Multilocus phylogeography of the endemic and endangered angular angelshark (Squatina guggenheim) in the Southwest Atlantic Ocean

Hydrobiologia - The angular angelshark (Squatina guggenheim) is a coastal endangered angel shark from the Southwest Atlantic Ocean and one of the major bycatch victims. Despite major concerns about...     

Effect of the microbial conditioning and temperature increase on the leaf consumption by shredders in Amazonian aquatic systems

Hydrobiologia - We used experimental chambers to evaluate the effect of the temperature increasing and microbial conditioning degree on the survival and leaf consumption of two plant species...     

Silicon fertigation with appropriate source reduces water requirement of maize under water deficit

Plant and Soil - The objective was to evaluate soluble sources of silicon (Si) applied through fertigation in mitigating water deficit in maize plants. Another objective was to determine the...     

Comparative cytogenetics of three economically important Piper L. species from the Brazilian Amazon

The species Piper hispidinervum, Piper aduncum, and Piper affinis hispidinervum have essential oils with high levels of safrole, dillapiole, and sarisan, respectively. Safrole is important for pharmaceutical and chemical industries, while dillapiole and sarisan are promising compounds to control insects and fungi. These species are very similar morphologically and their taxonomy is controversial. Divergent hypotheses consider P. aduncum and P. hispidinervum either as a single species or as distinct taxa, while P. affinis hispidinervum is inferred to be a natural hybrid or a chemotype of P. hispidinervum. Delimiting the taxonomic boundaries would be helpful for germplasm conservation and breeding programs. This study aimed to undertake a detailed analysis of P. aduncum, P. hispidinervum, and P. affinis hispidinervum karyotype and rDNA sites. Genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) was used to establish genomic homology among species and to test the natural hybridization hypothesis for origin of P. affinis hispidinervum. Karyotype traits were similar for all three species: 2n = 26 small chromosomes, predominantly metacentric. All three species exhibited CMA+ bands on the secondary constriction of chromosome pair 4. A size-heteromorphic 35S rDNA site was co-localized with the CMA+ band. A 5S rDNA site was located in the proximal region of chromosome pair 7. The patterns of genomic hybridization revealed that the repetitive DNA fraction of the species is highly similar in terms of proportion of genome, sequence type, and distribution. Our findings did not allow us to differentiate the three species and point to the importance of deeper genomic studies to elucidate the taxonomic controversy.

     

A new species of Tiddergasilus Marques & Boeger, 2018 (Copepoda: Ergasilidae) from the gills of Astyanax lacustris (Lütken) (Osteichthyes: Characidae) in Brazil

A new parasitic copepod, Tiddergasilus bipartitus n. sp. (Copepoda, Ergasilidae), is described herein based on three adult females found attached to the gills of the yellow-tail lambari Astyanax lacustris (Lütken), sampled in Pardo River, municipality of Botucatu, São Paulo State, Brazil. Tiddergasilus bipartitus n. sp. was recognized as a new member of the monotypic genus Tiddergasilus Marques & Boeger, 2018 by having: antennule 6-segmented; maxillary basis armed with 2 terminal teeth and ornamented with multiple spinules; second and third leg both with endopod 3-segmented. The new copepod can be distinguished from its congener, Tiddergasilus iheringi (Tidd, 1942), by the morphology of the antennal claw, number of somites/segments in abdomen and fourth leg, and by the ornamentation of the first leg. This report expands the geographic distribution and diversity of fish species parasitized with Tiddergasilus spp. in Brazil. Moreover, it also represents the first report of an ergasilid species in the Pardo River. A list of diagnostic features for the Brazilian species of Ergasilus von Nordmann, 1832 is provided herein, in order to aid comparisons with the species of this complex genus.

     

Biotechnological approaches to overcome hybridization barriers and use of micropropagation tool for further improvement in Heliconia: a review

Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture (PCTOC) - Heliconia, also known as ‘False-Bird-of-Paradise’, is a genus of flowering plants in the monotypic family of Heliconiaceae.The genus...     

Higher frequency of legitimate pollinators and fruit set of autotetraploid trees of Libidibia ferrea (Leguminosae) compared to diploids in a mixed tropical urban population

Journal of Plant Research - In mixed-ploidy populations, newly formed polyploids initially occur at low frequencies when compared to diploids. However, polyploidy may lead to morphological and...     

Hyperglycemia alters N-glycans on colon cancer cells through increased production of activated monosaccharides

Glycoconjugate Journal - Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is both, correlated and a known risk factor for colorectal cancer (CRC). Besides favoring the incidence of CRC, DM also accelerates its progression,...     

Anti-Sporothrix Antibody Detection in Domestic Cats as an Indicator of a Possible New Occurrence Area for Sporotrichosis in North Brazil

Mycopathologia - Feline sporotrichosis has emerged as an important public health issue in some countries, especially Brazil. Currently, zoonotic transmission of Sporothrix brasiliensis by domestic...     

Effects of Ethanolic Extract of Cynara cardunculus (Artichoke) Leaves on Neuroinflammatory and Neurochemical Parameters in a Diet-Induced Mice Obesity Model

Neurochemical Research - This study aimed to evaluate the effect of Cynara cardunculus leaf ethanol extract on inflammatory and oxidative stress parameters in the hypothalamus, prefrontal cortex,...