The Role of Developmental Genetics in Understanding Homology and Morphological Evolution in Plants

Homology assessments are critical to comparative biological studies. Although gene expression data have been proposed as instrumental for defining homologous relationships, several lines of evidence suggest that this type of data can be misleading if used in isolation. The correspondence between the homology of genes and that of structures is not simple, and conclusions can be derived only after careful examination of all available data. For instance, the MADS-box gene family is one of the best-studied families of transcription factors, and it provides several examples of dissociation between genetic and morphological homology. In this regard, we examine the role of APETALA3 and PISTILLATA homologs in the development of petaloid organs, a feature thought to have originated multiple times. We also consider the role of members of the AGAMOUS subfamily in the development of the pistil, a character that originated only once. Additionally, we discuss how serial homology makes gene co-option a very common phenomenon in plants. In spite of the multiple cases of this type of dissociation, comparative developmental genetics can yield other types of information that help assess homologies. Furthermore, comparative gene expression studies provide useful data for dissecting the origin of morphological innovations and are, therefore, key to understanding character evolution. Finally, we provide some guidelines for the critical examination of comparative gene expression data in the context of studying morphological innovations.Organismic and Evolutionary Biolog

Modificación de la composición de la flora en bordes de bosques fragmentados de Austrocedrus chilensis en Patagonia

Austrocedrus chilensis es una de las especies arbóreas nativas del bosque andino patagónico más afectadas por el proceso de fragmentación, originando bosquetes remanentes rodeados de pasturas. Estudiamos la vegetación en bordes de A. chilensis adyacentes a áreas cortadas 10 años atrás, con especial referencia a la regeneración de A. chilensis, diversidad, abundancia y distribución especifica. Se encontró que la composición original de la vegetación fue fuertemente modificada, con una alta proporción de especies herbáceas exóticas en la zona de borde. La diversidad y la abundancia de especies leñosas fueron mayores en el interior del bosque (p = 0.0289yp= 0.0149), lo mismo que la riqueza de especies nativas (p = 0.0053) y la regeneración de A. chilensis (p = 0.0408), en tanto que la abundancia de especies herbáceas fue mayor en el borde (p = 0.0197). Durante los primeros 10 años de la sucesión posterior al disturbio, la tendencia de los bosquetes de A. chilensis remanentes es la retracción.In the Patagonian Andes of Argentina, Austrocedrus chilensis is one of the native tree species most affected by forest fragmentation, resulting in remnants stands surrounded by grasslands. We studied vegetation in the edges of stands of dense A. chilensis adjoining areas that were cut 10 years earlier, with special reference to A. chilensis regeneration, diversity, abundance and specific species distribution. We found that the original composition of the vegetation had been strongly modified, there was a high proportion of exotic herbaceous species in the edge. Diversity and abundance of woody species was superior in the core forest (p = 0.0289 and p = 0.0149), and so was the richness of native species (p = 0.0053) and regeneration of A. chilensis (p = 0.0408). On the other hand the abundance of herbaceous species was greater in the edge (p = 0.0197). During the first years of the succession, the forest in the edge area tends to retract.Fil: Carabelli, Francisco Andrés Carabelli. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentina. Centro de Investigación y Extensión Forestal Andino Patagónico; ArgentinaFil: Orellana Ibáñez, Ivonne Alejandra. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia "San Juan Bosco"; Argentina. Centro de Investigación y Extensión Forestal Andino Patagónico; ArgentinaFil: Jaramillo, Marcelo M.. Centro de Investigación y Extensión Forestal Andino Patagónico; ArgentinaFil: Gomez, Mariano Facundo. Centro de Investigación y Extensión Forestal Andino Patagónico; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia "San Juan Bosco"; Argentin

Otolith eco-morphological patterns of benthic fishes from the coast of Valencia (Spain)

[EN] Benthic fishes exhibit different adaptive strategies and different degrees of association with the substrate. The aim of this study is to describe the morphologic and morphometric characteristic of otolith of four species of benthonic fish off the coast of Valencia and study the relationship between these otolith's characteristics witch the substrate. The sagittae analysed belonged to the following species: Scorpaena scrofa Linnaeus, 1758 (N=40), Mullus surmuletus Linnaeus, 1758 (N=29), Uranoscopus scaber Linnaeus, 1758 (N=24) and Synaptura hisitanica Capello, 1868 (N=121). The fishes were sexed, the total length (TL) was measured in mm, and the sagittae were removed to examine their morphology and morphometry. The E (=maximum width of the otolith (OW)/maximum length of the otolith (OL)%) and S (sulcus area (SS)/otolith area (OS) %) index were calculated. The E morphometric index showed a tendency towards an elongated or circular shape and the S index showed a tendency of macula nervous to have a greater surface area of information uptake to transmit to the fish brain. The analysis of otolith morphology and morphometry revealed the existence of different eco-morphological patterns associated with habitat use and the type of substrate where the fish is most frequently found. The E and S index have proven to be useful for discriminating between the sagittae of fishes from different water column uses and are associated a different substrates type.[ES] Los peces bentónicos presentan diferentes estrategias de adaptación y diferentes grados de asociación con el sustrato. El objetivo de este estudio es describir las características morfológicas y morfométricas de otolitos de cuatro especies de peces bentónicos de la costa de Valencia y estudiar la relación entre estas caracterisitcas de los otolitos con el sustrato. Las sagittae analizadas pertenecen a las siguientes especies: Scorpaena scrofa Linnaeus, 1758 (N = 40), Mullus surmuletus Linnaeus, 1758 (N = 29), Uranoscopus scaber Linnaeus, 1758 (N = 24) y Synaptura lusitanica Capello, 1868 (N = 121). Los peces fueron sexados, se midió la longitud total (lt) en mm, y las sagittae fueron extraídas para examinar su morfología y morfometría. Se calculó el índice E (= ancho máximo de los otolitos (OW) / máxima longitud del otolito (OL) %) y S (superficie del sulcus (SS) / superficie del otolito (OS) %). El índice morfométrico E mostró una tendencia hacia una forma alargada o circular y el índice S mostró una tendencia de la mácula nerviosa a tener una mayor superficie de captación de información para transmitir al cerebro del pez. El análisis de la morfología y morfometría de los otolitos reveló la existencia de diferentes patrones eco-morfológicos asociados con el uso del hábitat y el tipo de sustrato donde los peces se encuentran con mayor frecuencia. Los índices E y S han demostrado ser útiles para discriminar entre las sagittae de peces que hacen un uso diferencial de la columna de agua y que están asociados a diferentes tipos de sustratos.We are grateful to the “Conselleria de Territori I Habitatge. Generalitat Valenciana”, to the Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBACYT 20620110100007), to the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) and ANPCYT (PICT N° 2010-1372) for the financial support to this project. The authors grateful to C. Assis for critical revision of manuscript and for their comments, and G.E. Comte for the technical support in images analyzed.Jaramillo, AM.; Tombari, AD.; Benedito Durá, V.; Rodrigo Santamalia, ME.; Volpedo, AV. (2014). Otolith eco-morphological patterns of benthic fishes from the coast of Valencia (Spain). Thalassas. Revista de Ciencias del Mar. 30(1):57-66. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/46138S576630

Remoción del colorante azul marino directo sobre borra de café modificada

The presence of dyes in water bodies inhibits the penetration of light, affecting the flora and fauna of these ecosystems, which is why, greater efforts are made to eliminate them before being poured. This study allowed the removal of the direct navy-blue dye (DNB), using activated carbon prepared from coffee beans and H3PO4. The experimental methodology began with the preparation of three types of activated carbon by varying the concentration of H3PO4 (20, 40 and 60% m/v). Texture properties were evaluated by adsorption-desorption isotherms with N2 to 77 K, the identification and quantification of organic functional groups, mainly acids, with FTIR and the Boehm method, respectively. Batch adsorption experiments were performed by varying the initial dye concentration (5, 10, 50, 75, 100 and 200 mg/dm3) to 25 °C and, the adsorption kinetics was determined. Both coffee beans and activated carbons have an acidic nature with surface area development between 519 and 771 m2/g. With respect to the batch study, a monolayer and multilayer growth was observed on a heterogeneous surface. Activated carbon prepared with 20% of H3PO4 recorded the highest removal capacity with a value of 25.8 mg/g. The kinetic model of pseudo second order was the one that best fit to the experimental data (R2 > 0.98). It can be concluded that the coffee bean treated with H3PO4 is an efficient adsorbent to remove DNB from aqueous solutions.La presencia de colorantes en los cuerpos de agua inhibe la penetración de la luz, afectando la flora y la fauna de estos ecosistemas, razón por la cual se hacen cada vez esfuerzos mayores para eliminarlos antes de ser vertidos. Este estudio permitió remover el colorante azul marino directo (AMD), empleando carbón activado preparado a partir de la borra de café y H3PO4. La metodología experimental inició con la preparación de tres tipos de carbón activado, variando la concentración de H3PO4 (20, 40 y 60% m/v). Las propiedades de textura se evaluaron mediante isotermas de adsorción-desorción con N2 a 77 K; la identificación y cuantificación de grupos funcionales orgánicos, en especial ácidos, con FTIR, y el método de Boehm, respectivamente. Se realizaron experimentos de adsorción por lote, variando la concentración inicial del colorante (5, 10, 50, 75, 100 y 200 mg/dm3) a 25 °C y se determinó la cinética de adsorción. Tanto la borra de café como los carbones activados tienen naturaleza ácida con desarrollo de áreas superficiales entre 519 y 771 m2/g. Con respecto al estudio por lote, se observó un crecimiento en monocapa y multicapa sobre una superficie heterogénea. El carbón activado preparado con 20% de H3PO4 registró la mayor capacidad de remoción, con un valor de 25.8 mg/g. El modelo cinético de pseudo segundo orden fue el que mejor se ajustó a los datos experimentales (R2 > 0.98). Se puede concluir que la borra de café tratada con H3PO4 es un adsorbente eficiente para eliminar AMD de soluciones acuosas

Different indexes of glycemic variability as identifiers of patients with risk of hypoglycemia in type 2 diabetes mellitus

Q1Artículo original1007-1015Introduction: Recent publications frequently introduce new indexes to measure glycemic variability (GV), quality of glycemic control, or glycemic risk; however, there is a lack of evidence supporting the use of one particular parameter, especially in clinical practice. Methods: A cohort of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients in ambulatory care were followed using continuous glucose monitoring sensors (CGM). Mean glucose (MG), standard deviation, coefficient of variation (CV), interquartile range, CONGA1, 2, and 4, MAGE, M value, J index, high blood glucose index, and low blood glucose index (LBGI) were estimated. Hypoglycemia incidence (<54 mg/dl) was calculated. Area under the curve (AUC) was determined for different indexes as identifiers of patients with risk of hypoglycemia (IRH). Optimal cutoff thresholds were determined from analysis of the receiver operating characteristic curves. Results: CGM data for 657 days from 140 T2DM patients (4.69 average days per patient) were analyzed. Hypoglycemia was present in 50 patients with 144 hypoglycemic events in total (incidence rate of 0.22 events per patient/day). In the multivariate analysis, both CV (OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.12-1.28, P < .001) and LBGI (OR 4.83, 95% CI 2.41-9.71, P < .001) were shown to have a statistically significant association with hypoglycemia. The highest AUC were for CV (0.84; 95% CI 0.77-0.91) and LBGI (0.95; 95% CI 0.92-0.98). The optimal cutoff threshold for CV as IRH was 34%, and 3.4 for LBGI. Conclusion: This analysis shows that CV can be recommended as the preferred parameter of GV to be used in clinical practice for T2DM patients. LBGI is the preferred IRH between glycemic risk indexes

Parasitic copepods (Crustacea, Hexanauplia) on fishes from the lagoon flats of Palmyra Atoll, Central Pacific

We surveyed copepods parasitic on the fishes at Palmyra, a remote atoll in the Central Indo-Pacific faunal region. In total, we collected 849 individual fish, representing 44 species, from the intertidal lagoon flats at Palmyra and recovered 17 parasitic copepod species. The parasitic copepods were: Orbitacolax williamsi on Mulloidichthys flavolineatus; Anuretes serratus on Acanthurus xanthopterus; Caligus confusus on Carangoides ferdau, Carangoides orthogrammus, Caranx ignobilis, Caranx melampygus, and Caranx papuensis; Caligus kapuhili on Chaetodon auriga and Chaetodon lunula; Caligus laticaudus on Rhinecanthus aculeatus, Pseudobalistes flavimarginatus, M. flavolineatus, Upeneus taeniopterus, Chrysiptera glauca, and Epinephalus merra; Caligus mutabilis on Lutjanus fulvus and Lutjanus monostigma; Caligus randalli on C. ignobilis; Caligus sp. on L. fulvus; Caritus serratus on Chanos chanos; Lepeophtheirus lewisi on A. xanthopterus; Lepeophtheirus uluus on C. ignobilis; Dissonus similis on Arothron hispidus; Nemesis sp. on Carcharhinus melanopterus; Hatschekia longiabdominalis on A. hispidus; Hatschekia bicaudata on Chaetodon auriga and Chaetodon lunula; Kroyeria longicauda on C. melanopterus and Lernanthropus sp. on Kyphosus cinerascens. All copepod species reported here have been previously reported from the Indo-Pacific but represent new geographical records for Palmyra, demonstrating large-scale parasite dispersion strategies