Patterns of genetic diversity and potential ecological niches of Stylosanthes species from northeastern Argentina

The Stylosanthes genus is native to Central and South America and contains several of the most important tropical legumes used for forage. The southernmost natural distribution of the genus includes the northeast of Argentina, a subtropical region where several phytogeographic provinces and ecoregions converge, giving rise to particular environmental conditions. Here, we used inter-simple sequence repeat markers to evaluate the genetic diversity and genetic structure of four and eight natural populations from northeast of Argentina of Stylosanthes guianensis (Aubl.) Sw. and S. hippocampoides Mohlenbr., respectively. We also modeled the potential ecological niches to obtain environmental information regarding new collection areas and future crop areas. High genetic diversity and specific bands were found for both species. The summary statistics were relatively higher for S. guianensis than for S. hippocampoides. In both species, more genetic diversity was present among populations than within them, and correlation between genetic and geographic distances was observed. Populations were grouped according to their respective species, and their geographical source. The results suggest that collecting a few individuals from a large number of different sites would be an appropriate method for conserving the diversity of these species, with emphasis on those areas with the highest levels of genetic diversity. The modeling of ecological niches suggested mean temperature of the coldest quarter as the most important bioclimatic variable influencing S. guianensis distribution, and temperature seasonality as the variable influencing S. hippocampoides distribution, and showed new potential areas for future collections and as potential crop areas of the species.Fil: Silvestri, María Celeste. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste; ArgentinaFil: Acuña, Carlos Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste; ArgentinaFil: Moreno, Ercilia Maria Sara. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste; ArgentinaFil: García, Alejandra Vanina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste; ArgentinaFil: Vanni, Ricardo Oscar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste; ArgentinaFil: Lavia, Graciela Inés. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste; Argentin

Relationship between morphology and trophic ecology in an assemblage of passerine birds in riparian forests of the Paraná River (Argentina)

We describe the ecomorphology of an assemblage of bird species found in riparian forests of the Middle Paraná River, Argentina. We sought to determine (1) the more important morphological characteristics that separate coexisting species, (2) whether such separation was related to the trophic ecology of each species and (3) whether a priori guilds showed morphological similarity. We tested the hypotheses that (a) a species' morphology is related to the trophic ecology of that species and (b) that species of a priori guilds are morphometrically more similar to each other than to species of different a priori guilds. For this, we considered an assemblage of 29 species of birds from riparian forest that were sampled with mist nets during the 2011 and 2014 breeding seasons. We obtained morphometric measurements of captured individuals and supplemented those data with measurements from museum specimens. Trophic characterisation (diet and trophic microhabitat) was based on a literature review. Results showed a separation of bird species as a function of variables related to trophic ecology (diets and trophic microhabitats) and morphology. After controlling for phylogenetic constraint, species' morphology partially reflected the trophic ecology of the species, supporting the central hypothesis of the ecomorphological discipline and showing that the use of trophic and morphometric data provides complementary data to improve the guild organisation of riparian bird assemblages.Fil: Quiroga, Virginia Mariela. Provincia de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Universidad Autónoma de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción; ArgentinaFil: Lorenzón, Rodrigo Ezequiel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto Nacional de Limnología. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto Nacional de Limnología; ArgentinaFil: Maglier, Gisela. Universidad Nacional del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Ronchi Virgolini, Ana Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Autónoma de Entre Ríos; Argentin