analyzed at the twelve different sampling points during the four weeks of the study; their numbers ranged from 2.44 to 2.95 log CFU/m3/h, followed by molds with counts from 1.44 to 2.75 log CFU/m3/h, yeasts with counts from 0.7 to 2.01 log CFU/m3/h and coliforms with counts that ranged from 0.7 to 1.68 log CFU/m3/h. We determined the proportion of the viable microbiological population present in the air at the different sampling points of the study area; several of these sampling points presented values above those recommended by various agencies around the world. Knowledge of the biological hazards transported through the air is important to establish and reduce the risk to the health of occupants and the contamination pathways of processed and marketed fishery products that may be associated with spoilage and foodborne diseases."

food safety, food quality, air pollution, airborne biohazard, environmental monitoring INGENIERÍA Y TECNOLOGÍA CIENCIAS TECNOLÓGICAS TECNOLOGÍA DE LOS ALIMENTOS HIGIENE DE LOS ALIMENTOS HIGIENE DE LOS ALIMENTOS