scholarly journals Flying shells: historical dispersal of marine snails across Central America

2011 ◽  
Vol 279 (1731) ◽  
pp. 1061-1067 ◽  
Author(s):  
Osamu Miura ◽  
Mark E. Torchin ◽  
Eldredge Bermingham ◽  
David K. Jacobs ◽  
Ryan F. Hechinger
Keyword(s):  
Central America ◽  
Marine Species ◽  
Molecular Dating ◽  
Central American ◽  
Southern Mexico ◽  
Marine Snails ◽  
Field Evidence ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Dispersal Events ◽  
Central American Isthmus

The geological rise of the Central American Isthmus separated the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans about 3 Ma, creating a formidable barrier to dispersal for marine species. However, similar to Simpson's proposal that terrestrial species can ‘win sweepstakes routes’—whereby highly improbable dispersal events result in colonization across geographical barriers—marine species may also breach land barriers given enough time. To test this hypothesis, we asked whether intertidal marine snails have crossed Central America to successfully establish in new ocean basins. We used a mitochondrial DNA genetic comparison of sister snails ( Cerithideopsis spp.) separated by the rise of the Isthmus. Genetic variation in these snails revealed evidence of at least two successful dispersal events between the Pacific and the Atlantic after the final closure of the Isthmus. A combination of ancestral area analyses and molecular dating techniques indicated that dispersal from the Pacific to the Atlantic occurred about 750 000 years ago and that dispersal in the opposite direction occurred about 72 000 years ago. The geographical distribution of haplotypes and published field evidence further suggest that migratory shorebirds transported the snails across Central America at the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in southern Mexico. Migratory birds could disperse other intertidal invertebrates this way, suggesting the Central American Isthmus may not be as impassable for marine species as previously assumed.

scholarly journals Assessment of tsunami hazards for the Central American Pacific coast from southern Mexico to northern Peru

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 1889-1903 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Brizuela ◽  
A. Armigliato ◽  
S. Tinti
Keyword(s):  
Central America ◽  
Pacific Coast ◽  
Probabilistic Approach ◽  
Central American ◽  
Southern Mexico ◽  
Extended Region ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Northern Peru ◽  
Run Up ◽  
Tsunami Run Up

Abstract. Central America (CA), from Guatemala to Panama, has been struck by at least 52 tsunamis between 1539 and 2013, and in the extended region from Mexico to northern Peru (denoted as ECA, Extended Central America in this paper) the number of recorded tsunamis in the same time span is more than 100, most of which were triggered by earthquakes located in the Middle American Trench that runs parallel to the Pacific coast. The most severe event in the catalogue is the tsunami that occurred on 2 September 1992 off Nicaragua, with run-up measured in the range of 5–10 m in several places along the Nicaraguan coast. The aim of this paper is to assess the tsunami hazard on the Pacific coast of this extended region, and to this purpose a hybrid probabilistic-deterministic analysis is performed, that is adequate for tsunamis generated by earthquakes. More specifically, the probabilistic approach is used to compute the Gutenberg–Richter coefficients of the main seismic tsunamigenic zones of the area and to estimate the annual rate of occurrence of tsunamigenic earthquakes and their corresponding return period. The output of the probabilistic part of the method is taken as input by the deterministic part, which is applied to calculate the tsunami run-up distribution along the coast.

Identification of Tropical Cyclones’ Critical Positions Associated with Extreme Precipitation Events in Central America

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugo G. Hidalgo ◽  
Eric J. Alfaro ◽  
Franklin Hernández-Castro ◽  
Paula M. Pérez-Briceño
Keyword(s):  
Central America ◽  
Tropical Cyclones ◽  
Critical Path ◽  
Central American ◽  
Pacific Basin ◽  
Extreme Precipitation Events ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Indirect Impacts ◽  
Precipitation Events

<p>Tropical cyclones are one of the most important causes of disasters in Central America. Using historical (1970–2010) tracks of cyclones in the Caribbean and Pacific basin, we identify critical path locations where these low-pressure systems cause the highest number of floods in a set of 88 precipitation stations in the region. Results show that tropical cyclones from the Caribbean and Pacific basin produce a large number of indirect impacts on the Pacific slope of the Central American isthmus. Although the direct impact of a tropical cyclone usually results in devastation in the affected region, the indirect effects are more common and sometimes equally severe. In fact, the storm does not need to be an intense hurricane to cause considerable impacts and damage. The location of even a lower intensity storm in critical positions of the oceanic basin can result in destructive indirect impacts in Central America. The identification of critical positions can be used for emergency agencies in the region to issue alerts of possible flooding and catastrophic events.</p>

scholarly journals Sedimentary dynamics and structural control of Neogene tropical biofacies during the formation of the Central American Isthmus

1992 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 62-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Coates ◽  
Jorge Obando ◽  
Herman Gonzalez
Keyword(s):  
Structural Control ◽  
Sedimentary Basins ◽  
Conclusive Evidence ◽  
Central American ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Pacific Side ◽  
Late Neogene ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Final Closure ◽  
Central American Isthmus

The central evolutionary, ecological and paleoceanographic questions of the American tropical Neogene relate to how and during what time the Central American Isthmus formed. Geographically, closure was located between the southern edge of the Chortis Block in southern Nicaragua and the Atrato Valley in Colombia. In this region we describe, on the Caribbean side, five Neogene sedimentary basins. They are the Atrato, Chucunaque, Gatun, Bocas del Toro, and Limon Basins. On the Pacific side the Neogene sediments formed as part of the Central American Trench and are well exposed in a series of uplifted blocks on the Nicoya, Osa and Burica Peninsulas. Our analysis allows 1) a construction of the sequence of contrasting sedimentary environments which characterize the different basins, giving a composite geological history of the isthmus for the Late Neogene and 2) identifies the comparable biofacies from the different basins which allow and constrain the evolutionary and ecological questions to be posed concerning the effect of the isthmus as a biogeographic barrier. Temporally, from it's partial emergence in the Middle Miocene, the isthmus shallows by the Early Pliocene (3.5–3.4 Ma) to less than 50 m (Duque-Caro, 1990) when there is a marked differentiation of shelf marine macrobenthic species between the Caribbean and the Pacific. The evidence from reliably dated, large, diverse exchanges of North and South American vertebrates on land constrains the final closure date to not later than 2.8–2.5 Ma (Marshall, 1988). Given that no conclusive evidence for final closure can come exclusively from a study of sedimentary facies, when depths of less than 50 m are involved, the present window of almost 1 Ma, during which final closure must have occurred, will only be narrowed further by the detailed study of very shallow-water fossil clades and complementary molecular data. Present studies indicate that such clades are abundantly preserved.

scholarly journals Phylogeography and morphometric variation in the Cinnamon Hummingbird complex: Amazilia rutila (Aves: Trochilidae)

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Melisa Vázquez-López ◽  
Nandadevi Córtes-Rodríguez ◽  
Sahid M. Robles-Bello ◽  
Alfredo Bueno-Hernández ◽  
Luz E. Zamudio-Beltrán ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central America ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Pacific Coast ◽  
Yucatan Peninsula ◽  
Southern Mexico ◽  
Morphometric Variation ◽  
Divergence Time Estimates ◽  
Yucatán Peninsula ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Background The Mesoamerican dominion is a biogeographic area of great interest due to its complex topography and distinctive climatic history. This area has a large diversity of habitats, including tropical deciduous forests, which house a large number of endemic species. Here, we assess phylogeographic pattern, genetic and morphometric variation in the Cinnamon Hummingbird complex Amazilia rutila, which prefers habitats in this region. This resident species is distributed along the Pacific coast from Sinaloa—including the Tres Marías Islands in Mexico to Costa Rica, and from the coastal plain of the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico south to Belize. Methods We obtained genetic data from 85 samples of A. rutila, using 4 different molecular markers (mtDNA: ND2, COI; nDNA: ODC, MUSK) on which we performed analyses of population structure (median-joining network, STRUCTURE, FST, AMOVA), Bayesian and Maximum Likelihood phylogenetic analyses, and divergence time estimates. In order to evaluate the historic suitability of environmental conditions, we constructed projection models using past scenarios (Pleistocene periods), and conducted Bayesian Skyline Plots (BSP) to visualize changes in population sizes over time. To analyze morphometric variation, we took measurements of 5 morphological traits from 210 study skins. We tested for differences between sexes, differences among geographic groups (defined based on genetic results), and used PCA to examine the variation in multivariate space. Results Using mtDNA, we recovered four main geographic groups: the Pacific coast, the Tres Marías Islands, the Chiapas region, and the Yucatán Peninsula together with Central America. These same groups were recovered by the phylogenetic results based on the multilocus dataset. Demography based on BSP results showed constant population size over time throughout the A. rutila complex and within each geographic group. Ecological niche model projections onto past scenarios revealed no drastic changes in suitable conditions, but revealed some possible refuges. Morphometric results showed minor sexual dimorphism in this species and statistically significant differences between geographic groups. The Tres Marías Islands population was the most differentiated, having larger body size than the remaining groups. Conclusions The best supported evolutionary hypothesis of diversification within this group corresponds to geographic isolation (limited gene flow), differences in current environmental conditions, and historical habitat fragmentation promoted by past events (Pleistocene refugia). Four well-defined clades comprise the A. rutila complex, and we assess the importance of a taxonomic reevaluation. Our data suggest that both of A. r. graysoni (Tres Marías Islands) and A. r. rutila (Pacific coast) should be considered full species. The other two strongly supported clades are: (a) the Chiapas group (southern Mexico), and (b) the populations from Yucatán Peninsula and Central America. These clades belong to the corallirostris taxon, which needs to be split and properly named.

scholarly journals Identification of Tropical Cyclones’ Critical Positions Associated with Extreme Precipitation Events in Central America

Atmosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1123
Author(s):  
Hugo G. Hidalgo ◽  
Eric J. Alfaro ◽  
Franklin HernÃandez-Castro ◽  
Paula M. Pérez-Briceño
Keyword(s):  
Central America ◽  
Tropical Cyclones ◽  
Critical Path ◽  
Central American ◽  
Pacific Basin ◽  
Extreme Precipitation Events ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Indirect Impacts ◽  
Precipitation Events

Tropical cyclones are one of the most important causes of disasters in Central America. Using historical (1970–2010) tracks of cyclones in the Caribbean and Pacific basin, we identify critical path locations where these low-pressure systems cause the highest number of floods in a set of 88 precipitation stations in the region. Results show that tropical cyclones from the Caribbean and Pacific basin produce a large number of indirect impacts on the Pacific slope of the Central American isthmus. Although the direct impact of a tropical cyclone usually results in devastation in the affected region, the indirect effects are more common and sometimes equally severe. In fact, the storm does not need to be an intense hurricane to cause considerable impacts and damage. The location of even a lower intensity storm in critical positions of the oceanic basin can result in destructive indirect impacts in Central America. The identification of critical positions can be used for emergency agencies in the region to issue alerts of possible flooding and catastrophic events.

Cotton and Cattle in the Pacific Lowlands of Central America

1965 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
James J. Parsons
Keyword(s):  
Central America ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Agricultural Development ◽  
Central American ◽  
Private Land ◽  
Remarkable Change ◽  
Land Owners ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Volcanic Chain ◽  
Gulf Of Nicoya

The well-drained, fluvio-volcanic outwash plain of the Pacific coast of Central America, stretching from the Mexican border to the Gulf of Nicoya, has undergone remarkable change in recent years. Malarial control, highway and port construction, and the initiative of governments and private land-owners, have made this the most active zone of agricultural development in Central America. Large-scale mechanized cotton farms and livestock ranches have been eating rapidly into the dry tropical forest that until recently covered most of this coastal apron at the foot of the 700-mile long Central American volcanic chain, producing important new sources of employment and foreign exchange earnings. Acreage in sugar cane and essential oil grasses (citronella and lemon grass) also has been expanding, and the booming shrimp export trade has added yet another fillup to the economies of these pocket-sized countries so long plagued with coffee or banana monoculture.

The Belize Triangle: Relations with Britain, Guatemala and the United States

1990 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony J. Payne
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Central America ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Other ◽  
Central American ◽  
Democratic Change ◽  
Electoral Defeat ◽  
British Colonial ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Central American Isthmus

Within the international politics of the Caribbean Basin attention is only rarely paid to the position of Belize. This neglect is the more remarkable since Belize epitomizes — more precisely than any other territory of the region — the characteristic geopolitical problem of the Caribbean caught, as it were, uneasily between the United States, Latin America and Europe. Yet, despite being threatened by the Guatemalan claim to sovereignty over its territory, which delayed its independence until 1981, Belize has skillfully taken advantage of its British colonial past to carve out for itself a distinctive geopolitical space in Central America and the Caribbean. This has allowed it not only to remain relatively undisturbed by the conflicts which have riven the other states of the Central American isthmus, but also to display a commitment to democratic change strong enough to sustain the electoral defeat — in December 1984 — of a regime which had held power in the country for more than thirty years, as well as the defeat of its successor — in September 1989 — after just one term in office.

scholarly journals Nineteenth Century Navies Role in Developing an understanding of the Pacific Coast of Central America

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 58
Author(s):  
Jorge León Sáenz
Keyword(s):  
Central America ◽  
Pacific Coast ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Foreign Affairs ◽  
Central American ◽  
Technical Knowledge ◽  
Traditional Use ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The 19Th Century

Navies, apart from their traditional use by nations as instruments for the projection of power, for the protection of maritime interests and for exercising peacekeeping and war activities, have also had an important role in developing scientific and technical knowledge.  The survey work undertaken by various navies since the 18th century, has in particular been of great benefit in improving and making navigation safer on high seas and coasts, through the provision of maritime charts and sailing directions, to all mariners.  The technical efforts and geopolitical interests behind those efforts in the 19th century and how they affected the maritime trade and foreign affairs of the Central American countries located on the Pacific Coast are the subject of this study.

scholarly journals New records of the drywood termite, Incisitermes platycephalus (Light, 1933) (Isoptera, Kalotermitidae), from Central America and senior synonym of I. nigritus (Snyder, 1946)

Check List ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 501-505
Author(s):  
Rudolf H. Scheffrahn
Keyword(s):  
Central America ◽  
Anterior Margin ◽  
New World ◽  
Pacific Coast ◽  
New Records ◽  
Head Capsule ◽  
Southern Mexico ◽  
World Species ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Senior Synonym

New World species of the genus Incisitermes Krishna, 1961 range from California to Peru.  The soldier of this genus is notable for the incised anterior margin of the pronotum and the elongated third antennal article.  I report the broad occurrence of Incisitermes platycephalus (Light, 1933) from extreme southern Mexico to the Pacific coast of Nicaragua. Incisitermes nigritus (Snyder, 1946) from Guatemala is a junior synonym of I. platycephalus.  Among Incisitermes, I.  platycephalus is characterized by its small size, dark imago, and dorsoventrally compressed soldier head capsule.

Plagiothecium lucidum (Hook. f. & Wils.) Paris in tropical Africa

2000 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 147-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryszard Ochyra ◽  
Rafa Kempa ◽  
William R. Buck
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Central America ◽  
Central American ◽  
Type Material ◽  
Distribution Map ◽  
Tropical Africa ◽  
African Plants ◽  
World Distribution ◽  
Central American Isthmus

Plagiothecium lucidum (Hook. f. & Wils.) Paris is confirmed as a new addition to the bryoflora of tropical Africa on the basis of two collections from the Bale Mountains in Ethiopia. The type material of Isopterygium integrifolium Bartr. from Costa Rica in Central America is evaluated and this species is considered to be conspecific with P. lucidum. As a result of this taxonomic conclusion the range of this species is extended to Costa Rica and this is the first recognition of this species in the Central American isthmus. A world distribution map for this species is presented and some details of African plants and the type of I. integrifolium are illustrated.

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