Lithothamnion sp. as biostimulant in plant cultivation

One of the various seaweed species with biostimulating properties is Lithothamnion sp., a calcareous seaweed recognized for its nutritional attributes. This review article aimed to gather information on Lithothamnion sp. and its applications in agricultural cultivation, focusing on identifying and analyzing its biostimulant effects. The practical use of this biostimulant in farming has been confirmed by studies highlighting its efficiency, which varies according to the source material (deposit and particle fraction), application methodology (dosage, methods and frequency) and specific crop (genotype and development stages). Lithothamnion sp. is notable for promoting vegetative growth and has established itself as an invaluable biostimulant in producing seedlings of various species. Its application, either via soil or by foliar methods, has led to improvements in the yield and quality of vegetables, fruits, oilseed crops, grains and forage plants. Although the underlying mechanisms need further investigation, the results suggest that Lithothamnion sp. contributes to amplifying photosynthesis, water-use efficiency and phytoalexin production

Neogene Proto-Caribbean porcupinefishes (Diodontidae)

Fossil Diodontidae in Tropical America consist mostly of isolated and fused beak-like jawbones, and tooth plate batteries. These durophagous fishes are powerful shell-crushing predators on shallow water invertebrate faunas from Neogene tropical carbonate bottom, rocky reefs and surrounding flats. We use an ontogenetic series of high-resolution micro CT of fossil and extant species to recognize external and internal morphologic characters of jaws and tooth plate batteries. We compare similar sizes of jaws and/or tooth-plates from both extant and extinct species. Here, we describe three new fossil species including ²Chilomycterus exspectatus n. sp. and ²Chilomycterus tyleri n. sp. from the late Miocene Gatun Formation in Panama, and ²Diodon serratus n. sp. from the middle Miocene Socorro Formation in Venezuela. Fossil Diodontidae review included specimens from the Neogene Basins of the Proto-Caribbean (Brazil: Pirabas Formation; Colombia: Jimol Formation, Panama: Gatun and Tuira formations; Venezuela: Socorro and Cantaure formations). Diodon is present in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, whereas the distribution of Chilomycterus is highly asymmetrical with only one species in the Pacific. It seems that Diodon was as abundant in the Caribbean/Western Atlantic during the Miocene as it is there today. We analyze the paleogeographic distribution of the porcupinefishes group in Tropical America, after the complete exhumation of the Panamanian isthmus during the Pliocene

Stratigraphic sections and Diodontidae occurrence.

<p>Gatun Formation of Panama [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0181670#pone.0181670.ref054" target="_blank">54</a>], Cantaure Formation of Venezuela [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0181670#pone.0181670.ref055" target="_blank">55</a>], Socorro Formation of Venezuela [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0181670#pone.0181670.ref056" target="_blank">56</a>], Pirabas Formation of Brazil [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0181670#pone.0181670.ref057" target="_blank">57</a>]. Sections that not specifically related to fossil diodontids were erected from the Tuira (Panama) and Jimol (Colombia) formations.</p

Correlations of the Neogene formations of tropical America with fossil Diodontidae treated herein [21].

<p>Major events after Jaramillo [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0181670#pone.0181670.ref058" target="_blank">58</a>,<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0181670#pone.0181670.ref059" target="_blank">59</a>].</p

Extant Diodontidae.

<p><b>1–2.</b><i>Diodon hystrix</i> Linnaeus 1758 [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0181670#pone.0181670.ref062" target="_blank">62</a>], lower jaw, Indian Ocean, Seychelles Islands, ANSP 102789, 505.0 mm standard length specimen (SL). (1, external; 2, occlusal views); <b>3–4.</b> <i>D</i>. <i>hystrix</i>, lower jaw, Caribbean, Puerto Rico, ANSP 109515, unavailable SL. (3, external; 4, occlusal views); <b>5–6</b>. <i>D</i>. <i>hystrix</i>, lower jaw, Caribbean, Venezuela, UFF ZO426, unavailable SL. (5, external; 6, occlusal views); <b>7–8.</b> <i>D</i>. <i>holocanthus</i> Linnaeus 1758 [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0181670#pone.0181670.ref062" target="_blank">62</a>], lower jaw, Indian Ocean, Seychelles Islands, ANSP 102787, 375.0 mm SL specimen. (7, external; 8, occlusal views); <b>9.</b> <i>D</i>. <i>liturosus</i> Shaw 1804 [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0181670#pone.0181670.ref063" target="_blank">63</a>], lower jaw, Indian Ocean, India, ANSP 109145, unavailable SL. (9, external view); <b>10.</b> <i>Chilomycterus nicthemerus</i> (Cuvier 1818) [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0181670#pone.0181670.ref064" target="_blank">64</a>], articulate lower jaw, Port Phillip, Bass Straight and vicinity, Australia, AMNH 219858, unavailable SL. (10, occlusal view); <b>11–12.</b> <i>C</i>. <i>antillarum</i> Jordan and Rutter 1897 [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0181670#pone.0181670.ref065" target="_blank">65</a>], lower jaw, Caribbean, Guadeloupe, MNHN 971–9506.0023, unavailable SL. (11, external; 12, occlusal views); <b>13–14.</b> <i>C</i>. <i>schoepfii</i> (Walbaum 1792) [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0181670#pone.0181670.ref066" target="_blank">66</a>], lower jaw, Gulf of Mexico, Florida, USA, ANSP 109514, unavailable SL. (13, external; 14, occlusal views); <b>15–16.</b> <i>C</i>. <i>spinosus</i> (Linnaeus 1758) [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0181670#pone.0181670.ref062" target="_blank">62</a>], lower jaw, Western Atlantic, Itaipú, Brazil, UFF ZO132, 184 mm SL specimen. (15, anterior; 16, occlusal views). (photos ANSP specimens by K. Luckenbill; AMNH R. by Arrindell; UNEFM by A. Bertoncini; MNHN by M. Lopes).</p

Fossil Diodontidae.

<p><b>1–3</b>. †<i>Chilomycterus tyleri</i> n. sp., lower jaw, 99.8 mm in width, late Miocene Gatun Formation, Las Lomas, San Judas Tadeo, Colón, Panama, holotype, NMB P1208 (1, occlusal; 2, anterior; 3, posterior views). <b>4–6</b>. †<i>Chilomycterus ferreirai</i> (Santos and Travassos 1960) [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0181670#pone.0181670.ref029" target="_blank">29</a>], upper jaw, 24 mm in width, early Miocene Pirabas Formation, Praia de Atalaia, Salinópolis, Brazil, MPEG 2084-V (4, occlusal; 5, posterior; 6, anterior views). <b>7–9</b>. †<i>C</i>. <i>ferreirai</i>, lower jaw, 16.2 mm in width, early Miocene Pirabas Formation, Praia do Castelo, Ilha de Fortaleza, São João de Pirabas, Brazil, holotype, MN 2649-V (7, occlusal; 8, posterior; 9, anterior views). <b>10–11</b>. †<i>C</i>. <i>ferreirai</i>, upper jaw, 25.0 mm in width, early Miocene Cantaure Formation, San José de Cocodite, Venezuela, UNEFM-PF-270 (10, anterior; 11, occlusal views). <b>12</b>. †<i>C</i>. <i>exspectatus</i> n. sp., upper tooth plate battery, 20.2 mm in width, late Miocene Gatun Formation, San Judas Tadeo, Colón, Panama, holotype, MNB P1205 (occlusal view). <b>13</b>. †<i>C</i>. <i>exspectatus</i> n. sp., lower tooth plate battery, 16.64 mm in width, late Miocene Gatun Formation, San Judas Tadeo, Colón, Panama, paratype, MNB P1206 (occlusal view). <b>14</b>. <i>Chilomycterus</i> sp. tooth plate battery, 28.8 mm in width, middle Miocene Tuira Formation, Rio Icuanati, small tributary from village Boca de Marraganti (loc. PPP 1593), Darien, Panama, MNB P1207 (occlusal view). <b>15</b>. <i>Chilomycterus</i> sp., tooth plate battery, 13.0 mm in width, Jimol Formation, late early Miocene, Guajira Peninsula, Colombia, MUN-STRI- 41506 (occlusal view). <b>16</b>. †<i>Diodon serratus</i> n. sp., tooth plate battery, 18.0 mm in width, middle Miocene Socorro Formation, Quebrada Honda, Urumaco, Venezuela, holotype, AMU-CURS-760 (occlusal view). Scale bar 10 mm.</p

Biogeographic distribution of Recent <i>Chilomycterus</i> species.

<p><i>C</i>. <i>antennatus</i> (blue circle), <i>C</i>. <i>antillarum</i> (green circle), <i>C</i>. <i>reticulatus</i> (red circle), <i>C</i>. <i>schoepfii</i> (yellow circle) and <i>C</i>. <i>spinosus</i> (purple circle). Modified from Froese and Pauly [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0181670#pone.0181670.ref067" target="_blank">67</a>], Robertson and Allen [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0181670#pone.0181670.ref068" target="_blank">68</a>] and Robertson and Tassell [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0181670#pone.0181670.ref069" target="_blank">69</a>].</p