Species of Drosophila (Diptera: Drosophilidae) attracted to dung and carrion baited pitfall traps in the Uruguayan Eastern Serranías

This study investigates the species richness and abundance of Drosophila Fallén, 1823 attracted to dung and carrion baited pitfall traps in natural areas with heterogeneous habitats at the Sierra de Minas, Eastern Serranías, southeastern Uruguay. Collecting was carried out on a monthly basis (May 2002 through April 2003). Drosophilids accounted for 0.84% (n = 131) and 3.61% (n = 158) of the Diptera collected from dung (n = 15,630) and carrion (n = 4,382) pitfall traps, respectively. A total of 12 species were identified, 11 of which belong to the subgenus Drosophila (the richest) and one to the subgenus Sophophora Sturtevant, 1939. Over 90% of the Drosophila specimens collected belong to five species of the subgenus Drosophila, namely D. gaucha Jaeger & Salzano, 1953, D. immigrans Sturtevant, 1921, D. mediovittata Frota-Pessoa, 1954, D. aff. nappae Vilela, Valente & Basso-da-Silva, 2004, and D. ornatifrons Duda, 1927. Drosophila cardini Sturtevant, 1916 is recorded for the first time from Uruguay. Drosophila abundance and species richness in the four habitats sampled in the Uruguayan Eastern Serranías, namely woodlands sierra, riparian forest, pine plantation and grazing grassland, were considered to be a function of habitat conservation. Diversity indices were low in all habitats. Different habitats supported particular coprophilous and necrophilous Drosophila species. The woodland sierra represents the most preserved habitat, and contributed with the highest species richness observed. Drosophila ornatifrons was the dominant species, with a restricted habitat distribution. On the other hand, grazed grassland, an environment modified by livestock management, had the lowest species richness: only a few specimens of D. repleta Wollaston, 1858. Regarding species composition, significant differences were found in some pairwise comparisons of groups of Drosophila species that included D. ornatifrons. Fly attraction to dung can be exploited as an alternative and/or complementary collecting method in ecological studies of Drosophila assemblages in natural areas.

Resurrection of the genus Licornia for Scrupocellaria jolloisii (Bryozoa) and related species, with documentation of L. jolloisii as a non-indigenous species in the western Atlantic

Recent studies of the large cheilostome bryozoan genus Scrupocellaria have shown a greater degree of taxonomically informative morphological variation in zooids, opesia, and polymorphic structures than previously recognized. Only one subgenus has been named within the genus, Retiscrupocellaria d'Hondt, 1988, erected for Scrupocellaria jolloisii. In this work we further analyse S. jolloisii and its related species, resurrecting an earlier genus name, Licornia van Beneden, 1850 for Licornia jolloisii, and nine relatives, L. annectens, L. cervicornis, L. cyclostoma, L. diadema, L. ferox, L. gaspari, L. longispinosa, L. macropora, and L. prolata. Licornia jolloisii was originally described from the Red Sea, and most species of the genus occur in the Indo-Pacific region. The species, however, has now been found in the Western Atlantic, in the Florida Keys, US, and in Bahia de Todos Santos, Brazil.

Trypanosoma livingstonei: a new species from African bats supports the bat seeding hypothesis for the Trypanosoma cruzi clade

BACKGROUND: Bat trypanosomes have been implicated in the evolutionary history of the T. cruzi clade, which comprises species from a wide geographic and host range in South America, Africa and Europe, including bat-restricted species and the generalist agents of human American trypanosomosis T. cruzi and T. rangeli. METHODS: Trypanosomes from bats (Rhinolophus landeri and Hipposideros caffer) captured in Mozambique, southeast Africa, were isolated by hemoculture. Barcoding was carried out through the V7V8 region of Small Subunit (SSU) rRNA and Fluorescent Fragment Length barcoding (FFLB). Phylogenetic inferences were based on SSU rRNA, glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase (gGAPDH) and Spliced Leader (SL) genes. Morphological characterization included light, scanning and transmission electron microscopy. RESULTS: New trypanosomes from bats clustered together forming a clade basal to a larger assemblage called the T. cruzi clade. Barcoding, phylogenetic analyses and genetic distances based on SSU rRNA and gGAPDH supported these trypanosomes as a new species, which we named Trypanosoma livingstonei n. sp. The large and highly polymorphic SL gene repeats of this species showed a copy of the 5S ribosomal RNA into the intergenic region. Unique morphological (large and broad blood trypomastigotes compatible to species of the subgenus Megatrypanum and cultures showing highly pleomorphic epimastigotes and long and slender trypomastigotes) and ultrastructural (cytostome and reservosomes) features and growth behaviour (when co-cultivated with HeLa cells at 37°C differentiated into trypomastigotes resembling the blood forms and do not invaded the cells) complemented the description of this species. CONCLUSION: Phylogenetic inferences supported the hypothesis that Trypanosoma livingstonei n. sp. diverged from a common ancestral bat trypanosome that evolved exclusively in Chiroptera or switched at independent opportunities to mammals of several orders forming the clade T. cruzi, hence, providing further support for the bat seeding hypothesis to explain the origin of T. cruzi and T. rangeli.

Evolution of the sexual reproduction in Veronica (Plantaginaceae) : phylogeny, phylogeography and invasion

Die geschlechtliche Fortpflanzung ist ein universelles Merkmal und erlaubt es genetische Variation innerhalb von Blütenpflanzen zu schaffen. Die Evolution der sexuellen und reproduktiven Systeme wurde hier auf mehreren zeitlichen Ebenen, in verschiedenen Arten von Lebensraum studiert und mit fast allen möglichen Methoden im Labor, im Gewächshaus sowie im Feld untersucht. Drei Hauptteile sind in dieser Arbeit enthalten und entsprechen jeweils einem unterschiedlichen Niveau der Zeit: Gattung, Untergattung und Arten. Der erste Teil zeigt, dass die PO-Verhältnisse Untersuchungen systematisch in jeder Pflanzen-Gattung oder Untergattung untersucht werden müssen. Dieses güngstige, schnelle und leistungsstarke Werkzeug kann eine Vielzahl von Informationen über die Modi der Pflanzenreproduktion produzieren, ohne die Verwendung von teuren und langen Experimenten. Darüber hinaus könnte diese Maßnahme auch ergänzende Daten über die Taxonomie dieser untersuchten Gruppen geben. Das zweite Kapitel befasst sich mehr mit der Taxonomie der Ehrenpreis(Veronica)-Arten als die beiden anderen und zeigt, dass verschiedene Ereignisse der interspezifischen Reproduktion in einem der Hotspots der Artenvielfalt in Europa (der Balkan-Halbinsel) auftreten. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass morphologische und genetische Daten inkongruent sind und die Analyse der Taxonomie dieser Arten oder Unterart schwierig ist. Das letzteKapitel erzählt die Geschichte einer erfolgreichen Invasion, die während des letzten Jahrhunderts in Europa ablief trotz der Tatsache, dass die Arten obligate Fremdbefruchter sind und dass keine Samen-Produktion in der Region beobachtet wurde. Dieses Manuskript erläutert den Weg der Pflanze, um die “Baker-Regel“ zu umgehen. Diese Regel besagt, dass selbst-inkompatible Arten erfolgloser bei der Invasion neuer Lebensräume sind. Dennoch schafft es die hier untersuchte Art einen großen Teil der europäischen Rasen zu bevölkern und zeigt dabei genetische und morphologische Veränderungen auf diesem Weg.rnSchließlich wird in diesen drei verschiedenen Papieren versucht, die Verbindung zwischen der Mikro-und Makroevolution in der geschlechtlichen Fortpflanzun in Ehrenpreis (Veronica) unter Betracht verschiedener sexueller Systeme und der Stammesgeschichte, sowie der Migration zu klären.

Funktionsaufklärung von Atmungsproteinen in Insekten

Globine sind kleine globuläre Proteine mit nahezu ubiquitärem Vorkommen in allen Tiergruppen. Sie weisen eine typische Sandwichstruktur auf, die in der Regel aus acht α-Helices mit einer zentralen prosthetischen Häm-Gruppe besteht und die Proteine zur Bindung gasförmiger Liganden befähigt. Die Funktionen der Globine reichen von O2-Transport und – Speicherung, über eine Beteiligung bei der Entgiftung reaktiver Sauerstoff- und Stickstoffspezies bis hin zu sensorischen physiologischen Aufgaben. Innerhalb der Klasse der Insekten schien das Vorhandensein von Globinen zunächst auf Insekten mit offensichtlich hypoxischen Habitaten beschränkt zu sein. Die Entdeckung des Globins glob1 in Drosophila melanogaster deutete jedoch eine sehr viel weitere Verbreitung der Globine in Insekten an, die sich durch die Identifizierung von Globingenen in einer Vielzahl von normoxisch lebenden Insekten, wie z.B. Apis mellifera oder Aedes aegypti bestätigte. D. melanogaster besitzt drei Globine, glob1, glob2 und glob3. Glob1 ist eng mit anderen intrazellulären Insektenglobinen verwandt, was zu der Annahme führte, dass es sich bei glob1 um das ursprüngliche und bei glob2 und glob3 um abgeleitete D. melanogaster Globine handelt. Glob1 wird in allen Entwicklungsstadien exprimiert, wobei die Hauptexpressionsorte der Fettkörper und das Tracheensystem sind. Die Transkription des glob1 startet von zwei alternativen Promotoren (Promotor I und II), wodurch in Kombination mit alternativem Splicing vier Transkriptvarianten (Isoform A-D) entstehen, deren Translation jedoch in einer Proteinvariante (glob1) resultiert. Hypoxische Bedingungen führen zu einer vermutlich HIF (=‚hypoxia-inducible factor‘) -vermittelten Abnahme der glob1 Genexpression, wohingegen Hyperoxie eine leichte Zunahme der glob1 mRNA Menge bewirkt. Der mithilfe des UAS/Gal4- Systems erzeugte, RNAi-vermittelte glob1 Knockdown führt zu einer schlechteren Überlebensrate adulter Fliegen unter hypoxischen Bedingungen, einer verkürzten Erholungszeit nach hypoxischem Stupor in Weibchen sowie zu einer erhöhten Resistenz gegenüber dem ROS (=‘reactive oxygen species‘) -generierenden Herbizid Paraquat in Larven und adulten Weibchen. Diese Beobachtungen sprechen für eine Funktion des Drosophila glob1 innerhalb der O2-Versorgung. Unter hyperoxischen Bedingungen hingegen wurde kein Unterschied zwischen Fliegen mit wildtypischer und manipulierter glob1-Expression festgestellt, wodurch eine Beteiligung des glob1 bei der Entgiftung reaktiver Sauerstoffspezies als mögliche Funktion vorerst ausscheidet. Bei glob2 und glob3 handelt es sich um duplizierte Gene. Auf phylogenetischen Rekonstruktionen basierend konnte die Entstehung der Globin-Duplikate auf ein Duplikationsereignis vor der Radiation des Subgenus Sophophora vor mindestens 40 Millionen Jahren zurückgeführt werden. Die durchgeführten Analysen zur molekularen Sequenzevolution der Globin-Duplikate deuten darauf hin, dass glob2 und glob3 nach der Duplikation eine Kombination aus Sub- und Neo-Funktionalisierungsprozessen durchlaufen haben. Glob2 und glob3 zeigen eine deckungsgleiche mRNA Expression, die auf die männliche Keimbahn beschränkt ist. Aufgrund des hohen Konservierungsgrads der für die Häm- und O2-Bindung essentiellen Aminosäuren kann von der Funktionalität beider Proteine ausgegangen werden. Die streng auf die männliche Keimbahn begrenzte Expression von glob2 und glob3 deutet auf eine Rolle der Globin-Duplikate innerhalb der Spermatogenese hin, die möglicherweise in einem Schutz der Spermatogenese vor oxidativem Stress besteht. Auch eine Beteiligung beim korrekten Ablauf der Spermien-Individualisierung, beispielsweise durch Regulation von Apoptoseprozessen wäre denkbar.

Life history, ecology and the biogeography of strong genetic breaks among 15 species of PaciWc rockWsh, Sebastes

Strong genetic change over short spatial scales is surprising among marine species with high dispersal potential. Concordant breaks among several species signals a role for geographic barriers to dispersal. Along the coast of California, such breaks have not been seen across the biogeographic barrier of Point Conception, but other potential geographic boundaries have been surveyed less often.;We tested for strong-population structure in 11 species of Sebastes sampled across two regions containing potential dispersal barriers, and conducted a meta-analysis including four additional species. We show two strong breaks north of Monterey Bay, spanning an oceanographic gradient and an upwelling jet. Moderate genetic structure is just as common in the north as it is in the south, across the biogeographic break at Point Conception. Gene Xow is generally higher among deep-water species, but these conclusions are confounded by phylogeny. Species in the subgenus Sebastosomus have higher structure than those in the subgenus;Pteropodus, despite having larvae with longer pelagic phases. DiVerences in settlement behavior in the face of ocean currents might help explain these diVerences. Across similar species across the same coastal environment, we document a wide variety of patterns in gene Xow, suggesting that interaction of individual species traits such as settlement behavior with environmental factors such as;oceanography can strongly impact population structure

A New Cryptically Dioecious Species of Bush Tomato (Solanum) From the Northern Territory, Australia

A new species of dioecious Solanum from the Australian “Dioicum Complex” of Solanum subgenus Leptostemonum is described. Solanum cowiei Martine sp. nov., is allied with other members of this problematic lineage, but differs in its slender leaves, limited armature and diminutive habit. The species was first segregated by botanists at the Northern Territory Herbarium as Solanum sp. Litchfield (I.D. Cowie 1428); and specimens representing this species have also been referred to by Symon as Solanum sp. Fitzmaurice River. Collections suggest that this is an endemic of the sub-arid tropical zone of the Northern Territory. SEM images support initial assumptions that the new species is cryptically dioecious via production of inaperturate pollen grains in morphologically hermaphrodite flowers.

Revision of the Cumacean Family Leuconidae

The family Leuconidae currently contains 99 species. With the exception of Epileucon, all genera in the family were established by 1907. All new species have been subsequently assigned to those genera, gradually producing genera distinguishable on the basis of single characters. In this paper Epileucon is reduced to a subgenus of Leucon as proposed by Bacescu (1988), and the species of Leucon are further apportioned among the subgenera Leucon Kroyer, Macrauloleucon, new subgenus, Crymoleucon, new subgenus, and Alytoleucon, new subgenus. In addition, the new genera Ommatoleucon, Austroleucon, Nippoleucon, and Bytholeucon are proposed, and the genus Coricuma Watling and Breedy is added to this family. The new genus Americuma, with unclear family affiliations, is proposed for a species previously assigned to Heteroleucon. Complete diagnoses are provided for all genera and keys are given to all genera and species.

Revisión de las cactáceas argentinas

Revision of the Argentine Cactaceae. The autor corrects the name Echinopsis oreopogon for E. oreopepon as it was denominated, establishes a nov. nom. Gymnocalycium astertum for G. stellatum, records Pereskia aculeata and Phyllocactus oxypetalus as new species of the Argentine flora, studies Cereus lamprochlorus var. salinicola Speg., Opuntia sulphurea Gill. In Don emend. Schum., O. maculacantha Foerst., O. pampeana Speg- and gives the keys to distinguish the sections and subsections of the subgenus Platyopuntia with the respective list of the species belonging to the Argentine flora.

Macrobenthic abundance, biomass, productivity and production in the deep Arctic ocean

The few existing studies on macrobenthic communities of the deep Arctic Ocean report low standing stocks, and confirm a gradient with declining biomass from the slopes down to the basins as commonly reported for deep-sea benthos. In this study we have further investigated the relationship of faunal abundance (N), biomass (B) as well as community production (P) with water depth, geographical latitude and sea ice concentration. The underlying dataset combines legacy data from the past 20 years, as well as recent field studies selected according to standardized quality control procedures. Community P/B and production were estimated using the multi-parameter ANN model developed by Brey (2012). We could confirm the previously described negative relationship of water depth and macrofauna standing stock in the Arctic deep-sea. Furthermore, the sea-ice cover increasing with high latitudes, correlated with decreasing abundances of down to < 200 individuals/m**2, biomasses of < 65 mg C/m**2 and P of < 75 mg C/m**2/y. Stations under influence of the seasonal ice zone (SIZ) showed much higher standing stock and P means between 400 - 1400 mg C/m**2/y; even at depths up to 3700 m. We conclude that particle flux is the key factor structuring benthic communities in the deep Arctic ocean, explaining both the low values in the ice-covered Arctic basins and the high values along the SIZ.

Environmental analyses of cyclic Middle Eocene sediments and palynomorph records of ODP Hole 189-1172A

The influence of orbital precession on early Paleogene climate and ocean circulation patterns in the southeast Pacific region is investigated by combining environmental analyses of cyclic Middle Eocene sediments and palynomorph records recovered from ODP Hole 1172A on the East Tasman Plateau with climate model simulations. Integration of results indicates that in the marine realm, direct effects of precessional forcing are not pronounced, although increased precipitation/runoff could have enhanced dinoflagellate cyst production. On the southeast Australian continent, the most pronounced effects of precessional forcing were fluctuations in summer precipitation and temperature on the Antarctic Margin. These fluctuations resulted in vegetational changes, most notably in the distribution of Nothofagus (subgenus Brassospora). The climate model results suggest significant fluctuations in sea ice in the Ross Sea, notably during Austral summers. This is consistent with the influx of Antarctic heterotrophic dinoflagellates in the early part of the studied record. The data demonstrate a strong precessionally driven climate variability and thus support the concept that precessional forcing could have played a role in early Antarctic glaciation via changes in runoff and/or precipitation.

A phylogenetic perspective on P transposable element evolution in Drosophila

The P element, originally described in Drosophila melanogaster, is one of the best-studied eukaryotic transposable elements. In an attempt to understand the evolutionary dynamics of the P element family, an extensive phylogenetic analysis of 239 partial P element sequences has been completed. These sequences were obtained from 40 species in the Drosophila subgenus Sophophora. The phylogeny of the P element family is examined in the context of a phylogeny of the species in which these elements are found. An interesting feature of many of the species examined is the coexistence in the same genome of P sequences belonging to two or more divergent subfamilies. In general, P elements in Drosophila have been transmitted vertically from generation to generation over evolutionary time. However, four unequivocal cases of horizontal transfer, in which the element was transferred between species, have been identified. In addition, the P element phylogeny is best explained in numerous instances by horizontal transfer at various times in the past. These observations suggest that, as with some other transposable elements, horizontal transfer may play an important role in the maintenance of P elements in natural populations.