Leopard tortoises in southern Africa have greater genetic diversity in the north than in the south (Testudinidae)

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cäcilia Spitzweg ◽  
Margaretha D. Hofmeyr ◽  
Uwe Fritz ◽  
Melita Vamberger
Zootaxa ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4786 (3) ◽  
pp. 301-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
MICHAEL STILLER

Twelve new species in a new genus, Geelus gen.n. are described, 10 species from a confined area in the north- and south-western parts of South Africa and two from Namibia. The genus has been recorded from 35 plant species in 18 families, with one species Geelus dundraad collected on Rooibos Tea, Aspalathus linearis (Fabaceae), which is indigenous to South Africa and cultivated commercially. The 12 new species are Geelus driehoekdraad sp.n., G. drietanddraad sp.n., G. dundraad sp.n., G. haakdraad sp.n., G. kinkeldraad sp.n., G. lemdraad sp.n., G. nektanddraad sp.n., G. platdraad sp.n., G. slangdraad sp.n., G. stompdraad sp.n., G. viertanddraad and G. vurkdraad sp.n. This new genus is allied to the Bonaspeiini, in the Deltocephalinae based on the broad lorum, apically expanded clypellus, dorsal side of the pygofer deeply and broadly incised, large sclerotized segment X, smooth merging of face and crown and Y-shaped connective with short stem. A MaxEnt distribution model based on 19 bioclimatic variables confirmed that the South African species occur within a confined region in the south-western parts of southern Africa. 


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tolla Ndiaye ◽  
Mouhamad Sy ◽  
Amy Gaye ◽  
Katherine J. Siddle ◽  
Daniel J. Park ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Molecular epidemiology can provide important information regarding the genetic diversity and transmission of Plasmodium falciparum, which can assist in designing and monitoring elimination efforts. However, malaria molecular epidemiology including understanding the genetic diversity of the parasite and performing molecular surveillance of transmission has been poorly documented in Senegal. Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) offers a practical, fast and high-throughput approach to understand malaria population genetics. This study aims to unravel the population structure of P. falciparum and to estimate the allelic diversity, multiplicity of infection (MOI), and evolutionary patterns of the malaria parasite using the NGS platform. Methods Multiplex amplicon deep sequencing of merozoite surface protein 1 (PfMSP1) and merozoite surface protein 2 (PfMSP2) in fifty-three P. falciparum isolates from two epidemiologically different areas in the South and North of Senegal, was carried out. Results A total of 76 Pfmsp1 and 116 Pfmsp2 clones were identified and 135 different alleles were found, 56 and 79 belonged to the pfmsp1 and pfmsp2 genes, respectively. K1 and IC3D7 allelic families were most predominant in both sites. The local haplotype diversity (Hd) and nucleotide diversity (π) were higher in the South than in the North for both genes. For pfmsp1, a high positive Tajima’s D (TD) value was observed in the South (D = 2.0453) while negative TD value was recorded in the North (D = − 1.46045) and F-Statistic (Fst) was 0.19505. For pfmsp2, non-directional selection was found with a highly positive TD test in both areas and Fst was 0.02111. The mean MOI for both genes was 3.07 and 1.76 for the South and the North, respectively, with a statistically significant difference between areas (p = 0.001). Conclusion This study revealed a high genetic diversity of pfmsp1 and pfmsp2 genes and low genetic differentiation in P. falciparum population in Senegal. The MOI means were significantly different between the Southern and Northern areas. Findings also showed that multiplexed amplicon deep sequencing is a useful technique to investigate genetic diversity and molecular epidemiology of P. falciparum infections.


2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-272
Author(s):  
Tran Thi Viet Thanh ◽  
Phan Ke Long ◽  
Jean Dominique Durand ◽  
Dinh Thi Phong

The flathead grey mullet species (Mugil cephalus L.) Vietnam is an euryhaline fish whose distribution ranges from the North to the South. Currently, M. cephalus is facing the threat of overexploitation, and the number of individuals in most populations is declining fast. In order to conserve the species in Vietnam, it is necessary to evaluate its genetic diversity. Therefore, this study was carried out in Vietnam from August 2012 to June 2015. The results of our study provided the analysis for 12 locus microsatellites (SSR) from 70 mature individuals (standard length > 25 cm). The study also identified a total of 35 alleles for all loci studied, among which 10 loci were polymorphic. Average value of polymorphic information content (PIC) for each polymorphic marker was 0.2889 (0.0289 to 0.5918). Coefficient heterozygous gene Ho = 0.942; He = 0.517; Fst = 0.216; Fis = - 0.8211 (Fis < 0). The genetic relationship of 70 specimens or M. cephalus in Vietnam were divided in three main groups according to three specific geographic distributions in the country, the Gulf of Tonkin, the Central and the South. There were also mixed clusters observed among the three studied regions. Individuals in close geographical distance often clustered together and formed separate groups, in which the level of molecular changes were quite low, 29% among populations, and 71% among individuals within the same population.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew James Veale ◽  
Carolyn King ◽  
Wayne Johnson ◽  
Lara Shepherd

Abstract The present genetic diversity of commensal rodent populations is often used to inform the invasion histories of these species, and as a proxy for historical events relating to the movement of people and goods. These studies assume that modern genetic diversity generally reflects early colonising events. We investigate this idea by sequencing the mitochondrial DNA of rodent bones found in a 19th-century archaeological site in The Rocks area of Sydney, Australia, the location of the first historical European port. We identified 19th-century bones from two species, Rattus norvegicus and Mus musculus domesticus. We found six genetic haplotypes in the 39 Norway rats, showing either multiple early introductions or a diverse initial founding population. One of them was identical with Norhap01 common in the North Island of New Zealand, but none was like the haplotype Norhap02 found throughout the South Island. We found three haplotypes in seven house mice, all belonging to the dominant subspecies established in Australia, M.m. domesticus. There was no evidence for M. m. castaneus or M. m. musculus having established there. We had few modern R. norvegicus and M. musculus DNA sequences from Sydney, but those we had did tentatively support the hypotheses that (1) modern samples can represent at least a preliminary estimate of historical diversities and origins, and (2) Asian haplotypes of both Norway rats and of house mice reached the South Island of New Zealand early in colonial times direct from China rather than through Port Jackson.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tolla NDIAYE ◽  
Mouhamad Sy ◽  
Amy Gaye ◽  
Katherine J. Siddle ◽  
Daniel J. Park ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Molecular epidemiology can provide important information regarding the genetic diversity and transmission of Plasmodium falciparum , which can assist in designing and monitoring elimination efforts. However, malaria molecular epidemiology including understanding the genetic diversity of the parasite and performing molecular surveillance of transmission has been poorly documented in Senegal. Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) offers a practical, fast and high-throughput approach to understand malaria population genetics. This study aims to unravel the population structure of P. falciparum and to estimate the allelic diversity, multiplicity of infection (MOI), and evolutionary patterns of the malaria parasite using the NGS platform. Methods Multiplex amplicon deep sequencing of merozoite surface protein 1 (PfMSP1) and merozoite surface protein 2 (PfMSP2) genes in fifty-three P. falciparum isolates from two epidemiologically different areas in the South and North of Senegal, was carried out. Results A total of 76 Pfmsp1 and 116 Pfmsp2 clones were identified and 135 different alleles were found, 56 and 79 belonged to the pfmsp1 and pfmsp2 genes, respectively. K1 and IC3D7 allelic families were most predominant in both sites. The local haplotype diversity (Hd) and nucleotide diversity (π) were higher in the South than in the North for both genes. For pfmsp1 , a high positive Tajima’s D (TD) value was observed in the South (D=2.0453) while negative TD value was recorded in the North (D=-1.46045) and F-Statistic (Fst) was 0.19505. For pfmsp2 , non-directional selection was found with a highly positive TD test in both areas and Fst was 0.02111. The mean MOI for both genes was 3.07 and 1.76 for the South and the North, respectively, with a statistically significant difference between areas ( p=0.001 ). Conclusion This study revealed a high genetic diversity of pfmsp1 and pfmsp2 genes and low genetic differentiation in P. falciparum population in Senegal. The MOI means were significantly different between the Southern and Northern areas. Findings also showed that multiplexed amplicon deep sequencing is a useful technique to investigate genetic diversity and molecular epidemiology of P. falciparum infections.


Bothalia ◽  
1986 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. M. Perold

R. congoana Steph. is described and illustrated.  R. rhodesiae S. Arnell.  R. nigrosquarnata E. W. Jones and  R. aegyptiaca S. Arnell are treated as synonyms under R. congoana.  R. congoana has a wide distribution in Africa,  ranging from Egypt in the north to SWA/Namibia and Transvaal in the south, and from Sierra Leone in the west to Tanzania in the east.


2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 66-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Sidandi ◽  
Philip Opondo ◽  
Sebonetse Tidimane

Botswana is a landlocked country located in southern Africa. More than two-thirds of it (70%) is covered by the Kalahari Desert, known locally as the Kgalagadi. The majority (82%) of the nearly 2 million population live in the eastern part, along the railway line from Lobatse in the south-east to Francistown in the north-east, and the rest in the central part, including the Okavango River delta.


The Limpopo belt is an extensive ENE-trending linear zone of high-grade metamorphic tectonites which separates the Archaean nucleii of the Rhodesian craton to the north from the Kaapvaal craton to the south. The belt consists of reworked Archaean granite-greenstone terrain with an early Proterozoic cover sequence, the Messina Formation, infolded and metamorphosed with the basement. Two major zones of shearing and transcurrent dislocation separate marginal granulite zones from a central zone which consists of complexly infolded cover rocks and reworked basement. The northern granulite zone appears to grade transitionally into the Rhodesian craton to the north, whereas there is some evidence that the southern granulite zone is faulted against the Kaapvaal craton to the south. The whole belt has behaved as a zone of crustal weakness throughout geological time, and is characterized by repeated shear deformation, igneous intrusion and extrusion, despite the cessation of major regional tectono-thermal reactivation about 1900 Ma ago.


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