Bottlenose dolphin communities from the southern Brazilian coast: do they exchange genes or are they just neighbours?

2015 ◽  
Vol 66 (12) ◽  
pp. 1201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Paula Borges Costa ◽  
Pedro Fruet ◽  
Fábio Gonçalves Daura-Jorge ◽  
Paulo César Simões-Lopes ◽  
Paulo Henrique Ott ◽  
...  

The genetic structure of bottlenose dolphin communities found along the southern Brazilian coast is reported in this study. Genetic structure analysis using biopsy samples from free ranging dolphins and tissue samples from stranded dolphins revealed a fine-scale population structure among three distinct groups. The first genetically distinct group was composed of resident dolphins of Laguna with a high degree of site fidelity. The second group was composed of one photo-identified dolphin, previously recognised by its interaction with fishermen, and dolphins that stranded near the mouth of Tramandaí Lagoon. Moderate nuclear and low mitochondrial gene diversity was found in dolphins of those coastal communities, whereas most of the dolphins stranded along the coast showed markedly higher levels of gene diversity at both markers. These stranded dolphins of unknown origin formed the third distinct group, which may be part of a larger offshore community. These results demonstrate the presence of at least three bottlenose dolphin clusters along this portion of the Brazilian coast, with the coastal specimens appearing to be only neighbours of a larger offshore community that eventually strands along the coast, highlighting the importance of the establishment of management and conservation measures for the species at a local scale.

PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e2158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mari-Carmen Pineda ◽  
Beatriz Lorente ◽  
Susanna López-Legentil ◽  
Creu Palacín ◽  
Xavier Turon

Spatio-temporal changes in genetic structure among populations provide crucial information on the dynamics of secondary spread for introduced marine species. However, temporal components have rarely been taken into consideration when studying the population genetics of non-indigenous species. This study analysed the genetic structure ofStyela plicata,a solitary ascidian introduced in harbours and marinas of tropical and temperate waters, across spatial and temporal scales. A fragment of the mitochondrial gene Cytochrome Oxidase subunit I (COI) was sequenced from 395 individuals collected at 9 harbours along the NW Mediterranean coast and adjacent Atlantic waters (> 1,200 km range) at two time points 5 years apart (2009 and 2014). The levels of gene diversity were relatively low for all 9 locations in both years. Analyses of genetic differentiation and distribution of molecular variance revealed strong genetic structure, with significant differences among many populations, but no significant differences among years. A weak and marginally significant correlation between geographic distance and gene differentiation was found. Our results revealed spatial structure and temporal genetic homogeneity inS. plicata, suggesting a limited role of recurrent, vessel-mediated transport of organisms among small to medium-size harbours. Our study area is representative of many highly urbanized coasts with dense harbours. In these environments, the episodic chance arrival of colonisers appears to determine the genetic structure of harbour populations and the genetic composition of these early colonising individuals persists in the respective harbours, at least over moderate time frames (five years) that encompass ca. 20 generations ofS. plicata.


2014 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
pp. 923-932 ◽  
Author(s):  
JL Bouzon ◽  
SM Vargas ◽  
JF Oliveira Neto ◽  
PH Stoco ◽  
FP Brandini

Didemnum granulatum is a colonial fouling ascidian that lives in subtidal substrates, worldwide. It exhibits two morphotypes, orange and beige. In this study, we verified if the color morphotypes and/or the spatial distribution of specimens in different islands might be associated to patterns of genetic structure of a single species, or if they represent distinct cryptic species. Specimens were collected in four islands, along the coast of the Santa Catarina state. A segment of 490 bp from the mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) was amplified from 45 samples. Twenty-one haplotypes were identified. The total haplotype diversity (0.912) and the total nucleotide diversity (0.044) were high. The global Fst of the populations analyzed was 0.97, with most of the variation occurring between orange and beige groups (82.19%). The variation found between populations within groups was 15.37%, and 2.45% within populations. Haplotype networks and the neighbor-joining tree showed clear genetic divergence between individuals of distinct colors, and between the islands. These evidences strongly support the presence of a complex of two cryptic species for D. granulatum occupying the studied area. Both species were also highly genetically structured between islands, suggesting that the conservation process of these populations is complex.


2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 395-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samira Costa-Silva ◽  
Carlos Sacristán ◽  
Omar Gonzales-Viera ◽  
Josué Díaz-Delgado ◽  
Angélica María Sánchez-Sarmiento ◽  
...  

Abstract Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic disease caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii. In cetaceans, T. gondii infection is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Despite the worldwide range and broad cetacean host record of T. gondii infection, there is limited information on toxoplasmosis in cetaceans from the Southern hemisphere. We investigated the occurrence of T. gondii by histopathology and immunohistochemistry in tissue samples of 185 animals comprising 20 different cetacean species from Brazil. Three out of 185 (1.6%) animals presented T. gondii-associated lesions: a captive killer whale Orcinus orca, a free-ranging common bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus and a free-ranging Guiana dolphin Sotalia guianensis. The main lesions observed in these animals were necrotizing hepatitis, adrenalitis and lymphadenitis associated with protozoal cysts or extracellular tachyzoites presenting immunolabeling with anti-T. gondii antibodies. This study widens the spectrum of species and the geographic range of this agent in Brazil, and provides the first reports of T. gondii infection in a captive killer whale and in a free-ranging common bottlenose dolphin in South America.


2019 ◽  
Vol 112 (5) ◽  
pp. 2362-2368
Author(s):  
Yan Liu ◽  
Lei Chen ◽  
Xing-Zhi Duan ◽  
Dian-Shu Zhao ◽  
Jing-Tao Sun ◽  
...  

Abstract Deciphering genetic structure and inferring migration routes of insects with high migratory ability have been challenging, due to weak genetic differentiation and limited resolution offered by traditional genotyping methods. Here, we tested the ability of double digest restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (ddRADseq)-based single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in revealing the population structure relative to 13 microsatellite markers by using four small brown planthopper populations as subjects. Using ddRADseq, we identified 230,000 RAD loci and 5,535 SNP sites, which were present in at least 80% of individuals across the four populations with a minimum sequencing depth of 10. Our results show that this large SNP panel is more powerful than traditional microsatellite markers in revealing fine-scale population structure among the small brown planthopper populations. In contrast to the mixed population structure suggested by microsatellites, discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC) of the SNP dataset clearly separated the individuals into four geographic populations. Our results also suggest the DAPC analysis is more powerful than the principal component analysis (PCA) in resolving population genetic structure of high migratory taxa, probably due to the advantages of DAPC in using more genetic variation and the discriminant analysis function. Together, these results point to ddRADseq being a promising approach for population genetic and migration studies of small brown planthopper.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 919
Author(s):  
Sophia Di Cataldo ◽  
Aitor Cevidanes ◽  
Claudia Ulloa-Contreras ◽  
Irene Sacristán ◽  
Diego Peñaloza-Madrid ◽  
...  

Blood samples of 626 rural dogs, 140 Andean foxes (Lycalopex culpaeus), and 83 South American grey foxes (L. griseus) from six bioregions of Chile spanning 3000 km were screened for Mycoplasma DNA by conventional PCR and sequencing. Risk factors of infection were inferred using Generalized Linear Mixed Models and genetic structure by network analyses. Overall, Mycoplasma haemocanis/Mycoplasma haemofelis (Mhc/Mhf) and Candidatus Mycoplasma haematoparvum (CMhp) observed prevalence was 23.8% and 12.8% in dogs, 20.1% and 7.2% in Andean foxes, and 26.5% and 8.4% in grey foxes, respectively. Both hemoplasmas were confirmed in all the bioregions, with higher prevalence in those where ticks from the Rhipicephalus sanguineus species group were absent. Candidatus M. haematominutum and a Mycoplasma sp. previously found in South American carnivores were detected in one fox each. Although the most prevalent Mhc/Mhf and CMhp sequence types were shared between dogs and foxes, network analysis revealed genetic structure of Mhc/Mhf between hosts in some regions. Male sex was associated with a higher risk of Mhc/Mhf and CMhp infection in dogs, and adult age with CMhp infection, suggesting that direct transmission is relevant. No risk factor was identified in foxes. Our study provides novel information about canine hemoplasmas with relevance in distribution, transmission routes, and cross-species transmission.


Heredity ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 125 (5) ◽  
pp. 340-352
Author(s):  
Waldir M. Berbel-Filho ◽  
Andrey Tatarenkov ◽  
Helder M. V. Espírito-Santo ◽  
Mateus G. Lira ◽  
Carlos Garcia de Leaniz ◽  
...  

2016 ◽  
Vol 73 (9) ◽  
pp. 2333-2341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer R. Ovenden ◽  
Bree J. Tillett ◽  
Michael Macbeth ◽  
Damien Broderick ◽  
Fiona Filardo ◽  
...  

Abstract We report population genetic structure and fine-scale recruitment processes for the scallop beds (Pecten fumatus) in Bass Strait and the eastern coastline of Tasmania in southern Australia. Conventional population pairwise FST analyses are compared with novel discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC) to assess population genetic structure using allelic variation in 11 microsatellite loci. Fine-scale population connectivity was compared with oceanic features of the sampled area. Disjunct scallop beds were genetically distinct, but there was little population genetic structure between beds connected by tides and oceanic currents. To identify recruitment patterns among and within beds, pedigree analyses determined the distribution of parent–offspring and sibling relationships in the sampled populations. Beds in northeastern Bass Strait were genetically distinct to adjacent beds (FST 0.003–0.005) and may not contribute to wider recruitment based on biophysical models of larval movement. Unfortunately, pedigree analyses lacked power to further dissect fine-scale recruitment processes including self-recruitment. Our results support the management of disjunct populations as separate stocks and the protection of source populations among open water beds. The application of DAPC and parentage analyses in the current study provided valuable insight into their potential power to determine population connectivity in marine species with larval dispersal.


1999 ◽  
Vol 89 (8) ◽  
pp. 639-645 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. A. McDonald ◽  
J. Zhan ◽  
J. J. Burdon

Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) markers were used to determine the genetic structure of Australian field populations of the barley scald pathogen Rhynchosporium secalis. Fungal isolates were collected by hierarchical sampling from five naturally infected barley fields in different geographic locations during a single growing season. Genetic variation was high in Australian R. secalis populations. Among the 265 fungal isolates analyzed, 214 distinct genotypes were identified. Average genotype diversity within a field population was 65% of its theoretical maximum. Nei's average gene diversity across seven RFLP loci was 0.54. The majority (76%) of gene diversity was distributed within sampling site areas measuring ≈1 m2; 19% of gene diversity was distributed among sampling sites within fields; and 5% of gene diversity was distributed among fields. Fungal populations from different locations differed significantly both in allele frequencies and genotype diversities. The degree of genetic differentiation was significantly correlated with geographic distance between populations. Our results suggest that the R. secalis population in Western Australia has a different genetic structure than populations in Victoria and South Australia.


Phycologia ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy S. Breton ◽  
Jeremy C. Nettleton ◽  
Brennah O'Connell ◽  
Margaret Bertocci

2011 ◽  
Vol 125 (2) ◽  
pp. 116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rick Rosatte

A study was initiated to collect and collate evidence to resolve the long-standing question of whether free-ranging Cougars (Puma concolor) exist on the Ontario landscape. A total of 497 pieces of evidence confirmed that Cougars were present in Ontario during the period 1991 to 2010. That evidence included 21 pieces of class 1 evidence (scat, hair, DNA, tracks, photographs of a Cougar), 13 class 2 sightings (by qualified observers such as biologists), and 463 class 3 sightings (credible sightings by unqualified observers). The evidence presented in this paper indicates the presence in Ontario of free-ranging Cougars of unknown origin.


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