Molecular Phylogenetics of Diurnal Birds of Prey in the Avian Accipitridae Family.

The avian family Accipitridae includes 240 species and 60 genera of hawks, eagles, Old World vultures, kites, accipiters, goshawks and harriers. Phylogeny for Accipitridae has been difficult to resolve with morphological data such that non-monophyly of subfamilies and genera was suspected. This study used mitochondrial and nuclear sequence data to resolve the phylogeny for Accipitridae taxa. Extensive sampling of nominal species and genera (75% of all species and 97% of genera) identified non-monophyly for most genera and subfamilies/subgroups and some species. Monophyly of sea eagles (Haliaeetinae), booted eagles (Aquilinae), Aegypinae Old World Vultures, goshawks (Melieraxinae) and harriers (Circinae) was supported; however, none of the kite subfamilies (Milvinae, Perninae and Elaninae), Accipiters (Accipitrinae), harpy eagles (Harpiinae) and snake eagles (Circaetinae) formed monophyletic groups. Specialized limb morphology relating to predation on cavity-nesting species shared by the gymnogene (Polyboroides typus) and the Crane Hawk (Geranospiza caerulescens) is an example of convergent evolution as the two species were not closely related. The nominal genera Buteo, Buteogallus, Accipiter, Circaetus, Hieraaetus, Spizaetus, Aquila, Haliaeetus and Leucopternis were not monophyletic. Investigations at or within the level of species revealed non-monophyly for Hieraaetus fasciatus and H. morphnoides, supporting recognition of H. spilogaster and H. weiskeii as distinct species. Complicated and non-monophyletic relationships among the subspecies of Leucopternis albicollis and L. occidentalis require further investigation to resolve taxonomic nomenclature. Such extensive non-phylogenetic taxonomy at multiple levels emphasizes the need for major taxonomic revision within the Accipitridae. Investigations of genetic diversity and population structure within the harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja) found moderate to high levels of genetic diversity with 417 bases of the mitochondrial control region from 66 harpy eagles. There was no evidence of complete barriers to historical gene flow, however significant genetic differentiation between harpy eagles from Central America and South America was found. Estimates of gene flow were asymmetric with the vast majority of migration in the direction from Central America into South America, suggesting that habitat reduction and fragmentation in Central America may have forced southern migration. Conservation strategies for harpy eagles should aim to maintain gene flow between southern Central America and northern South America.Ph.D.Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/57684/2/hlerner_1.pd

Article Taxonomy and distribution of the Pygmy Eagle Aquila (Hieraaetus) weiskei (Accipitriformes: Accipitridae)

Abstract We re-evaluated the taxonomic status of the New Guinean subspecies weiskei of the Little Eagle Aquila morphnoides and confirmed that it differs considerably from the Australian A. morphnoides in multiple morphological and plumage characters. Genetic differentiation in published mitochondrial cyt-b and ND2 sequences between the nominate subspecies and weiskei is equivalent to that found between other accipitrid taxa at the species level, as are pairwise divergences between each Little Eagle taxon and their sister species, the Booted Eagle A. pennata. The available morphological and genetic evidence thus strongly and unambiguously supports the specific distinctness of A. weiskei. We propose the English name Pygmy Eagle, as this is the world's smallest known eagle. We show that the distribution of A. weiskei includes the western part of New Guinea (Vogelkop) and the Moluccas (Halmahera, Ternate and Seram), based on our new observations

Ancient DNA Provides New Insights into the Evolutionary History of New Zealand's Extinct Giant Eagle

Prior to human settlement 700 years ago New Zealand had no terrestrial mammals—apart from three species of bats—instead, approximately 250 avian species dominated the ecosystem. At the top of the food chain was the extinct Haast's eagle, Harpagornis moorei. H. moorei (10–15 kg; 2–3 m wingspan) was 30%–40% heavier than the largest extant eagle (the harpy eagle, Harpia harpyja), and hunted moa up to 15 times its weight. In a dramatic example of morphological plasticity and rapid size increase, we show that the H. moorei was very closely related to one of the world's smallest extant eagles, which is one-tenth its mass. This spectacular evolutionary change illustrates the potential speed of size alteration within lineages of vertebrates, especially in island ecosystems

It's not too Late for the Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja): High Levels Of Genetic Diversity and Differentiation Can Fuel Conservation Programs

Article on the harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja) and how high levels of genetic diversity and differentiation can fuel conservation programs

The impact of PICALM genetic variations on reserve capacity of posterior cingulate in AD continuum

Phosphatidylinositolbinding clathrin assembly protein (PICALM) gene is one novel genetic player associated with late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD), based on recent genome wide association studies (GWAS). However, how it affects AD occurrence is still unknown. Brain reserve hypothesis highlights the tolerant capacities of brain as a passive means to fight against neurodegenerations. Here, we took the baseline volume and/or thickness of LOAD-associated brain regions as proxies of brain reserve capacities and investigated whether PICALM genetic variations can influence the baseline reserve capacities and the longitudinal atrophy rate of these specific regions using data from Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) dataset. In mixed population, we found that brain region significantly affected by PICALM genetic variations was majorly restricted to posterior cingulate. In sub-population analysis, we found that one PICALM variation (C allele of rs642949) was associated with larger baseline thickness of posterior cingulate in health. We found seven variations in health and two variations (rs543293 and rs592297) in individuals with mild cognitive impairment were associated with slower atrophy rate of posterior cingulate. Our study provided preliminary evidences supporting that PICALM variations render protections by facilitating reserve capacities of posterior cingulate in non-demented elderly

Early role of vascular dysregulation on late-onset Alzheimer's disease based on multifactorial data-driven analysis

Multifactorial mechanisms underlying late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) are poorly characterized from an integrative perspective. Here spatiotemporal alterations in brain amyloid-β deposition, metabolism, vascular, functional activity at rest, structural properties, cognitive integrity and peripheral proteins levels are characterized in relation to LOAD progression. We analyse over 7,700 brain images and tens of plasma and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). Through a multifactorial data-driven analysis, we obtain dynamic LOAD–abnormality indices for all biomarkers, and a tentative temporal ordering of disease progression. Imaging results suggest that intra-brain vascular dysregulation is an early pathological event during disease development. Cognitive decline is noticeable from initial LOAD stages, suggesting early memory deficit associated with the primary disease factors. High abnormality levels are also observed for specific proteins associated with the vascular system's integrity. Although still subjected to the sensitivity of the algorithms and biomarkers employed, our results might contribute to the development of preventive therapeutic interventions

Multiplatform Analysis of 12 Cancer Types Reveals Molecular Classification within and across Tissues of Origin

Recent genomic analyses of pathologically-defined tumor types identify “within-a-tissue” disease subtypes. However, the extent to which genomic signatures are shared across tissues is still unclear. We performed an integrative analysis using five genome-wide platforms and one proteomic platform on 3,527 specimens from 12 cancer types, revealing a unified classification into 11 major subtypes. Five subtypes were nearly identical to their tissue-of-origin counterparts, but several distinct cancer types were found to converge into common subtypes. Lung squamous, head & neck, and a subset of bladder cancers coalesced into one subtype typified by TP53 alterations, TP63 amplifications, and high expression of immune and proliferation pathway genes. Of note, bladder cancers split into three pan-cancer subtypes. The multi-platform classification, while correlated with tissue-of-origin, provides independent information for predicting clinical outcomes. All datasets are available for data-mining from a unified resource to support further biological discoveries and insights into novel therapeutic strategies