Evolutionary history of the Galápagos Rail Revealed by ancient mitogenomes and modern samples

The biotas of the Galápagos Islands are one of the best studied island systems and have provided a broad model for insular species’ origins and evolution. Nevertheless, some locally endemic taxa, such as the Galápagos Rail Laterallus spilonota, remain poorly characterized. Owing to its elusive behavior, cryptic plumage, and restricted distribution, the Galápagos Rail is one of the least studied endemic vertebrates of the Galapagos Islands. To date, there is no genetic data for this species, leaving its origins, relationships to other taxa, and levels of genetic diversity uncharacterized. This lack of information is critical given the adverse fate of island rail species around the world in the recent past. Here, we examine the genetics of Galápagos Rails using a combination of mitogenome de novo assembly with multilocus nuclear and mitochondrial sequencing from both modern and historical samples. We show that the Galápagos Rail is part of the “American black rail clade”, sister to the Black Rail L. jamaicensis, with a colonization of Galápagos dated to 1.2 million years ago. A separate analysis of one nuclear and two mitochondrial markers in the larger population samples demonstrates a shallow population structure across the islands, possibly due to elevated island connectivity. Additionally, birds from the island Pinta possessed the lowest levels of genetic diversity, possibly reflecting past population bottlenecks associated with overgrazing of their habitat by invasive goats. The modern and historical data presented here highlight the low genetic diversity in this endemic rail species and provide useful information to guide conservation efforts.Fil: Chaves, Jaime A.. San Francisco State University; Estados Unidos. Universidad San Francisco de Quito; EcuadorFil: Martinez Torres, Pedro J.. Universidad San Francisco de Quito; EcuadorFil: Depino, Emiliano Agustín. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Bio y Geociencias del NOA. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales. Museo de Ciencias Naturales. Instituto de Bio y Geociencias del NOA; ArgentinaFil: Espinoza Ulloa, Sebastian. University of Saskatchewan; Canadá. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador; EcuadorFil: García Loor, Jefferson. Universidad San Francisco de Quito; EcuadorFil: Beichman, Annabel C.. University of Washington; Estados UnidosFil: Stervander, Martin. Natural History Museum; Reino Unid

Activity analysis of thermal imaging videos using a difference imaging approach

Infrared thermal imaging is a passive imaging technique that captures the emitted radiation from an object to estimate surface temperature, often for inference of heat transfer. Infrared thermal imaging offers the potential to detect movement without the challenges of glare, shadows, or changes in lighting associated with visual digital imaging or active infrared imaging. In this paper, we employ a frame subtraction algorithm for extracting the pixel-by-pixel relative change in signal from a fixed focus video file, tailored for use with thermal imaging videos. By summing the absolute differences across an entire video, we are able to assign quantitative activity assessments to thermal imaging data for comparison with simultaneous recordings of metabolic rates. We tested the accuracy and limits of this approach by analyzing movement of a metronome and provide an example application of the approach to a study of Darwin's finches. In principle, this “Difference Imaging Thermography” (DIT) would allow for activity data to be standardized to energetic measurements and could be applied to any radiometric imaging system

Prognostic Scores for Risk Stratification in Patients with Acute Heart Failure

Introducción: La insuficiencia cardíaca es una condición frecuente, progresiva y potencialmente mortal. La evaluación correcta del riesgo de los desenlaces en los casos agudos permitiría la optimización de la atención y de los recursos. Objetivo: Aplicar tres de las escalas existentes para la evaluación del riesgo de muerte intrahospitalaria en pacientes con falla cardíaca aguda a fin de conocer su desempeño. Material y métodos: Estudio con diseño de pronóstico en el que se incluyeron pacientes hospitalizados por el servicio de medicina interna con diagnóstico de falla cardíaca descompensada entre febrero de 2010 y marzo de 2013. Se aplicaron tres escalas de riesgo para evaluar la mortalidad intrahospitalaria: árbol de decisiones ADHERE, OPTIMIZE-HF y GWTG-HF. Se construyeron tablas de contingencia mediante el cálculo del desempeño para los diferentes puntos de corte, así como las curvas ROC de cada escala y luego se calcularon las áreas bajo la curva. Resultados: Se calculó el resultado de las escalas en 379 pacientes, de los cuales el 54% eran mujeres; la mediana de edad fue de 75 años, el 79% eran hipertensos y el 24% eran diabéticos. El área bajo la curva del OPTIMIZE-HF fue de 0,63 (IC 95% 0,53-0,73), la del GWTG-HF fue de 0,57 (IC 95% 0,49-0,65) y la del ADHERE fue de 0,58 (IC 95% 0,47-0,68). Conclusión: En una población de pacientes hospitalizados por falla cardíaca descompensada, las escalas de riesgo ADHERE, OPTIMIZE y GWTG-HF mostraron una pobre capacidad de discriminación del riesgo de muerte intrahospitalaria.Background: Heart failure is a common, progressive and potentially lethal condition. An adequate risk assessment in acute cases might optimize care and resources. Objective: The aim of this study was to apply three of the existent risk scores to predict in-hospital mortality in patients with acute heart failure in order to understand their performance. Methods: This prognostic study included patients hospitalized by the department of internal medicine with diagnosis of decompensated heart failure between February 2010 and March 2013. Three risk scores were used to evaluate in-hospital mortality: the ADHERE decision tree, the OPTIMIZE-HF score and the GWTG-HF score. Contingency tables were constructed using the performance of the different cutoff points and the ROC curves of each score; then, the areas under the curve were calculated. Results: Score results were calculated in 379 patients. Mean age was 75 years, 54% were women, 79% had hypertension, and 24% were diabetics. The area under the curve for the three risk scores was 0.63 (95% CI, 0.53-0.73) for OPTIMIZE-HF, 0.57 (95% CI, 0.49-0.65) for GWTG-HF and 0.58 (95% CI, 0.47-0.68) for ADHERE. Conclusion: In a population of patients hospitalized for decompensated heart failure, the ADHERE, OPTIMIZE and GWTGHF risk scores showed poor discrimination ability to predict in-hospital mortality

Connectivity, population structure, and conservation of Ecuadorian green sea turtles

Studies of highly migratory species that increase our understanding of the dynamics of genetic diversity, migratory routes, and genetic connectivity are essential for informing conservation actions. Genetic data for green turtles Chelonia mydas from Ecuador have only been available from Galápagos Islands (GPS) rookeries, but not from foraging aggregations. Furthermore, green turtles from habitats associated with mainland Ecuador (Machalilla National Park; MNP) have not been sampled. To assess the genetic relationships between nesting and foraging aggregations from these 2 regions and other regional populations, the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region was sequenced from 133 turtles. Conventional FST (haplotype frequency) and ΦST (sequence-based) values were low and non-significant between Ecuadorian rookeries, suggesting high connectivity between these sites located ca. 1000 km apart. Mixed stock analysis (MSA) indicated a dominant (>94%) GPS-MNP contribution to both foraging grounds, with small and nearly negligible contributions from other rookeries in the region (e.g. Costa Rica and Mexico). While orphan haplotypes were not included in the MSA because their rookery of origin is not known, their close genetic relationships to Western and Central Pacific mtDNA clades suggests that a relatively large percentage of turtles at the combined foraging sites (>10%) have been involved in transoceanic migration events. The genetic links between GPS and MNP C. mydas nesting populations revealed by our study highlight the need to incorporate the nesting populations from coastal Ecuador in more comprehensive future conservation planning.Ministerio del Ambiente/[005-DRM-MA]//EcuadorMinisterio del Ambiente/[011-DRM-MA]//EcuadorParque Nacional Galápagos/[PC-20-14]//EcuadorUCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Básicas::Centro de Investigación en Biología Celular y Molecular (CIBCM

International fisheries threaten globally endangered sharks in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean: the case of the Fu Yuan Yu Leng 999 reefer vessel seized within the Galápagos Marine Reserve

Shark fishing, driven by the fin trade, is the primary cause of global shark population declines. Here, we present a case study that exemplifies how industrial fisheries are likely depleting shark populations in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean. In August 2017, the vessel Fu Yuan Yu Leng 999, of Chinese flag, was detained while crossing through the Galápagos Marine Reserve without authorization. This vessel contained 7639 sharks, representing one of the largest seizures recorded to date. Based on a sample of 929 individuals (12%), we found 12 shark species: 9 considered as Vulnerable or higher risk by the IUCN and 8 listed in CITES. Four species showed a higher proportion of immature than mature individuals, whereas size-distribution hints that at least some of the fishing ships associated with the operation may have been using purse-seine gear fishing equipment, which, for some species, goes against international conventions. Our data expose the magnitude of the threat that fishing industries and illegal trade represent to sharks in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean