Biogeographical relationships and new regionalisation of high-altitude grasslands and woodlands of the central Pampean Ranges (Argentina), based on vascular plants and vertebrates

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 473 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gonzalo A. Martínez ◽  
Marcelo Daniel Arana ◽  
Antonia J. Oggero ◽  
Evangelina S. Natale
Keyword(s):  
Vascular Plants ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
South American ◽  
Evolutionary Origins ◽  
San Luis ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Current Classification ◽  
Mountain Systems ◽  
High Altitude Grasslands ◽  
Track Analysis

Evolutionary biogeography aims to provide a hierarchical system of biotic regionalisation for areas of the Earth that correspond to natural areas related by their common evolutionary history. In this context, the central Pampean Ranges of Argentina, formed by the mountain systems of Córdoba and San Luis, are immersed in the Chacoan dominion; however, higher-altitude environments of these mountains, namely highland grasslands and tabaquillo forests, have relationships with the Andean region and other Neotropical areas that are different from the Chacoan dominion, which would indicate that the current classification would not be natural. To clarify their biogeographic relationships, a track analysis of the distribution of the biota of vertebrates and vascular plants of the highland grasslands and tabaquillo forests of central Pampean Argentinian Ranges was conducted. The obtained distributional patterns suggest that the area under study has diverse geobiotic origins, both Andean and Neotropical, indicating that, in this area, an interaction of biota with different evolutionary origins occurs; so, its status as a biogeographic province is proposed, belonging to the South American transition zone.

scholarly journals New carabid species and biogeografic considerations of the peripampasic arc

2021 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-22
Author(s):  
Sergio Roig-Juñent ◽  
Carlos R. Quiroga
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Endemic Species ◽  
Species Group ◽  
South American ◽  
San Luis ◽  
Chaco Serrano ◽  
Mountain Systems ◽  
Three New Species ◽  
Track Analysis

Three new species of Carabidae (Coleoptera) inhabiting highland grasslands and Chaco Serrano, in San Luis and Córdoba provinces of Argentina, are described and illustrated based on morphological external and genital characters. They constitute endemic species of different mountain systems. Two species belong to the genus Baripus Dejean, (B. (Baripus) merloensis n. sp. and B. (Baripus) puntano n. sp.), and one to the genus Cnemalobus Guérin-Ménéville, C. gustavoi n. sp. The new species are included in updated keys to the species of subgenus Baripus and genus Cnemalobus, respectively. Distributional data and habitat description are also provided. Finally, a quantitative panbiogeographic track analysis was performed including the subgenus Baripus, the Cnemalobus striatus species group, and other arthropod taxa belonging to biogeographic elements of gondwanan age. The resulting generalized track suggests that the peripampasic arc has different South American biogeographic elements that might have occupied it in different times

scholarly journals Brilliant angle-independent structural colours preserved in weevil scales from the Swiss Pleistocene

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 20200063
Author(s):  
Luke T. McDonald ◽  
Suresh Narayanan ◽  
Alec Sandy ◽  
Vinodkumar Saranathan ◽  
Maria E. McNamara
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Record ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Far Field ◽  
Poor Knowledge ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Evolutionary Origins ◽  
X Ray Scattering ◽  
Colour Palette ◽  
Scanning Electron

Extant weevils exhibit a remarkable colour palette that ranges from muted monochromatic tones to rainbow-like iridescence, with the most vibrant colours produced by three-dimensional photonic nanostructures housed within cuticular scales. Although the optical properties of these nanostructures are well understood, their evolutionary history is not fully resolved, in part due to a poor knowledge of their fossil record. Here, we report three-dimensional photonic nanostructures preserved in brightly coloured scales of two weevils, belonging to the genus Phyllobius or Polydrusus , from the Pleistocene (16–10 ka) of Switzerland. The scales display vibrant blue, green and yellow hues that resemble those of extant Phyllobius/Polydrusus . Scanning electron microscopy and small-angle X-ray scattering analyses reveal that the subfossil scales possess a single-diamond photonic crystal nanostructure. In extant Phyllobius/Polydrusus , the near-angle-independent blue and green hues function primarily in crypsis. The preservation of far-field, angle-independent structural colours in the Swiss subfossil weevils and their likely function in substrate matching confirm the importance of investigating fossil and subfossil photonic nanostructures to understand the evolutionary origins and diversification of colours and associated behaviours (e.g. crypsis) in insects.

scholarly journals Floral-oil-producing Plantaginaceae species: geographical distribution, pollinator rewards and interactions with oil-collecting bees

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 77-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aline Cristina Martins ◽  
Isabel Alves-dos-Santos
Keyword(s):  
Geographical Distribution ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Neotropical Region ◽  
South American ◽  
Oil Glands ◽  
Especial Case ◽  
History Of ◽  
Plant Families ◽  
Floral Oil ◽  
Pollinator Rewards

Floral oils as reward to pollinators occur in eleven plant families and appeared at least 28 times in the evolutionary history of flowering plants. They are produced in epithelial or tricomatic glands and collected by oil bee visitors. The present paper focuses on floral-oil-producing species of Plantaginaceae, a Neotropical group namely Angelonia clade. This group comprises around 40 described species in the genera Angelonia, Basistemon, Monttea, Monopera and the oil-less Melosperma. We present a revision of all species of the Angelonia clade, their geographical distribution, resources offered to pollinators and records of flower visitors, especially oil-collecting bees. These plants rely only on oil-collecting species in the tribe Centridini and Tapinotaspidini for a successful pollination, being the interaction between both partners an especial case of bee/flower adaptation in Neotropical region. Some bee species depend only on the oil of Plantaginaceae flowers to survive, while others can collect on several floral oil sources. The pollinating bees explore the oil glands located in sacs using specialized hairs in the forelegs. With this study, we hope to inspire further research relating to this fascinating group of plants, in which most species are rare and occur in highly endangered habitats in South American open vegetation biomes.

scholarly journals The unexpected survival of an ancient lineage of anseriform birds into the Neogene of Australia: the youngest record of Presbyornithidae

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 150635 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanesa L. De Pietri ◽  
R. Paul Scofield ◽  
Nikita Zelenkov ◽  
Walter E. Boles ◽  
Trevor H. Worthy
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary History ◽  
South Australia ◽  
First Record ◽  
South American ◽  
Crown Group ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
Skeletal Morphology ◽  
Ancient Lineage ◽  
History Of

Presbyornithids were the dominant birds in Palaeogene lacustrine assemblages, especially in the Northern Hemisphere, but are thought to have disappeared worldwide by the mid-Eocene. Now classified within Anseriformes (screamers, ducks, swans and geese), their relationships have long been obscured by their strange wader-like skeletal morphology. Reassessment of the late Oligocene South Australian material attributed to Wilaru tedfordi , long considered to be of a stone-curlew (Burhinidae, Charadriiformes), reveals that this taxon represents the first record of a presbyornithid in Australia. We also describe the larger Wilaru prideauxi sp. nov. from the early Miocene of South Australia, showing that presbyornithids survived in Australia at least until ca 22 Ma. Unlike on other continents, where presbyornithids were replaced by aquatic crown-group anatids (ducks, swans and geese), species of Wilaru lived alongside these waterfowl in Australia. The morphology of the tarsometatarsus of these species indicates that, contrary to other presbyornithids, they were predominantly terrestrial birds, which probably contributed to their long-term survival in Australia. The morphological similarity between species of Wilaru and the Eocene South American presbyornithid Telmabates antiquus supports our hypothesis of a Gondwanan radiation during the evolutionary history of the Presbyornithidae. Teviornis gobiensis from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia is here also reassessed and confirmed as a presbyornithid. These findings underscore the temporal continuance of Australia’s vertebrates and provide a new context in which the phylogeny and evolutionary history of presbyornithids can be examined.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Chemical and Antiviral Properties of Essential Oils from South American Plants

2005 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 247-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia B Duschatzky ◽  
Mirta L Possetto ◽  
Laura B Talarico ◽  
Cybele C García ◽  
Fabiana Michis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Essential Oils ◽  
Virus Type ◽  
Direct Interaction ◽  
Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Active Principle ◽  
South American ◽  
San Luis ◽  
Spectrometry Technique ◽  
Simplex Virus

The essential oils of seven aromatic plants from Córdoba, San Luis and San Juan Provinces (Argentina) were isolated by steam distillation and analysed by a gas chromatography/mass spectrometry technique. The oils were screened for cytotoxicity and in vitro inhibitory activity against herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), dengue virus type 2 (DENV-2) and Junin virus (JUNV) by a virucidal test. The oils showed a variable virucidal action according to the virus. The better relationship between cytotoxicity and antivirus action was observed with the essential oils of Heterothalamus alienus and Buddleja cordobensis against JUNV, with virucidal concentration 50% (VC50) values of 44.2 and 39.0 ppm and therapeutic indices (cytotoxicity to virucidal activity ratio) of 3.3 and 4.0, respectively. The inhibitory action was exerted by a direct interaction of virions with the oils. Virions inactivated with B. cordobensis and H. alienus essential oil were not affected in their ability to bind to the host cell. The therapeutic indices shown by these essential oils in toto were very modest, but given the complexity of their chemical composition the future identification of the precise active principle may allow the elimination of cytotoxic components and increase the selectivity of the effective compound.

Development and evolution of the gynoecium in Myrteae (Myrtaceae)

2014 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. 335 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael R. Pimentel ◽  
Natália P. Barreira ◽  
Diego P. Spala ◽  
Nathane B. Cardim ◽  
Marcelo C. Souza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Floral Anatomy ◽  
Structural Diversity ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Fleshy Fruit ◽  
South American ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
History Of ◽  
Ovule Number ◽  
Development And Evolution

Characters of the gynoecium are considered potentially significant for the systematics of Myrtaceae. However, only two such characters – ovule number and placentation – have been addressed from an evolutionary perspective. Colleter presence in flowers is a synapomorphy of Myrtales; however, no morphological and histochemical descriptions of such structures have been done in Myrtaceae. Here we analysed the ontogeny and anatomy of the gynoecium combined with the ontogeny, anatomy, ultrastructure, and histochemistry of the colleters to study the evolution of these characters and map their states in the Myrteae phylogenetic tree. Our findings may help elucidate the evolutionary history of this tribe of fleshy-fruit producers so important towards maintaining ecological balance in the rainforest. Floral anatomy and ontogeny were analysed using light microscopy. Colleter samples were processed using standard methods for light and transmission electron microscopy. The main metabolites in colleters were detected via histochemistry. To map character states the program Mesquite version 2.71 was used. The morphological characters of the South American Myrteae here analysed provided an overview of the evolution of gynoecium – with cauline or carpellate placenta – and of colleters, as well as synapomorphies for the clades Plinia + Myrcia and Eugenia + Pimenta. The presence of two integuments in the ovules associated with sclereids and colleters in the gynoecium and the young fleshy fruit assures the efficient dispersal of their seeds. Our findings regarding gynoecium structural diversity of the tribe Myrteae give a new insight on their morphologically uniform flowers.

Evolutionary History of the South American Mistletoe Tripodanthus (Loranthaceae) Using Nuclear and Plastid Markers

2012 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 218-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guillermo C. Amico ◽  
Romina Vidal-Russell ◽  
Miguel A. Garcia ◽  
Daniel L. Nickrent
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary History ◽  
South American ◽  
The South ◽  
History Of ◽  
Plastid Markers ◽  
History Of The South
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