A new species of Rafflesia (Rafflesiaceae) from Luzon Island, Philippines, Rafflesia consueloae Galindon, Ong & Fernando, is described and illustrated. It is distinct from all other species of ...Rafflesia in its small-sized flowers, the upright perigone lobes, and prominently cream-white disk surface that is often devoid of processes. Its small-sized flowers, with an average diameter of 9.73 cm when fully expanded, make it the smallest of the largest flowers in the world.
Sardinella tawilis, the only known freshwater sardinella in the world, is endemic to Taal Lake, Philippines. Previous studies found the Taiwan sardinella, S. hualiensis, to be morphologically very ...similar to S. tawilis and identified it as the marine sister species of S. tawilis. In this study, DNA barcoding using the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene was carried out to analyze species demarcation in the Sardinella genus, focusing primarily on the relationship between S. tawilis and S. hualiensis. The neighbour-joining (NJ) tree that was constructed using Kimura 2-parameter (K2P) model showed a single clade for the two species with 100% bootstrap support. K2P interspecific genetic divergence ranged from 0% to 0.522%, which is clearly below the suggested 3-3.5% cutoff for species discrimination. Recombination activating gene 1 (RAG1), mitochondrial control region (CR), cytochrome b, 16S rRNA, and S7 markers were used to further validate the results. Sardinella tawilis and S. hualiensis clustered together with a bootstrap support of 99-100% in each of the NJ trees. Low interspecific genetic distances between S. tawilis and S. hualiensis for all the markers except CR could be attributed to incipient allopatric speciation.
The relationship between β-diversity and latitude still remains to be a core question in ecology because of the lack of consensus between studies. One hypothesis for the lack of consensus between ...studies is that spatial scale changes the relationship between latitude and β-diversity. Here, we test this hypothesis using tree data from 15 large-scale forest plots (greater than or equal to 15 ha, diameter at breast height ≥ 1 cm) across a latitudinal gradient (3–30o) in the Asia-Pacific region. We found that the observed β-diversity decreased with increasing latitude when sampling local tree communities at small spatial scale (grain size ≤0.1 ha), but the observed β-diversity did not change with latitude when sampling at large spatial scales (greater than or equal to 0.25 ha). Differences in latitudinal β-diversity gradients across spatial scales were caused by pooled species richness (γ-diversity), which influenced observed β-diversity values at small spatial scales, but not at large spatial scales. Therefore, spatial scale changes the relationship between β-diversity, γ-diversity and latitude, and improving sample representativeness avoids the γ-dependence of β-diversity.
Illegal wildlife trade is one of the key threats to biodiversity. A requisite in combating illegal wildlife trade is through effective and efficient identification of confiscated wildlife or wildlife ...remains. This can be done through DNA barcoding. In this study, DNA barcoding was employed on several cases of poaching in the Philippines involving 85 unidentified pangolin remains. Of these, 73 specimens confiscated from Palawan were identified as the Palawan endemic Manis culionensis, but no deep divergences were observed, suggesting that the samples originated from a single locality. The other 12 individuals, which were part of a large haul of pangolin carcasses recovered from a foreign fishing vessel that ran aground in Tubattaha Reefs, Philippines, were identified as the Malayan Pangolin, M. javanica. They split into two groups with 3.3% mean genetic distance, suggesting at least two geographic origins.
The fovea is a declivity of the retinal surface associated with maximum visual acuity. Foveae are widespread across vertebrates, but among mammals they are restricted to haplorhine primates ...(tarsiers, monkeys, apes, and humans), which are primarily diurnal. Thus primates have long contributed to the view that foveae are functional adaptations to diurnality. The foveae of tarsiers, which are nocturnal, are widely interpreted as vestigial traits and therefore evidence of a diurnal ancestry. This enduring premise is central to adaptive hypotheses on the origins of anthropoid primates; however, the question of whether tarsier foveae are functionless anachronisms or nocturnal adaptations remains open. To explore this question, we compared the diets of tarsiers (Tarsius) and scops owls (Otus), taxa united by numerous anatomical homoplasies, including foveate vision. A functional interpretation of these homoplasies predicts dietary convergence. We tested this prediction by analyzing stable isotope ratios that integrate dietary information. In Borneo and the Philippines, the stable carbon isotope compositions of Tarsius and Otus were indistinguishable, whereas the stable nitrogen isotope composition of Otus was marginally higher than that of Tarsius. Our results indicate that species in both genera consumed mainly ground-dwelling prey. Taken together, our findings support a functional interpretation of the many homoplasies shared by tarsiers and scops owls, including a retinal fovea. We suggest that the fovea might function similarly in tarsiers and scops owls by calibrating the auditory localization pathway. The integration of auditory localization and visual fixation during prey detection and acquisition might be critical at low light levels.
A new species,
Fernando, from ultramafic soils on Dinagat and Mindanao Islands, Philippines is described and illustrated. The species is characterized by its terrestrial erect habit, non-setose ...nodes, 3-plinerved, lanceolate and coriaceous leaves arranged in whorls, cauline or axillary and pendulous inflorescences, rounded flower buds, 4-merous flowers, and straight anthers. It is compared with other similar species in the
Merr. complex.
DNA barcodes of Philippine accipitrids ONG, PERRY S.; LUCZON, ADRIAN U.; QUILANG, JONAS P. ...
Molecular ecology resources,
03/2011, Letnik:
11, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
DNA barcoding is a molecular method that rapidly identifies an individual to a known taxon or its closest relative based on a 650‐bp fragment of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI). In this ...study, DNA barcodes of members of the family Accipitridae, including Haliastur indus (brahminy kite), Haliaeetus leucogaster (white‐bellied sea eagle), Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus (grey‐headed fish eagle), Spilornis holospilus (crested serpent‐eagle), Spizaetus philippensis (Philippine hawk‐eagle), and Pithecophaga jefferyi (Philippine eagle), are reported for the first time. All individuals sampled are kept at the Philippine Eagle Center in Davao City, Philippines. Basic local alignment search tool results demonstrated that the COI sequences for these species were unique. The COI gene trees constructed using the maximum‐likelihood and neighbour‐joining (NJ) methods supported the monophyly of the booted eagles of the Aquilinae and the sea eagles of the Haliaeetinae but not the kites of the Milvinae.
In response to extensive deforestation in the Philippines in the last century, reforestation initiatives have been developed, setting area- or seedling count-based success criteria. However, to ...sufficiently assess reforestation as an approach to conserving biodiversity and protecting habitats, restoration of ecosystem integrity must be evaluated. Increased recognition of the role of fauna in ecological restoration has led to the evaluation of the role of different groups in assisting recovery and as potential metrics of success. In this study, we used mist netting data to evaluate how richness, abundance, diversity, and composition of fruit bats differ between reforestation areas and nearby secondary forest, and their potential as measures of restoration success. We captured 6564 fruit bats representing 15 species from a sampling effort of 1,994,366 m2·h. Estimated species richness and Simpson indices did not differ significantly between habitat types. Overall abundance was only significantly different in Palinpinon, with more individuals in the reforestation area, while Shannon indices only differed significantly in BacMan. Differences in composition were all found to be statistically significant, based on non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination biplots and permutational MANOVA. Of the three most abundant species captured across all reservations, the generalists Cynopterus luzoniensis and Macroglossus minimus were more abundant in reforestation areas. On the other hand, the forest specialists Haplonycteris fischeri, Harpyionycteris whiteheadi, and Ptenochirus minor showed lower abundances in reforestation areas. While univariate biodiversity metrics did not differ between secondary forests and reforestation areas, the abundance of particular species and the species composition of fruit bats remained distinct between these habitats. We identified specific aspects of the fruit bat assemblage with the potential as metrics of restoration success. To facilitate evaluation of restoration success using changes in faunal assemblage, we recommend the development of sampling protocols and metrics that would standardize this process.
•We evaluated how measures of fruit bat biodiversity differ between reforestation areas and nearby secondary forests.•In general, univariate measures of biodiversity did not differ between secondary forest sites and reforestation areas.•Differences in species composition were all found to be statistically significant, based on permutational MANOVA.•The abundance of particular species and the species composition of fruit bats remained distinct between these habitats.
DNA barcoding is extensively used as a species identification and delineation tool. The aim of this study was to generate a barcode profile for mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) in ...the Philippine Duck Anas luzonica, a dabbling duck species endemic to the Philippines that is classified as ‘Vulnerable’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (BirdLife International 2016). COI barcodes were successfully obtained using muscle tissue samples from 46 A. luzonica individuals confiscated from illegal hunters in Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija. Analysis of TrN+Γ+I distances among the Anas luzonica COI sequences and those of 25 other Anas species revealed that COI barcodes cannot generally delineate hybridizing species. While Anas luzonica was differentiated from other species it is known to hybridize with and formed a monophyletic group in the neighbor-joining tree generated, sampling from areas of sympatry is needed since individuals were obtained from only one sampling site. The population structure of the Anas luzonica population was also examined using mitochondrial DNA control region and COI sequences. The population had high haplotype diversity and low nucleotide diversity, an indication that a bottleneck event had occurred, which is likely due to extreme hunting pressures and habitat destruction. The population under study exhibited high genetic diversity. Given that the samples for this study came from a single locality, sampling from other localities is required to determine whether other populations are facing the risk of reduced fitness (inbreeding depression).
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