Digital Commons Network^™

Low- And Middle-Income Countries Can Reduce Risks Of Subsequent Neoplasms By Referring Pediatric Craniospinal Cases To Centralized Proton Treatment Centers, Phillip J. Taddei, Nabil Khater, Bassem Youssef, Rebecca M. Howell, Wassim Jalbout, Rui Zhang, Fady B. Geara, Annelise Giebeler, Anita Mahajan, Dragan Mirkovic, Wayne D. Newhauser

Faculty Publications

Few children with cancer in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have access to proton therapy. Evidence exists to support replacing photon therapy with proton therapy to reduce the incidence of secondary malignant neoplasms (SMNs) in childhood cancer survivors. The purpose of this study was to estimate the potential reduction in SMN incidence and in SMN mortality for pediatric medulloblastoma (MB) patients in LMICs if proton therapy were made available to them. For nine children of ages 2-14 years, we calculated the equivalent dose in organs or tissues at risk for radiogenic SMNs from therapeutic and stray radiation for photon craniospinal …

Trans-Ethnic Analysis Of Metabochip Data Identifies Two New Loci Associated With Bmi, J. Gong, K. K. Nishimura, L. Fernandez-Rhodes, J. Haessler, S. Bien, M. Graff, U. Lim, Y. Lu, M. Gross, M. Fornage, S. Yoneyama, C. R. Isasi, P. Buzkova, M. Daviglus, D. Y. Lin, R. Tao, R. Goodloe, W. S. Bush, E. Farber-Eger, J. Boston, H. H. Dilks, G. Ehret, C. C. Gu, C. E. Lewis, K. D.H. Nguyen, R. Cooper, M. Leppert, M. R. Irvin, E. P. Bottinger, L. R. Wilkens, C. A. Haiman, L. Park, K. R. Monroe

Faculty Publications

Objective:Body mass index (BMI) is commonly used to assess obesity, which is associated with numerous diseases and negative health outcomes. BMI has been shown to be a heritable, polygenic trait, with close to 100 loci previously identified and replicated in multiple populations. We aim to replicate known BMI loci and identify novel associations in a trans-ethnic study population.Subjects:Using eligible participants from the Population Architecture using Genomics and Epidemiology consortium, we conducted a trans-ethnic meta-analysis of 102 514 African Americans, Hispanics, Asian/Native Hawaiian, Native Americans and European Americans. Participants were genotyped on over 200 000 SNPs on the Illumina Metabochip custom …

A Large-Scale Multi-Ancestry Genome-Wide Study Accounting For Smoking Behavior Identifies Multiple Significant Loci For Blood Pressure, Yun J. Sung, Thomas W. Winkler, Lisa De Las Fuentes, Amy R. Bentley, Michael R. Brown, Aldi T. Kraja, Karen Schwander, Ioanna Ntalla, Xiuqing Guo, Nora Franceschini, Yingchang Lu, Ching Yu Cheng, Xueling Sim, Dina Vojinovic, Jonathan Marten, Solomon K. Musani, Changwei Li, Mary F. Feitosa, Tuomas O. Kilpeläinen, Melissa A. Richard, Raymond Noordam, Stella Aslibekyan, Hugues Aschard, Traci M. Bartz, Rajkumar Dorajoo, Yongmei Liu, Alisa K. Manning, Tuomo Rankinen, Albert Vernon Smith, Salman M. Tajuddin, Bamidele O. Tayo, Helen R. Warren, Wei Zhao

Faculty Publications

Genome-wide association analysis advanced understanding of blood pressure (BP), a major risk factor for vascular conditions such as coronary heart disease and stroke. Accounting for smoking behavior may help identify BP loci and extend our knowledge of its genetic architecture. We performed genome-wide association meta-analyses of systolic and diastolic BP incorporating gene-smoking interactions in 610,091 individuals. Stage 1 analysis examined ∼18.8 million SNPs and small insertion/deletion variants in 129,913 individuals from four ancestries (European, African, Asian, and Hispanic) with follow-up analysis of promising variants in 480,178 additional individuals from five ancestries. We identified 15 loci that were genome-wide significant (p < 5 × 10−8) in stage 1 and formally replicated in stage 2. A combined stage 1 and 2 meta-analysis identified 66 additional genome-wide significant loci (13, 35, and 18 loci in European, African, and trans-ancestry, respectively). A total of 56 known BP loci were also identified by our results (p < 5 × 10−8). Of the newly identified loci, ten showed significant interaction with smoking status, but none of them were replicated in stage 2. Several loci were identified in African ancestry, highlighting the importance of genetic studies in diverse populations. The identified loci show strong evidence for regulatory features and support shared pathophysiology with cardiometabolic and addiction traits. They also highlight a role in BP regulation for biological candidates such as modulators of vascular structure and function (CDKN1B, BCAR1-CFDP1, PXDN, EEA1), ciliopathies (SDCCAG8, RPGRIP1L), telomere maintenance (TNKS, PINX1, AKTIP), and central dopaminergic signaling (MSRA, EBF2).

Impact Of Model Violations On The Inference Of Species Boundaries Under The Multispecies Coalescent, Anthony J. Barley, Jeremy M. Brown, Robert C. Thomson

Faculty Publications

© 2017 The Author(s). The use of genetic data for identifying species-level lineages across the tree of life has received increasing attention in the field of systematics over the past decade. The multispecies coalescent model provides a framework for understanding the process of lineage divergence and has become widely adopted for delimiting species. However, because these studies lack an explicit assessment of model fit, in many cases, the accuracy of the inferred species boundaries are unknown. This is concerning given the large amount of empirical data and theory that highlight the complexity of the speciation process. Here, we seek to …

Pilot Study Of The Tart Cherry Juice For The Treatment Of Insomnia And Investigation Of Mechanisms, Jack N. Losso, John W. Finley, Namrata Karki, Ann G. Liu, Alfredo Prudente, Russell Tipton, Ying Yu, Frank L. Greenway

Faculty Publications

Background: Insomnia is common in the elderly and is associated with chronic disease, but use of hypnotics increases the incidence of falls. Montmorency tart cherry juice has improved insomnia by self-report questionnaire. Study Question: Is insomnia confirmed by polysomnography and is tryptophan availability a potential mechanism for treating insomnia? Study Design: A placebo-controlled balanced crossover study with subjects older than 50 years and insomnia were randomized to placebo (2 weeks) or cherry juice (2 weeks) (240 mL 2 times/d) separated by a 2-week washout. Measures and Outcomes: Sleep was evaluated by polysomnography and 5 validated questionnaires. Serum indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), …

Factors Associated With Quit Attempts And Smoking Cessation In Brazil: Findings From The International Tobacco Control Brazil Survey, Leticia Casado, Jim Thrasher, Cristina Perez, Luiz Claudio Thuler, Geoffrey T. Fong

Faculty Publications

Background:
In Brazil, the treatment of tobacco dependence is available at no cost. This study aimed to identify factors associated with attempting to quit and of successful smoking cessation in a population-based sample of Brazilian smokers.

Methods:
Data came from the first two waves of the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Brazil Survey, conducted in 2009 and 2012/2013 in three cities: Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Porto Alegre. Prospective cohort data were collected from 488 adults (≥18 years) who smoked at Wave 1 who were resurveyed at Wave 2. Crude and adjusted relative risks (RR) for two outcomes (making a …

Institutionalizing Resilience In U.S. Universities: Prospects, Opportunities, And Models, Morris Foster, James O'Donnell, Mark Luckenbach, Elizabeth Andrews, Emily Steinhilber, John Wells, Mark Davis

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Identifying Apparent Local Stable Isotope Equilibrium In A Complex Non-Equilibrium System, Yuyang He, Xiaobin Cao, Jianwei Wang, Huiming Bao

Faculty Publications

Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Rationale: Although being out of equilibrium, biomolecules in organisms have the potential to approach isotope equilibrium locally because enzymatic reactions are intrinsically reversible. A rigorous approach that can describe isotope distribution among biomolecules and their apparent deviation from equilibrium state is lacking, however. Methods: Applying the concept of distance matrix in graph theory, we propose that apparent local isotope equilibrium among a subset of biomolecules can be assessed using an apparent fractionation difference (|Δα|) matrix, in which the differences between the observed isotope composition (δ') and the calculated equilibrium fractionation factor (1000lnβ) …

Identifying Apparent Local Stable Isotope Equilibrium In A Complex Non-Equilibrium System, Yuyang He, Xiaobin Cao, Jianwei Wang, Huiming Bao

Faculty Publications

Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Rationale: Although being out of equilibrium, biomolecules in organisms have the potential to approach isotope equilibrium locally because enzymatic reactions are intrinsically reversible. A rigorous approach that can describe isotope distribution among biomolecules and their apparent deviation from equilibrium state is lacking, however. Methods: Applying the concept of distance matrix in graph theory, we propose that apparent local isotope equilibrium among a subset of biomolecules can be assessed using an apparent fractionation difference (|Δα|) matrix, in which the differences between the observed isotope composition (δ') and the calculated equilibrium fractionation factor (1000lnβ) …

Physico-Chemical Characteristics Of Evaporating Respiratory Fluid Droplets, Eric P. Vejerano, Linsey C. Marr

Faculty Publications

The detailed physico-chemical characteristics of respiratory droplets in ambient air, where they are subject to evaporation, are poorly understood. Changes in the concentration and phase of major components in a droplet—salt (NaCl), protein (mucin) and surfactant (dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine)—may affect the viability of any pathogens contained within it and thus may affect the efficiency of transmission of infectious disease by droplets and aerosols. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of relative humidity (RH) on the physico-chemical characteristics of evaporating droplets of model respiratory fluids. We labelled these components in model respiratory fluids and observed evaporating droplets suspended on …

Diverse Exocytic Pathways For Mast Cell Mediators, Hao Xu, Na-Ryum Bin, Shuzo Sugita

Faculty Publications

Mast cells play pivotal roles in innate and adaptive immunities but are also culprits in allergy, autoimmunity and cardiovascular diseases. Mast cells respond environmental changes by initiating regulated exocytosis/secretion of various biologically active compounds called mediators (e.g., proteases, amines and cytokines). Many of these mediators are stored in granules/lysosomes and rely on an intricate degranulation process for release. Mast cell stabilizers (such as sodium cromoglicate) which prevent such degranulation process have therefore been clinically approved to treat asthma and allergic rhinitis. However, it has become increasingly clear that different mast cell diseases often involve multiple mediators, which seem to rely …

Sociocultural And Health System Factors Associated With Mortality Among Febrile Inpatients In Tanzania: A Prospective Social Biopsy Cohort Study, Michael E. Snavely, Michael J. Maze, Charles Muiruri, Lilian Ngowi, Flora Mboya, Julia Beamesderfer, Glory F. Makupa, Anthon G. Mwingwa, Bingileki F. Lwezaula, Blandina T. Mmbaga, Venance P. Maro, John A. Crump, Jan Ostermann, Matthew P. Rubach

Faculty Publications

Introduction Communicable diseases are the leading causes of death in Tanzania despite the existence of effective treatment tools. We aimed to assess the sociocultural and health system factors associated with mortality from febrile illness in northern Tanzania.

Methods We interviewed febrile inpatients to determine prevalence of barriers in seeking or receiving care and grouped these barriers using the Three Delays model (delays at home, in transport and at healthcare facilities). We assessed 6-week mortality and, after matching on age, gender and severity of illness, measured the association between delays and mortality using conditional logistic regression.

Results We enrolled 475 children, …

Heart Rate-Defined Sustained Attention In Infants At Risk For Autism, Bridgette L. Tonnsen, J. E. Richards, Jane E. Roberts

Faculty Publications

Background: Although aberrant visual attention has been identified in infants at high familial risk for autism, the developmental emergence of atypical attention remains unclear. Integrating biological measures of attention into prospective high-risk infant studies may inform more nuanced developmental trajectories, clarifying the onset and course of atypical attention and potentially advancing early screening or treatment protocols. Heart rate-defined sustained attention (HRDSA) is a well-validated biological measure of attentional engagement that, in non-clinical infant populations, provides incremental information about attentional engagement beyond looking behaviors alone. The present study aimed to examine the characteristics and clinical correlates of HRDSA in high-risk infants, …

Hypertension, Genes, And Environment: Challenges For Prevention And Risk Prediction, Richard Cooper

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Novel Mir-375-Hoxb3-Cdca3/Dnmt3b Regulatory Circuitry Contributes To Leukemogenesis In Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Laixi Bi, Bin Zhou, Haiying Li, Licai He, Chunjing Wang, Zhonggai Wang, Liqing Zhu, Mengqian Chen, Shenmeng Gao

Faculty Publications

Background: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous group of hematopoietic malignancies due to sophisticated genetic mutations and epigenetic dysregulation. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a class of small non-coding RNAs, are important regulators of gene expression in all biological processes, including leukemogenesis. Recently, miR-375 has been reported to be a suppressive miRNA in multiple types of cancers, but its underlying anti-leukemia activity in AML is largely unknown. Methods: Quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to measure the expression of miR-375 and HOXB3 in leukemic cells and normal controls. Targets of miR-375 were confirmed by western blot and luciferase assay. Phenotypic effects …

Recently Integrated Alu Insertions In The Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri) Lineage And Application For Population Analyses, Jasmine N. Baker, Jerilyn A. Walker, Michael W. Denham, Charles D. Loupe, Mark A. Batzer

Faculty Publications

© 2018 The Author(s). Background: The evolution of Alu elements has been ongoing in primate lineages and Alu insertion polymorphisms are widely used in phylogenetic and population genetics studies. Alu subfamilies in the squirrel monkey (Saimiri), a New World Monkey (NWM), were recently reported. Squirrel monkeys are commonly used in biomedical research and often require species identification. The purpose of this study was two-fold: 1) Perform locus-specific PCR analyses on recently integrated Alu insertions in Saimiri to determine their amplification dynamics, and 2) Identify a subset of Alu insertion polymorphisms with species informative allele frequency distributions between the Saimiri sciureus …

Dietary Inflammatory Index And Cardiovascular Risk And Mortality—A Meta-Analysis, Nitin Shivappa, Justyna Godos, James R. Hébert, Michael Wirth, Gabriele Piuri, Attilio Speciani, Giuseppe Grosso

Faculty Publications

Diet and chronic inflammation have been suggested to be risk factors in the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and related mortality. The possible link between the inflammatory potential of diet measured through the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII^®) and CVD has been investigated in several populations across the world. The aim of this study was to conduct a meta-analysis on studies exploring this association. Data from 14 studies were eligible, of which two were case-control, eleven were cohort, and one was cross-sectional. Results from the random-effects meta-analysis showed a positive association between increasing DII, indicating a pro-inflammatory diet, and …

Parasite Component Community Of Smalltooth Sawfish Off Florida: Diversity, Conservation Concerns, And Research Applications, Micah D. Bakenhaster, Stephen A. Bullard, Stephen S. Curran, Delane C. Kritsky, Erin H. Leone, Lauren K. Partridge, Carlos F. Ruiz, Rachel M. Scharer, Gregg R. Poulakis

Faculty Publications

Compared with that of other charismatic elasmobranchs, the component community of metazoan parasites infecting endangered smalltooth sawfish Pristis pectinata is exceedingly poorly characterized: adults of Dermophthirioides pristidis and Neoheterocotyle inpristi (ectoparasitic flatworms of skin and gill, respectively) were the only confirmed parasites prior to the description, based on specimens reported herein, of Mycteronastes caalusi. Our opportune and directed parasitological examinations of 290 smalltooth sawfish (277 live inspections; 13 necropsies; 671 to 2640 mm stretch total length) in south Florida coastal waters revealed at least 8 species of Platyhelminthes, 9 of Arthropoda, 4 of Annelida, and 1 of Nematoda. This …

Mixing It Up In The Ocean Carbon Cycle And The Removal Of Refractory Dissolved Organic Carbon, Yuan Shen, Ronald Benner

Faculty Publications

A large quantity of reduced carbon is sequestered in the ocean as refractory dissolved molecules that persist through several circuits of global overturning circulation. Key aspects of the cycling of refractory dissolved organic carbon (DOC) remain unknown, making it challenging to predict how this large carbon reservoir will respond to climate change. Herein we investigate mechanisms that remove refractory DOC using bioassay experiments with DOC isolated from surface, mesopelagic and deep waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The isolated DOC was refractory to degradation by native microbial communities, even at elevated concentrations. However, when the refractory DOC was introduced to a …

Lower Dietary Inflammatory Index Scores Are Associated With Lower Glycemic Index Scores Among College Students, Yeonsoo Kim, Jie Chen, Michael Wirth, Nitin Shivappa, James R. Hébert

Faculty Publications

The association between the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII^®), the glycemic index (GI), and the glycemic load (GL) is not known, although it is known that carbohydrates are pro-inflammatory. We aimed to measure the association between the DII and both GI and GL among college students. In this cross-sectional study, 110 college students completed a 3-day food diary, which was used to calculate the DII, the GI, the GL, and the healthy eating index (HEI)-2010. Least square means and 95% confidence intervals of the GI, the GL, and the HEI-2010 were presented per DII tertile using generalized linear mixed …

Mechanical And Geometrical Determinants Of Wall Stress In Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms: A Computational Study, Dara Azar, Donya Ohadi, Alexander Rachev, John F. Eberth, Mark J. Uline, Tarek Shazly

Faculty Publications

An aortic aneurysm (AA) is a focal dilatation of the aortic wall. Occurrence of AA rupture is an all too common event that is associated with high levels of patient morbidity and mortality. The decision to surgically intervene prior to AA rupture is made with recognition of significant procedural risks, and is primarily based on the maximal diameter and/or growth rate of the AA. Despite established thresholds for intervention, rupture occurs in a notable subset of patients exhibiting sub-critical maximal diameters and/or growth rates. Therefore, a pressing need remains to identify better predictors of rupture risk and ultimately integrate their …

Expansion Of The (Bb)>Ru Metallacycle With Coinage Metal Cations: Formation Of B-M-Ru-B (M= Cu, Ag, Au) Dimetalacyclodiboryls†, Bennett J. Eleazer, Mark D. Smith, Alexey A. Popov, Dmitry V. Peryshkov

Faculty Publications

In this work, we introduce a novel approach for the selective assembly of heterometallic complexes by unprecedented coordination of coinage metal cations to strained single ruthenium–boron bonds on a surface of icosahedral boron clusters. M(I) cations (M ¼ Cu, Ag, and Au) insert into B–Ru bonds of the (BB)–carboryne complex of ruthenium with the formation of four-membered B–M–Ru–B metalacycles. Results of theoretical calculations suggest that bonding within these metalacycles can be best described as unusual three-center-two-electron B–M/Ru interactions that are isolobal to B–H/Ru borane coordination for M ¼ Cu and Ag, or the pairs of two-center-two electron B–Au and Au–Ru …

Unveiling The Enigma Of Refractory Carbon In The Ocean, Nianzhi Jiao, Ruanhong Cai, Qiang Zheng, Kai Tang, Jihua Liu, Fangkue Jiao, Douglas Wallace, Feng Chen, Chao Li, Rudolf Amann, Ronald Benner, Farooq Azam

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Method For Characterizing Essential Tremor From The Shoulder To The Wrist, Daniel W. Geiger, Dennis Eggett, Steven K. Charles

Faculty Publications

Background

Despite the pervasive and devastating effect of Essential Tremor (ET), the distribution of ET throughout the upper limb is unknown. We developed a method for characterizing the distribution of ET and performed a preliminary characterization in a small number of subjects with ET.

Methods

Using orientation sensors and inverse kinematics, we measured tremor in each of the seven major degrees of freedom (DOF) from the shoulder to the wrist while ten patients with mild ET assumed 16 different postures. We described the tremor in each DOF in terms of power spectral density measures and investigated how tremor varied between …

Assessment Of Hydrologic Connectivity In An Ungauged Wetland With Insar Observations, Fernando Jaramillo, Ian Brown, Pascal Castellazzi, Luisa Espinosa, Alice Guittard, Sang Hoon Hong, Victor H. Rivera-Monroy, Shimon Wdowinski

Faculty Publications

The Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta (CGSM) is one of the world's most productive tropical wetlands and one that has witnessed some of the greatest recorded dieback of mangroves. Human-driven loss of hydrologic connectivity by roads, artificial channels and water flow regulation appears to be the reason behind mangrove mortality in this ungauged wetland. In this study, we determined the CGSM's current state of hydrologic connectivity by combining a remote sensing technique, termed as Wetland Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR), with a hydrologic study of river water discharge. For this research, we processed 29 ALOS-PALSAR acquisitions taken during the period …

The Absence Of Dhhc3 Affects Primary And Latent Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Infection, Shaohui Wang, Kevin R. Mott, Marianne Cilluffo, Casey L. Kilpatrick, Shoko Murakami, Alexander V. Ljubimov, Konstantin G. Kousoulas, Sita Awasthi, Bernhard Luscher, Homayon Ghiasi

Faculty Publications

© 2018 American Society for Microbiology. UL20, an essential herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) protein, is involved in cytoplasmic envelopment of virions and virus egress. We reported recently that UL20 can bind to a host protein encoded by the zinc finger DHHC-type containing 3 (ZDHHC3) gene (also known as Golgi-specific DHHC zinc finger protein [GODZ]). Here, we show for the first time that HSV-1 replication is compromised in murine embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) isolated from GODZ-/- mice. The absence of GODZ resulted in blocking palmitoylation of UL20 and altered localization and expression of UL20 and glycoprotein K (gK); the expression of …

Ecological Drivers Of Song Evolution In Birds: Disentangling The Effects Of Habitat And Morphology, Elizabeth Perrault Derryberry, Nathalie Seddon, Graham Earnest Derryberry, Santiago Claramunt, Glenn Fairbanks Seeholzer, Robb Thomas Brumfield, Joseph Andrew Tobias

Faculty Publications

© 2018 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Environmental differences influence the evolutionary divergence of mating signals through selection acting either directly on signal transmission (“sensory drive”) or because morphological adaptation to different foraging niches causes divergence in “magic traits” associated with signal production, thus indirectly driving signal evolution. Sensory drive and magic traits both contribute to variation in signal structure, yet we have limited understanding of the relative role of these direct and indirect processes during signal evolution. Using phylogenetic analyses across 276 species of ovenbirds (Aves: Furnariidae), we compared the extent to …

Crime, Punishment, And Causation: The Effect Of Etiological Information On The Perception Of Moral Agency, Paul J. Litton, Philip Robbins

Faculty Publications

Moral judgments about a situation are profoundly shaped by the perception of individuals in that situation as either moral agents or moral patients (Gray & Wegner, 2009; Gray, Young, & Waytz, 2012), Specifically, the more we see someone as a moral agent, the less we see them as a moral patient, and vice versa. As a result, casting the perpetrator of a transgression as a victim tends to have the effect of making them seem less blameworthy (Gray & Wegner, 201 1). Based on this theoretical framework, we predicted that criminal offenders with a mental disorder that predisposes them to …

Peptide Ligands For Targeting The Extracellular Domain Of Egfr: Comparison Between Linear And Cyclic Peptides, Tyrslai M. Williams, Rushikesh Sable, Sitanshu Singh, Maria Graca H. Vicente, Seetharama D. Jois

Faculty Publications

© 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common solid internal malignancy among cancers. Early detection of cancer is key to increasing the survival rate of colorectal cancer patients. Overexpression of the EGFR protein is associated with CRC. We have designed a series of peptides that are highly specific for the extracellular domain of EGFR, based on our earlier studies on linear peptides. The previously reported linear peptide LARLLT, known to bind to EGFR, was modified with the goals of increasing its stability and its specificity toward EGFR. Peptide modifications, including D-amino acid substitution, …

Hidden Endemism, Deep Polyphyly, And Repeated Dispersal Across The Isthmus Of Tehuantepec: Diversification Of The White-Collared Seedeater Complex (Thraupidae: Sporophila Torqueola), Nicholas A. Mason, Arturo Olvera-Vital, Irby J. Lovette, Adolfo G. Navarro-Sigüenza

Faculty Publications

© 2018 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Phenotypic and genetic variation are present in all species, but lineages differ in how variation is partitioned among populations. Examining phenotypic clustering and genetic structure within a phylogeographic framework can clarify which biological processes have contributed to extant biodiversity in a given lineage. Here, we investigate genetic and phenotypic variation among populations and subspecies within a Neotropical songbird complex, the White-collared Seedeater (Sporophila torqueola) of Central America and Mexico. We combine measurements of morphology and plumage patterning with thousands of nuclear loci derived from ultraconserved elements …