Phylogenetic relationships of cone snails endemic to Cabo Verde based on mitochondrial genomes

Background: Due to their great species and ecological diversity as well as their capacity to produce hundreds of different toxins, cone snails are of interest to evolutionary biologists, pharmacologists and amateur naturalists alike. Taxonomic identification of cone snails still relies mostly on the shape, color, and banding patterns of the shell. However, these phenotypic traits are prone to homoplasy. Therefore, the consistent use of genetic data for species delimitation and phylogenetic inference in this apparently hyperdiverse group is largely wanting. Here, we reconstruct the phylogeny of the cones endemic to Cabo Verde archipelago, a well-known radiation of the group, using mitochondrial (mt) genomes. Results: The reconstructed phylogeny grouped the analyzed species into two main clades, one including Kalloconus from West Africa sister to Trovaoconus from Cabo Verde and the other with a paraphyletic Lautoconus due to the sister group relationship of Africonus from Cabo Verde and Lautoconus ventricosus from Mediterranean Sea and neighboring Atlantic Ocean to the exclusion of Lautoconus endemic to Senegal (plus Lautoconus guanche from Mauritania, Morocco, and Canary Islands). Within Trovaoconus, up to three main lineages could be distinguished. The clade of Africonus included four main lineages (named I to IV), each further subdivided into two monophyletic groups. The reconstructed phylogeny allowed inferring the evolution of the radula in the studied lineages as well as biogeographic patterns. The number of cone species endemic to Cabo Verde was revised under the light of sequence divergence data and the inferred phylogenetic relationships. Conclusions: The sequence divergence between continental members of the genus Kalloconus and island endemics ascribed to the genus Trovaoconus is low, prompting for synonymization of the latter. The genus Lautoconus is paraphyletic. Lautoconus ventricosus is the closest living sister group of genus Africonus. Diversification of Africonus was in allopatry due to the direct development nature of their larvae and mainly triggered by eustatic sea level changes during the Miocene-Pliocene. Our study confirms the diversity of cone endemic to Cabo Verde but significantly reduces the number of valid species. Applying a sequence divergence threshold, the number of valid species within the sampled Africonus is reduced to half.Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation [CGL2013-45211-C2-2-P, CGL2016-75255-C2-1-P, BES-2011-051469, BES-2014-069575, Doctorado Nacional-567]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Drivers of Cape Verde archipelagic endemism in keyhole limpets

Oceanic archipelagos are the ideal setting for investigating processes that shape species assemblages. Focusing on keyhole limpets, genera Fissurella and Diodora from Cape Verde Islands, we used an integrative approach combining molecular phylogenetics with ocean transport simulations to infer species distribution patterns and analyse connectivity. Dispersal simulations, using pelagic larval duration and ocean currents as proxies, showed a reduced level of connectivity despite short distances between some of the islands. It is suggested that dispersal and persistence driven by patterns of oceanic circulation favouring self-recruitment played a primary role in explaining contemporary species distributions. Mitochondrial and nuclear data revealed the existence of eight Cape Verde endemic lineages, seven within Fissurella, distributed across the archipelago, and one within Diodora restricted to Boavista. The estimated origins for endemic Fissurella and Diodora were 10.2 and 6.7 MY, respectively. Between 9.5 and 4.5 MY, an intense period of volcanism in Boavista might have affected Diodora, preventing its diversification. Having originated earlier, Fissurella might have had more opportunities to disperse to other islands and speciate before those events. Bayesian analyses showed increased diversification rates in Fissurella possibly promoted by low sea levels during Plio-Pleistocene, which further explain differences in species richness between both genera.FCT - Portuguese Science Foundation [SFRH/BPD/109685/2015, SFRH/BPD/111003/2015]; Norte Portugal Regional Operational Program (NORTE), under the PORTUGAL Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) [MARINFO - NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000031]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Miocene Magmatism in the Malargüe and Chos Malal Fold and Thrust Belts

Late Oligocene to Pliocene magmatism at the latitudes of Malargüe and Chos Malal fold and thrust belts, in Neuquén basin, is distributed from the main Andean axis to the retroarc zone. While arc magmatism maintained relatively similar compositional and geochemical features during late Oligocene to Pliocene times, major variations are seen in volcanic sequences developed in the retroarc zone, due to the development of the shallow subduction regime by mid-late Miocene times. Thus, late Oligocene-early Miocene period is characterized by an extensional regime that conditioned mainly tholeiitic magmas in the main Andean axis and alkaline, intraplate magmas in the retroarc zone. Early-late Miocene marks a change to more compressional tectonics in the Andean margin. Main arc magmatism showed a change to clearer arc, calc-alkaline signature, while retroarc magmatism showed the progressing input of slab-derived products as the shallow subduction regime triggered the eastward migration of the asthenospheric wedge. Thus, arc-derived lavas expanded into the mid to far retroarc zone (~69°30? to 68°30?) with arc-like andesitic to dacitic compositions.With the progressive influence of the shallow subduction regime, arc-derived products reached almost 500 km away from the Chilean trench at ∽36°S by latest Miocene-Pliocene. By middle Pliocene, re-steepening of the slab conditioned extensional tectonics that favored a widespread alkaline volcanism in the present-day Payenia retroarc and rhyolitic calderas main arc zone. After ∽3.5 Ma, retroarc magmatism at the latitudes of the Malargüe and Chos Malal fold and thrust belts lack of clear arc-related geochemical features.Fil: Litvak, Vanesa Dafne. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Estudios Andinos "Don Pablo Groeber". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Estudios Andinos "Don Pablo Groeber"; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias Geológicas; ArgentinaFil: Iannelli, Sofía. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Estudios Andinos "Don Pablo Groeber". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Estudios Andinos "Don Pablo Groeber"; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias Geológicas; ArgentinaFil: Fernández Paz, Lucía. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Estudios Andinos "Don Pablo Groeber". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Estudios Andinos "Don Pablo Groeber"; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias Geológicas; ArgentinaFil: Folguera Telichevsky, Andres. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Estudios Andinos "Don Pablo Groeber". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Estudios Andinos "Don Pablo Groeber"; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias Geológicas; Argentin

Plume Subduction Beneath the Neuquén Basin and the Last Mountain Building Stage of the Southern Central Andes

The occurrence of a Neogene shallow subduction stage, as well as, a Pliocene slab-tearing, and steepening of the Nazca plate in the southern Central Andes are well established. However, a satisfactory explanation for the origin and connection between these complex processes is still elusive. In this contribution, we revise the late Cenozoic tectonic and magmatic evolution of the southern Central Andes between 35° and 38° S and discuss different proposals for the Miocene slab shallowing and its Pliocene destabilization. Recent plate kinematic reconstructions show that Neogene arc-front expansion linked to slab shallowing, fold belt reactivation in the main cordillera and intraplate contraction in the San Rafael Block correlates with the subduction of the ancient Payenia plume, a deep mantle anomaly potentially rooted in the lower mantle. Also, the Nazca slab tear determined from tomographic analyses and subsequent slab steepening may also be a direct consequence of this plume subduction process. Considering the westward drift of South America and the presence of several neighbor hotspots over the Nazca plate, the Payenia plume overriding could be the first of future episodes of plume?trench interaction in the Andes.Fil: Gianni, Guido Martin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Estudios Andinos "Don Pablo Groeber". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Estudios Andinos "Don Pablo Groeber"; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Geofísico Sismológico Volponi; ArgentinaFil: Pesce, Agustina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Geofísico Sismológico Volponi; ArgentinaFil: García, Luciano Héctor. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Geofísico Sismológico Volponi; ArgentinaFil: Lupari, Marianela Nadia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Geofísico Sismológico Volponi; ArgentinaFil: Correa Otto, Sebastian Ariel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Geofísico Sismológico Volponi; ArgentinaFil: Nacif Suvire, Silvina Valeria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Geofísico Sismológico Volponi; ArgentinaFil: Folguera Telichevsky, Andres. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Estudios Andinos "Don Pablo Groeber". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Estudios Andinos "Don Pablo Groeber"; Argentin

Vision and air flow combine to streamline flying honeybees

Insects face the challenge of integrating multi-sensory information to control their flight. Here we study a 'streamlining' response in honeybees, whereby honeybees raise their abdomen to reduce drag. We find that this response, which was recently reported to be mediated by optic flow, is also strongly modulated by the presence of air flow simulating a head wind. The Johnston's organs in the antennae were found to play a role in the measurement of the air speed that is used to control the streamlining response. The response to a combination of visual motion and wind is complex and can be explained by a model that incorporates a non-linear combination of the two stimuli. The use of visual and mechanosensory cues increases the strength of the streamlining response when the stimuli are present concurrently. We propose this multisensory integration will make the response more robust to transient disturbances in either modality

The Structure of the Southern Central Andes (Chos Malal Fold and Thrust Belt)

The Chos Malal fold and thrust belt, formed during the Andean orogeny, is characterized by the involvement of both the Paleozoic basement and Mesozoic strata of the Neuquén Basin into the deformation. Two detailed structural cross sections, built based on previous field mapping, new subsurface interpretations, and seismic and borehole data, allow characterizing the structural style of this orogenic belt. A close interaction between large thick-skinned structures (first order) and complex thin-skinned structures (second, third, and fourth order), related to the presence of multiple detachments in the sedimentary cover, is recognized. The largest thrusts form basement-involved duplex structures, with a lower detachment located at a depth of about 12–14 km and an upper detachment in the Jurassic evaporites of the Auquilco Formation. Displacement transmitted by these basement sheets in the inner zone of the Chos Malal fold and thrust belt produces a wide region of thin-skinned deformation, which contains second-order fault-bend folds that transfer deformation to the overlying Agrio Formation shales (Early Cretaceous) giving rise to third-order folds and thrusts involving this unit. In the outer zone, the basement-involved thrusts have less displacement and form monoclines and a complex thin-skinned deformation restricted to the deformation front, possibly caused by buttressing effect exerted by the overlying Miocene volcanic sequences. This impediment in forward deformation leads to an important out-of-sequence faulting, whose displacement is compensated by a passive-roof backthrust along the Cretaceous evaporites of the Bajada del Agrio Group forming a triangle zone. Second-order anticlines under this triangle zone, where the seismic data are of low quality, constitute important hydrocarbon oil fields such as El Porton and Filo Morado. Understanding the close relationship between the structures of different order cropping out in the inner zone of the Chos Malal fold and thrust belt is important to interpret the subsurface structures forming hydrocarbon oil fields in the outer zone as well as to identify other complex structures that may lead to new exploration opportunities. Restitution of the structural cross sections allowed calculating a tectonic shortening for this region in the order of 22–25 km (16–18%), higher than estimated by previous authors who generally simplified the thin-skinned deformation and considered the tectonic inversion of normal faults as the main mechanism of deformation in this orogen.Fil: Turienzo, Martin Miguel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Geológico del Sur. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Geología. Instituto Geológico del Sur; ArgentinaFil: Sánchez, Natalia Paola. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Geológico del Sur. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Geología. Instituto Geológico del Sur; ArgentinaFil: Lebinson, Fernando Oscar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Geológico del Sur. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Geología. Instituto Geológico del Sur; ArgentinaFil: Dimieri, Luis Vicente. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Geológico del Sur. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Geología. Instituto Geológico del Sur; Argentin