Life Sciences Commons^™

Diving At High Altitude: O2 Transport And Utilization In The Ruddy Duck And Torrent Duck In The Andes, Kevin G. Mccracken, Graham R. Scott, Luis Alza, Andrea Astie, Ciska Bakkeren, Emil Bautista, Mariana Bulgarella, Rebecca Cheek G. Cheek, Beverly A. Chua, Neal J. Dawson, Alexis Diaz, Catherine M. Ivy, Peter B. Frappell, Cecilia Kopuchian, Sabine L. Laguë, John N. Maina, Violeta Muñoz-Fuentes, Elizabeth R. Schell, Matthew M. Smith, Ryan J. Sprenger, Pablo L. Tubaro, Elizabeth R. Schell, Matthew M. Smith, Ryan J. Sprenger, Pablo L. Tubaro, Thomas Valqui, Roy E. Weber, Daniela Wilner, Robert E. Wilson, Julia M. York, William K. Milsom

Occasional Papers of the Museum of Natural Science, Louisiana State University

Hypoxia and cold temperatures create unique physiological challenges for high-altitude organisms that can vary depending on lifestyle. While nearly all studies of air-breathing animals at high altitude are from terrestrial species, species that breath-hold dive underwater at high altitude encounter a very different set of selective pressures influencing their phenotype. The goal of this publication is to highlight the changes in O2 transport and utilization in high-altitude diving birds relative to divers at sea level, and the extent to which these changes are qualitatively distinct from phenotypic changes in non-diving species at high altitude. For example, while high capacities for …

A Neotropical Perspective On The Uniqueness Of The Holocene Among Interglacials, Mark Bush, Jacob Daniel Schiferl, M. Kingston, C. M. Akesson, B. G. Valencia, A. Rozas-Davila, D. Mcgee, A. Woods, C. Y. Chen, R. G. Hatfield, D. T. Rodbell, M. B. Abbott

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Understanding how tropical systems have responded to large-scale climate change, such as glacial-interglacial oscillations, and how human impacts have altered those responses is key to current and future ecology. A sedimentary record recovered from Lake Junín, in the Peruvian Andes (4085 m elevation) spans the last 670,000 years and represents the longest continuous and empirically-dated record of tropical vegetation change to date. Spanning seven glacial-interglacial oscillations, fossil pollen and charcoal recovered from the core showed the general dominance of grasslands, although during the warmest times some Andean forest trees grew above their modern limits near the lake. Fire was very …

Description Of Three New Acanthocinini (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiinae) Species From Ecuador, Josef Vlasak, Antonio Santos-Silva

Insecta Mundi

Three new species of Acanthocinini (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiinae) are described from Napo province, Ecuador: Anisopodus micromaculatus new species; Parabaryssinus katerinae new species; and Paracleodoxus minutus new species. A key to species of Paracleodoxus Monné and Monné (2010) is provided.

The study of specimens collected by the first author during his stay in Ecuador in 2022 allows us to describe three new species of Acanthocinini (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae). The biodiversity of this relatively small country has been surprising due to the large number of species that were still unknown. Napo province, where the specimens of the new species were …

Taxonomic Revision And Morphometric Analysis Of Selected Anthurium (Araceae) Species From Bolivia And Peru, Daniel M. Tarazona Ocana

Theses

The genus Anthurium (Araceae) consists of around 1,200 species distributed in the Neotropics, particularly in Central and South America. The montane forests in the eastern flank of the Andes, ranging from northern Ecuador to central Bolivia; hereafter, the East Andes Gradient region, are particularly rich in terms of species diversity, and include an understudied group of Anthurium species endemic to the region. Within this group of species, some taxa are difficult to distinguish from each other mainly due to the lack of identification keys, incomplete species descriptions and unknown synonyms. In this study, a combination of traditional taxonomic techniques and …

First Record Of Ancognatha Erythrodera (Blanchard, 1846) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae: Cyclocephalini) In The Altiplano Of Chile, José Mondaca, Sergio Rothmann

Insecta Mundi

The presence of Ancognatha erythrodera (Blanchard, 1846) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) is confirmed for the first time in Chile based on male and female specimens collected in the extreme north of the country. This is the second species of Ancognatha Erichson, 1847 recorded in Chile. Morphological characters, illustrations of male genitalia, male and female habitus photographs of this species, and additional records in Argentina and Bolivia are provided. A map with the collection sites and montane habitats photograph in Chile are included.

The Dynastinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) that occur in Chile were comprehensively revised by Ratcliffe et al. (2021), who recorded nine species …

A New Genus For Stromatium Chilensis Cerda, 1968 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae: Hesperophanini) From Chile, José Mondaca, Marcos Beéche

Insecta Mundi

Stromatium chilensis Cerda, 1968, an endemic species from Chile, is placed in Malcho Mondaca and Beéche, new genus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae: Hesperophanini). The new genus is compared with Stromatium Audinet-Serville, included in a previous key to Hesperophanini, and a diagnosis and illustrations of the species are provided.

Stromatium chilensis Cerda, 1968, especie endémica de Chile, es ubicada en Malcho Mondaca y Beéche, nuevo género (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae: Hesperophanini). El nuevo género es comparado con Stromatium Audinet-Serville, e incluido en la clave anterior de Hesperophanini. Se aporta una diagnosis e ilustraciones de la especie.

The genus Stromatium Audinet-Serville, 1834, considered …

A New Species Of Oncotophasma Rehn, 1904 (Phasmida: Diapheromeridae) From Colombia, Andres David Murcia, Oscar J. Cadena-Castañeda, Daniela Santos Martins Silva

Insecta Mundi

Abstract. Oncotophasma aurantiaviridiata Murcia, Cadena-Castañeda, and Silva new species (Phasmida: Diapheromeridae) from the Colombian Andes is described. The new species is distinguished by its peculiar coloration, which highlights greenish and orange tones. It is also the first record of the genus for the eastern slope of the Colombian Andes. The previous distribution recorded for the genus is the Chocó biogeographic region from Costa Rica to Colombia, with species being found in the Colombian areas of influence of this biogeographic region, such as the western and central slopes of the Andes.

Resumen. Se describe a Oncotophasma aurantiaviridiata Murcia, Cadena-Castañeda y …

Discovery Of The World’S Highest-Dwelling Mammal, Jay F. Storz, Marcial Quiroga-Carmona, Juan C. Opazo, Thomas Bowen, Matthew Farson, Scott J. Steppan, Guillermo D’Elía

Jay F. Storz Publications

Environmental limits of animal life are invariably revised when the animals themselves are investigated in their natural habitats. Here we report results of a scientific mountaineering expedition to survey the high-altitude rodent fauna of Volcán Llullaillaco in the Puna de Atacama of northern Chile, an effort motivated by video documentation of mice (genus Phyllotis) at a record altitude of 6,205m. Among numerous trapping records at altitudes of >5,000 m, we captured a specimen of the yellow-rumped leaf-eared mouse (Phyllotis xanthopygus rupestris) on the very summit of Llullaillaco at 6,739 m. This summit specimen represents an altitudinal world …

Investigating Drivers Of Genetic Structure In Plants: Global, Regional And Local Scales, Diana Gamba-Moreno

Dissertations

Genetic structure within and among plant populations is a critical component of plant biodiversity, informing local adaptation, conservation, and incipient speciation. However, its drivers remain poorly understood, especially across different spatial scales. In my dissertation I examined factors that affect plant population genetic structure at global, regional, and local scales. At the global scale, I performed a literature review of population genetic differentiation (F_ST) in seed plants based on a 337-species dataset with data on F_ST and species traits. Using phylogenetic multiple regressions, I found that F_ST is higher for tropical, mixed-mating, non-woody species pollinated by …

Vines In The Neotropics: Phylogenomics, Biogeography And Systematics In Passion Flowers (Passiflora Subgenus Decaloba Section Decaloba), Serena Acha

Dissertations

With 600 species, Passiflora is a large, morphologically complex and broadly distributed genus in Passifloraceae that represents a major challenge to scientists interested in understanding the evolutionary history of tropical vines. Passiflora has been divided into subgenera, super sections and sections. One of the most enigmatic and species-rich (~120 spp.) groups in Passiflora is section Decaloba, which occurs in the Neotropics and is particularly diverse in Andean montane forests. In this study, we used phylogenomic and population genomic approaches to investigate the evolutionary history, biologeography, species boundaries, and taxonomy of Passiflora section Decaloba. We sampled herbarium specimens, extracted …

A Taxonomic Revision Of The Genus Burmeistera (Campanulaceae) In Ecuador, Brock Mashburn

Theses

The genus Burmeistera (Campanulaceae) consists of approximately 120 species of herbaceous trailing shrubs, found mostly in cloud forests from Guatemala to Peru. Taxonomic work is difficult for the genus because of its relatively recent diversification (5–12 mya) and the morphological lability of its species. The last monograph for the genus was completed in 1943, followed periodically by country-level treatments. For Ecuador, the most recent treatment of Burmeistera was nearly 40 years ago, in Stig Jeppesen’s 1981 treatment in the Flora of Ecuador. Jeppesen’s treatment recognized 32 species and subspecies. Since then, nine new species have been described and hundreds of …

Elevational Gradients In Β-Diversity Reflect Variation In The Strength Of Local Community Assembly Mechanisms Across Spatial Scales, J Sebastián Tello, Jonathan A. Myers, Manuel J. Macia, Alfredo F. Fuentes, Leslie Cayola, Gabriel Arellano, M Isabel Loza, Vania Torrez, Maritza Cornejo, Tatiana B. Miranda, Peter M. Jørgensen

Biology Faculty Publications & Presentations

Despite long-standing interest in elevational-diversity gradients, little is known about the processes that cause changes in the compositional variation of communities (β-diversity) across elevations. Recent studies have suggested that β-diversity gradients are driven by variation in species pools, rather than by variation in the strength of local community assembly mechanisms such as dispersal limitation, environmental filtering, or local biotic interactions. However, tests of this hypothesis have been limited to very small spatial scales that limit inferences about how the relative importance of assembly mechanisms may change across spatial scales. Here, we test the hypothesis that scale-dependent community assembly mechanisms shape …

Taxonomic Revision Of The Olingos (Bassaricyon), With Description Of A New Species, The Olinguito, Kristofer M. Helgen, C. Miguel Pinto, Roland Kays, Laura E. Helgen, Mirian T. N. Tsuchiya, Aleta Quinn, Don E. Wilson, Jesús E. Maldonado

Publications and Research

We present the first comprehensive taxonomic revision and review the biology of the olingos, the endemic Neotropical procyonid genus Bassaricyon, based on most specimens available in museums, and with data derived from anatomy, morphometrics, mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, field observations, and geographic range modeling. Species of Bassaricyon are primarily forest-living, arboreal, nocturnal, frugivorous, and solitary, and have one young at a time. We demonstrate that four olingo species can be recognized, including a Central American species (B. gabbii), lowland species with eastern, cis-Andean (B. alleni) and western, trans- Andean (B. medius) distributions, and a species endemic to cloud forests in …

Root:Shoot Ratio And Specific Leaf Area Along An Elevational Gradient In The Peruvian Andes, Catherine Heidy Bravo Avila

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Andean montane forests are one of the most diverse ecosystems on Earth, but are also highly vulnerable to climate change. Therefore, the link between plant distribution and ecosystem productivity is a critical point to investigate in these ecosystems. Are the patterns in productivity observed in montane forest due to species turnover along the elevational gradients? Methodological constraints keep this question unanswered. Also, despite their importance, belowground biomass remains poorly quantified and understood. I measured two plant functional traits in seedlings, root:shoot ratio and specific leaf area, to identify different strategies in growth and biomass allocation across elevations. A tradeoff in …

A New Species Of Frog (Strabomantidae: Pristimantis) From Peru With Comments On Its Ectoparasites (Acari: Trombiculidae), Alan W. Brus

Honors Projects

In South America, frogs of the genus Pristimantis are diverse and can be found from lowland forests to elevations of about 4000 m in the Andes. The 444 known species of Pristimantis belong to 16 species groups. One of these groups is the Pristimantis orestes Group, the 14 members of which inhabit the páramo, puna, and upper montane forests in southern Ecuador (3 species) and Peru (11 species). Species of the Pristimantis orestes Group are characterized by having snout-vent lengths ranging from 18.0 to 29.4 mm, short robust bodies, relatively short snouts, narrow digital discs, and areolate ventral skin. Some …

Description Of The Tadpoles Of Hypsiboas Aguilari And H. Melanopleura Aguilari And H. Melanopleura (Anura: Hylidae: Hypsiboas Pulchellus Group), Edgar Lehr, Julian Faivovich, Karl-Heinz Jungfer

Edgar Lehr

We describe the tadpoles of Hypsiboas melanopleura and H. aguilari and compare them with the tadpoles of other species in the Hypsiboas pulchellus group. The description of the tadpole of H. aguilari is based on an individual at Gosner Stage 29 and that of H. melanopleura on an individual at Gosner Stage 28. Both tadpoles have a labial tooth row formula of 2(2)/4(1). At Stage 35, the tadpole of H. aguilari had a total length of 52.2 mm, at Stage 37, the tadpole of H. melanopleura had a total length of 60.7 mm. In life, the tadpole of H. aguilari …

Geologic Constraints On Rain-Fed Qocha Reservoir Agricultural Infrastructure,Northern Lake Titicaca Basin, Peru, Nathan Craig, Mark Aldenderfer, Catherine Rigsby, Paul Baker, Luis A. Flores

Luis FLORES

This paper reports new data on qocha ponds from the Rio PucaraeAzángaro interfluvial zone, northern Lake Titicaca Basin, Peru. Qocha are a little known form of Andean agriculture that developed around 800e500 B.C. and remain in use today. Prior estimates suggested that in the study area, there were more than 25,000 qocha. While most Andean sunken beds are excavated to reach groundwater, qocha are rainfed ponds. How these rain-fed ponds functioned has been an open question, but one that is answered in part by research presented in this paper. We suggest that a thick impermeable stratum of clay that was …

Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis In The Live Frog Trade Of Telmatobius (Anura: Ceratophryidae) In The Tropical Andes, Edgar Lehr, Alessandro Catenazzi, Vance Vredenburg

Edgar Lehr

Species of frogs in the genus Telmatobius are traded and sold for human consumption in the Andes and in coastal cities of Peru and Bolivia. These frogs are harvested from wild populations. We report high prevalence of infection by the pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in live frogs purchased at the main market in Cusco, Peru, from January 2008 to January 2010. We suggest that the transport of native anurans through the live frog trade could facilitate the spread of this fungus among Andean frogs. The tropical Andes are the most important biodiversity hotspot for amphibians. Because many neotropical taxa are …