Identificación serológica y molecular de virus del tomate de árbol (Solanum betaceum) en cultivos de Córdoba (Nariño, Colombia)

Introduction. The diseases caused by viruses have become an obstacle for tree tomato crops in several Colombian regions, including those from the Nariño province. Previous studies pointed at a possible potyvirus and at several isometric viruses as associated to these diseases, though their taxonomic identity in the species level and their incidence had not been determined yet. An approach to this situation was made by the use of ELISA, RT-PCR and viral sequence capsid tests from samples brought from five crops affected by viruses in Córdoba (Nariño). Results. The results indicated the presence of potyvirus in all of the samples analyzed, while CMV virus (33%), ToMV (50%) and PLRV (75%) had a great incidence in the crops from the region.The molecular analysis allowed the identification of potyvirus as a member of the PVY species, sharing identity levels above 92% with strains obtained in potato crops from several countries, while the polerovirus sequences obtained identities above 98% with PLRV strains from the same crop. Conclusion. This research work confirms that there is a viral complex associated to viruses in tree tomatoes from the Nariño province and, base on the sequence analysis, exposes the possible crossed infection of PVY and PLRV strains in potato and tomato plantations in the region, a fact which requires an experimental confirmation by pathogenicity evaluations.Introducción. Las enfermedades causadas por virus se han convertido en un factor limitante para los cultivos de tomate de árbol presentes en diferentes regiones de Colombia, incluyendo aquellos del departamento de Nariño. Estudios previos apuntan a un posible potyvirus y a diferentes virus isométricos como asociados a estas enfermedades, aunque su identidad taxonómica en el nivel de especie y su incidencia no se habían determinado. Dicha situación fue abordada en este estudio utilizando pruebas de ELISA, RT-PCR y secuenciación de la cápside viral a partir de muestras de cinco cultivos afectados por la virosis en el municipio de Córdoba (Nariño). Resultados. Los resultados indicaron la presencia de potyvirus en todas las muestras analizadas, mientras que los virus CMV (33%), ToMV (50%) y PLRV (75%) presentaban una alta incidencia en los cultivos de la región. El análisis molecular permitió identificar al potyvirus como miembro de la especie PVY, compartiendo niveles de identidad superiores al 92% con cepas obtenidas en cultivos de papa de diferentes países; mientras que las secuencias del polerovirus presentaron identidades superiores al 98% con cepas de PLRV de este mismo cultivo. Conclusión. Esta investigación confirma la ocurrencia de un complejo viral asociado a la virosis del tomate de árbol en el departamento de Nariño, y con base en los análisis de secuencias, plantea la posible infección cruzada de cepas de PVY y PLRV entre los cultivos de papa y tomate de árbol de la región, lo cual requiere confirmación experimental mediante evaluaciones de patogenicidad

NEOTROPICAL ALIEN MAMMALS: a data set of occurrence and abundance of alien mammals in the Neotropics

Biological invasion is one of the main threats to native biodiversity. For a species to become invasive, it must be voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into a nonnative habitat. Mammals were among first taxa to be introduced worldwide for game, meat, and labor, yet the number of species introduced in the Neotropics remains unknown. In this data set, we make available occurrence and abundance data on mammal species that (1) transposed a geographical barrier and (2) were voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into the Neotropics. Our data set is composed of 73,738 historical and current georeferenced records on alien mammal species of which around 96% correspond to occurrence data on 77 species belonging to eight orders and 26 families. Data cover 26 continental countries in the Neotropics, ranging from Mexico and its frontier regions (southern Florida and coastal-central Florida in the southeast United States) to Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay, and the 13 countries of Caribbean islands. Our data set also includes neotropical species (e.g., Callithrix sp., Myocastor coypus, Nasua nasua) considered alien in particular areas of Neotropics. The most numerous species in terms of records are from Bos sp. (n = 37,782), Sus scrofa (n = 6,730), and Canis familiaris (n = 10,084); 17 species were represented by only one record (e.g., Syncerus caffer, Cervus timorensis, Cervus unicolor, Canis latrans). Primates have the highest number of species in the data set (n = 20 species), partly because of uncertainties regarding taxonomic identification of the genera Callithrix, which includes the species Callithrix aurita, Callithrix flaviceps, Callithrix geoffroyi, Callithrix jacchus, Callithrix kuhlii, Callithrix penicillata, and their hybrids. This unique data set will be a valuable source of information on invasion risk assessments, biodiversity redistribution and conservation-related research. There are no copyright restrictions. Please cite this data paper when using the data in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us on how they are using the data