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Full-Text Articles in Biology

Ancient Dna Of The Pygmy Marmoset Type Specimen Cebuella Pygmaea (Spix, 1823) Resolves A Taxonomic Conundrum, J. P. Boubli, M. C. Janiak, L. M. Porter, Stella De La Torre, L. Cortés-Ortiz, M. N. F. Da Silva, A. B. Rylands, Stephen Nash, F. Bertuol, H. Byrne, F. E. Silva, F. Rohe, D. De Vries, R. M. D. Beck, I. Ruiz-Gartzia, L. F. K. Kuderna, T. Marques-Bonet, Tomas Hrbek, I. P. Farias, A. H. Van Heteren, C. Roos Nov 2021

Ancient Dna Of The Pygmy Marmoset Type Specimen Cebuella Pygmaea (Spix, 1823) Resolves A Taxonomic Conundrum, J. P. Boubli, M. C. Janiak, L. M. Porter, Stella De La Torre, L. Cortés-Ortiz, M. N. F. Da Silva, A. B. Rylands, Stephen Nash, F. Bertuol, H. Byrne, F. E. Silva, F. Rohe, D. De Vries, R. M. D. Beck, I. Ruiz-Gartzia, L. F. K. Kuderna, T. Marques-Bonet, Tomas Hrbek, I. P. Farias, A. H. Van Heteren, C. Roos

Biology Faculty Research

The pygmy marmoset, the smallest of the anthropoid primates, has a broad distribution in Western Amazonia. Recent studies using molecular and morphological data have identified two distinct species separated by the Napo and Solimões-Amazonas rivers. However, reconciling this new biological evidence with current taxonomy, i.e., two subspecies, Cebuella pygmaea pygmaea (Spix, 1823) and Cebuella pygmaea niveiventris (Lönnberg, 1940), was problematic given the uncertainty as to whether Spix’s pygmy marmoset (Cebuella pygmaea pygmaea) was collected north or south of the Napo and Solimões-Amazonas rivers, making it unclear to which of the two newly revealed species the name pygmaea would …


Mapping The Hidden Diversity Of The Geophagus Sensu Stricto Species Group (Cichlidae: Geophagini) From The Amazon Basin, A. M. Ximenes, P. S. Bittencourt, V. N. Machado, Tomas Hrbek, I. P. Farias Nov 2021

Mapping The Hidden Diversity Of The Geophagus Sensu Stricto Species Group (Cichlidae: Geophagini) From The Amazon Basin, A. M. Ximenes, P. S. Bittencourt, V. N. Machado, Tomas Hrbek, I. P. Farias

Biology Faculty Research

South American freshwater ichthyofauna is taxonomically the most diverse on the planet, yet its diversity is still vastly underestimated. The Amazon basin alone holds more than half of this diversity. The evidence of this underestimation comes from the backlog of morphologically distinct, yet undescribed forms deposited in museum collections, and from DNA-based inventories which consistently identify large numbers of divergent lineages within even well-studied species groups. In the present study, we investigated lineage diversity within the Geophagus sensu stricto species group. To achieve these objectives, we analyzed 337 individuals sampled from 77 locations within and outside the Amazon basin representing …


Synapsej: An Automated, Synapse Identification Macro For Imagej, Juan Felipe Moreno Manrique, Parker R. Voit, Kathryn E. Windsor, Aamuktha Reddy Karla, Sierra R. Rodriguez, Gerard M.J. Beaudoin Iii Oct 2021

Synapsej: An Automated, Synapse Identification Macro For Imagej, Juan Felipe Moreno Manrique, Parker R. Voit, Kathryn E. Windsor, Aamuktha Reddy Karla, Sierra R. Rodriguez, Gerard M.J. Beaudoin Iii

Biology Faculty Research

While electron microscopy represents the gold standard for detection of synapses, a number of limitations prevent its broad applicability. A key method for detecting synapses is immunostaining for markers of pre- and post-synaptic proteins, which can infer a synapse based upon the apposition of the two markers. While immunostaining and imaging techniques have improved to allow for identification of synapses in tissue, analysis and identification of these appositions are not facile, and there has been a lack of tools to accurately identify these appositions. Here, we delineate a macro that uses open-source and freely available ImageJ or FIJI for analysis …


Linking Ecomechanical Models And Functional Traits To Understand Phenotypic Diversity, T. E. Higham, L. A. Ferry, L. Schmitz, D. J. Irschick, S. Starko, P. S L Anderson, P. J. Bergmann, H. A. Jamniczky, L. R. Monteiro, D. Navon, J. Messier, E. Carrington, S. C. Farina, K. L. Feilich, L. P. Hernandez, Michele A. Johnson, S. M. Kawano, C. J. Law, S. J. Longo, C. H. Martin, P. T. Martone, A. Rico-Guevara, S. E. Santana, K. J. Niklas Sep 2021

Linking Ecomechanical Models And Functional Traits To Understand Phenotypic Diversity, T. E. Higham, L. A. Ferry, L. Schmitz, D. J. Irschick, S. Starko, P. S L Anderson, P. J. Bergmann, H. A. Jamniczky, L. R. Monteiro, D. Navon, J. Messier, E. Carrington, S. C. Farina, K. L. Feilich, L. P. Hernandez, Michele A. Johnson, S. M. Kawano, C. J. Law, S. J. Longo, C. H. Martin, P. T. Martone, A. Rico-Guevara, S. E. Santana, K. J. Niklas

Biology Faculty Research

Physical principles and laws determine the set of possible organismal phenotypes. Constraints arising from development, the environment, and evolutionary history then yield workable, integrated phenotypes. We propose a theoretical and practical framework that considers the role of changing environments. This 'ecomechanical approach' integrates functional organismal traits with the ecological variables. This approach informs our ability to predict species shifts in survival and distribution and provides critical insights into phenotypic diversity. We outline how to use the ecomechanical paradigm using drag-induced bending in trees as an example. Our approach can be incorporated into existing research and help build interdisciplinary bridges. Finally, …


Season Of Prescribed Fire Determines Grassland Restoration Outcomes After Fire Exclusion And Overgrazing, Erin N. Novak, Michelle Bertelsen, Dick Davis, Devin M. Grobert, Kelly G. Lyons, Jason P. Martina, W. Matt Mccaw, Matthew O'Toole, Joseph W. Veldman Sep 2021

Season Of Prescribed Fire Determines Grassland Restoration Outcomes After Fire Exclusion And Overgrazing, Erin N. Novak, Michelle Bertelsen, Dick Davis, Devin M. Grobert, Kelly G. Lyons, Jason P. Martina, W. Matt Mccaw, Matthew O'Toole, Joseph W. Veldman

Biology Faculty Research

Fire exclusion and mismanaged grazing are globally important drivers of environmental change in mesic C4 grasslands and savannas. Although interest is growing in prescribed fire for grassland restoration, we have little long-term experimental evidence of the influence of burn season on the recovery of herbaceous plant communities, encroachment by trees and shrubs, and invasion by exotic grasses. We conducted a prescribed fire experiment (seven burns between 2001 and 2019) in historically fire-excluded and overgrazed grasslands of central Texas. Sites were assigned to one of four experimental treatments: summer burns (warm season, lightning season), fall burns (early cool season), winter …


Culturable Root Endophyte Communities Are Shaped By Both Warming And Plant Host Identity In The Rocky Mountains, Usa, Kelly G. Lyons, M. Mann, Molly Lenihan, Olivia Roybal, Kelly Carroll, Kyle Reynoso, S. N. Kivlin, D. L. Taylor, J. A. Rudgers Feb 2021

Culturable Root Endophyte Communities Are Shaped By Both Warming And Plant Host Identity In The Rocky Mountains, Usa, Kelly G. Lyons, M. Mann, Molly Lenihan, Olivia Roybal, Kelly Carroll, Kyle Reynoso, S. N. Kivlin, D. L. Taylor, J. A. Rudgers

Biology Faculty Research

Understanding the biogeographic patterns of root-associated fungi and their sensitivity to temperature may improve predictions of future changes in terrestrial biodiversity and associated ecosystem processes, but data are currently limited. Anticipating change will require combining observational data, which predict how climatic factors limit current species distributions, with direct manipulations of climate, which can isolate responses to specific climate variables. Root endophytes are common symbionts of plants, particularly in arctic and alpine environments, yet their responses to climate warming are not resolved. Here, we directly cultured endophytic fungi from roots collected along altitudinal gradients in replicated mountain watersheds and from a …


An Integrative Analysis Uncovers A New, Pseudo-Cryptic Species Of Amazonian Marmoset (Primates: Callitrichidae: Mico) From The Arc Of Deforestation, R. Costa-Araujo, J. S. Silva Jr., J. P. Boubli, R. V. Rossi, G. R. Canale, F. R. Melo, F. Bertuol, F. E. Silva, D. A. Silva, S. D. Nash, I. Sampaio, I. P. Farias, Tomas Hrbek Jan 2021

An Integrative Analysis Uncovers A New, Pseudo-Cryptic Species Of Amazonian Marmoset (Primates: Callitrichidae: Mico) From The Arc Of Deforestation, R. Costa-Araujo, J. S. Silva Jr., J. P. Boubli, R. V. Rossi, G. R. Canale, F. R. Melo, F. Bertuol, F. E. Silva, D. A. Silva, S. D. Nash, I. Sampaio, I. P. Farias, Tomas Hrbek

Biology Faculty Research

Amazonia has the richest primate fauna in the world. Nonetheless, the diversity and distribution of Amazonian primates remain little known and the scarcity of baseline data challenges their conservation. These challenges are especially acute in the Amazonian arc of deforestation, the 2500 km long southern edge of the Amazonian biome that is rapidly being deforested and converted to agricultural and pastoral landscapes. Amazonian marmosets of the genus Mico are little known endemics of this region and therefore a priority for research and conservation efforts. However, even nascent conservation efforts are hampered by taxonomic uncertainties in this group, such as the …