Identification guide to the heterobranch sea slugs (Mollusca: Gastropoda) from Bocas del Toro, Panama

The Bocas del Toro Archipelago is located off the Caribbean coast of Panama. Until now, only 19 species of heterobranch sea slugs have been formally reported from this area; this number constitutes a fraction of total diversity in the Caribbean region. The Bocas del Toro Archipelago is located off the Caribbean coast of Panama. Until now, only 19 species of heterobranch sea slugs have been formally reported from this area; this number constitutes a fraction of total diversity in the Caribbean region. This increase in known diversity strongly suggests that the distribution of species within the Caribbean is still poorly known and species ranges may need to be modified as more surveys are conducted.https://doi.org/10.1186/s41200-016-0048-

Flipping the Switch: The Mechanism for Trophic Shifts in Estuaries Due to Anthropogenic Nutrient Loading and Nutrient Cycling in Coastal Wetlands and the Effects of Anthropogenic Nutrient Loading

Jaymes submitted Paper1 and was then asked by his comps committee to expand on his understanding of nitrogen cycling, which he did in Paper2. {Note by Carol Eyler, after email with Jaymes.

Data from: A biting commentary: integrating tooth characters with molecular data doubles known species diversity in a lineage of sea slugs that consume “killer algae”

Predicting biotic resistance to highly invasive strains of “killer algae” (Caulerpa spp.) requires understanding the diversity and feeding preferences of native consumers, including sea slugs in family Oxynoidae. Past studies reported low algal host specificity for Oxynoe (6 spp.) and Lobiger (4 spp.), but these taxonomically challenging slugs may represent species complexes of unrecognized specialists that prefer different Caulerpa spp. Here, we assess global diversity of these genera by integrating gene sequences with morphological data from microscopic teeth and internal shells, the only hard parts in these soft-bodied invertebrates. Four delimitation methods applied to datasets comprising mtDNA and/or nuclear alleles yielded up to 16 species hypotheses for samples comprising five nominal taxa, including five highly divergent species in Lobiger and five in Oxynoe. Depending on the analysis, a further four to six species were recovered in the O. antillarum-viridis complex, a clade in which mitochondrial divergence was low and nuclear alleles were shared among lineages. Bayesian species delimitation using only morphological data supported most candidate species, however, and integrative analyses combining morphological and genetic data fully supported all complex members. Collectively, our findings double the recognized biodiversity in Oxynoidae, and illustrate the value of including data from traits that mediate fast-evolving ecological interactions during species delimitation. Preference for Caulerpa spp. and radular tooth characteristics covaried among newly delimited species, highlighting an unappreciated degree of host specialization and coevolution in these taxa that may help predict their role in containing outbreaks of invasive algae

8c.BPP.OxyA11

BPP control file including run parameters and priors used for ‘A11’ analysis (Yang 2015) to simultaneously delimit species and infer the species tree

9d.iBPP.Oxy

iBPP control file (9D) including guide tree based on analysis of four-gene data matrix for one exemplar per candidate species hypothesis, as well as run parameters and priors used for integrative species delimitation analyses

9b.iBPP.Oxy.Imap

iBPP imap file (9B) with tentative assignments of individuals to candidate species hypotheses

8a.BPP.Oxy.sequences

BPP input sequence file (8A) with mtDNA haplotypes (COI + 16S) and corresponding phased H3 alleles for each sampled Oxynoe specimen

9c.iBPP.Oxy.morph

iBPP input file (9C) with morphological data matrix for eight traits from 21 exemplars

5.Arlequin_Oant_COI

Arlequin input file for Oxynoe antillarum population genetic structure based on COI haplotypes

8b.BPP.Oxy.Imap

BPP imap file (8B) with tentative assignments of each Oxynoe specimen to its corresponding candidate species hypothesis