The variation in size along elevations has been investigated in various insect species, with contradictory results regarding Bergmann’s or James’ rules. Positive, negative, or hump-shaped patterns ...have been commonly found, but the sources of variation are generally unknown, because the contribution of genetic and environmental factors is not usually estimated. Social insects offer the opportunity to study the intraspecific variation and heritability of morphological traits due to the ease of finding family groups in the wild. Thus, we aimed to assess the variation in morphological characters of
Atta cephalotes
and to estimate their heritability as an attempt to understand the sources of variation. We sampled 30 soldiers from five nests at six different elevations in Colombia; soldiers were dissected, and ten morphometric characters were measured. Variation was analysed through nested MANOVA and REML analyses, and heritabilities and co-heritabilities were estimated using a full-sib model. We found significant differences between elevations and nests, with larger soldiers occurring at localities in intermediate elevations. Heritabilities varied when they were estimated with all data together or separated by locality, showing low-to-intermediate values, while co-heritabilities were intermediate to high. The nonlinear cline found in this study could be a result of the interactions among the factors generating Bergmann’s patterns, such as temperature, the ecology of leaf-cutting ants (management of temperature inside nests) and resource availability. The heritability results imply a genotype-environment interaction, with an overall greater effect of the environment on body size variation in
A. cephalotes
soldiers.
It has been recognized that numerous synthetic compounds like Bisphenol A (BPA) and nonylphenols (NP) are present in effluents from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) at levels of parts per billion ...(μgL−1) or even parts per trillion (ngL−1) with a high potential to cause endocrine disruption in the aquatic environment. Constructed wetlands (CW) are a cost-effective wastewater treatment alternative with promising performance to treat these afore mentioned compounds. This research was aimed to evaluate the efficacy of CW treatment of WWTP effluent for mitigating the effects endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs). This research goal was accomplished by (1) quantifying the removal of BPA and NP in CWs; (2) isolating CW fungal strains and testing for laccase production; and (3) performing endocrine disruption (reproduction) bioassays using the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Three pilot scale horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands (HSSF-CW) were operated for eight weeks: one planted with Phragmites australis; one planted with Heliconia psitacorum; and one unplanted. The Heliconia CW showed a removal efficiency of 73.3(±19%) and 62.8(±20.1%) for BPA and NP, respectively; while the Phragmites CW demonstrated a similar removal for BPA (70.2±27%) and lower removal efficiency for NP 52.1(±37.1%).The unplanted CW achieved 62.2 (±33%) removal for BPA and 25.3(±37%) removal for NP. Four of the eleven fungal strains isolated from the Heliconia-CW showed the capacity to produce laccase. Even though complete removal of EDCs was not achieved by the CWs, the bioassay confirmed a significant improvement (p<0.05) in fly viability for all CWs, with Heliconia sp. being the most effective at mitigating adverse effects on first and second generational reproduction. This study showed that a CW planted with a native Heliconia sp. CW demonstrated a higher removal of endocrine disrupting compounds and better mitigation of reproductive disruption in the bioassay.
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•Constructed wetlands were evaluated for BPA and NP removal and environmental risk•Heliconia sp. CW showed a higher capacity for removing BPA and NP•Fungal strains isolated from the Heliconia-CW showed the capacity to produce laccase•Negative impacts in aquatic wild life may be reduced treating wastewater with CW
There is an increasing evidence that populations of ectotherms can diverge genetically in response to different climatic conditions, both within their native range and (in the case of invasive ...species) in their new range. Here, we test for such divergence in invasive whitefly Bemisia tabaci populations in tropical Colombia, by considering heritable variation within and between populations in survival and fecundity under temperature stress, and by comparing population differences with patterns established from putatively neutral microsatellite markers. We detected significant differences among populations linked to mean temperature (for survival) and temperature variation (for fecundity) in local environments. A QST − FST analysis indicated that phenotypic divergence was often larger than neutral expectations (QST > FST). Particularly, for survival after a sublethal heat shock, this divergence remained linked to the local mean temperature after controlling for neutral divergence. These findings point to rapid adaptation in invasive whitefly likely to contribute to its success as a pest species. Ongoing evolutionary divergence also provides challenges in predicting the likely impact of Bemisia in invaded regions.
In molecular biology studies of Anura, nondestructive methods to obtain genetic material are needed as alternatives to toe clipping. This work evaluates a nondestructive method for sampling DNA from ...blood puncture, comparing the performance of three different extraction protocols (Qiagen Kit, Salting‐out and Chelex). We collected 134 individuals of Eleutherodactylus johnstonei, extracting blood via puncture of the medial vein using commercial‐grade glucometer lancets. We extracted 100–1880 ng DNA, finding no differences between the extraction protocols. We compared the quality of the resulting DNA through amplification and sequencing of the 16S mitochondrial gene. Amplification was successful for the three extraction protocols, although Chelex showed better performance, making it the most recommendable protocol for extraction of DNA from blood. The resulting sequences corresponded to those registered in the GenBank for this species. Additionally, we found no significant differences in survival or weight change between the individuals that were manipulated and a control group (mean survival 66.7% treated, 62.9% untreated). Data reveal that blood samples obtained by puncture are a convenient alternative to other tissues (phalange, buccal swab, liver) that have traditionally been used as DNA sources for anurans. The technique is applicable to small and large species, covering most anuran diversity, provides enough DNA for many genetic applications and produces no noticeable effect on the survival or performance, given that it does not affect the motor parts or the dexterity of the animals.
Twenty‐six microsatellite loci were isolated and characterized from the mangrove species Rhizophora mangle using (GT)n and (CT)n repeats. Eighty‐four per cent of the clones contained microsatellite ...sequences; the most common dinucleotides were the (GA/CT) and (CA/GT) repeats. Ten primers were selected to investigate the polymorphism among individuals of R. mangle from two natural populations of the Colombian Pacific Coast. The observed heterozygosity per locus varied from 0.20 to 0.80, the power of discrimination was 0.32–0.84 and the power of exclusion was 0.03–0.75. This set of microsatellites offers an efficient tool for population genetics studies on this species.
Abstract
There is an increasing evidence that populations of ectotherms can diverge genetically in response to different climatic conditions, both within their native range and (in the case of ...invasive species) in their new range. Here, we test for such divergence in invasive whitefly
B
emisia tabaci
populations in tropical Colombia, by considering heritable variation within and between populations in survival and fecundity under temperature stress, and by comparing population differences with patterns established from putatively neutral microsatellite markers. We detected significant differences among populations linked to mean temperature (for survival) and temperature variation (for fecundity) in local environments. A
Q
ST
−
F
ST
analysis indicated that phenotypic divergence was often larger than neutral expectations (
Q
ST
>
F
ST
). Particularly, for survival after a sublethal heat shock, this divergence remained linked to the local mean temperature after controlling for neutral divergence. These findings point to rapid adaptation in invasive whitefly likely to contribute to its success as a pest species. Ongoing evolutionary divergence also provides challenges in predicting the likely impact of
B
emisia
in invaded regions.
We investigated the genetic variation of Avicennia germinans using 172 AFLP (Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism) bands of 45 plants from four localities on the Colombian Pacific coast: 11 from ...Virudó (Chocó), 10 from La Plata (Valle), 12 from Tumaco (Nariño), and 12 from Chontal (Nariño). AFLP variation among localities (16.2%) was highly significant (AMOVA; Ρ < 0.0001). All the analyses showed that Tumaco was the most genetically distinct locality of the four under study. The other three localities, La Plata, Virudó, and Chontal, apparently form a large single subpopulation with high-to-moderate gene flow among localities. We also found the genetic diversity of A. germinans on the Colombian Pacific coast ($H_{E}$= 0.251) higher than that estimated by others over the broad geographic range of Α. germinans. All these results together show that mangroves on the Colombian Pacific coast deserve a strong investigative effort to improve our ecological, evolutionary, and biogeographic knowledge of this important tropical forest type. /// Se investigó la variación genética de Avicennia germinans de cuatro localidades de la costa Pacífica colombiana. Para esto, se muestrearon un total de 45 árboles distribuidos así: 11 de Virudó (Chocó), 10 de La Plata (Valle), 12 de Tumaco (Nariño), y 12 de Chontal (Nariño). En el análisis estadístico se utilizaron 172 bandas del marcador molecular AFLP (Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism). Se encontró una variación entre localidades altamente significativa (AMOVA; Ρ < 0.0001) equivalente a 16.2 por ciento. Todos los análisis estadísticos mostraron que Tumaco es una subpoblación genéticamente diferente de las otras tres localidades estudiadas. Las otras tres localidades estudiadas (La Plata, Virudó y Chontal), aparentemente forman otra subpoblación grande con flujo genético moderado y alto. También se encontró que la diversidad genética promedio de A. germinans de la Costa Pacífica Colombiana ($H^{E}$= 0.251) es más alta que la que se ha reportado para otros sitios donde esta especie se distribuye. En conjunto, todos estos resultados indican que esta especie y en general los manglares de la costa Pacífica colombiana requieren de un mayor esfuerzo de investigación para mejorar el conocimiento ecológico, evolutivo y biogeográfico de este bosque tropical.
Pelliciera rhizophorae is a Neotropical mangrove species whose distribution is mostly restricted to the Pacific Coast, between the Gulf of Nicoya (Costa Rica) and the Esmeraldas River (Ecuador). In ...the Caribbean, patches of Pelliciera have been found in Nicaragua, Panama, and Colombia. The genetic variation and the population structure of P. rhizophorae were evaluated in six zones of the Colombian Pacific, using AFLP molecular markers. Of the 225 amplified fragments produced, 155 (69%) were polymorphic in 57 individuals of P. rhizophorae collected in the localities of Virudó, Charambirá, La Plata Island, Tumaco, Milagros, and Chontal. Genetic diversity within populations varied significantly, with the lowest levels of within-population variation ($H_{ep}$= 0.081 and 0.090, respectively) in La Plata Island and Tumaco; and the highest level of variation ($H_{ep}$= 0.187) in Chontal. In the Colombian Pacific, P. rhizophorae was significantly structured, with 26.5 percent of the variation found among populations, which was an evidence of substructure within populations. Genetic differentiation was not related to the geographic distance between zones. This suggests that the population dynamics of P. rhizophorae could be associated with historic processes influenced by ecological and environmental factors such as the movement of pollen by birds, the displacement of propagules by marine currents, and the spatial distribution of favorable habitats. /// Pelliciera rhizophorae es una especie de mangle neotropical cuya distribución está casi restringida a la Costa Pacífica, entre el Golfo de Nicoya (Costa Rica) y el río Esmeraldas (Ecuador). En el Caribe, se han encontrado parches de Pelliciera en Nicaragua, Panamá y Colombia. La variación genética y la estructura poblacional de Pelliciera rhizophorae en seis zonas del Pacífico colombiano fueron evaluadas utilizando marcadores moleculares AFLP, produciendo en total 225 fragmentos amplificados, de los cuales 155 (69%) fueron polimórficos en 57 individuos de Pelliciera rhizophorae colectados en las localidades de Virudó, Charambirá, Isla La Plata, Tumaco, Milagros, y Chontal. La diversidad genética dentro de poblaciones varió significativamente, mostrando en Isla La Plata y Tumaco los niveles de variación intrapoblacional más bajos ($H_{ep}$= 0.081 y 0.090 respectivamente) y en Chontal el nivel más alto de variación ($H_{ep}$= 0.187). En el Pacífico Colombiano, P. rhizophorae resultó significativamente estructurada con 26.5 por ciento de variación dentro de poblaciones, mostrando evidencias de subestructuración dentro de poblaciones. La diferenciación genética no mostró relación con la distancia geográfica entre zonas. Esto sugiere que la dinámica poblacional de Pelliciera podría asociarse con procesos históricos influenciados por factores ecológicos y ambientales como el movimiento de polen mediado por aves, el desplazamiento de propágulos a través de las corrientes marinas y la distribución espacial de hábitat favorables.
Con el objetivo de determinar el grado de diversidad genética del mangle negro o iguanero(Avicennia germinans L.) se analizaron cuatro localidades ecológicamente diferentes de la costaPacífica ...colombiana utilizando el marcador molecular AFLP “Amplified Fragment LengthPolymorphism”. Para esto, se colectaron hojas jóvenes de 45 individuos de diferentes edades, encuatro localidades de la costa Pacífica colombiana, así: 10 de Virudó-Chocó, 11 de Isla La Plata-Valle del Cauca, 12 de Tumaco-Nariño y 12 de Chontal-Nariño. El patrón de bandas obtenidose transformó en una matriz de presencias (1) o ausencias (0) de la banda. Con esta matriz, sehicieron tres Análisis Moleculares de Varianza (AMOVA), así: 1) Dividiendo la variación genéticaen dos niveles jerárquicos, entre localidades y dentro de localidades, sin considerar categorías deedad. 2) Dividiendo la variación genética en tres niveles jerárquicos, entre localidades, entrecategorías de edad dentro de localidades y dentro de categorías de edad. 3) Dividiendo la va-riación genética en dos niveles jerárquicos, entre localidades y dentro de localidades para doscategorías de edad: Fustales y latizales/brinzales.
Objectives. Establish the genetic profiles of cats from 12 neighboring municipalities in southwestern Colombia, in a town course from Pereira-Popayán. Estimate the degree of diversity, genetic ...structure, and quantify gene flow. Materials and methods. Were inventoried the phenotypic markers present in the pigmentation and structure of the coat of 1482 cats of the municipalities surveyed. Based on these phenotypic frequencies, allele frequencies, heterozygosity, Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, F statistics and Nei genetic distances were calculated. A comparison was also made between genetic and geographic distance matrices to determine if there was a significant association between the two. Results. With the genetic profiles of the populations we estimated the degree of diversity. We found the populations in equilibrium for the S autosomal locus and for the O sex-linked locus. We found a low level genetic structure, and it was determined that there was no significant correlation between the genetic and geographic distance matrices among populations. Conclusions: These findings can be explained on the basis of the processes of human displacement for this region, due to the fact that the establishment of feline populations in these municipalities originated during the same historical period. Identical genetic profiles are shared as a result of colonization events, and due to possible continued migration among these populations.Objetivos. Determinar los perfiles genéticos de los gatos de 12 municipios contiguos del suroccidente colombiano en un trayecto Pereira-Popayán; estimar el grado de diversidad, estructura genética y cuantificar el flujo de genes. Materiales y métodos. Se inventariaron los marcadores fenotípicos presentes en la pigmentación y estructura del pelaje de 1482 gatos de los municipios estudiados, con base en estas frecuencias fenotípicas se calcularon frecuencias alélicas, heterocigosidad, equilibrio Hardy-Weinberg, el estadístico FST y distancias genéticas de Nei. También se realizó una comparación entre matrices de distancia genética y geográfica para determinar si existía asociación significativa entre las dos. Resultados. Con los perfiles genéticos de las poblaciones se estimó el grado de diversidad, se halló en equilibrio Hardy-Weinberg a las poblaciones para el locus autosómico S y el locus ligado al sexo O. Se encontró bajo nivel de estructura genética y se determinó que no existe correlación significativa entre las matrices de distancia genética y geográfica entre poblaciones. Conclusiones. Estos hallazgos se pueden explicar con base en los procesos de desplazamiento humano para esta región, debido a que el establecimiento de poblaciones felinas en estos municipios se originó en el mismo período histórico. Se comparten perfiles genéticos idénticos como resultado, posiblemente, de eventos de colonización y migración continua entre estas poblaciones.
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