Genetic diversity and connectivity of southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) found in the Brazil and Chile-Peru wintering grounds and the South Georgia (Islas Georgias del Sur) feeding ground

As species recover from exploitation, continued assessments of connectivity and population structure are warranted to provide information for conservation and management. This is particularly true in species with high dispersal capacity, such as migratory whales, where patterns of connectivity could change rapidly. Here we build on a previous long-term, large-scale collaboration on southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) to combine new (nnew) and published (npub) mitochondrial (mtDNA) and microsatellite genetic data from all major wintering grounds and, uniquely, the South Georgia (Islas Georgias del Sur: SG) feeding grounds. Specifically, we include data from Argentina (npub mtDNA/microsatellite=208/46), Brazil (nnew mtDNA/microsatellite=50/50), South Africa (nnew mtDNA/microsatellite=66/77, npub mtDNA/microsatellite=350/47), Chile-Peru (nnew mtDNA/microsatellite=1/1), the Indo-Pacific (npub mtDNA/microsatellite=769/126), and SG (npub mtDNA/microsatellite=8/0, nnew mtDNA/microsatellite=3/11) to investigate the position of previously unstudied habitats in the migratory network: Brazil, SG and Chile-Peru. These new genetic data show connectivity between Brazil and Argentina, exemplified by weak genetic differentiation and the movement of one genetically identified individual between the South American grounds. The single sample from Chile-Peru had a mtDNA haplotype previously only observed in the Indo-Pacific and had a nuclear genotype that appeared admixed between the Indo-Pacific and South Atlantic, based on genetic clustering and assignment algorithms. The SG samples were clearly South Atlantic, and were more similar to the South American than the South African wintering grounds. This study highlights how international collaborations are critical to provide context for emerging or recovering regions, like the SG feeding ground, as well as those that remain critically endangered, such as Chile-Peru

EuroFlow antibody panels for standardized n-dimensional flow cytometric immunophenotyping of normal, reactive and malignant leukocytes

Most consensus leukemia lymphoma antibody panels consist of lists of markers based on expert opinions, but they have not been validated. Here we present the validated EuroFlow 8-color antibody panels for immunophenotyping of hematological malignancies. The single-tube screening panels and multi-tube classification panels fit into the EuroFlow diagnostic algorithm with entries defined by clinical and laboratory parameters. The panels were constructed in 2-7 sequential design-evaluation-redesign rounds, using novel Infinicyt software tools for multivariate data analysis. Two groups of markers are combined in each 8-color tube: (i) backbone markers to identify distinct cell populations in a sample, and (ii) markers for characterization of specific cell populations. In multi-tube panels, the backbone markers were optimally placed at the same fluorochrome position in every tube, to provide identical multidimensional localization of the target cell population(s). The characterization markers were positioned according to the diagnostic utility of the combined markers. Each proposed antibody combination was tested against reference databases of normal and malignant cells from healthy subjects and WHO-based disease entities, respectively. The EuroFlow studies resulted in validated and flexible 8-color antibody panels for multidimensional identification and characterization of normal and aberrant cells, optimally suited for immunophenotypic screening and classification of hematological malignancies

Dynamics of forest fires in the southwestern Amazon

The synergism between climatic change and human action has provided conditions for the occurrence of forest fires in the Amazon. We used annual mapping to reconstruct the history of fire in Brazil's state of Acre to understand the forest-fire regime over a period of 33 years (1984–2016). The burn-scar index (BSI) derived from the fractions of soil and of photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic material was generated by CLASlite© software using Landsat-TM and OLI satellite images. The area of forest-fire scars totaled 525,130 ha in the period analyzed. This total includes forests that fire affected only once (388,350 ha), twice (59,800 ha) and three times (5727 ha). The years 2005 and 2010 represent 90% of the total area of forest fires in Acre, coinciding with severe droughts caused by the anomalous warming of the tropical North Atlantic Ocean. The most heavily impacted portion of Acre was in the eastern part of the state, which has the greatest forest fragmentation, consolidation of agricultural activity and presence of settlement projects. In 2005, the municipalities of Acrelândia, Plácido de Castro and Senador Guiomard accounted for more than 50% of the forest remnants impacted by fire. Of the total extent of forest fires in Acre, 43% occurred in settlement projects administered by the National Institute for Colonization and Agrarian Reform (INCRA) and 16% in conservation units administered by the Ministry of Environment (MMA). The area of forest fires was 36 times greater in the 16 years after 2000, compared to the 16 years before 2000. The frequency of fires increased dramatically from one fire episode roughly every ten years (period from 1984 to 2004), to one fire every five years (period from 2005 to 2016). With the projections of warmer climate and advancing deforestation, the forest fires in Acre will tend be more intense and frequent. © 2018 Elsevier B.V

Genetic divergence between two phenotypically distinct bottlenose dolphin ecotypes suggests separate evolutionary trajectories

Due to their worldwide distribution and occupancy of different types of environments, bottlenose dolphins display considerable morphological variation. Despite limited understanding about the taxonomic identity of such forms and connectivity among them at global scale, coastal (or inshore) and offshore (or oceanic) ecotypes have been widely recognized in several ocean regions. In the Southwest Atlantic Ocean (SWA), however, there are scarce records of bottlenose dolphins differing in external morphology according to habitat preferences that resemble the coastal-offshore pattern observed elsewhere. The main aim of this study was to analyze the genetic variability, and test for population structure between coastal (n = 127) and offshore (n = 45) bottlenose dolphins sampled in the SWA to assess whether their external morphological distinction is consistent with genetic differentiation. We used a combination of mtDNA control region sequences and microsatellite genotypes to infer population structure and levels of genetic diversity. Our results from both molecular marker types were congruent and revealed strong levels of structuring (microsatellites FST = 0.385, p < .001; mtDNA FST = 0.183, p < .001; ΦST = 0.385, p < .001) and much lower genetic diversity in the coastal than the offshore ecotype, supporting patterns found in previous studies elsewhere. Despite the opportunity for gene flow in potential “contact zones”, we found minimal current and historical connectivity between ecotypes, suggesting they are following discrete evolutionary trajectories. Based on our molecular findings, which seem to be consistent with morphological differentiations recently described for bottlenose dolphins in our study area, we recommend recognizing the offshore bottlenose dolphin ecotype as an additional Evolutionarily Significant Unit (ESU) in the SWA. Implications of these results for the conservation of bottlenose dolphins in SWA are also discussed.Organization for the Conservation of South American Aquatic Mammals-YAQU PACHA e.V., the Brazilian Long Term Ecological Program (PELD-National Council for Research and Technological Development/CNPq), Chevron Brasil Upstream Frade Ltda, BG Group, Brasil, Instituto Aqualie.http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)2045-7758am2018Mammal Research Institut