Centro de Investigación de la Biodiversidad y Cambio Climático
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A mouth full of blood – autohaemorrhaging in three Ecuadorian snakes (Squamata: Colubridae & Tropidophiidae)

2023 , Rödel M.-O. , Loaiza-Lange A. , Penner J. , Neira-Salamea K.D. , Salazar Valenzuela, David

[No abstract available]

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Use of ring recoveries to predict habitat suitability in small passerines

2012 , Tellería J.L. , Santos T. , Refoyo P. , Muñoz J.

Aim Abundance of small passerines may be distributed over large wintering areas according to geographical patterns that are difficult to detect. This may prevent the identification and conservation of the most suitable sectors, or the detection of local and regional features affecting the species during winter. In this paper, we explore the usefulness of ring recoveries to predict bird distribution in wintering grounds by using Maxent, one of the presence-only techniques available for modelling species distributions. We test whether suitability indices obtained in 2.5×2.5km UTM squares from ring recoveries were positively correlated with the actual abundance of robins (Erithacus rubecula) and blackcaps (Sylvia atricapilla) inside the squares. Location Spain. Methods We used 686 and 1139 localities across the country in which blackcap and robin ring recoveries were recorded by the Spanish Office of Migratory Species to generate the suitability maps. In addition, we sampled bird abundance inside 70 control squares independent of ring recovery localities along a belt crossing mountains, highlands and lowlands of the Iberian Peninsula during January from 2006 to 2011. Results Suitability indices predicted by Maxent were positively correlated with robin (r=0.42, n=70, P<0.001) and blackcap (r=0.52, n=70, P<0.001) abundances in the 70 control squares along the belt crossing the Iberian Peninsula. Main conclusions These results suggest that the use of distribution models with ring recoveries may be used to describe the habitat suitability of the winter ranges of small, common passerines. This also means that the huge number of ring recoveries stored in national and transnational data banks could be used to explore the factors shaping bird ranges and to forecast the geographical distribution of suitable wintering areas of migratory birds in large, poorly known regions. This may be useful in biogeography and conservation. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

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Typification of names of Weinmannia (Cunoniaceae) of species described by José Cuatrecasas from Colombian collections

2025 , Carmen Ulloa Ulloa , Andrea Chaspuengal-Morales , Francisco Fajardo-Gutiérrez , Oleas Gallo, Nora Helena

We propose 18 new lectotype designations for names of Weinmannia, five of which are second-step typifications involving four inadvertent first-step lectotype designations, and 13 of them are designations of one single duplicate at the herbarium where deposited. José Cuatrecasas described all, but one, of the taxa from collections made in Colombia. We clarify the lectotypification for Weinmannia parvifoliolata Cuatrec. Finally, we propose one lectotype designation for W. cochensis described by Georg Hieronymus.

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Notes on the diet of the Band-bellied Owl (Pulsatrix melanota) in Ecuador [Notas sobre la dieta del buho ventribandeado (Pulsatrix melanota) en Ecuador]

2011 , Cadena-Ortiz H. , Bahamonde-Vinueza D. , Bonaccorso, Elisa

[No abstract available]

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Morphometric relations of freshwater fishes of the Suaza River (Huila department, Colombia)

2016 , Tobes I. , Miranda R. , Gaspar S. , Peláez-Rodríguez M.

The knowledge of freshwater fishes in remote Andean mountains is scarce and restricted to changes of occurrence distribution along a specific gradient. The high number of endemic fish species requires further studies regarding their biology and their conservation status. The present study aims to estimate the length-weight, length- length, and length-girth relations for nine native freshwater fish species representing five families (Loricariidae, Characidae, Heptapteridae, Crenuchidae, and Parodontidae): Chaetostoma thomsoni Regan, 1904; Lasiancistrus caucanus Eigenmann, 1912; Rineloricaria jubata (Boulenger, 1902); Bryconamericus huilae Román-Valencia, 2003; Gephyrocharax melanocheir Eigenmann, 1912; Pimelodella chagresi (Steindachner, 1876); Rhamdia guatemalensis (Quoy et Gaimard, 1824); Characidium fasciatum Reinhardt, 1867; Parodon suborbitalis Valenciennes, 1850. The fishes were collected in the Suaza River (Huila, Colombia). These are the first length-weight relations reported for all these species, mostly endemic to the Colombian Andes. The report also provides the new maximum size for four species. © 2016, Scientific Society of Szczecin. All rights reserved.

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Why Do Some Lineages Radiate While Others Do Not? Perspectives for Future Research on Adaptive Radiations

2025 , Rishi De-Kayne , Rowan Schley , Julia M.I. Barth , Luke C. Campillo , Catalina Chaparro-Pedraza , Jahnavi Joshi , Walter Salzburger , Bert Van Bocxlaer , Darko D. Cotoras , Carmelo Fruciano , Anthony J. Geneva , Rosemary Gillespie , Joseph Heras , Stephan Koblmüller , Blake Matthews , Renske E. Onstein , Ole Seehausen , Pooja Singh , Erik I. Svensson , Salazar Valenzuela, David , Maarten P.M. Vanhove , Guinevere O.U. Wogan , Ryo Yamaguchi , Anne D. Yoder , José Cerca

Understanding the processes that drive phenotypic diversification and underpin speciation is key to elucidating how biodiversity has evolved. Although these processes have been studied across a wide array of clades, adaptive radiations (ARs), which are systems with multiple closely related species and broad phenotypic diversity, have been particularly fruitful for teasing apart the factors that drive and constrain diversification. As such, ARs have become popular candidate study systems for determining the extent to which ecological features, including aspects of organisms and the environment, and inter- and intraspecific interactions, led to evolutionary diversification. Despite substantial past empirical and theoretical work, understanding mechanistically how ARs evolve remains a major challenge. Here, we highlight a number of understudied components of the environment and of lineages themselves, which may help further our understanding of speciation and AR. We also outline some substantial remaining challenges to achieving a detailed understanding of adaptation, speciation, and the role of ecology in these processes. These major challenges include identifying factors that have a causative impact in promoting or constraining ARs, gaining a more holistic understanding of features of organisms and their environment that interact resulting in adaptation and speciation, and understanding whether the role of these organismal and environmental features varies throughout the radiation process. We conclude by providing perspectives on how future investigations into the AR process can overcome these challenges, allowing us to glean mechanistic insights into adaptation and speciation. This record is sourced from MEDLINE/PubMed, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine

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Isolation and Characterisation of 11 Microsatellite Loci in the Ecuadorian Hillstar Oreotrochilus chimborazo

2017 , Oleas Gallo, Nora Helena , Harvey N. , Rodríguez-Saltos C.A. , Bonaccorso E.

The Ecuadorian Hillstar Oreotrochilus chimborazo is a high Andean hummingbird that inhabits paramo ecosystems from extreme southern Colombia to southern Ecuador. The species is currently divided into three subspecies that differ in morphology and geographic distribution but no molecular differences have been found between them using mitochondrial markers. The aim of this study was to isolate and test microsatellite loci to further explore possible genetic variability between and within these subspecies. Screening an enriched genomic library of O. chimborazo we obtained eleven polymorphic microsatellite loci. These markers will be used to further elucidate evolutionary patterns in the species.

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Unveiling the evolutionary relationships and the high cryptic diversity in Andean rainfrogs (Craugastoridae: Pristimantis myersi group)

2023 , Franco-Mena, Daniela , Guayasamin J.M. , Andrade-Brito D. , Yánez-Muñoz M.H. , Rojas-Runjaic F.J.M.

Background. Pristimantis is the most diverse genus of terrestrial frogs. Historically, it has been divided into several phenetic groups in order to facilitate species identification. However, in light of phylogenetic analysis, many of these groups have been shown to be non-monophyletic, denoting a high degree of morphological convergence and limited number of diagnostic traits. In this study, we focus on the Pristimantis myersi group, an assemblage of small rainfrogs distributed throughout the Andes of Ecuador and Colombia, whose external morphology is highly conserved, and its species diversity and evolutionary relationships largely unknown. Methods. We inferred a new phylogenetic hypothesis for the frog genus Pristimantis, including all available sequences of the mtDNA 16S rRNA, as well as new DNA sequences from 175 specimens. Our sampling included 19 of the 24 species currently recognized as part of the Pristimantis myersi group. Results. Our new evolutionary hypothesis recovered the P. myersi group as non-monophyletic and composed of 16 species. Therefore, we exclude P. albujai, P. bicantus, P. sambalan, and P. nelsongalloi in order to preserve the monophyly of the group. We discovered at least eight candidate species, most of them hidden under the names of P. leoni, P. hectus, P. festae, P. gladiator, and P. ocreatus. Discussion. Our results reveal the occurrence of a high level of cryptic diversity to the species level within the P. myersi group and highlight the need to redefine some of its species and reassess their conservation status. We suggest that the conservation status of six species within the group need to be re-evaluated because they exhibit smaller distributions than previously thought; these species are: P. festae, P. gladiator, P. hectus, P. leoni, P. ocreatus, and P. pyrrhomerus. Finally, given that the Pristimantis myersi group, as defined in this work, is monophyletic and morphologically diagnosable, and that Trachyphrynus is an available name for the clade containing P. myersi, we implement Trachyphrynus as a formal subgenus name for the Pristimantis myersi group. Copyright 2023 Franco-Mena et al.

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Hydrocarbon tolerance evaluation of the microbiota associated with the Roystonea oleracea palm from Santay Island (Ecuador)

2024 , Andrade, Jean Carlo , Santiago Mafla , Kelly Riofrío , José Hernández , Tobes, Ibon , Cristian Lara-Basantes

Soil contamination from hydrocarbon spills has resulted in significant environmental repercussions on a global scale. Bioremediation, which involves the use of living organisms such as microbes to remove contaminants from polluted ecosystems, offers a promising solution. In this study, tolerance tests on hydrocarbons present in Jet Fuel A1 were carried out, utilizing microorganisms isolated from four soil samples (M1, M2, M3, and M4) collected at varying distances from the rhizosphere of Roystonea oleracea on Santay Island, a RAMSAR wetland located in the Guayas River estuary on the Pacific coast of Ecuador. Sample M1 was closest to the base of the palm, while M4 was the farthest. Various soil ions, including potassium, phosphates, iron, and total nitrogen, were analyzed, and higher concentrations were found near the base of the palm. Additionally, a metabolic profile analysis of the samples was conducted using Ecoplate® kits, which revealed similar trends, with carbon sources being predominantly consumed near the base. A community-level analysis was performed using Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE), followed by molecular characterization through amplification of the 16S RNA conserved region via the Sanger method. The identified microorganisms included Lysinibacillus fusiformis, Lysinibacillus boronitolerans, Alcaligenes faecalis, and Bacillus soli in the soil samples. Notably, strains isolated from samples near the palm's base were able to grow in media enriched with Jet Fuel A1 and demonstrated the ability to produce biosurfactants, as determined by the drop-collapsing method. The results obtained present opportunities for future research in the exploration of novel green remediation technologies.

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Conspicuous and cryptic poison frogs are picky and prefer different meals in syntopy

2023 , Sánchez-Loja S. , Donoso D.A. , Páez-Vacas M.I.

The poison frog family (Anura: Dendrobatidae) consists of species with conspicuous (e.g., warning coloration and toxicity or low palatability) and cryptic (e.g., palatable, and inconspicuous coloration) traits. Previous literature suggests that conspicuous, but not cryptic, species require diet specialization in prey high in alkaloids. To test for dietary preferences of poison frog species, we identified, to the lowest possible taxonomic rank, the diets of 21 Epipedobates darwinwallacei (conspicuous) and 22 Hyloxalus awa (cryptic) frogs living in syntopy in the Otongachi Forest in northwestern Ecuador. We then tested for differences in diet assemblage composition, and diet specialization, in these putatively conspicuous and cryptic frogs. Our analyses showed significant differences in the composition of arthropod assemblages consumed by both frog species, which translated into a narrow niche breadth and nine arthropod taxa (out of a total of 18) consumed by both species. Moreover, the index of relative importance, which measures frog’s diet specialization, suggested that E. darwinwallacei, and H. awa prefer specific arthropod taxa, where the former consumes preferentially springtails and mites, while the latter consumes mostly ants and Coleoptera larvae. Thus, contrary to expectations, diet specialization is not a unique characteristic of the species with conspicuous traits when living in syntopy. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

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