scholarly journals Molecular Phylogeny and Evolution of Amazon Parrots in the Greater Antilles

Genes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 608
Author(s):  
Sofiia Kolchanova ◽  
Alexey Komissarov ◽  
Sergei Kliver ◽  
Anyi Mazo-Vargas ◽  
Yashira Afanador ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rico ◽  
Central America ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Population Diversity ◽  
Ancestral Population ◽  
Greater Antilles ◽  
Island Species ◽  
Parrot Species ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Phylogeny And Evolution

Amazon parrots (Amazona spp.) colonized the islands of the Greater Antilles from the Central American mainland, but there has not been a consensus as to how and when this happened. Today, most of the five remaining island species are listed as endangered, threatened, or vulnerable as a consequence of human activity. We sequenced and annotated full mitochondrial genomes of all the extant Amazon parrot species from the Greater Antillean (A. leucocephala (Cuba), A. agilis, A. collaria (both from Jamaica), A. ventralis (Hispaniola), and A. vittata (Puerto Rico)), A. albifrons from mainland Central America, and A. rhodocorytha from the Atlantic Forest in Brazil. The assembled and annotated mitogenome maps provide information on sequence organization, variation, population diversity, and evolutionary history for the Caribbean species including the critically endangered A. vittata. Despite the larger number of available samples from the Puerto Rican Parrot Recovery Program, the sequence diversity of the A. vittata population in Puerto Rico was the lowest among all parrot species analyzed. Our data support the stepping-stone dispersal and speciation hypothesis that has started approximately 3.47 MYA when the ancestral population arrived from mainland Central America and led to diversification across the Greater Antilles, ultimately reaching the island of Puerto Rico 0.67 MYA. The results are presented and discussed in light of the geological history of the Caribbean and in the context of recent parrot evolution, island biogeography, and conservation. This analysis contributes to understating evolutionary history and empowers subsequent assessments of sequence variation and helps design future conservation efforts in the Caribbean.

scholarly journals Understanding the Urgent Need for Subtitling for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in the Spanish-Speaking Greater Antilles

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrián Fuentes-Luque ◽  
Pabsi Livmar González-Irizarry
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rico ◽  
Dominican Republic ◽  
Hard Of Hearing ◽  
Greater Antilles ◽  
Social Barriers ◽  
Spanish Speaking ◽  
Current State ◽  
The World ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The Caribbean

Even though Audiovisual Translation (AVT) is growing and flourishing throughout the world, it is practically unheard-of in the Caribbean, where accessibility faces an even bleaker existence. The circumstances of the deaf and hard of hearing (also referred to as D/deaf) are no less alarming: social barriers and exclusion are widespread. This paper emphasizes the need to make subtitles accessible in the Spanish-speaking Caribbean, specifically on the islands of Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic, and underscores the challenges faced by the D/deaf communities on each island. Our research focuses on issues like AVT laws and regulations, the habits of viewers of audiovisual (AV) products, and literacy and limitations on each island. This paper also examines the different types of D/deaf audiovisual consumers in the Spanish-speaking Caribbean and the difficulties each community faces when accessing media and entertainment. Our research reveals the current state of AVT accessibility in this region and provides a foundation for influencing legislators to begin enforcing AVT regulations and drafting SDH guidelines.

scholarly journals The earliest record of Caribbean frogs: a fossil coquí from Puerto Rico

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 20190947 ◽  
Author(s):  
David C. Blackburn ◽  
Rachel M. Keeffe ◽  
María C. Vallejo-Pareja ◽  
Jorge Vélez-Juarbe
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rico ◽  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Indirect Evidence ◽  
Distal Humerus ◽  
Greater Antilles ◽  
Terrestrial Vertebrates ◽  
Early Arrival ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Molecular Phylogenies ◽  
Additional Support

The nearly 200 species of direct-developing frogs in the genus Eleutherodactylus (the Caribbean landfrogs, which include the coquís) comprise an important lineage for understanding the evolution and historical biogeography of the Caribbean. Time-calibrated molecular phylogenies provide indirect evidence for the processes that shaped the modern anuran fauna, but there is little direct evidence from the fossil record of Caribbean frogs about their distributions in the past. We report a distal humerus of a frog from the Oligocene (approx. 29 Ma) of Puerto Rico that represents the earliest known fossil frog from any Caribbean island. Based on its prominent rounded distal humeral head, distally projecting entepicondyle, and reduced ectepicondyle, we refer it to the genus Eleutherodactylus . This fossil provides additional support for an early arrival of some groups of terrestrial vertebrates to the Greater Antilles and corroborates previous estimates based on molecular phylogenies suggesting that this diverse Caribbean lineage was present in the islands by the mid-Cenozoic.

scholarly journals Local Annual Survival and Seasonal Residency Rates of Semipalmated Sandpipers (Calidris Pusilla) in Puerto Rico

The Auk ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 124 (4) ◽  
pp. 1397-1406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan M. Rice ◽  
Jaime A. Collazo ◽  
Mathew W. Alldredge ◽  
Brian A. Harrington ◽  
Allen R. Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rico ◽  
Length Of Stay ◽  
Differential Mortality ◽  
Caribbean Region ◽  
Greater Antilles ◽  
Annual Survival ◽  
Salt Flats ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Calidris Pusilla ◽  
Semipalmated Sandpipers

Abstract We report seasonal residency and local annual survival rates of migratory Semipalmated Sandpipers (Calidris pusilla) at the Cabo Rojo salt flats, Puerto Rico. Residency rate (daily probability of remaining on the flats) was 0.991 ± 0.001 (x̄ ± SE), yielding a mean length of stay of 110 days. This finding supports the inclusion of the Caribbean as part of the species' winter range. Average estimated percentage of fat was low but increased throughout the season, which suggests that birds replenish some spent fat reserves and strive for energetic maintenance. Local annual survival rate was 0.62 ± 0.04, within the range of values reported for breeding populations at Manitoba and Alaska (0.53–0.76). The similarity was not unexpected because estimates were obtained annually but at opposite sites of their annual migratory movements. Birds captured at the salt flats appeared to be a mix of birds from various parts of the breeding range, judging from morphology (culmen's coefficient of variation = 9.1, n = 106). This suggested that origin (breeding area) of birds and their proportion in the data should be ascertained and accounted for in analyses to glean the full conservation implications of winter-based annual survival estimates. Those data are needed to unravel the possibility that individuals of distinct populations are affected by differential mortality factors across different migratory routes. Mean length of stay strongly suggested that habitat quality at the salt flats was high. Rainfall and tidal flow combine to increase food availability during fall. The salt flats dry up gradually toward late January, at the onset of the dry season. Semipalmated Sandpipers may move west to other Greater Antilles or south to sites such as coastal Surinam until the onset of spring migration. They are not an oversummering species at the salt flats. Conservation efforts in the Caribbean region require understanding the dynamics of this species throughout winter to protect essential habitat. Tasas de Supervivencia Anual Local y de Residencia Estacional de Calidris pusilla en Puerto Rico

Source identification of Middle Age extreme event deposits in the Lesser Antilles using forward numerical modeling of tsunami

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise Cordrie ◽  
Audrey Gailler ◽  
Nathalie Feuillet
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rico ◽  
Extreme Event ◽  
Virgin Islands ◽  
Lesser Antilles ◽  
Greater Antilles ◽  
Seismic Cycle ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Run Up ◽  
Bathymetric Grids ◽  
Northern Segment

<p><span>The arc of the Lesser Antilles is one of the most quiet subduction zone in the world. In this region, the convergence of the Atlantic and the Caribbean plates is low (</span><span>few </span><span>mm/year) and most of the seismicity is a</span><span>n</span><span> intraplate and crustal seismicity. Among the Mw>7 earthquakes recorded in the historical catalog (1690 near Barbuda, 1843 near Guadeloupe, 1867 near the Virgin Islands, 1839 offshore Martinica, 1969 offshore Dominica, 1974 near Antigua), only the 1839 and 1843 events are suspected to be interplate earthquakes. The 1867 Virgin Island earthquake generated an important tsunami with waves of 10m that devastated the closest islands. A tsunami followed the 1843 earthquake but without much damage. These two events are the only known damaging tsunami in this region, but another older one might be added to the list. Indeed, an increasing number of tsunami deposits have been identified in the recent years on several islands of the arc, all of them being around 500 years old (~1450 AD). These deposits are all located in the northern segment of the arc, between Antigua and Puerto-Rico, in Anegada, St-Thomas (Virgin Islands), Anguilla </span><span>and</span><span> Scrub islands. There is </span><span>unfortunately</span><span> no record and no testimonies of an extreme event at that time.</span></p><p><span>The northern segment of the arc is particularly complex because located at the transition </span><span>between</span><span> the Greater Antilles </span><span>and the Lesser Antilles</span><span>. </span><span>It</span><span> is crossed by the Anegada Passage, a series of faults and basins cutting through the arc, which defines the limit between the Puerto-Rico micro-plate and the Caribbean plate. This passage and the numerous intra-arc fault systems present between the islands are active and likely compensate for the plates motion. The very low slip deficit detected with GPS measurements at the subduction contacts of Puerto-Rico and the Lesser Antilles indicates that the interface from Guadeloupe to Puerto-Rico can be considered as totally uncoupled or holding the characteristics of a very long seismic cycle. A tsunami generated by an extreme event 500 years ago in this region could be related to </span><span>intra-arc, outer-rise,</span><span> intraplate </span><span>or</span><span> interface fault rupture. The identification of the source </span><span>would</span><span> enable a better understanding of the seismic cycle and the dynamic of this part of the arc.</span></p><p><span>This study lists </span><span>and set models of</span><span> all the potential faults that could trigger an earthquake in the area encompassing the three islands : Anguilla, Anegada and StThomas. </span><span>We have created high-resolution bathymetric grids and</span><span> performed tsunami simulations </span><span>for each fault model</span><span>. </span><span>W</span><span>e uses run-up models to compare the simulated wave heights </span><span>and run-up distance</span><span> to all the deposits heights </span><span>and positions</span><span>. The magnitudes of our fault models range between 7 and </span><span>9,</span><span> but very few of them generate a strong enough tsunami t</span><span>o</span> <span>match</span><span> the observ</span><span>ed deposits</span><span>.</span></p>

Comments on the Mainland Origins of the Preceramic Cultures of the Greater Antilles

2003 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 323-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard T. Callaghan
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rico ◽  
South America ◽  
Central America ◽  
Computer Simulations ◽  
Greater Antilles ◽  
Chance Discovery ◽  
Northern South America ◽  
Southern Florida ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Shed Light

AbstractComputer simulations are used to shed light on the probable origins of the earliest Preceramic cultures of the Greater Antilles and to understand the navigation skills necessary for island colonization. These cultures, dating to between ca. 4000 B.C. and 2000 B.C., are found on Cuba, Hispaniola, and possibly Puerto Rico. Two areas, northern South America and northern Central America, have assemblages that bear resemblance to the assemblages of the Greater Antilles, but there are important differences. Chance discovery of the Greater Antilles is possible from three areas: northern South America, northern Central America, and southern Florida. Directed voyages have a high degree of success from all three areas. However, voyages from northern South America require the least navigational skill, making it the most likely source of colonization. From northern Central America, foreknowledge of the islands appears to be required, while directed voyages from southern Florida encounter considerable risk.

scholarly journals Archaeology of marronage in the Caribbean Antilles

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Theresa Ann Singleton
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rico ◽  
Greater Antilles ◽  
Small Islands ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Caribbean Islands ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Preliminary Research ◽  
Local Term

The archaeological study of maroons in the Caribbean Antilles presents both opportunities and challenges. On small islands, runaways had few places where they could seek refuge from slavery and elude capture for long periods of time. Consequently, such sites were occupied briefly and have been difficult to locate and identify. The Greater Antilles (Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico) had both short-term refuge sites and long-term settlements comparable to quilombos. Archaeologists have been most successful in their investigations maroons in Cuba and Jamaica. In Hispaniola, where I am working at the present, only a few cave sites and one presumed maniel (the local term for a long-term maroon settlements) have been studied. In this paper, I provide an overview of the archaeological study of maroons on the Caribbean Islands and my preliminary research to locate El Maniel de Ocoa, a major settlement of slave runaways for over a hundred years during 1500s-1660s.  

People and Plants in the Precontact Caribbean

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
David G. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Central America ◽  
Sweet Potato ◽  
Ipomoea Batatas ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Research Work ◽  
River Estuary ◽  
Greater Antilles ◽  
Plant Cultivation ◽  
Cultivated Species ◽  
The Caribbean

Research work at the site of Canímar Abajo in northern Cuba, one of the rare Cuban sites investigated through systematic, large scale excavations, has yielded exciting new data that contribute to our understanding of two major themes in circum-Caribbean archaeology: 1. the timing of first migration to the Greater Antilles as well as the origins of the first settlers; and 2. the nature and timing of the origins of resource production in the Caribbean. The discovery of starch grains of maize (Zea mays), common bean (Phaseous sp.), sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) and cassava (Manihot esculenta) in dental calculus from burials at this site have important implications for discussions on food production in the Neotropics. Research results indicate that a community of people practicing a subsistence regime of fishing, gathering, hunting and plant cultivation was already established in the area of the Canímar River estuary by 1200 BC. It is argued that the first migrants most likely crossed to the Greater Antilles from mainland Central America well before 1200 BC, and brought cultivated species originating in Mexico (maize and beans) and in Central America (sweet potato) with them.

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