Tamanho não é documento : uma análise morfométrica no gonopódio do peixe Phalloceros harpagos

Dissertação (mestrado) — Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, 2022.A evolução dos órgãos copulatórios ocorre de forma excepcionalmente rápida em vários grupos de animais que foram estudados. Enquanto a maioria dos peixes tem fertilização externa, os poeciliídeos desenvolveram órgãos copuladores chamados gonopódios a partir da nadadeira anal modificada. Tal órgão é excepcionalmente ornamentado em uma espécie amplamente distribuída que pertence a um gênero especioso, Phalloceros harpagos. Nosso estudo investigou os padrões alométricos no gonopódio em populações de P. harpagos pertencentes as bacias do alto Rio do Paraná e alto Rio do Tocantins. Foram feitas medidas morfométricas lineares do comprimento padrão e comprimento do gonopódio de machos adultos de P. harpagos. O coeficiente alométrico do gonopódio foi medido e os coeficientes separados foram comparados entre espécimes de diferentes bacias. O gonopódio de P. harpagos apresenta crescimento isométrico, sugerindo maior influência da seleção natural por hidrodinamismo ou seleção intrassexual para o tamanho corporal. O coeficiente alométrico do gonopódio não foi significativamente diferente entre as bacias. Fatores biogeográficos como a ligação entre as bacias do Tocantins e do Paraná em regiões de águas emendadas e a ausência de barreiras entre os trechos a montante e a jusante da Bacia do Paraná podem ter resultado nos gonopódios com coeficientes alométricos semelhantes, indicando que o isolamento reprodutivo pode não ocorrer, em menos ou completamente, em relação a esse recurso.Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES).The evolution of copulatory organs occurs exceptionally rapidly in several groups in which they have been studied. While most fish have external fertilization, poeciliids developed copulatory organs called gonopodia from modified anal fins. Such organ is exceptionally ornamented in a species widely distributed that belongs to a specious genus, Phalloceros harpagos. Our study investigated the allometric patterns of the gonopodium in populations of P. harpagos from upper Rio Paraná and upper Rio Tocantins basins. Linear measurements of gonopodium length and standard length were taken from adult males of P. harpagos. The allometric coefficient of the gonopodium was measured, and separated coefficients were compared between specimens from different basins. The gonopodium of P. harpagos has isometric growth, what could suggest greater influence of natural selection by hydrodynamic or intrasexual selection for body size. The allometric coefficient of the gonopodium was not found to be significantly different between the basins. Biogeographic factors such as the connection between the Tocantins and Paraná basins in amended water regions and the absence of barriers between the upstream and downstream stretches of the Paraná Basin might have resulted in gonopodia with similar allometric coefficients, indicating that reproductive isolation might not occur, at least or completely, in relation to this feature

Unraveling The Mechanisms Of Skeletal Muscle Hyperplasia: Juxtaposing Divergent Growth Paradigms

During the course of vertebrate evolution, two major growth paradigms have appeared: determinate, one in which an animal\u27s final size is largely governed by predisposed genetic potential; and indeterminate, a paradigm involving life-long, largely environmentally governed somatic growth. Of the tissues constituting an adult vertebrate, skeletal muscle comprises ≥60% of that organism\u27s mass, making it an important factor in overall body growth. To better understand the process by which many teleost fishes grow throughout their natural lifespans, the clade Danioninae and the model rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were utilized in a comparative manner. Contrary to current hypotheses, fish with indeterminate growth possessed remarkably few myogenic precursor cells (MPCs) compared to their related determinate-like counterparts. However, upon stimulation with a growth promotants (GH), MPCs from indeterminate fishes appeared to expand by \u3e300% (versus 100-200% in determinate danionins), suggesting a more `potent\u27 proliferative nature of these cells. Upon in vitro culture and differentiation, MPCs from an indeterminate danionin, the giant danio (Devario aequipinnatus), express many of the factors known to govern myogenesis in mammals in a similar temporal manner except for two: paired-box factor-3 (Pax3) and myogenin. Similarly to Pax3 in the giant danio, rainbow trout express Pax7 transcripts even as cells appear to differentiate. At the epigenetic level, posttranslational modification of histone H3 correlate well with both Pax7 and myogenin expression, even in nascent myotubes. Using de novo myotubes derived from primary zebrafish myoblasts as a model, serum and amino acid withdrawal results in the transcription of genes associated with the autophagic and proteosomal responses. Of these, the Lamp1, Atg4b, p62/Sqstm1, and LC3b loci appear to be primed for autophagy, even in control cells. The studies contained herein are the first to use a truly comparative approach to gain key insights into the evolution of skeletal muscle in Vertebrata while guiding researchers and clinicians toward new treatments for myopathies and muscle wasting disorders and animal producers to more feed-efficient, faster growing livestock

Analysis of differential gene expression in the aging brain: the case study of Col4a1, Col25a1, and Id3 and their involvement in the adult neurogenesis of the short-lived teleost Nothobranchius furzeri

Adult neurogenesis is a highly dynamic process, decreasing exponentially with aging in many vertebrate species. In mammalian brain, it is restricted to the subventricular and subgranular zones, while in teleost fish it occurs in approximately sixteen regions distributed along the entire rostro-caudal brain axis. Among teleost fish, Nothobranchius furzeri is a well-established model for aging studies, due to its very short lifespan together with anatomical and physiological aging features. In vertebrates, Col4a1 is mainly located in brain ventricular areas, is involved in axonal growth and guidance, and participates in nerve repair; Col25a1 is specifically expressed in neurons and encodes for a protein named collagenous Alzheimer amyloid plaque component (CLAC), which binds to Alzheimer plaques reducing Aβ growth. Id3 is another gene required for embryonic neurogenesis and angiogenesis, and it persists in adult brain, where it regulates adult neural stem cells maintenance and function. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of Col4a1, Col25a1 and Id3 was assessed in N. furzeri young (5 weeks post hatching (wph)) and old (27 wph) brains, showing all the three genes are upregulated during aging and are expressed in recognizable neurogenic areas. Furthermore, double labeling of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), for genes' mRNAs, and immunofluorescence (IF), for PCNA, confirms that Col4a1, Col25a1 and Id3 are expressed in numerous PCNA containing cells, confirming that their expression in nerogenic areas is related to cells proliferation and / or differentiation. The phenotype of Col4a1, Col25a1 and Id3 expressing cells was assessed by FISH/IF double labeling with neural markers S100, DCX, and HuC/D. Our data confirm that, as for other vertebrates, also in N. furzeri Col4a1, Col25a1 and Id3 are involved in adult neurogenesis. Furthermore, they colocalize mainly with DCX and HuC/D expressing cells, suggesting that they are involved in proliferation and differentiation of neural cells more than radial glial ones. These data lay the foundations to further studies on the pathways regulating Col4a1, Col25a1 and Id3, to better understand their specific role in neural proliferation and differentiation pathways and identifying possible interactors

Animal Reproduction

Reproduction is the backbone of animal-based food production. The reproductive systems of animals vary and are species-dependent. In this regard, all terrestrial animals perform internal fertilization, whereas aquatic animals perform different reproductive strategies such as internal fertilization without mating, external fertilization, viviparous, oviparous, and parthenogenesis. Today, reproductive biotechnology is an important part of the conservation and propagation of animals. This book addresses several hot topics in the field of reproduction of terrestrial and aquatic animals. Over five sections and eight chapters, this volume examines subjects such as cryopreservation, embryo transfer, avian reproduction, intraovarian gestation, and more

Structure and development of the scales and fin rays in vertebrates and their evolution in sarcopterygians during the "Fish-Tetrapod Transition"

Tesis doctoral inédita cotutelada por el Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (Francia) leída 16-11-2012 y la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. Fecha de homologación: 30-11-2012El origen de los tetrápodos y su salida del agua son episodios fundamentales en la historia evolutiva de los vertebrados. La evolución temprana de los tetrápodos se caracteriza por la aparición de los dedos, la reducción de los radios dérmicos de las aletas (lepidotriquias), y la pérdida de las escamas. Sin embargo, formas basales como Acanthostega, Ichthyostega y Tulerpeton todavía conservan radios lepidotriquios en la aleta caudal y escamas dérmicas en la parte ventral del cuerpo. La evolución del esqueleto dérmico constituye un aspecto esencial de la ‘transición pecestetrápodos’, pero su estudio ha sido muy poco explorado. Desde un punto de vista pluridisciplinar, esta tesis incluye nuevos datos anatómicos a partir de descripciones de fósiles de sarcopterigios devónicos y datos obtenidos a partir del estudio de la biología del desarrollo de peces actinopterigios actuales. El uso de nuevas técnicas de observación (CTscan y synchrotron) ha permitido acceder a una gran cantidad de información sobre la evolución estructural y del desarrollo de las escamas y lepidotriquias de los sarcopterigios. El estudio del porolepiforme Heimenia ha mostrado que el crecimiento de la región anterior de las escamas tuvo un papel muy importante en la transición morfológica entre el morfotipo rómbico y el morfotipo redondeado en los sarcopterigios, y que los caracteres derivados relativos a las escamas de los osteíctios suelen aparecer primero en la parte anterior del cuerpo. Nuevos datos sobre las escamas de tetrápodo del Devónico Tulerpeton muestran que las escamas de los tetrápodos son morfológicamente e histológicamente diferentes de las peces tetrapodomorfos a partir de los cuáles evolucionaron, y que dichas diferencias entre escamas ‘de tipo pez’ y escamas ‘de tipo tetrápodo’ aparecieron en el Devónico en el medio acuático y fueron conservadas y muy poco modificadas durante la transición definitiva al medio terrestre por los tetrápodos del Carbonífero. La diversidad morfológica de los radios de las aletas de los sarcopterigios ha sido revisada y detallada. La idea de que cambios en el desarrollo son los responsable de dicha diversidad ha llevado a proponer un nuevo marco de estudio según el cual las variaciones morfológicas y del desarrollo deberían ser explicadas y descritas en función de 3 ejes del desarrollo de las aletas (antero-posterior, próximo-distal y contralateral). Nuevas observaciones muestran que las lepidotriquias no son escamas modificadas, sin embargo ambas estructuras comparten una homología profunda de sus sistemas morfogenéticos. La pérdida de las lepidotriquias en los tetrápodos puede considerarse como un proceso de distalización y pérdida de estructuras inherente al desarrollo de las aletas. La presencia de una cola ‘de tipo pez’ con radios lepidotriquios en los tetrápodos del Devónico (e.g., Acanthostega e Ichthyostega) indica que la región caudal de los peces es más resistente a los cambios morfólogicos durante la evolución.La origine des tétrapodes et la sortie des eaux sont des événements majeurs dans l’histoire évolutive des vertébrés. L’évolution des tétrapodes se caractérise par l’apparition des doigts, la réduction des rayons dermiques (lépidotriches) et la perte des écailles. Cependant, des formes basales comme Acanthostega, Ichthyostega et Tulerpeton conservent encore des lépidotriches sur la nageoire caudale et des écailles sur la partie ventrale. L’évolution du squelette dermique constitue un aspect fondamental de la ‘transition poissons-tétrapodes’, mais son étude demeure encore largement inexplorée. Dans une approche pluridisciplinaire, cette thèse inclut des nouvelles données sur des fossiles de sarcoptérygiens dévoniens et des données issues de la biologie du développement de poissons actinoptérygiens actuels. L’application de nouvelles techniques d’imagerie (CT-scan et synchrotron) ont permis d’accéder à un grand nombre d’informations sur l’évolution structurale et développementale des écailles et des lépidotriches des sarcoptérygiens. L’étude de la squamation du porolépiforme Heimenia a montré que la croissance de la région antérieure recouverte des écailles a joué un rôle majeur dans la transition morphologique d’un morphotype rhombique vers un morphotype arrondi chez les sarcoptérygiens, et que les caractères dérives concernant la squamation se présentent souvent dans la région antérieure du corps des ostéichtyens. De nouvelles données sur les écailles du tétrapode Dévonien Tulerpeton montrent que les écailles des tétrapodes sont histologiquement et morphologiquement différentes de celles de leurs proches parents, les poissons tétrapodomorphes, indiquant que les changements produits entre les écailles ‘de type poisson’ et les écailles ‘de type tétrapode’ sont apparues au Dévonien dans un environnement aquatique et ont été retenues sans modifications majeures chez les tétrapodes pendant la sortie des eaux au Carbonifère. Une révision détaillée de la diversité morphologique des rayons des nageoires chez les sarcoptérygiens a été présentée et la considération de changements dévelopmentaux comme responsables de cette diversité a conduit à la mise en place d’un nouveau cadre d’étude dans lequel les variations morphologiques et développementales devront désormais être interprétées et décrites le long de trois axes du développement (antéro-postérieur, proximo-distal et contralatéral). De nouvelles évidences montrent que les lépidotriches ne sont pas des écailles modifiés, mais que néanmoins ces deux structures partagent des charactéristiques développementales similaires indiquant une homologie profonde de leurs systèmes morphogénétiques. La perte des lépidotriches chez les tétrapodes a été envisagée comme un processus de distalisation et perte de structures dans les nageoires inhérent au développement. La présence d’une queue ‘de type poisson’ soutenue par des rayons chez les tétrapodes dévoniens (e.g., Acanthostega et Ichthyostega) indique que la région caudale des poissons est plus résistante aux changements morphologiques.The origin of tetrapods and their transition to land are one of the most fundamental episodes in the evolutionary history of vertebrates. The evolution of tetrapods is characterized by the appearance of fingers, progressive reduction and disappearance of the dermal fin rays (lepidotrichia), and loss of body scales. Nevertheless, some early forms like Acanthostega, Ichthyostega and Tulerpeton from the Late Devonian retain fin rays in their caudal fin and small scales in the ventral region. The evolution of the dermal skeleton is a fundamental aspect of the ‘fish-tetrapod transition’, but remains largely unexplored. This pluridisciplanary thesis includes new data on Devonian sarcopterygians and from the developmental biology of extant actinopterygians. The use of new imaging techniques (CT and synchrotron) enabled to access information on the structural and developmental evolution of the scales and the lepidotrichia in sarcopterygians. The study of the squamation in the porolepiform Heimenia has shown that the growth of the overlapped areas of the scales played a major role in the transition from a rhombic to rounded scale morphotype in sarcopterygians and that derived character states related to squamation in osteichthyans generally begin in the anterior region of the body. New data on the scales of the Devonian tetrapod Tulerpeton show that tetrapod scales are histologically and morphologically different from that of related tetrapodomorph fishes, suggesting that changes between the ‘fish‐like’ sarcopterygian scale condition and the ‘tetrapod‐like’ scale condition arose during the Devonian in an aquatic environment and were essentially unmodified in tetrapods during their establishment on land in the Carboniferous. The diversity of fin ray morphologies in sarcopterygians has been reviewed and presented in detail and the consideration that developmental modifications might be responsible for this structural diversity has led to the establishment of a new framework of study, in which morphological and developmental variations of the fins and fin rays in osteichthyans should be interpreted and described under three developmental axes (proximo‐distal, antero posterior, and contralateral). New evidences corroborates that lepidotrichia are not modified scales, although both structures share similar developmental features that suggest a deep homology of their morphogenetic system. The loss of the lepidotrichia in the paired appendages of tetrapods can be viewed as an inherent developmental process of distalization and loss of structures in the fins. The retention of a ‘fish‐like’ tail supported by fin rays in Devonian tetrapods (e.g., Acanthostega and Ichthyostega) suggests that the caudal region of fishes might be more resilient to morphological changes

9th Annual Focus on Creative Inquiry Poster Forum Program

The 2014 Focus on Creative Inquiry Poster Forum displays a selection of the projects accomplished by Clemson University students in their Creative Inquiry teams. What is Creative Inquiry? It is small-group learning for all students, in all disciplines. It is the imaginative combination of engaged learning and undergraduate research – and it is unique to Clemson University. In Creative inquiry, small teams of undergraduate students work with faculty mentors to take on problems that spring from their own curiosity, a professor’s challenge, or the pressing needs of the world around them. Students take ownership of their projects. They ask questions, they take risks, and they get answers

Coastal fishes of the western Indian Ocean

The primary purpose of this book is to provide a means of identifying the more than 3 200 species of coastal fishes known to occur in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO). Coastal fishes are those that inhabit waters generally less than ~200 m deep, the waters over continental and insular shelves, and upper continental slopes. The book also includes some oceanic species and species that live in deeper water, but are sometimes caught in trawls in less than 200 m, or that migrate into shallower waters at night to feed. The Western Indian Ocean (WIO), as treated in these volumes, is the area between Cape Point, South Africa, and 77°34' E, at Kanyakumari (formerly Cape Cormorin), the southernmost point of India, and to 40° S, just south of St Paul Island. Although considered as separate water bodies, the Red Sea and Persian/Arabian Gulf have been included. Some contributors have also chosen to include species from Sri Lanka. The region thus encompasses the entire east and southern coasts of Africa, Madagascar and the various island clusters of the Comoros, the Seychelles, the Maldive and Lakshadweep islands, the Chagos Archipelago and the islands and sea mounts of the Mascarene Plateau, to as far as 40° S, and thus some fishes from St Paul and Amsterdam Islands have been included. This large expanse, stretching from tropical waters of the northwestern Indian Ocean to the warm temperate waters of False Bay, South Africa, includes a number of poorly known biogeographic areas. A map of the entire Indian Ocean is placed on the inside front cover of each printed volume, with some areas in greater detail on the inside back cover. The book does not include distribution maps for species, but gives localities from which species are known, with emphasis on WIO localities; our understanding of distributions of many species is often incomplete. Fishes are the most abundant and diverse group of vertebrates and have colonised every aquatic habitat on Earth: the oceans, lakes, rivers and caves, from polar seas at –2 °C to hot, freshwater springs at 44 °C, and from tropical reefs and mangrove forests to the deepest ocean depths. Fishes are also the most poorly known group of vertebrates. In the 2006 edition of Joseph Nelson’s Fishes of the World the estimate of the number of species of extant fishes worldwide stood at about 23 000. This number is growing annually, and was thought to be about 33 460 species at the end of 2016 (www.fishwisepro.com). Between the years 2000 and 2015 an average of 150 new species of marine fishes were described each year – of which 10% of the total (156 species) were from the WIO. The WIO is home to about 15% of all the marine fish species in the world’s oceans. Another measure of the diversity of fishes of this area is its relatively high level of endemicity, particularly around southern Africa and in the Red Sea. About 13% of southern African marine fishes are endemic, most of these in only five families: Clinidae with about 44 endemic species, Gobiidae with 28, Sparidae with 28, Pentanchidae with 6, and Batrachoididae with 7 endemic species. In the Red Sea at least 170 of the more than 1100 species are endemic. The WIO region is also home to a large human population, representing a wide range of ethnic and cultural backgrounds. The area includes the countries of South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Somalia, Eritrea, Sudan, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka, as well as the many island nations and territories. Many of the people living in coastal areas are dependent on fish catches and other marine resources for both sustenance and often a livelihood, as highly diversified artisanal fisheries make up the bulk of the fishing effort in the region. And, as elsewhere in the world, many of the fish resources have been compromised by commercial interests (including those of other countries), often leaving fish stocks in a poor state. This book has a number of purposes, all of which coalesce around providing users with a better understanding of the area’s fishes and their environment. Accordingly, it includes a number of background chapters covering subjects as diverse as the oceanography of the region, and the history and evolution of the bony fishes. In recent years genetic analysis has proved to be a powerful tool for taxonomists. In many instances molecular results have caused taxonomists to rethink both the definitions of certain taxa and the interrelationships of taxa. In some instances, what were long considered cohesive (monophyletic) taxa were found to include groups of fishes that are in fact not closely related (paraphyletic), while in other instances taxa thought to be distinct were found not to be, meriting their merging with other existing taxa. At times, long-accepted family groups have been divided into two or more distinct families, or separate families have been combined into a single one. Where possible such changes in our understanding of the relationships of fishes are reflected in these volumes. Where some contributors have taken a more conservative approach by awaiting more research and not adopting these changes, alternative taxonomies are noted (see also the introductory chapter on Naming organisms and determining their relationships). For each species in the book, the literature pertinent to that species in the WIO is given: the original species description reference, synonyms for the region and other important taxonomic and biological references. For many commercially important species or fishes of interest to anglers there is additional information on life history, size and capture, and for some but not all species, their IUCN conservation status if Near Threatened, Vulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (in the first instance, valid at the time of writing. See www.iucnredlist.org for current information. Note: we have not included the IUCN conservation status where species are of Least Concern or Data Deficient). Most species are illustrated with photographs, drawings or paintings. Colour photographs and paintings are provided on plates for each volume.1st Editio