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A decharming metamorphosis: The larval and adult morphology of the common spadefoot toad, Pelobates fuscus. ZOOL ANZ 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcz.2021.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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2
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Easton LJ, Tennyson AJD, Rawlence NJ. A new species of Leiopelma frog (Amphibia: Anura: Leiopelmatidae) from the late Pliocene of New Zealand. NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/03014223.2021.1979053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Luke J. Easton
- Otago Palaeogenetics Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Department of Conservation, Tongariro National Park, SH48 Whakapapa Village, Mount Ruapehu, New Zealand
| | | | - Nicolas J. Rawlence
- Otago Palaeogenetics Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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3
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Pereyra MO, Blotto BL, Baldo D, Chaparro JC, Ron SR, Elias-Costa AJ, Iglesias PP, Venegas PJ, C. Thomé MT, Ospina-Sarria JJ, Maciel NM, Rada M, Kolenc F, Borteiro C, Rivera-Correa M, Rojas-Runjaic FJ, Moravec J, De La Riva I, Wheeler WC, Castroviejo-Fisher S, Grant T, Haddad CF, Faivovich J. Evolution in the Genus Rhinella: A Total Evidence Phylogenetic Analysis of Neotropical True Toads (Anura: Bufonidae). BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY 2021. [DOI: 10.1206/0003-0090.447.1.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Martín O. Pereyra
- Martín O. Pereyra: División Herpetología, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”–CONICET, Buenos Aires; and Laboratorio de Genética Evolutiva “Claudio J. Bidau,” Instituto de Biología Subtropical (IBS, CONICET), Universidad Naci
| | - Boris L. Blotto
- Boris L. Blotto: División Herpetología, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”–CONICET, Buenos Aires; Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Biodiversidade e Centro de Aquicultura (CAUN
| | - Diego Baldo
- Diego Baldo: Laboratorio de Genética Evolutiva “Claudio J. Bidau,” Instituto de Biología Subtropical (IBS, CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Misiones (UNaM), Posadas, Misiones, Argentina
| | - Juan C. Chaparro
- Juan C. Chaparro: Museo de Biodiversidad del Perú, Cusco, Perú; and Museo de Historia Natural de la Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco, Paraninfo Universitario, Cusco
| | - Santiago R. Ron
- Santiago R. Ron: Museo de Zoología, Escuela de Biología, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito
| | - Agustín J. Elias-Costa
- Agustín J. Elias-Costa: División Herpetología, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”–CONICET, Buenos Aires
| | - Patricia P. Iglesias
- Patricia P. Iglesias: Laboratorio de Genética Evolutiva “Claudio J. Bidau”, Instituto de Biología Subtropical (IBS, CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Misiones (UNaM), Posadas, Misiones, Argentina
| | - Pablo J. Venegas
- Pablo J. Venegas: División de Herpetología-Centro de Ornitología y Biodiversidad (CORBIDI), Surco, Lima
| | - Maria Tereza C. Thomé
- Maria Tereza C. Thomé: Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Biodiversidade e Centro de Aquicultura (CAUNESP), Rio Claro, São Paulo
| | - Jhon Jairo Ospina-Sarria
- Jhon Jairo Ospina-Sarria: Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; and Calima, Fundación para la Investigación de la Biodiversidad y Conservación en el Trópico, Cali
| | - Natan M. Maciel
- Natan M. Maciel: Laboratório de Herpetologia e Comportamento Animal, Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil
| | - Marco Rada
- Marco Rada: Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo
| | - Francisco Kolenc
- Francisco Kolenc: Sección Herpetología, Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Montevideo
| | - Claudio Borteiro
- Claudio Borteiro: Sección Herpetología, Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Montevideo
| | - Mauricio Rivera-Correa
- Mauricio Rivera-Correa: Grupo Herpetológico de Antioquia, Instituto de Biología, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín
| | - Fernando J.M. Rojas-Runjaic
- Fernando J.M. Rojas-Runjaic: Fundación La Salle de Ciencias Naturales, Museo de Historia Natural La Salle (MHNLS), Venezuela; and Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Jiří Moravec
- Jiří Moravec: Department of Zoology, National Museum, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Ignacio De La Riva
- Ignacio de la Riva: Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), Madrid
| | - Ward C. Wheeler
- Ward C. Wheeler: Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York
| | - Santiago Castroviejo-Fisher
- Santiago Castroviejo-Fisher: Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; and Research Associate, Herpetology, Division of Vertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York
| | - Taran Grant
- Taran Grant: Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo; and Research Associate, Herpetology, Division of Vertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York
| | - Célio F.B. Haddad
- Célio F.B. Haddad: Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Biodiversidade e Centro de Aquicultura (CAUNESP), Rio Claro, São Paulo
| | - Julián Faivovich
- Julián Faivovich: División Herpetología, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”–CONICET, Buenos Aires; Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires,
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4
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Zhang J, Miao G, Hu S, Sun Q, Ding H, Ji Z, Guo P, Yan S, Wang C, Kan X, Nie L. Quantification and evolution of mitochondrial genome rearrangement in Amphibians. BMC Ecol Evol 2021; 21:19. [PMID: 33563214 PMCID: PMC7871395 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-021-01755-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Rearrangement is an important topic in the research of amphibian mitochondrial genomes ("mitogenomes" hereafter), whose causes and mechanisms remain enigmatic. Globally examining mitogenome rearrangements and uncovering their characteristics can contribute to a better understanding of mitogenome evolution. RESULTS Here we systematically investigated mitogenome arrangements of 232 amphibians including four newly sequenced Dicroglossidae mitogenomes. The results showed that our new sequenced mitogenomes all possessed a trnM tandem duplication, which was not exclusive to Dicroglossidae. By merging the same arrangements, the mitogenomes of ~ 80% species belonged to the four major patterns, the major two of which were typical vertebrate arrangement and typical neobatrachian arrangement. Using qMGR for calculating rearrangement frequency (RF) (%), we found that the control region (CR) (RF = 45.04) and trnL2 (RF = 38.79) were the two most frequently rearranged components. Forty-seven point eight percentage of amphibians possessed rearranged mitogenomes including all neobatrachians and their distribution was significantly clustered in the phylogenetic trees (p < 0.001). In addition, we argued that the typical neobatrachian arrangement may have appeared in the Late Jurassic according to possible occurrence time estimation. CONCLUSION It was the first global census of amphibian mitogenome arrangements from the perspective of quantity statistics, which helped us to systematically understand the type, distribution, frequency and phylogenetic characteristics of these rearrangements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jifeng Zhang
- School of Biological Engineering, Huainan Normal University, Huainan, Anhui, 232001, People's Republic of China.
- College of Life Science, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, Anhui, 241000, People's Republic of China.
- Anhui Key Laboratory of Low Temperature Co-Fired Materials, Huainan Normal University, Huainan, 232001, People's Republic of China.
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Dust Prevention and Control and Occupational Health and Safety, Ministry of Education, Huainan, 232001, People's Republic of China.
- Anhui Shanhe Pharmaceutical Excipients Co., Ltd., Huainan, 232001, People's Republic of China.
| | - Guopen Miao
- School of Biological Engineering, Huainan Normal University, Huainan, Anhui, 232001, People's Republic of China
| | - Shunjie Hu
- School of Biological Engineering, Huainan Normal University, Huainan, Anhui, 232001, People's Republic of China
| | - Qi Sun
- School of Biological Engineering, Huainan Normal University, Huainan, Anhui, 232001, People's Republic of China
| | - Hengwu Ding
- College of Life Science, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, Anhui, 241000, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhicheng Ji
- Department of Biostatistics, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Pen Guo
- Life Science and Food Engineering College, Yibin University, Yibin, Sichuan, 644000, People's Republic of China
| | - Shoubao Yan
- School of Biological Engineering, Huainan Normal University, Huainan, Anhui, 232001, People's Republic of China
| | - Chengrun Wang
- School of Biological Engineering, Huainan Normal University, Huainan, Anhui, 232001, People's Republic of China
| | - Xianzhao Kan
- College of Life Science, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, Anhui, 241000, People's Republic of China.
| | - Liuwang Nie
- College of Life Science, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, Anhui, 241000, People's Republic of China.
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Blotto BL, Pereyra MO, Grant T, Faivovich J. Hand and Foot Musculature of Anura: Structure, Homology, Terminology, and Synapomorphies for Major Clades. BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY 2020. [DOI: 10.1206/0003-0090.443.1.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Boris L. Blotto
- Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; División Herpetología, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”–CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Martín O. Pereyra
- División Herpetología, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”–CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Laboratorio de Genética Evolutiva “Claudio J. Bidau,” Instituto de Biología Subtropical–CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Químic
| | - Taran Grant
- Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; Coleção de Anfíbios, Museu de Zoologia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; Research Associate, Herpetology, Division of Vertebrate Zoology, A
| | - Julián Faivovich
- División Herpetología, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”–CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos
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6
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Billaud O, Moen DS, Parsons TL, Morlon H. Estimating Diversity Through Time Using Molecular Phylogenies: Old and Species-Poor Frog Families are the Remnants of a Diverse Past. Syst Biol 2020; 69:363-383. [PMID: 31682272 DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syz057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2017] [Revised: 07/08/2019] [Accepted: 08/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Estimating how the number of species in a given group varied in the deep past is of key interest to evolutionary biologists. However, current phylogenetic approaches for obtaining such estimates have limitations, such as providing unrealistic diversity estimates at the origin of the group. Here, we develop a robust probabilistic approach for estimating diversity through time curves and uncertainty around these estimates from phylogenetic data. We show with simulations that under various realistic scenarios of diversification, this approach performs better than previously proposed approaches. We also characterize the effect of tree size and undersampling on the performance of the approach. We apply our method to understand patterns of species diversity in anurans (frogs and toads). We find that Archaeobatrachia-a species-poor group of old frog clades often found in temperate regions-formerly had much higher diversity and net diversification rate, but the group declined in diversity as younger, nested clades diversified. This diversity decline seems to be linked to a decline in speciation rate rather than an increase in extinction rate. Our approach, implemented in the R package RPANDA, should be useful for evolutionary biologists interested in understanding how past diversity dynamics have shaped present-day diversity. It could also be useful in other contexts, such as for analyzing clade-clade competitive effects or the effect of species richness on phenotypic divergence.
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Affiliation(s)
- O Billaud
- Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure (IBENS), CNRS UMR 8197, INSERM U1024, École Normale Supérieure, Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL) Research University, F-75005 Paris, France
| | - D S Moen
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University, 517 Life Sciences West, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA
| | - T L Parsons
- Laboratoire de Probabilités, Statistique et Modélisation (LPSM), Sorbonne Université, CNRS UMR 8001, Paris, France
| | - H Morlon
- Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure (IBENS), CNRS UMR 8197, INSERM U1024, École Normale Supérieure, Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL) Research University, F-75005 Paris, France
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7
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Zhou Y, Liang Y, Yan Q, Zhang L, Chen D, Ruan L, Kong Y, Shi H, Chen M, Chen J. The draft genome of horseshoe crab Tachypleus tridentatus reveals its evolutionary scenario and well-developed innate immunity. BMC Genomics 2020; 21:137. [PMID: 32041526 PMCID: PMC7011531 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-020-6488-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2019] [Accepted: 01/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Horseshoe crabs are ancient marine arthropods with a long evolutionary history extending back approximately 450 million years, which may benefit from their innate immune systems. However, the genetic mechanisms underlying their abilities of distinguishing and defending against invading microbes are still unclear. RESULTS Here, we describe the 2.06 Gbp genome assembly of Tachypleus tridentatus with 24,222 predicted protein-coding genes. Comparative genomics shows that T. tridentatus and the Atlantic horseshoe crab Limulus polyphemus have the most orthologues shared among two species, including genes involved in the immune-related JAK-STAT signalling pathway. Divergence time dating results show that the last common ancestor of Asian horseshoe crabs (including T. tridentatus and C. rotundicauda) and L. polyphemus appeared approximately 130 Mya (121-141), and the split of the two Asian horseshoe crabs was dated to approximately 63 Mya (57-69). Hox gene analysis suggests two clusters in both horseshoe crab assemblies. Surprisingly, selective analysis of immune-related gene families revealed the high expansion of conserved pattern recognition receptors. Genes involved in the IMD and JAK-STAT signal transduction pathways also exhibited a certain degree of expansion in both genomes. Intact coagulation cascade-related genes were present in the T. tridentatus genome with a higher number of coagulation factor genes. Moreover, most reported antibacterial peptides have been identified in T. tridentatus with their potentially effective antimicrobial sites. CONCLUSIONS The draft genome of T. tridentatus would provide important evidence for further clarifying the taxonomy and evolutionary relationship of Chelicerata. The expansion of conserved immune signalling pathway genes, coagulation factors and intact antimicrobial peptides in T. tridentatus constitutes its robust and effective innate immunity for self-defence in marine environments with an enormous number of invading pathogens and may affect the quality of the adaptive properties with regard to complicated marine environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China.
- Shanghai-MOST Key Laboratory of Health and Disease Genomics, Chinese National Human Genome Center at Shanghai, Shanghai, 201203, China.
| | - Yuan Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Qing Yan
- Shanghai-MOST Key Laboratory of Health and Disease Genomics, Chinese National Human Genome Center at Shanghai, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Liang Zhang
- Shanghai-MOST Key Laboratory of Health and Disease Genomics, Chinese National Human Genome Center at Shanghai, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Dianbao Chen
- Institute of Oceanography, Minjiang University, Fuzhou, 350108, China
| | - Lingwei Ruan
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Marine Genetic Resources, Fujian Collaborative Innovation Center for Exploitation and Utilization of Marine Biological Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, 184 University Road, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Yuan Kong
- Institute of Oceanography, Minjiang University, Fuzhou, 350108, China
| | - Hong Shi
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Marine Genetic Resources, Fujian Collaborative Innovation Center for Exploitation and Utilization of Marine Biological Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, 184 University Road, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Mingliang Chen
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Marine Genetic Resources, Fujian Collaborative Innovation Center for Exploitation and Utilization of Marine Biological Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, 184 University Road, Xiamen, 361005, China.
| | - Jianming Chen
- Institute of Oceanography, Minjiang University, Fuzhou, 350108, China.
- Sino-French Hoffmann Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 511436, China.
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Multi-Tissue Transcriptomes Yield Information on High-Altitude Adaptation and Sex-Determination in Scutiger cf. sikimmensis. Genes (Basel) 2019; 10:genes10110873. [PMID: 31683620 PMCID: PMC6895926 DOI: 10.3390/genes10110873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2019] [Revised: 10/28/2019] [Accepted: 10/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The Himalayas are one of earth’s hotspots of biodiversity. Among its many cryptic and undiscovered organisms, including vertebrates, this complex high-mountain ecosystem is expected to harbour many species with adaptations to life in high altitudes. However, modern evolutionary genomic studies in Himalayan vertebrates are still at the beginning. Moreover, in organisms, like most amphibians with relatively high DNA content, whole genome sequencing remains bioinformatically challenging and no complete nuclear genomes are available for Himalayan amphibians. Here, we present the first well-annotated multi-tissue transcriptome of a Greater Himalayan species, the lazy toad Scutiger cf. sikimmensis (Anura: Megophryidae). Applying Illumina NextSeq 500 RNAseq to six tissues, we obtained 41.32 Gb of sequences, assembled to ~111,000 unigenes, translating into 54362 known genes as annotated in seven functional databases. We tested 19 genes, known to play roles in anuran and reptile adaptation to high elevations, and potentially detected diversifying selection for two (TGS1, SENP5) in Scutiger. Of a list of 37 genes, we also identify 27 candidate genes for sex determination or sexual development, all of which providing the first such data for this non-model megophryid species. These transcriptomes will serve as a valuable resource for further studies on amphibian evolution in the Greater Himalaya as a biodiversity hotspot.
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D'Aniello B, Di Cosmo A, Scandurra A, Pinelli C. Mosaic and Concerted Brain Evolution: The Contribution of Microscopic Comparative Neuroanatomy in Lower Vertebrates. Front Neuroanat 2019; 13:86. [PMID: 31607870 PMCID: PMC6773805 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2019.00086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2019] [Accepted: 09/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Biagio D'Aniello
- Department of Biology, University of Naples “Federico II”, MSA Campus, Naples, Italy
| | - Anna Di Cosmo
- Department of Biology, University of Naples “Federico II”, MSA Campus, Naples, Italy
| | - Anna Scandurra
- Department of Biology, University of Naples “Federico II”, MSA Campus, Naples, Italy
| | - Claudia Pinelli
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli”, Caserta, Italy
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Rawlence NJ, Scofield RP, McGlone MS, Knapp M. History Repeats: Large Scale Synchronous Biological Turnover in Avifauna From the Plio-Pleistocene and Late Holocene of New Zealand. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Arenas-Rodríguez A, Rubiano Vargas JF, Hoyos JM. Comparative description and ossification patterns of Dendropsophus labialis (Peters, 1863) and Scinax ruber (Laurenti, 1758) (Anura: Hylidae). PeerJ 2018; 6:e4525. [PMID: 29892498 PMCID: PMC5994159 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2017] [Accepted: 02/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Although comparative studies of anuran ontogeny have provided new data on heterochrony in the life cycles of frogs, most of them have not included ossification sequences. Using differential staining techniques, we observe and describe differences and similarities of cranial and postcranial development in two hylid species, Scinax ruber (Scinaxinae) and Dendropsophus labialis (Hylinae), providing new data of ontogenetic studies in these Colombian species. We examined tadpoles raining from Gosner Stages 25 to 45. We found differences between species in the infrarostral and suprarostral cartilages, optic foramen, planum ethmoidale, and gill apparatus. In both species, the first elements to ossify were the atlas and transverse processes of the vertebral column and the parasphenoid. Both species exhibited suprascapular processes as described in other hylids. Although the hylids comprise a large group (over 700 species), postcranial ossification sequence is only known for 15 species. Therefore, the descriptions of the skeletal development and ossification sequences provided herein will be useful for future analyses of heterochrony in the group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angélica Arenas-Rodríguez
- Facultad de Ciencias, UNESIS (Unidad de Ecología y Sistemática), Pontifica Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia
| | | | - Julio Mario Hoyos
- Facultad de Ciencias, UNESIS (Unidad de Ecología y Sistemática), Pontifica Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia
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12
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McNab BK, O'Donnell C. The behavioral energetics of New Zealand's bats: Daily torpor and hibernation, a continuum. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2018; 223:18-22. [PMID: 29746908 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2018.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2018] [Revised: 05/01/2018] [Accepted: 05/01/2018] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
We examine the impact of behavior on the short-term energy expenditures of the only terrestrial mammals endemic to New Zealand, two bats, the long-tailed (Chalinolobus tuberculatus, family Vespertilionidae), and the lesser short-tailed (Mystacina tuberculata, family Mystacinidae). Vespertilionidae has a world-wide distribution. Mystacinidae is restricted to New Zealand, although related to five neotropical families and one in Madagascar reflecting a shared Gondwanan origin of their Noctilionoidea superfamily. Both species have highly variable body temperatures and rates of metabolism. They feed on flying insects, which requires them to be torpid in shelters during cold, wet periods. In dry weather Mystacina is active in winter at ambient temperatures as low as -1.0 °C, foraging for terrestrial invertebrates in leaf litter, even in the presence of snow, and consuming fruit, nectar, and pollen from endemic plants that bloom in winter. The behavior of Mystacina expands its presence in a cool, wet, temperate forest in a manner unlike any other bat, another example of the distinctive characteristics of the endemic New Zealand fauna. The use of torpor generally depends on a series of factors, including body mass, ambient temperature, latitude, reproductive cycle, sociality, and fat deposits. These factors result in a diversity of responses that range along a continuum from short-term torpor to hibernation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian K McNab
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, United States.
| | - Colin O'Donnell
- Department of Conservation, Government of New Zealand, Christchurch, New Zealand
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13
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Deichmann JL, Mulcahy DG, Vanthomme H, Tobi E, Wynn AH, Zimkus BM, McDiarmid RW. How many species and under what names? Using DNA barcoding and GenBank data for west Central African amphibian conservation. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0187283. [PMID: 29131846 PMCID: PMC5683629 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0187283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2016] [Accepted: 09/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Development projects in west Central Africa are proceeding at an unprecedented rate, often with little concern for their effects on biodiversity. In an attempt to better understand potential impacts of a road development project on the anuran amphibian community, we conducted a biodiversity assessment employing multiple methodologies (visual encounter transects, auditory surveys, leaf litter plots and pitfall traps) to inventory species prior to construction of a new road within the buffer zone of Moukalaba-Doudou National Park, Gabon. Because of difficulties in morphological identification and taxonomic uncertainty of amphibian species observed in the area, we integrated a DNA barcoding analysis into the project to improve the overall quality and accuracy of the species inventory. Based on morphology alone, 48 species were recognized in the field and voucher specimens of each were collected. We used tissue samples from specimens collected at our field site, material available from amphibians collected in other parts of Gabon and the Republic of Congo to initiate a DNA barcode library for west Central African amphibians. We then compared our sequences with material in GenBank for the genera recorded at the study site to assist in identifications. The resulting COI and 16S barcode library allowed us to update the number of species documented at the study site to 28, thereby providing a more accurate assessment of diversity and distributions. We caution that because sequence data maintained in GenBank are often poorly curated by the original submitters and cannot be amended by third-parties, these data have limited utility for identification purposes. Nevertheless, the use of DNA barcoding is likely to benefit biodiversity inventories and long-term monitoring, particularly for taxa that can be difficult to identify based on morphology alone; likewise, inventory and monitoring programs can contribute invaluable data to the DNA barcode library and the taxonomy of complex groups. Our methods provide an example of how non-taxonomists and parataxonomists working in understudied parts of the world with limited geographic sampling and comparative morphological material can use DNA barcoding and publicly available sequence data (GenBank) to rapidly identify the number of species and assign tentative names to aid in urgent conservation management actions and contribute to taxonomic resolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica L. Deichmann
- Center for Conservation and Sustainability, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Daniel G. Mulcahy
- Global Genome Initiative, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Hadrien Vanthomme
- Center for Conservation and Sustainability, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Elie Tobi
- Center for Conservation and Sustainability, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Addison H. Wynn
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Division of Amphibians and Reptiles, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Breda M. Zimkus
- Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - Roy W. McDiarmid
- USGS, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, National Museum of Natural History, Washington DC, United States of America
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14
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Conlon JM, Guilhaudis L, Leprince J, Coquet L, Mangoni ML, Attoub S, Jouenne T, King JD. Peptidomic analysis of skin secretions of the Mexican burrowing toad Rhinophrynus dorsalis (Rhinophrynidae): Insight into the origin of host-defense peptides within the Pipidae and characterization of a proline-arginine-rich peptide. Peptides 2017; 97:22-28. [PMID: 28951157 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2017.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2017] [Revised: 08/23/2017] [Accepted: 09/22/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The Mexican burrowing toad Rhinophrynus dorsalis is the sole extant representative of the Rhinophrynidae. United in the superfamily Pipoidea, the Rhinophrynidae is considered to be the sister-group to the extant Pipidae which comprises Hymenochirus, Pipa, Pseudhymenochirus and Xenopus. Cationic, α-helical host-defense peptides of the type found in Hymenochirus, Pseudhymenochirus, and Xenopus species (hymenochirins, pseudhymenochirins, magainins, and peptides related to PGLa, XPF, and CPF) were not detected in norepinephrine-stimulated skin secretions of R. dorsalis. Skin secretions of representatives of the genus Pipa also do not contain cationic α-helical host-defense peptides which suggest, as the most parsimonious hypothesis, that the ability to produce such peptides by frogs within the Pipidae family arose in the common ancestor of (Hymenochirus+Pseudhymenochirus)+Xenopus after divergence from the line of evolution leading to extant Pipa species. Peptidomic analysis of the R. dorsalis secretions led to the isolation of rhinophrynin-27, a proline-arginine-rich peptide with the primary structure ELRLPEIARPVPEVLPARLPLPALPRN, together with rhinophrynin-33 containing the C-terminal extension KMAKNQ. Rhinophrynin-27 shows limited structural similarity to the porcine multifunctional peptide PR-39 but it lacks antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities. Like PR-39, the peptide adopts a poly-l-proline helix but some changes in the circular dichroism spectrum were observed in the presence of anionic sodium dodecylsulfate micelles consistent with the stabilization of turn structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Michael Conlon
- SAAD Centre for Pharmacy and Diabetes, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Ulster, Coleraine BT52 1SA, UK.
| | - Laure Guilhaudis
- UNIROUEN, INSA Rouen, CNRS, COBRA, Normandy University, 76000 Rouen, France
| | - Jérôme Leprince
- Inserm UU1239, PRIMACEN, Institute for Research and Innovation in Biomedicine (IRIB), Normandy University, 76000 Rouen, France
| | - Laurent Coquet
- CNRS UMR 6270, PISSARO, Institute for Research and Innovation in Biomedicine (IRIB), Normandy University, 76000 Rouen, France
| | - Maria Luisa Mangoni
- Department of Biochemical Sciences Instituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Samir Attoub
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
| | - Thierry Jouenne
- CNRS UMR 6270, PISSARO, Institute for Research and Innovation in Biomedicine (IRIB), Normandy University, 76000 Rouen, France
| | - Jay D King
- Rare Species Conservatory Foundation, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
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15
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Feng YJ, Blackburn DC, Liang D, Hillis DM, Wake DB, Cannatella DC, Zhang P. Phylogenomics reveals rapid, simultaneous diversification of three major clades of Gondwanan frogs at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:E5864-E5870. [PMID: 28673970 PMCID: PMC5530686 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1704632114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 171] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Frogs (Anura) are one of the most diverse groups of vertebrates and comprise nearly 90% of living amphibian species. Their worldwide distribution and diverse biology make them well-suited for assessing fundamental questions in evolution, ecology, and conservation. However, despite their scientific importance, the evolutionary history and tempo of frog diversification remain poorly understood. By using a molecular dataset of unprecedented size, including 88-kb characters from 95 nuclear genes of 156 frog species, in conjunction with 20 fossil-based calibrations, our analyses result in the most strongly supported phylogeny of all major frog lineages and provide a timescale of frog evolution that suggests much younger divergence times than suggested by earlier studies. Unexpectedly, our divergence-time analyses show that three species-rich clades (Hyloidea, Microhylidae, and Natatanura), which together comprise ∼88% of extant anuran species, simultaneously underwent rapid diversification at the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary (KPB). Moreover, anuran families and subfamilies containing arboreal species originated near or after the KPB. These results suggest that the K-Pg mass extinction may have triggered explosive radiations of frogs by creating new ecological opportunities. This phylogeny also reveals relationships such as Microhylidae being sister to all other ranoid frogs and African continental lineages of Natatanura forming a clade that is sister to a clade of Eurasian, Indian, Melanesian, and Malagasy lineages. Biogeographical analyses suggest that the ancestral area of modern frogs was Africa, and their current distribution is largely associated with the breakup of Pangaea and subsequent Gondwanan fragmentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan-Jie Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, College of Ecology and Evolution, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - David C Blackburn
- Department of Natural History, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611
| | - Dan Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, College of Ecology and Evolution, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - David M Hillis
- Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Collections, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712
| | - David B Wake
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - David C Cannatella
- Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Collections, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712;
| | - Peng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, College of Ecology and Evolution, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China;
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16
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Molecular Phylogenies indicate a Paleo-Tibetan Origin of Himalayan Lazy Toads (Scutiger). Sci Rep 2017; 7:3308. [PMID: 28607415 PMCID: PMC5468327 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-03395-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2017] [Accepted: 04/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The Himalaya presents an outstanding geologically active orogen and biodiversity hotspot. However, our understanding of the historical biogeography of its fauna is far from comprehensive. Many taxa are commonly assumed to have originated from China-Indochina and dispersed westward along the Himalayan chain. Alternatively, the “Tibetan-origin hypothesis” suggests primary diversification of lineages in Paleo-Tibet, and secondary diversification along the slopes of the later uplifted Greater Himalaya. We test these hypotheses in high-mountain megophryid anurans (Scutiger). Extensive sampling from High Asia, and analyses of mitochondrial (2839 bp) and nuclear DNA (2208 bp), using Bayesian and Maximum likelihood phylogenetics, suggest that the Himalayan species form a distinct clade, possibly older than those from the eastern Himalaya-Tibet orogen. While immigration from China-Indochina cannot be excluded, our data may indicate that Himalayan Scutiger originated to the north of the Himalaya by colonization from Paleo-Tibet and then date back to the Oligocene. High intraspecific diversity of Scutiger implies limited migration across mountains and drainages along the Himalaya. While our study strengthens support for a “Tibetan-origin hypothesis”, current sampling (10/22 species; 1 revalidated: S. occidentalis) remains insufficient to draw final conclusions on Scutiger but urges comparative phylogeographers to test alternative, geologically supported hypotheses for a true future understanding of Himalayan biogeography.
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17
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Gutiérrez-Rodríguez J, Barbosa AM, Martínez-Solano Í. Integrative inference of population history in the Ibero-Maghrebian endemic Pleurodeles waltl (Salamandridae). Mol Phylogenet Evol 2017; 112:122-137. [PMID: 28454930 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2017.04.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2016] [Revised: 03/01/2017] [Accepted: 04/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Inference of population histories from the molecular signatures of past demographic processes is challenging, but recent methodological advances in species distribution models and their integration in time-calibrated phylogeographic studies allow detailed reconstruction of complex biogeographic scenarios. We apply an integrative approach to infer the evolutionary history of the Iberian ribbed newt (Pleurodeles waltl), an Ibero-Maghrebian endemic with populations north and south of the Strait of Gibraltar. We analyzed an extensive multilocus dataset (mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences and ten polymorphic microsatellite loci) and found a deep east-west phylogeographic break in Iberian populations dating back to the Plio-Pleistocene. This break is inferred to result from vicariance associated with the formation of the Guadalquivir river basin. In contrast with previous studies, North African populations showed exclusive mtDNA haplotypes, and formed a monophyletic clade within the Eastern Iberian lineage in the mtDNA genealogy. On the other hand, microsatellites failed to recover Moroccan populations as a differentiated genetic cluster. This is interpreted to result from post-divergence gene flow based on the results of IMA2 and Migrate analyses. Thus, Moroccan populations would have originated after overseas dispersal from the Iberian Peninsula in the Pleistocene, with subsequent gene flow in more recent times, implying at least two trans-marine dispersal events. We modeled the distribution of the species and of each lineage, and projected these models back in time to infer climatically favourable areas during the mid-Holocene, the last glacial maximum (LGM) and the last interglacial (LIG), to reconstruct more recent population dynamics. We found minor differences in climatic favourability across lineages, suggesting intraspecific niche conservatism. Genetic diversity was significantly correlated with the intersection of environmental favourability in the LIG and LGM, indicating that populations of P. waltl are genetically more diverse in regions that have remained environmentally favourable through the last glacial cycle, particularly southern Iberia and northern Morocco. This study provides novel insights into the relative roles of geology and climate on the biogeography of a biodiversity hotspot.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - A Márcia Barbosa
- Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos (CIBIO/InBIO) - Universidade de Évora, 7004-516 Évora, Portugal
| | - Íñigo Martínez-Solano
- Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, c/ José Gutiérrez Abascal, 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain; Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ronda de Toledo, s/n, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain; CIBIO/InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, R. Padre Armando Quintas, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal; Ecology, Evolution, and Development Group, Department of Wetland Ecology, Doñana Biological Station, CSIC, c/ Américo Vespucio, s/n, 41092 Seville, Spain.
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18
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Barkan CL, Zornik E, Kelley DB. Evolution of vocal patterns: tuning hindbrain circuits during species divergence. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 220:856-867. [PMID: 28011819 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.146845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2016] [Accepted: 12/13/2016] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The neural circuits underlying divergent courtship behaviors of closely related species provide a framework for insight into the evolution of motor patterns. In frogs, male advertisement calls serve as unique species identifiers and females prefer conspecific to heterospecific calls. Advertisement calls of three relatively recently (∼8.5 Mya) diverged species - Xenopus laevis, X. petersii and X. victorianus - include rapid trains of sound pulses (fast trills). We show that while fast trills are similar in pulse rate (∼60 pulses s-1) across the three species, they differ in call duration and period (time from the onset of one call to the onset of the following call). Previous studies of call production in X. laevis used an isolated brain preparation in which the laryngeal nerve produces compound action potentials that correspond to the advertisement call pattern (fictive calling). Here, we show that serotonin evokes fictive calling in X. petersii and X. victorianus as it does in X. laevis As in X. laevis, fictive fast trill in X. petersii and X. victorianus is accompanied by an N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor-dependent local field potential wave in a rostral hindbrain nucleus, DTAM. Across the three species, wave duration and period are strongly correlated with species-specific fast trill duration and period, respectively. When DTAM is isolated from the more rostral forebrain and midbrain and/or more caudal laryngeal motor nucleus, the wave persists at species-typical durations and periods. Thus, intrinsic differences within DTAM could be responsible for the evolutionary divergence of call patterns across these related species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte L Barkan
- Doctoral Program in Neurobiology and Behavior, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Erik Zornik
- Biology Department, Reed College, Portland, OR 97202, USA
| | - Darcy B Kelley
- Doctoral Program in Neurobiology and Behavior, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA .,Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY 10025, USA
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19
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Vocalizations in juvenile anurans: common spadefoot toads (Pelobates fuscus) regularly emit calls before sexual maturity. Naturwissenschaften 2016; 103:75. [PMID: 27590626 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-016-1401-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2016] [Revised: 08/21/2016] [Accepted: 08/23/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Acoustic communication is prominent in adult anuran amphibians, in reproductive, territorial and defensive contexts. In contrast, reports on vocalizations of juvenile anurans are rare and anecdotal, and their function unstudied. We here provide conclusive evidence for vocalizations in juvenile spadefoot toads (Pelobates fuscus) in very early terrestrial stages. While the aquatic tadpoles did not emit sounds, first vocalizations of metamorphs were heard as early as in stages 42-43, and calls were regularly emitted from stage 44 on, often from specimens still bearing extensive tail stubs. Three main types of calls could be distinguished, of which one consists of a series of short notes, one of a typically single longer and pulsed note, and one of a single tonal note. In experimental setups, the number of calls per froglet increased with density of individuals and after feeding, while on the contrary calls were not elicited by playback. The function of these juvenile calls remains unclarified, but they might reflect a general arousal in the context of feeding. Further evidence is necessary to test whether such feeding calls could confer a signal to conspecifics and thus might represent intraspecific acoustic communication in these immature terrestrial amphibians.
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20
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Bell BD. A review of potential alpine newt (Ichthyosaura alpestris) impacts on native frogs in New Zealand. J R Soc N Z 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/03036758.2016.1216455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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21
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De Baets K, Antonelli A, Donoghue PCJ. Tectonic blocks and molecular clocks. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2016; 371:20160098. [PMID: 27325840 PMCID: PMC4920344 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/19/2016] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Evolutionary timescales have mainly used fossils for calibrating molecular clocks, though fossils only really provide minimum clade age constraints. In their place, phylogenetic trees can be calibrated by precisely dated geological events that have shaped biogeography. However, tectonic episodes are protracted, their role in vicariance is rarely justified, the biogeography of living clades and their antecedents may differ, and the impact of such events is contingent on ecology. Biogeographic calibrations are no panacea for the shortcomings of fossil calibrations, but their associated uncertainties can be accommodated. We provide examples of how biogeographic calibrations based on geological data can be established for the fragmentation of the Pangaean supercontinent: (i) for the uplift of the Isthmus of Panama, (ii) the separation of New Zealand from Gondwana, and (iii) for the opening of the Atlantic Ocean. Biogeographic and fossil calibrations are complementary, not competing, approaches to constraining molecular clock analyses, providing alternative constraints on the age of clades that are vital to avoiding circularity in investigating the role of biogeographic mechanisms in shaping modern biodiversity.This article is part of the themed issue 'Dating species divergences using rocks and clocks'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth De Baets
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK GeoZentrum Nordbayern, Fachgruppe PaläoUmwelt, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Loewenichstr. 28, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Alexandre Antonelli
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Box 461, 405 30 Göteborg, Sweden Gothenburg Botanical Garden, Carl Skottsbergs gata 22A, 413 19 Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Philip C J Donoghue
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
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22
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Chen J, Bever GS, Yi HY, Norell MA. A burrowing frog from the late Paleocene of Mongolia uncovers a deep history of spadefoot toads (Pelobatoidea) in East Asia. Sci Rep 2016; 6:19209. [PMID: 26750105 PMCID: PMC4707494 DOI: 10.1038/srep19209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2015] [Accepted: 12/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Fossils are indispensible in understanding the evolutionary origins of the modern fauna. Crown-group spadefoot toads (Anura: Pelobatoidea) are the best-known fossorial frog clade to inhabit arid environments, with species utilizing a characteristic bony spade on their foot for burrowing. Endemic to the Northern Hemisphere, they are distributed across the Holarctic except East Asia. Here we report a rare fossil of a crown-group spadefoot toad from the late Paleocene of Mongolia. The phylogenetic analysis using both morphological and molecular information recovered this Asian fossil inside the modern North American pelobatoid clade Scaphiopodidae. The presence of a spade and the phylogenetic position of the new fossil frog strongly support its burrowing behavior. The late Paleocene age and other information suggestive of a mild climate cast doubt on the conventional assertion that burrowing evolved as an adaptation to aridity in spadefoot toads. Temporally and geographically, the new fossil provides the earliest record of Scaphiopodidae worldwide, and the only member of the group in Asia. Quantitative biogeographic analysis suggests that Scaphiopodidae, despite originating in North America, dispersed into East Asia via Beringia in the Early Cenozoic. The absence of spadefoot toads in East Asia today is a result of extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianye Chen
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Columbia University, New York 10025.,Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York 10024
| | - Gaberiel S Bever
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York 10024.,Department of Anatomy, New York Institute of Technology, College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York 11568
| | - Hong-Yu Yi
- School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JW
| | - Mark A Norell
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Columbia University, New York 10025.,Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York 10024
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23
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Reilly S, Essner R, Wren S, Easton L, Bishop PJ. Movement patterns in leiopelmatid frogs: Insights into the locomotor repertoire of basal anurans. Behav Processes 2015; 121:43-53. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2015.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2015] [Revised: 09/28/2015] [Accepted: 10/01/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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24
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Pushchin II, Zyumchenko NE. Retinal ganglion cell topography and spatial resolving power in the oriental fire-bellied toad Bombina orientalis. J Integr Neurosci 2015; 14:1550028. [PMID: 26628265 DOI: 10.1142/s0219635215500284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The vertebrate visual system is determined by two main factors, a species' lifestyle and phylogenetic legacy. Studying the visual system in outgroup lineages may shed some light on the balance of these factors within a certain radiation. We studied the topography of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in the retina of the oriental fire-bellied toad Bombina orientalis. These toads belong to the ancient superfamily Discoglossoidea, a sister group to all extant Anura except for two small families. RGCs were retrogradely labeled with tetramethylrhodamine- dextran amine (TMR-DA) and examined in retinal wholemounts. RGCs occurred all over the retina except for the far periphery. Their total number was [Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]). They comprised 73-77% of all cells in the ganglion cell layer. The spatial density of GCs increased gradually from the dorsal and ventral retinal periphery toward the equator to form a weak visual streak and a moderately pronounced area centralis. The minimum density was [Formula: see text], and the maximum, [Formula: see text]. The maximum density gradient was [Formula: see text]. The spatial resolution was minimum in the dorsal and ventral periphery ([Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] cycles per degree in water and air, respectively). Intermediate values of spatial resolving power were found within the visual streak ([Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] cycles per degree) and reached a peak in area centralis ([Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] cycles per degree). This is sufficient for efficient prey location and capture. The relatively high RGC density and the presence of specialized retinal regions in oriental fire-bellied toads are consistent with their highly visual behavior. A brief review comparing the phylogeny and ecology of this with other anuran species suggests that the main factor shaping the RGC distribution in Anura is phylogenetic legacy; the environmental pressure results mainly in adjusting the maximum spatial density of RGCs (and hence the visual acuity) to meet the species' needs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor I Pushchin
- 1 Laboratory of Physiology A.V. Zhirmunsky Institute of Marine Biology of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vladivostok, Russia
| | - Nataliya E Zyumchenko
- 2 Department of Cell Biology and Genetics School of Natural Sciences, Far Eastern Federal University Vladivostok, Russia
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25
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Cannatella D. Xenopus in Space and Time: Fossils, Node Calibrations, Tip-Dating, and Paleobiogeography. Cytogenet Genome Res 2015; 145:283-301. [PMID: 26279165 DOI: 10.1159/000438910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Published data from DNA sequences, morphology of 11 extant and 15 extinct frog taxa, and stratigraphic ranges of fossils were integrated to open a window into the deep-time evolution of Xenopus. The ages and morphological characters of fossils were used as independent datasets to calibrate a chronogram. We found that DNA sequences, either alone or in combination with morphological data and fossils, tended to support a close relationship between Xenopus and Hymenochirus, although in some analyses this topology was not significantly better than the Pipa + Hymenochirus topology. Analyses that excluded DNA data found strong support for the Pipa + Hymenochirus tree. The criterion for selecting the maximum age of the calibration prior influenced the age estimates, and our age estimates of early divergences in the tree of frogs are substantially younger than those of published studies. Node-dating and tip-dating calibrations, either alone or in combination, yielded older dates for nodes than did a root calibration alone. Our estimates of divergence times indicate that overwater dispersal, rather than vicariance due to the splitting of Africa and South America, may explain the presence of Xenopus in Africa and its closest fossil relatives in South America.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Cannatella
- Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Collections, University of Texas, Austin, Tex., USA
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Csiki-Sava Z, Buffetaut E, Ősi A, Pereda-Suberbiola X, Brusatte SL. Island life in the Cretaceous - faunal composition, biogeography, evolution, and extinction of land-living vertebrates on the Late Cretaceous European archipelago. Zookeys 2015; 469:1-161. [PMID: 25610343 PMCID: PMC4296572 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.469.8439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 136] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2014] [Accepted: 11/20/2014] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The Late Cretaceous was a time of tremendous global change, as the final stages of the Age of Dinosaurs were shaped by climate and sea level fluctuations and witness to marked paleogeographic and faunal changes, before the end-Cretaceous bolide impact. The terrestrial fossil record of Late Cretaceous Europe is becoming increasingly better understood, based largely on intensive fieldwork over the past two decades, promising new insights into latest Cretaceous faunal evolution. We review the terrestrial Late Cretaceous record from Europe and discuss its importance for understanding the paleogeography, ecology, evolution, and extinction of land-dwelling vertebrates. We review the major Late Cretaceous faunas from Austria, Hungary, France, Spain, Portugal, and Romania, as well as more fragmentary records from elsewhere in Europe. We discuss the paleogeographic background and history of assembly of these faunas, and argue that they are comprised of an endemic 'core' supplemented with various immigration waves. These faunas lived on an island archipelago, and we describe how this insular setting led to ecological peculiarities such as low diversity, a preponderance of primitive taxa, and marked changes in morphology (particularly body size dwarfing). We conclude by discussing the importance of the European record in understanding the end-Cretaceous extinction and show that there is no clear evidence that dinosaurs or other groups were undergoing long-term declines in Europe prior to the bolide impact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoltán Csiki-Sava
- Department of Geology, Faculty of Geology and Geophysics, University of Bucharest, 1 N. Bălcescu Blvd, 010041 Bucharest, Romania
| | - Eric Buffetaut
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR 8538, Laboratoire de Géologie de l’Ecole Normale Supérieure, 24 rue Lhomond, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France
| | - Attila Ősi
- MTA-ELTE Lendület Dinosaur Research Group, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/c, Budapest, 1117, Hungary
| | - Xabier Pereda-Suberbiola
- Universidad del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea, Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, Departamento de Estratigrafía y Paleontología, Apartado 644, 48080 Bilbao, Spain
| | - Stephen L. Brusatte
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Grant Institute, King’s Buildings, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JW, UK
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Complete nucleotide sequence and gene rearrangement of the mitochondrial genome of Occidozyga martensii. J Genet 2014; 93:631-41. [DOI: 10.1007/s12041-014-0418-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Xia Y, Zheng Y, Miura I, Wong PBY, Murphy RW, Zeng X. The evolution of mitochondrial genomes in modern frogs (Neobatrachia): nonadaptive evolution of mitochondrial genome reorganization. BMC Genomics 2014; 15:691. [PMID: 25138662 PMCID: PMC4153901 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-15-691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2013] [Accepted: 08/12/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Although mitochondrial (mt) gene order is highly conserved among vertebrates, widespread gene rearrangements occur in anurans, especially in neobatrachians. Protein coding genes in the mitogenome experience adaptive or purifying selection, yet the role that selection plays on genomic reorganization remains unclear. We sequence the mitogenomes of three species of Glandirana and hot spots of gene rearrangements of 20 frog species to investigate the diversity of mitogenomic reorganization in the Neobatrachia. By combing these data with other mitogenomes in GenBank, we evaluate if selective pressures or functional constraints act on mitogenomic reorganization in the Neobatrachia. We also look for correlations between tRNA positions and codon usage. Results Gene organization in Glandirana was typical of neobatrachian mitogenomes except for the presence of pseudogene trnS (AGY). Surveyed ranids largely exhibited gene arrangements typical of neobatrachian mtDNA although some gene rearrangements occurred. The correlation between codon usage and tRNA positions in neobatrachians was weak, and did not increase after identifying recurrent rearrangements as revealed by basal neobatrachians. Codon usage and tRNA positions were not significantly correlated when considering tRNA gene duplications or losses. Change in number of tRNA gene copies, which was driven by genomic reorganization, did not influence codon usage bias. Nucleotide substitution rates and dN/dS ratios were higher in neobatrachian mitogenomes than in archaeobatrachians, but the rates of mitogenomic reorganization and mt nucleotide diversity were not significantly correlated. Conclusions No evidence suggests that adaptive selection drove the reorganization of neobatrachian mitogenomes. In contrast, protein-coding genes that function in metabolism showed evidence for purifying selection, and some functional constraints appear to act on the organization of rRNA and tRNA genes. As important nonadaptive forces, genetic drift and mutation pressure may drive the fixation and evolution of mitogenomic reorganizations. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2164-15-691) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Xiaomao Zeng
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China.
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Mechkarska M, Coquet L, Leprince J, Jouenne T, Vaudry H, Michalak K, Michalak P, Conlon JM. Host-defense peptides from skin secretions of the octoploid frogs Xenopus vestitus and Xenopus wittei (Pipidae): insights into evolutionary relationships. COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY D-GENOMICS & PROTEOMICS 2014; 11:20-8. [PMID: 25086320 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbd.2014.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2014] [Revised: 07/07/2014] [Accepted: 07/14/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The primary structures of host-defense peptides have proved useful in elucidating the evolution history of frogs. Peptidomic analysis was used to compare the diversity of host-defense peptides in norepinephrine-stimulated skin secretions from the octoploid frogs, Xenopus vestitus (Kivu clawed frog) and Xenopus wittei (De Witte's clawed frog) in the family Pipidae. Structural characterization demonstrated that the X. vestitus peptides belong to the magainin (3 peptides), peptide glycine-leucine-amide (PGLa; 4 peptides), xenopsin-precursor fragment (XPF; 1 peptide), and caerulein-precursor fragment (CPF; 5 peptides) families. The X. wittei peptides comprise magainin (4 peptides), PGLa (1 peptide), XPF (2 peptides), and CPF (7 peptides). In addition, secretions from both species contain caerulein, identical to the peptide from Xenopus laevis, but X. wittei secretions contains the novel peptide [R4K]xenopsin. The variability in the numbers of paralogs in each peptide family indicates a selective silencing of the host-defense peptide genes following the polyploidization events. The primary structures of the peptides provide insight into phylogenetic relationships among the octoploid Xenopus frogs. The data support a sister-group relationship between X. vestitus and Xenopus lenduensis, suggestive of bifurcating speciation after allopolyploidization, whereas X. wittei is more closely related to the Xenopus amieti-Xenopus andrei group suggesting a common tetraploid ancestor. Consistent with previous data, the CPF peptides showed the highest growth inhibitory activity against bacteria with CPF-W6 (GIGSLLAKAAKLAAGLV.NH2) combining high antimicrobial potency against Staphylococcus aureus (MIC=4 μM) with relatively low hemolytic activity (LC50=190 μM).
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Affiliation(s)
- Milena Mechkarska
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, 17666 Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates
| | - Laurent Coquet
- PISSARO, Institute for Research and Innovation in Biomedicine (IRIB), University of Rouen, 76821 Mont-Saint-Aignan, France; CNRS UMR 6270, University of Rouen, 76821 Mont-Saint-Aignan, France
| | - Jérôme Leprince
- INSERM U-982, PRIMACEN, CNRS, IRIB, University of Rouen, 76821 Mont-Saint-Aignan, France
| | - Thierry Jouenne
- PISSARO, Institute for Research and Innovation in Biomedicine (IRIB), University of Rouen, 76821 Mont-Saint-Aignan, France; CNRS UMR 6270, University of Rouen, 76821 Mont-Saint-Aignan, France
| | - Hubert Vaudry
- INSERM U-982, PRIMACEN, CNRS, IRIB, University of Rouen, 76821 Mont-Saint-Aignan, France
| | - Katarzyna Michalak
- Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Washington Street, MC 0477 Blacksburg, VA 24061-0477, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0477, USA
| | - Pawel Michalak
- Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Washington Street, MC 0477 Blacksburg, VA 24061-0477, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0477, USA
| | - J Michael Conlon
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, 17666 Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates.
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Pyron RA. Biogeographic Analysis Reveals Ancient Continental Vicariance and Recent Oceanic Dispersal in Amphibians. Syst Biol 2014; 63:779-97. [DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syu042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 227] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- R. Alexander Pyron
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, 2023 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20052, USA
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31
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Pinelli C, Rastogi RK, Scandurra A, Jadhao AG, Aria M, D'Aniello B. A comparative cluster analysis of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH)-diaphorase histochemistry in the brains of amphibians. J Comp Neurol 2014; 522:2980-3003. [PMID: 24549578 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2013] [Revised: 02/08/2014] [Accepted: 02/11/2014] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-diaphorase (NADPH-d) is a key enzyme in the synthesis of the gaseous neurotransmitter nitric oxide. We compare the distribution of NADPH-d in the brain of four species of hylid frogs. NADPH-d-positive fibers are present throughout much of the brain, whereas stained cell groups are distributed in well-defined regions. Whereas most brain areas consistently show positive neurons in all species, in some areas species-specific differences occur. We analyzed our data and those available for other amphibian species to build a matrix on NADPH-d brain distribution for a multivariate analysis. Brain dissimilarities were quantified by using the Jaccard index in a hierarchical clustering procedure. The whole brain dendrogram was compared with that of its main subdivisions by applying the Fowlkes-Mallows index for dendrogram similarity, followed by bootstrap replications and a permutation test. Despite the differences in the distribution map of the NADPH-d system among species, cluster analysis of data from the whole brain and hindbrain faithfully reflected the evolutionary history (framework) of amphibians. Dendrograms from the secondary prosencephalon, diencephalon, mesencephalon, and isthmus showed some deviation from the main scheme. Thus, the present analysis supports the major evolutionary stability of the hindbrain. We provide evidence that the NADPH-d system in main brain subdivisions should be cautiously approached for comparative purposes because specific adaptations of a single species could occur and may affect the NADPH-d distribution pattern in a brain subdivision. The minor differences in staining pattern of particular subdivisions apparently do not affect the general patterns of staining across species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Pinelli
- Department of Environmental, Biological, and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, Second University of Naples, 81100, Caserta, Italy
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Matthijs S, Ye L, Stijlemans B, Cornelis P, Bossuyt F, Roelants K. Low structural variation in the host-defense peptide repertoire of the dwarf clawed frog Hymenochirus boettgeri (Pipidae). PLoS One 2014; 9:e86339. [PMID: 24466037 PMCID: PMC3899252 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0086339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2013] [Accepted: 12/06/2013] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
THE skin secretion of many amphibians contains peptides that are able to kill a broad range of microorganisms (antimicrobial peptides: AMPs) and potentially play a role in innate immune defense. Similar to the toxin arsenals of various animals, amphibian AMP repertoires typically show major structural variation, and previous studies have suggested that this may be the result of diversifying selection in adaptation to a diverse spectrum of pathogens. Here we report on transcriptome analyses that indicate a very different pattern in the dwarf clawed frog H. boettgeri. Our analyses reveal a diverse set of transcripts containing two to six tandem repeats, together encoding 14 distinct peptides. Five of these have recently been identified as AMPs, while three more are shown here to potently inhibit the growth of gram-negative bacteria, including multi-drug resistant strains of the medically important Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Although the number of predicted peptides is similar to the numbers of related AMPs in Xenopus and Silurana frog species, they show significantly lower structural variation. Selection analyses confirm that, in contrast to the AMPs of other amphibians, the H. boettgeri peptides did not evolve under diversifying selection. Instead, the low sequence variation among tandem repeats resulted from purifying selection, recent duplication and/or concerted gene evolution. Our study demonstrates that defense peptide repertoires of closely related taxa, after diverging from each other, may evolve under differential selective regimes, leading to contrasting patterns of structural diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Severine Matthijs
- Amphibian Evolution Lab, Biology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Lumeng Ye
- Department of Bioengineering Sciences, Research Group of Microbiology and Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Benoit Stijlemans
- Unit of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
- Laboratory of Myeloid Cell Immunology, Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Pierre Cornelis
- Department of Bioengineering Sciences, Research Group of Microbiology and Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Franky Bossuyt
- Amphibian Evolution Lab, Biology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Kim Roelants
- Amphibian Evolution Lab, Biology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
- * E-mail:
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Conlon JM, Mechkarska M. Host-defense peptides with therapeutic potential from skin secretions of frogs from the family pipidae. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2014; 7:58-77. [PMID: 24434793 PMCID: PMC3915195 DOI: 10.3390/ph7010058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2013] [Revised: 01/07/2014] [Accepted: 01/08/2014] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Skin secretions from frogs belonging to the genera Xenopus, Silurana, Hymenochirus, and Pseudhymenochirus in the family Pipidae are a rich source of host-defense peptides with varying degrees of antimicrobial activities and cytotoxicities to mammalian cells. Magainin, peptide glycine-leucine-amide (PGLa), caerulein-precursor fragment (CPF), and xenopsin-precursor fragment (XPF) peptides have been isolated from norepinephrine-stimulated skin secretions from several species of Xenopus and Silurana. Hymenochirins and pseudhymenochirins have been isolated from Hymenochirus boettgeri and Pseudhymenochirus merlini. A major obstacle to the development of these peptides as anti-infective agents is their hemolytic activities against human erythrocytes. Analogs of the magainins, CPF peptides and hymenochirin-1B with increased antimicrobial potencies and low cytotoxicities have been developed that are active (MIC < 5 μM) against multidrug-resistant clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter baumannii, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Despite this, the therapeutic potential of frog skin peptides as anti-infective agents has not been realized so that alternative clinical applications as anti-cancer, anti-viral, anti-diabetic, or immunomodulatory drugs are being explored.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Michael Conlon
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain 17666, UAE.
| | - Milena Mechkarska
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain 17666, UAE.
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Worthy TH, Tennyson AJD, Scofield RP, Hand SJ. Early Miocene fossil frogs (Anura: Leiopelmatidae) from New Zealand. J R Soc N Z 2013. [DOI: 10.1080/03036758.2013.825300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Orozco-terWengel P, Andreone F, Louis E, Vences M. Mitochondrial introgressive hybridization following a demographic expansion in the tomato frogs of Madagascar, genusDyscophus. Mol Ecol 2013; 22:6074-90. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.12558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2012] [Revised: 10/06/2013] [Accepted: 10/07/2013] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Franco Andreone
- Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali; Via Giolitti 36 10123 Torino Italy
| | - Edward Louis
- Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo; 3701 S 10th Street Omaha NE 68107 USA
| | - Miguel Vences
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, Zoological Institute; Technical University of Braunschweig; Mendelssohnstr. 4 38106 Braunschweig Germany
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Characterization of the host-defense peptides from skin secretions of Merlin's clawed frog Pseudhymenochirus merlini: insights into phylogenetic relationships among the Pipidae. COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY D-GENOMICS & PROTEOMICS 2013; 8:352-7. [PMID: 24212286 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbd.2013.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2013] [Revised: 10/06/2013] [Accepted: 10/06/2013] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The family Pipidae comprises the genera Hymenochirus, Pipa, Pseudhymenochirus, Silurana, and Xenopus but phylogenetic relationships within the family are unclear. Peptidomic analysis of norepinephrine-stimulated skin secretions from Pseudhymenochirus merlini Chabanaud, 1920, the single species within the genus Pseudhymenochirus, led to identification of 13 host-defense peptides with antimicrobial activity. Two peptides (hymenochirin-1Pa and -1Pb) show structural similarity to hymenochirin-1B from Hymenochirus boettgeri and eight peptides (hymenochirin-5Pa, -5Pb, -5Pc, -5Pd, -5Pe, -5Pf, 5Pg and -5Ph) are structurally similar to each other and to hymenochirin-5B from H. boettgeri. Two peptides differing by a single amino acid (IKIPSFFRNILKKVGKEAVSLM/I AGALKQS), termed pseudhymenochirin-1Pa and -1Pb, and pseudhymenochirin-2Pa (GIFPIFAKLLGKVIKVASSLISKGRTE) do not resemble host-defense peptides previously isolated from pipid frogs. Hymenochirin-5Pe was the most abundant peptide in the secretions and hymenochirin-1Pa the most potent against Staphylococcus aureus (MIC=2.5μM) and Escherichia coli (MIC=10μM). The data support a close phylogenetic relationship between Hymenochirus and Pseudhymenochirus that is distinct from the Xenopodinae (Xenopus+Silurana) clade with Pipa sister-group to all other extant pipids.
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Kurabayashi A, Sumida M. Afrobatrachian mitochondrial genomes: genome reorganization, gene rearrangement mechanisms, and evolutionary trends of duplicated and rearranged genes. BMC Genomics 2013; 14:633. [PMID: 24053406 PMCID: PMC3852066 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-14-633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2013] [Accepted: 09/13/2013] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Mitochondrial genomic (mitogenomic) reorganizations are rarely found in closely-related animals, yet drastic reorganizations have been found in the Ranoides frogs. The phylogenetic relationships of the three major ranoid taxa (Natatanura, Microhylidae, and Afrobatrachia) have been problematic, and mitogenomic information for afrobatrachians has not been available. Several molecular models for mitochondrial (mt) gene rearrangements have been proposed, but observational evidence has been insufficient to evaluate them. Furthermore, evolutionary trends in rearranged mt genes have not been well understood. To gain molecular and phylogenetic insights into these issues, we analyzed the mt genomes of four afrobatrachian species (Breviceps adspersus, Hemisus marmoratus, Hyperolius marmoratus, and Trichobatrachus robustus) and performed molecular phylogenetic analyses. Furthermore we searched for two evolutionary patterns expected in the rearranged mt genes of ranoids. Results Extensively reorganized mt genomes having many duplicated and rearranged genes were found in three of the four afrobatrachians analyzed. In fact, Breviceps has the largest known mt genome among vertebrates. Although the kinds of duplicated and rearranged genes differed among these species, a remarkable gene rearrangement pattern of non-tandemly copied genes situated within tandemly-copied regions was commonly found. Furthermore, the existence of concerted evolution was observed between non-neighboring copies of triplicated 12S and 16S ribosomal RNA regions. Conclusions Phylogenetic analyses based on mitogenomic data support a close relationship between Afrobatrachia and Microhylidae, with their estimated divergence 100 million years ago consistent with present-day endemism of afrobatrachians on the African continent. The afrobatrachian mt data supported the first tandem and second non-tandem duplication model for mt gene rearrangements and the recombination-based model for concerted evolution of duplicated mt regions. We also showed that specific nucleotide substitution and compositional patterns expected in duplicated and rearranged mt genes did not occur, suggesting no disadvantage in employing these genes for phylogenetic inference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atsushi Kurabayashi
- Institute for Amphibian Biology, Graduate School of Science, Hiroshima University, 739-8526 Hiroshima, Japan.
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Biton R, Geffen E, Vences M, Cohen O, Bailon S, Rabinovich R, Malka Y, Oron T, Boistel R, Brumfeld V, Gafny S. The rediscovered Hula painted frog is a living fossil. Nat Commun 2013; 4:1959. [DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2012] [Accepted: 04/30/2013] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
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Pabijan M, Wandycz A, Hofman S, Węcek K, Piwczyński M, Szymura JM. Complete mitochondrial genomes resolve phylogenetic relationships within Bombina (Anura: Bombinatoridae). Mol Phylogenet Evol 2013; 69:63-74. [PMID: 23707701 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2013.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2012] [Revised: 02/14/2013] [Accepted: 05/08/2013] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
A highly resolved and time-calibrated phylogeny based on nucleotide variation in 18 complete mitochondrial genomes is presented for all extant species and major lineages of fire-bellied toads of the genus Bombina (Bombinatoridae). Two sets of divergence time estimates are inferred by applying alternative fossil constraints as minima. Divergence time estimates from both analyses differed for the two oldest nodes. The earliest phylogenetic split occurred between small- and large-bodied Bombina (subgenera Bombina and Grobina, respectively) either in the Middle Oligocene or the Early Miocene. East Asian B. orientalis and European B. bombina+B. variegata diverged in the early or Middle Miocene. Divergence times inferred using the alternative fossil calibration strategies converged for the younger nodes, with broadly overlapping HPD intervals. The split between Bombina bombina and B. variegata occurred in the Late Miocene of Europe and somewhat preceded another deep mtDNA division between the Balkan B. v. scabra and B. v. variegata inhabiting the Carpathian Mts. Concurrently, the genetically distinct B. maxima diverged from other Grobina in southeast Asia in the Late Miocene or Pliocene. Our mtDNA phylogeny and a new species-tree analysis of published data (nuclear and mtDNA) suggest that B. fortinuptialis, B. lichuanensis and B. microdeladigitora may be conspecific geographic forms that separated due to Pleistocene climatic fluctuations in southeastern Asia. In the western Palearctic, the Late Pliocene to Pleistocene climatic vagaries most probably induced vicariant events in the evolutionary history of B. variegata that led to the formation of the two Balkan B. v. scabra lineages and the allopatric B. v. pachypus in the Apennine Peninsula. Divergence among B. bombina mtDNA lineages is low, with an Anatolian Turkey lineage as the sister group to the European mtDNA clades. In sum, Miocene diversification in the genus Bombina established six allopatrically distributed major mtDNA lineages that diversified during the Pliocene and Pleistocene and have survived until the present. The narrow habitat requirements of fire-bellied toads and extensive environmental changes throughout the Palearctic in the Neogene may have contributed to a putatively high extinction rate in these anurans resulting in the current east/west disjunction of their ranges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maciej Pabijan
- Department of Comparative Anatomy, Institute of Zoology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 9, 30-387 Kraków, Poland.
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Zhang P, Liang D, Mao RL, Hillis DM, Wake DB, Cannatella DC. Efficient sequencing of Anuran mtDNAs and a mitogenomic exploration of the phylogeny and evolution of frogs. Mol Biol Evol 2013; 30:1899-915. [PMID: 23666244 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/mst091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 134] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Anura (frogs and toads) constitute over 88% of living amphibian diversity but many important questions about their phylogeny and evolution remain unresolved. For this study, we developed an efficient method for sequencing anuran mitochondrial DNAs (mtDNAs) by amplifying the mitochondrial genome in 12 overlapping fragments using frog-specific universal primer sets. Based on this method, we generated 47 nearly complete, new anuran mitochondrial genomes and discovered nine novel gene arrangements. By combining the new data and published anuran mitochondrial genomes, we assembled a large mitogenomic data set (11,007 nt) including 90 frog species, representing 39 of 53 recognized anuran families, to investigate their phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary history. The resulting tree strongly supported a paraphyletic arrangement of archaeobatrachian (=nonneobatrachian) frogs, with Leiopelmatoidea branching first, followed by Discoglossoidea, Pipoidea, and Pelobatoidea. Within Neobatrachia, the South African Heleophrynidae is the sister-taxon to all other neobatrachian frogs and the Seychelles-endemic Sooglossidae is recovered as the sister-taxon to Ranoidea. These phylogenetic relationships agree with many nuclear gene studies. The chronogram derived from two Bayesian relaxed clock methods (MultiDivTime and BEAST) suggests that modern frogs (Anura) originated in the early Triassic about 244 Ma and the appearance of Neobatrachia took place in the late Jurassic about 163 Ma. The initial diversifications of two species-rich superfamilies Hyloidea and Ranoidea commenced 110 and 133 Ma, respectively. These times are older than some other estimates by approximately 30-40 My. Compared with nuclear data, mtDNA produces compatible time estimates for deep nodes (>150 Ma), but apparently older estimates for more shallow nodes. Our study shows that, although it evolves relatively rapidly and behaves much as a single locus, mtDNA performs well for both phylogenetic and divergence time inferences and will provide important reference hypotheses for the phylogeny and evolution of frogs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Gene Engineering of the Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
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Ohmer ME, Herbert SM, Speare R, Bishop PJ. Experimental exposure indicates the amphibian chytrid pathogen poses low risk to New Zealand's threatened endemic frogs. Anim Conserv 2012. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- M. E. Ohmer
- Department of Zoology; University of Otago; Dunedin; New Zealand
| | - S. M. Herbert
- Department of Zoology; University of Otago; Dunedin; New Zealand
| | - R. Speare
- Anton Breinl Centre for Public Health, Tropical Medicine and Rehabilitation Sciences; James Cook University; Townsville; QLD; Australia
| | - P. J. Bishop
- Department of Zoology; University of Otago; Dunedin; New Zealand
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Irisarri I, San Mauro D, Abascal F, Ohler A, Vences M, Zardoya R. The origin of modern frogs (Neobatrachia) was accompanied by acceleration in mitochondrial and nuclear substitution rates. BMC Genomics 2012; 13:626. [PMID: 23153022 PMCID: PMC3551647 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-13-626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2012] [Accepted: 11/04/2012] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Understanding the causes underlying heterogeneity of molecular evolutionary rates among lineages is a long-standing and central question in evolutionary biology. Although several earlier studies showed that modern frogs (Neobatrachia) experienced an acceleration of mitochondrial gene substitution rates compared to non-neobatrachian relatives, no further characterization of this phenomenon was attempted. To gain new insights on this topic, we sequenced the complete mitochondrial genomes and nine nuclear loci of one pelobatoid (Pelodytes punctatus) and five neobatrachians, Heleophryne regis (Heleophrynidae), Lechriodus melanopyga (Limnodynastidae), Calyptocephalella gayi (Calyptocephalellidae), Telmatobius bolivianus (Ceratophryidae), and Sooglossus thomasseti (Sooglossidae). These represent major clades not included in previous mitogenomic analyses, and most of them are remarkably species-poor compared to other neobatrachians. Results We reconstructed a fully resolved and robust phylogeny of extant frogs based on the new mitochondrial and nuclear sequence data, and dated major cladogenetic events. The reconstructed tree recovered Heleophryne as sister group to all other neobatrachians, the Australasian Lechriodus and the South American Calyptocephalella formed a clade that was the sister group to Nobleobatrachia, and the Seychellois Sooglossus was recovered as the sister group of Ranoides. We used relative-rate tests and direct comparison of branch lengths from mitochondrial and nuclear-based trees to demonstrate that both mitochondrial and nuclear evolutionary rates are significantly higher in all neobatrachians compared to their non-neobatrachian relatives, and that such rate acceleration started at the origin of Neobatrachia. Conclusions Through the analysis of the selection coefficient (ω) in different branches of the tree, we found compelling evidence of relaxation of purifying selection in neobatrachians, which could (at least in part) explain the observed higher mitochondrial and nuclear substitution rates in this clade. Our analyses allowed us to discard that changes in substitution rates could be correlated with increased mitochondrial genome rearrangement or diversification rates observed in different lineages of neobatrachians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iker Irisarri
- Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain
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Pabijan M, Crottini A, Reckwell D, Irisarri I, Hauswaldt JS, Vences M. A multigene species tree for Western Mediterranean painted frogs (Discoglossus). Mol Phylogenet Evol 2012; 64:690-6. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2012.05.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2012] [Revised: 05/14/2012] [Accepted: 05/17/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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Duarte-Guterman P, Ryan MJ, Trudeau VL. Developmental expression of sex steroid- and thyroid hormone-related genes and their regulation by triiodothyronine in the gonad-mesonephros of a Neotropical frog, Physalaemus pustulosus. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2012; 177:195-204. [PMID: 22487252 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2012.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2011] [Revised: 02/27/2012] [Accepted: 03/22/2012] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Gonadal differentiation in frogs is affected by sex steroids and thyroid hormones (THs); however, the genes controlling differentiation and the molecular effects of THs in the gonad are not clear and have only been investigated in a few anuran species. In this study, we established developmental profiles and TH regulation of sex steroid- and TH-related genes in the gonad-mesonephros complex (GMC) of the túngara frog (Physalaemus pustulosus), and compared the results to our previous research in another tropical frog, Silurana tropicalis. The developmental profiles allowed us to identify three genes as markers of ovarian development. During metamorphosis, aromatase (cyp19), estrogen receptor α, and steroid 5α-reductase 1 (srd5alpha1) were higher in the GMC of putative and morphological females. Acute exposure to triiodothyronine (T3) decreased GMC expression of srd5alpha1 and cyp19, while increasing TH-related genes in premetamorphic tadpoles. The regulation of sex steroid-related genes differed significantly from our previous study in S. tropicalis. P. pustulosus and S. tropicalis share ecological, developmental, and reproductive characteristics; however, they are not closely related. These results along with our previous research in the tadpole brain support the hypothesis that evolutionary convergence is not important in understanding differences in the effects of TH on sex steroid-related genes in frogs. Finally, we propose that T3 induces male gonadal development but this can be achieved through different mechanisms depending on the species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Duarte-Guterman
- Centre for Advanced Research in Environmental Genomics, Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5
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Abstract
Most extant genus-level radiations in gymnosperms are of Oligocene age or younger, reflecting widespread extinction during climate cooling at the Oligocene/Miocene boundary [∼23 million years ago (Ma)]. Recent biogeographic studies have revealed many instances of long-distance dispersal in gymnosperms as well as in angiosperms. Acting together, extinction and long-distance dispersal are likely to erase historical biogeographic signals. Notwithstanding this problem, we show that phylogenetic relationships in the gymnosperm family Cupressaceae (162 species, 32 genera) exhibit patterns expected from the Jurassic/Cretaceous breakup of Pangea. A phylogeny was generated for 122 representatives covering all genera, using up to 10,000 nucleotides of plastid, mitochondrial, and nuclear sequence per species. Relying on 16 fossil calibration points and three molecular dating methods, we show that Cupressaceae originated during the Triassic, when Pangea was intact. Vicariance between the two subfamilies, the Laurasian Cupressoideae and the Gondwanan Callitroideae, occurred around 153 Ma (124-183 Ma), when Gondwana and Laurasia were separating. Three further intercontinental disjunctions involving the Northern and Southern Hemisphere are coincidental with or immediately followed the breakup of Pangea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam J. Bewick
- Department of Biology, Life Sciences Building Room 328, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Frédéric J. J. Chain
- Department of Biology, Life Sciences Building Room 328, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
- Present address: Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, August-Thienemann-Str. 2, 24306 Plön, Germany
| | - Joseph Heled
- Department of Computer Science, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Ben J. Evans
- Department of Biology, Life Sciences Building Room 328, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
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Molecular phylogenetics and historical biogeography of the west-palearctic common toads (Bufo bufo species complex). Mol Phylogenet Evol 2011; 63:113-30. [PMID: 22214922 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2011.12.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2011] [Revised: 12/18/2011] [Accepted: 12/20/2011] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
In most pan-Eurasiatic species complexes, two phenomena have been traditionally considered key processes of their cladogenesis and biogeography. First, it is hypothesized that the origin and development of the Central Asian Deserts generated a biogeographic barrier that fragmented past continuous distributions in Eastern and Western domains. Second, Pleistocene glaciations have been proposed as the main process driving the regional diversification within each of these domains. The European common toad and its closest relatives provide an interesting opportunity to examine the relative contributions of these paleogeographic and paleoclimatic events to the phylogeny and biogeography of a widespread Eurasiatic group. We investigate this issue by applying a multiproxy approach combining information from molecular phylogenies, a multiple correspondence analysis of allozyme data and species distribution models. Our study includes 304 specimens from 164 populations, covering most of the distributional range of the Bufo bufo species complex in the Western Palearctic. The phylogenies (ML and Bayesian analyses) were based on a total of 1988 bp of mitochondrial DNA encompassing three genes (tRNAval, 16S and ND1). A dataset with 173 species of the family Bufonidae was assembled to estimate the separation of the two pan-Eurasiatic species complexes of Bufo and to date the main biogeographic events within the Bufo bufo species complex. The allozyme study included sixteen protein systems, corresponding to 21 presumptive loci. Finally, the distribution models were based on maximum entropy. Our distribution models show that Eastern and Western species complexes are greatly isolated by the Central Asian Deserts, and our dating estimates place this divergence during the Middle Miocene, a moment in which different sources of evidence document a major upturn of the aridification rate of Central Asia. This climate-driven process likely separated the Eastern and Western species. At the level of the Western Palearctic, our dating estimates place most of the deepest phylogenetic structure before the Pleistocene, indicating that Pleistocene glaciations did not have a major role in splitting the major lineages. At a shallow level, the glacial dynamics contributed unevenly to the genetic structuring of populations, with a strong influence in the European-Caucasian populations, and a more relaxed effect in the Iberian populations.
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Van Bocxlaer I, Biju SD, Willaert B, Giri VB, Shouche YS, Bossuyt F. Mountain-associated clade endemism in an ancient frog family (Nyctibatrachidae) on the Indian subcontinent. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2011; 62:839-47. [PMID: 22178364 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2011.11.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2011] [Revised: 11/17/2011] [Accepted: 11/24/2011] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
Night frogs (Nyctibatrachidae) form a family endemic to the Western Ghats, a hill chain along the west coast of southern India. Extant members of this family are descendants of a lineage that originated on the subcontinent during its longtime isolation in the Late Cretaceous. Because the evolutionary history of Nyctibatrachidae has always been tightly connected to the subcontinent, these tropically-adapted frogs are an ideal group for studying how patterns of endemism originated and evolved during the Cenozoic in the Western Ghats. We used a combined set of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA fragments to investigate the phylogenetic relationships of 120 ingroup specimens of all known species of Nyctibatrachidae. Our analyses indicate that, although this family had an early origin on the Indian subcontinent, the early diversification of extant nyctibatrachids happened only in the Eocene. Biogeographic analyses show that dispersal across the Palghat gap and Shencottah gap was limited, which led to clade endemism within mountain ranges of the Western Ghats. It is likely that multiple biota have been affected simultaneously by these prominent geographical barriers. Our study therefore further highlights the importance of considering the Western Ghats-Sri Lanka biodiversity hotspot as an assemblage of distinct mountain regions, each containing endemism and deserving attention in future conservation planning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ines Van Bocxlaer
- Biology Department, Amphibian Evolution Lab, Unit of Ecology & Systematics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium.
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Benzekri NA, Reiss JO. Olfactory metamorphosis in the coastal tailed frog Ascaphus truei (Amphibia, Anura, Leiopelmatidae). J Morphol 2011; 273:68-87. [PMID: 21935974 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.11008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2011] [Revised: 06/09/2011] [Accepted: 06/28/2011] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The structure of the olfactory organ in larvae and adults of the basal anuran Ascaphus truei was examined using light micrography, electron micrography, and resin casts of the nasal cavity. The larval olfactory organ consists of nonsensory anterior and posterior nasal tubes connected to a large, main olfactory cavity containing olfactory epithelium; the vomeronasal organ is a ventrolateral diverticulum of this cavity. A small patch of olfactory epithelium (the "epithelial band") also is present in the preoral buccal cavity, anterolateral to the choana. The main olfactory epithelium and epithelial band have both microvillar and ciliated receptor cells, and both microvillar and ciliated supporting cells. The epithelial band also contains secretory ciliated supporting cells. The vomeronasal epithelium contains only microvillar receptor cells. After metamorphosis, the adult olfactory organ is divided into the three typical anuran olfactory chambers: the principal, middle, and inferior cavities. The anterior part of the principal cavity contains a "larval type" epithelium that has both microvillar and ciliated receptor cells and both microvillar and ciliated supporting cells, whereas the posterior part is lined with an "adult-type" epithelium that has only ciliated receptor cells and microvillar supporting cells. The middle cavity is nonsensory. The vomeronasal epithelium of the inferior cavity resembles that of larvae but is distinguished by a novel type of microvillar cell. The presence of two distinct types of olfactory epithelium in the principal cavity of adult A. truei is unique among previously described anuran olfactory organs. A comparative review suggests that the anterior olfactory epithelium is homologous with the "recessus olfactorius" of other anurans and with the accessory nasal cavity of pipids and functions to detect water-borne odorants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noëlle A Benzekri
- Department of Biological Sciences, Humboldt State University, Arcata, California 95521, USA
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