Desmognathus apalachicolae

Number of Pages: 2Integrative BiologyGeological Science

BIOGEOGRAPHY AND PATTERN VARIATION OF KINGSNAKES, LAMPROPELTIS GETULA, IN THE APALACHICOLA REGION OF FLORIDA

Morphology of kingsnakes, Lampropeltis getula, is described and analyzed in the Apalachicola region of the Florida panhandle. Populations inhabiting the eastern Apalachicola Lowlands, a distinct biotic province, are different from the surrounding populations in having fewer and wider light body crossbands, distinct ontogenetic interband lightening, unique ventral patterns, and the presence of non-banded (striped and patternless) individuals. We conclude that the name L. g. goini as well as the hypothesis that Apalachicola L. getula are relict populations of intergrades between L. g. getula and L. g. floridana are invalid. We believe the polymorphic eastern Apalachicola Lowlands populations are most closely related to L. g. getula, and evolved in isolation on a barrier island or the coastal strand of a peninsula during one of the many higher stands of sea in the Pleistocene

How global biodiversity hotspots may go unrecognized: Lessons from the North American Coastal Plain

© 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Biodiversity hotspots are conservation priorities. We identify the North American Coastal Plain (NACP) as a global hotspot based on the classic definition, a region with \u3e 1500 endemic plant species and \u3e 70% habitat loss. This region has been bypassed in prior designations due to misconceptions and myths about its ecology and history. These fallacies include: (1) young age of the NACP, climatic instability over time and submergence during high sea-level stands; (2) climatic and environmental homogeneity; (3) closed forest as the climax vegetation; and (4) fire regimes that are mostly anthropogenic. We show that the NACP is older and more climatically stable than usually assumed, spatially heterogeneous and extremely rich in species and endemics for its range of latitude, especially within pine savannas and other mostly herbaceous and fire-dependent communities. We suspect systematic biases and misconceptions, in addition to missing information, obscure the existence of similarly biologically significant regions world-wide. Potential solutions to this problem include (1) increased field biological surveys and taxonomic determinations, especially within grassy biomes and regions with low soil fertility, which tend to have much overlooked biodiversity; (2) more research on the climatic refugium role of hotspots, given that regions of high endemism often coincide with regions with low velocity of climate change; (3) in low-lying coastal regions, consideration of the heterogeneity in land area generated by historically fluctuating sea levels, which likely enhanced opportunities for evolution of endemic species; and (4) immediate actions to establish new protected areas and implement science-based management to restore evolutionary environmental conditions in newly recognized hotspots

A new genus of Cophomantini, with comments on the taxonomic status of Boana liliae (Anura: Hylidae)

© 2018 The Linnean Society of London The non-monophyly of both the genus Myersiohyla and the Boana punctata group has been recovered in a number of published phylogenetic analyses. In this paper we report on the analysis of sequences of Boana liliae, a species originally assigned to the B. punctata group, in a dataset of Cophomantini that recovered novel phylogenetic relationships for this hylid tribe. Our results reveal Myersiohyla to be paraphyletic with respect to B. liliae. Support for the placement of Myersiohyla kanaima is poor, but this taxon is recovered as the sister taxon of the other Cophomantini genera (excluding Myersiohyla) or as the sister taxon of the remaining species of Myersiohyla (including B. liliae). These results lead us to propose two taxonomic changes in order to remedy the paraphyly of Myersiohyla: (1) a new genus is described for M. kanaima, and (2) Boana liliae is transferred to Myersiohyla. We further provide notes on the natural history and vocalizations of the new monotypic genus, a new diagnosis of the former B. liliae in the context of Myersiohyla, and discuss the evolution of tadpole morphology and biogeography of the earlier diverging clades of Cophomantini

Coping with the extremes : comparative osteology of the tepui-associated toad Oreophrynella and its bearing on the evolution of osteological novelties in the genus

The only study of the osteology of the toad genus Oreophrynella dates back to 1971 and was based on a single species. Here, we use high-resolution X-ray microcomputed tomography to analyse the osteology of all nine described Oreophrynella species, which are compared with representatives of other bufonid lineages. Oreophrynella is unique among bufonids in having opposable digits. Osteological synapomorphies confirmed for the genus are as follows: presence of parietal fontanelles and exposed frontoparietal fontanelle, absence of quadratojugal, five presacral vertebrae, distally enlarged terminal phalanges and urostyle greatly expanded into flanges. Ancestral character reconstruction indicates that arboreal habits in some Oreophrynella species are likely to have evolved after the evolution of opposable digits. Opposable digits, in combination with an extension of the interdigital integument and the relative length/orientation of the digits, are likely to be adaptations to facilitate life on rocky tepui summits and an exaptation to arboreality. Cranial simplification in Oreophrynella, in the form of cranial fontanelles and absence of the quadratojugal, is possibly driven by a reduction of developmental costs, increase in flexibility and reduction of body weight. Cranial simplification combined with the shortening of the vertebral column and the shift towards a partly firmisternal girdle might be adaptations to the peculiar tumbling behaviour displayed by Oreophrynella

Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase 2 regulates hepatic fuel metabolism

Objective The liver is the primary internal metabolic organ that coordinates whole body energy homeostasis in response to feeding and fasting. Genetic ablation or pharmacological inhibition of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase 2 (CaMKK2) has been shown to significantly improve hepatic health and peripheral insulin sensitivity upon overnutrition with high fat diet. However, the precise molecular underpinnings that explain this metabolic protection have remained largely undefined. Methods To characterize the role of CaMKK2 in hepatic metabolism, we developed and challenged liver-specific CaMKK2 knockout (CaMKK2LKO) mice with high fat diet and performed glucose and insulin tolerance tests to evaluate peripheral insulin sensitivity. We used a combination of RNA-Sequencing, glucose and fatty acid istotopic tracer studies, a newly developed Seahorse assay for measuring the oxidative capacity of purified peroxisomes, and a degenerate peptide libarary to identify putative CaMKK2 substrates that mechanistically explain the protective effects of hepatic CaMKK2 ablation. Results Consistent with previous findings, we show that hepatic CaMKK2 ablation significantly improves indices of peripheral insulin sensitivity. Mechanistically, we found that CaMKK2 phosphorylates and regulates GAPDH to promote glucose metabolism and PEX3 to blunt peroxisomal fatty acid catabolism in the liver. Conclusion CaMKK2 is a central metabolic fuel sensor in the liver that significantly contributes to whole body systems metabolism

Soluble CD36 Ectodomain Binds Negatively Charged Diacylglycerol Ligands and Acts as a Co-Receptor for TLR2

BACKGROUND:Cluster of differentiation 36 (CD36) is a transmembrane glycoprotein involved in many biological processes, such as platelet biology, angiogenesis and in the aetiopathology of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are one of the most important receptors of the innate immune system. Their main function is the recognition of conserved structure of microorganisms. This recognition triggers signaling pathways that activate transcription of cytokines and co-stimulatory molecules which participate in the generation of an immune response against microbes. In particular, TLR2 has been shown to recognize a broad range of ligands. Recently, we showed that CD36 serves as a co-receptor for TLR2 and enhances recognition of specific diacylglycerides derived from bacteria. METHODOLOGY/ PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:Here, we investigate the mechanism by which CD36 contributes to ligand recognition and activation of TLR2 signaling pathway. We show that the ectodomain of murine CD36 (mCD36ED) directly interacts with negatively charged diacylglycerol ligands, which explains the specificity and selectivity of CD36 as a TLR2 co-receptor. We also show that mCD36ED amplifies the pro-inflammatory response to lipoteichoic acid in macrophages of wild-type mice and restores the pro-inflammatory response of macrophages from mice deficient in CD36 (oblivious), but not from mice deficient in cluster of differentiation 14 (CD14) (heedless). CONCLUSION/ SIGNIFICANCE: These data indicate that the CD36 ectodomain is the only relevant domain for activation of TLR2 signaling pathway and that CD36 and CD14 have a non-redundant role for loading ligands onto TLR2 in the plasma-membrane. The pro-inflammatory role of soluble CD36 can be relevant in the activation of the immune response against pathogens, as well as in the progression of chronic diseases. Therefore, an increased level of soluble forms of CD36, which has been reported to be increased in type II diabetic patients, could accelerate atherosclerosis by increasing the pro-inflammatory response to diacylglycerol ligands