Genetic and Morphological Diversity Along Altitudinal Gradients in the Genus Rhoadsia (Teleostei: Characidae: Rhoadsiinae)

The Neotropics have the highest fish species diversity of any area in the world, with some experts estimating that as many as 4000 species of fishes are present in freshwater ecosystems. Elevational gradients are partially responsible for this diversity due to the rapidly changing ecological conditions associated with changes in altitude in rivers. One area where elevational gradients are particularly important is Western Ecuador; this region forms part of a biodiversity hotspot extending south from Panama along the western side of the Andes. Fish species diversity is relatively low because of the small size of most of the river drainages and drier conditions but rates of endemism are high. The land area west of the Andes in Ecuador is relatively small, therefore the rivers run short distances between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, resulting in steep elevational gradients and allowing for increased interactions between fish species adapted to different elevations. Ecuador is also under increasing threat from anthropogenic factors. Despite this, relatively little is known about the ecology, evolution or status of most of the fishes there, even some of the most abundant fishes such as the members of the genus Rhoadsia. There are two species presently recognized as valid in the genus Rhoadsia, R. altipinna and R. minor. They are both relatively small fish with rhomboidal bodies. They are also highly sexually dimorphic, with males being much larger than females and displaying bright breeding colors and long fin rays. Rhoadsia minor and R. altipinna are differentiated by their size and body depth, the latter typically being expressed as a fineness ratio (FR). Rhoadsia altipinna is common in low altitude waters of southwestern Ecuador and has FR values between 2.25-2.5. Rhoadsia minor was described from high altitude waters (\u3e1200m) in the Esmeraldas drainage in northwestern Ecuador and has a more elongate body with FR values between 2.8-3.0. 2 However, previous research has questioned the validity of R. minor as a separate species and demonstrated that over a low elevational gradient, FR increases with increasing elevation. In this study, I examine genetic and morphological divergence of Rhoadsia sp. along elevational gradients in two rivers of western Ecuador to determine whether a broader geographic sampling and combined analysis of morphological and molecular data support the recognition of two species in the genus. The two rivers sampled were the Esmeraldas River drainage in northwestern Ecuador and the Jubones River in southwestern Ecuador. A total of 116 specimens were sequenced for the mitochondrial Cytochrome Oxidase I (COI) gene (the DNA barcoding gene) and 278 individuals were used in a geometric morphometric analysis of body shape variation. Based on evaluation of the patterns of genetic variation, pairwise FST values, AMOVA and clustering analysis, the genetic data provide little support for the recognition of two distinct species. Genetic diversity was relatively low across all samples, haplotypes were generally shared between rivers, and there was no monophyletic sample or group of samples corresponding to the species described as R. minor. Haplotype frequencies did differ significantly among river drainages, with similar amounts of genetic variation segregating among individuals within a site and among sites in different rivers. However, these differences were more consistent with population genetic structuring within a single species then with the occurrence of two species. Morphological data show a strong relationship between elevation and morphology, with fish becoming more elongate with increase in elevation across both drainages, although the patterns differ between rivers and body elongation with elevation is much stronger in the Esmeraldas River. Whether this change in body shape has a genetic basis or is due to phenotypic plasticity is not known and an important direction for future research. The description 3 of R. minor was likely a mistake attributable to the limited number of samples available at the time that the species were described

O Mito do Legislador numa Academia Luso-espanhola

During the first three years of the Portuguese liberal regime, from 1820 to 1823, the Constitution of Cádiz was the model for the Portuguese constitution. The political authorities in Madrid supported the Lisbon cabinets, and, at the same time, they sought the unification of the Iberian states. The collapse of the Portuguese liberal regime happened during the confrontation between France and Spain, which was simultaneous to the restoration of absolutist regimes in both countries. With the birth of Isabel of Spain and the death of Ferdinand VII, the Portuguese liberals joined forces with the Spanish regent, forcing King D. Miguel to resign, while the constitution of the anti-absolutist Quadruple Alliance, formed by the liberal monarchies of Portugal and Spain, England and the France of Louis Phillipe, was being discussed in the Iberian Peninsula

How will leadership agility be affected by the organization-s resistance to change and a hierarchical workforce engagement, in the future of work

This consulting research develops an assessment of the impact of leadership agility in the Future of Work, as well as the company’s positioning within this future, using the concept of Strategic Foresight and Scenario Planning. Four predictive scenarios of the future were designed, and one analyzed in deep within the insurance sector with the aim of helping the organization’s leaders to deal with a context of high resistance to change and hierarchization. The recommendations were developed considering the future drivers of Workforce Engagement and Pace of Work Technology Adoption and built upon specific leadership competencies that must be tackled

Filosofía del anarquismo

Marca tip. con el lema : Arte y Libertad

A multi-modal data resource for investigating topographic heterogeneity in patient-derived xenograft tumors.

Patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) are an essential pre-clinical resource for investigating tumor biology. However, cellular heterogeneity within and across PDX tumors can strongly impact the interpretation of PDX studies. Here, we generated a multi-modal, large-scale dataset to investigate PDX heterogeneity in metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) across tumor models, spatial scales and genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and imaging assay modalities. To showcase this dataset, we present analysis to assess sources of PDX variation, including anatomical orientation within the implanted tumor, mouse contribution, and differences between replicate PDX tumors. A unique aspect of our dataset is deep characterization of intra-tumor heterogeneity via immunofluorescence imaging, which enables investigation of variation across multiple spatial scales, from subcellular to whole tumor levels. Our study provides a benchmark data resource to investigate PDX models of metastatic CRC and serves as a template for future, quantitative investigations of spatial heterogeneity within and across PDX tumor models

A creche, um caminho de desenvolvimento sócio emocional

O presente relatório insere-se no âmbito da Prática de Ensino Supervisionada (PES) do curso Mestrado em Educação Pré-Escolar, desenvolvida em contexto de creche, com um grupo de crianças com dois anos de idade. Este tem como principal objetivo mostrar a importância da relação entre a educadora e a criança para o seu desenvolvimento socio emocional na valência de creche. Este trabalho de investigação tem como principal finalidade tentar compreender a importância dos educadores em creche no desenvolvimento sócio emocional das crianças, bem como as estratégias que estes utilizam para promover este desenvolvimento e que depois se alarga estudando também a importância entre a creche e as famílias. Para abordar este estudo procurei alguns autores de referência sobre o tema nomeadamente, Branco, Portugal, Cordeiro, que falam sobre o desenvolvimento das crianças entre os 24 e os 36 meses e também sobre o educador e o seu papel em creche. Carinho, atenção e disponibilidade são características fundamentais para alguém que trabalha com crianças em tão tenra idade, de forma a que possa dar à criança aquilo que esta precisa. Os educadores devem transmitir segurança às crianças para que estas se possam desenvolver e aprender de forma a contribuir para o seu desenvolvimento sócio emocional em creche. A metodologia adotada neste estudo foi de cariz qualitativa, esta opção justifica-se por se tratar da que melhor se adequa ao problema e aos objetivos do presente trabalho. As principais fontes de informação foram entrevistas feitas a educadoras