scholarly journals Development of a morphological key for the southern salt marsh harvest mouse using genetically verified individuals

2021 ◽  
pp. 367-381
Author(s):  
Mark J. Statham ◽  
Laureen Barthman-Thompson ◽  
Susan Fresquez ◽  
Benjamin N. Sacks
Keyword(s):  
Salt Marsh ◽  
Decision Tree ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Morphological Data ◽  
Hair Color ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Genetic Species ◽  
Harvest Mouse ◽  
Tail Hair

The salt marsh harvest mouse (SMHM; Reithrodontomys raviventris) is a state and federally listed endangered species endemic to the coastal marshes of the San Francisco Estuary of California. Of two subspecies, the southern (R. r. raviventris) is most endangered and lacks reliable morphological field tools to distinguish from the sympatric western harvest mouse (WHM; R. megalotis). We trapped and collected genetic samples and morphological data from 204 harvest mice from 14 locations from across the range of the southern SMHM. Genetic species identification indicated these to be composed of 48 SMHM and 156 WHM, which we compared at ten morphological characters. Most continuous characters overlapped between species. Color characters were significantly differentiated and we identified a number of species-specific diagnostic pelage categories in both species. A random forest analysis indicated that ventral coloration of the abdomen and the ventral tail hair color were the most useful for differentiating between species. We used these two morphological characters to develop a decision tree which correctly classified 94% of harvest mice to species with 99% accuracy. These findings suggest that our decision tree can be used to reliably identify the species of most harvest mice in the range of the southern SMHM, with a small proportion (6% in our study) needing genetic confirmation. The decision tree should be tested on additional harvest mice that were not used in its development, particularly from novel locations across the range.

Conservation genetics of the endangered San Francisco Bay endemic salt marsh harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys raviventris)

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 1055-1066 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. J. Statham ◽  
S. Aamoth ◽  
L. Barthman-Thompson ◽  
S. Estrella ◽  
S. Fresquez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Salt Marsh ◽  
Conservation Genetics ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
San Francisco Bay ◽  
Harvest Mouse

scholarly journals Animal Wrappers

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 62-78
Author(s):  
Mitchell Schwarzer
Keyword(s):  
Salt Marsh ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Coho Salmon ◽  
Mass Transit ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Outdoor Advertising ◽  
The Earth ◽  
History Of ◽  
Blue Butterfly ◽  
Harvest Mouse

This article tells the story of artist Todd Gilens' "Endangered Species" project, where four municipal buses in San Francisco were each wrapped with a photograph of a different animal in danger of extinction: a Mission Blue Butterfly; a Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse; a Brown Pelican; and a Pacific Coho Salmon. Besides alerting passersby to environmental degradation, this art project, which ran throughout 2011, reverses the customary tactics of outdoor advertising. Outdoor ads promote products and block our sense of place. By contrast, wrapping images of California's troubled animal habitats on moving buses promotes a complex environmental and historical message: the urban development all around us sits atop what had been the original skin of the earth. In telling the story of the animal-wrapped buses within the greater history of outdoor advertising and mass transit, I connect the fates of endangered natural ecosystems with their cultural counterparts such as the city's bus system.

scholarly journals Biosemiotics and The Identification of Species-Specific Morphological Characters in The Spider Dysdera Erythrina (Araneae: Dysderidae)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joachim Schult ◽  
Onno A. Preik ◽  
Stefan Kirschner ◽  
Frank Friedrich
Keyword(s):  
Mate Recognition ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Integrative Taxonomy ◽  
Communication Process ◽  
Morphological Data ◽  
Communication Processes ◽  
Peculiar Form ◽  
Identification Of Species ◽  
Intraspecific Communication ◽  
Species Specific

Abstract A biosemiotic approach of interpreting morphological data is apt to reveal morphological traits whose key role in intraspecific communication processes, such as specific mate recognition, has been overlooked so far. Certain genital structures of the haplogyne spider Dysdera erythrina (Walckenaer, 1802) serve as an example. In Dysdera erythrina the semi-circular sclerite at the tip of the male’s bulb fits exactly into the anterior diverticulum of the female’s endogyne. From the viewpoint of biosemiotics, which studies the production and interpretation of signs and codes in living systems, these structures are considered the morphological zones of an intraspecific communication process which forms one of the necessary prerequisites for sperm transfer and achievement of fertilisation. Thus, a biosemiotics-based species delimitation approach with its peculiar form of evaluation of morphological structures yields new insights for the multidisciplinary undertaking of modern integrative taxonomy.

scholarly journals Demography of the salt marsh harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys raviventris halicoetes) and associated rodents in tidal and managed wetlands

2019 ◽  
Vol 101 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-142
Author(s):  
Katherine R Smith ◽  
Laureen M Barthman-Thompson ◽  
Sarah K Estrella ◽  
Melissa K Riley ◽  
Sadie N Trombley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Salt Marsh ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
The United States ◽  
Tidal Wetlands ◽  
Wetland Type ◽  
Temporary Emigration ◽  
Managed Wetlands ◽  
Harvest Mouse

Abstract Suisun Marsh (Solano County, California) is the largest contiguous marsh remaining on the West Coast of the United States, and makes up approximately 10% of the wetlands remaining in the San Francisco Estuary. Suisun Marsh has been safeguarded from development through the operation of over 100 privately owned waterfowl hunting clubs, which manage for diked waterfowl habitat. However, this management—and the subsequent loss of tidal influence—has been considered harmful for some species, including the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse (SMHM; Reithrodontomys raviventris). To determine the value of tidal wetlands relative to those managed for waterfowl, we performed periodic surveys for rodents in managed and tidal wetlands over 5 years, and used capture-mark-recapture analyses to estimate demographic parameters and abundance for the three most common rodents—the northern SMHM (R. r. halicoetes), the western harvest mouse (a sympatric native species; R. megalotis, WHM), and the house mouse (a sympatric invasive species; Mus musculus). Wetland type had no effect on detection, temporary emigration, or survival for any of these species. However, fecundity and population growth for all three species were affected by an interaction of season and wetland type, although none of these parameters was consistently superior in either habitat type. Estimated abundance of SMHM and Mus was similar in both wetland types, whereas WHM were more abundant in managed wetlands. Salt marsh harvest mice also showed no affinity for any microhabitat characteristics associated with tidal wetlands. Managed wetlands in Suisun Marsh support SMHM and Mus equally, and abundances of WHM were greater than in tidal wetlands, suggesting managed wetlands may be superior in terms of supporting native rodents. As climate change and sea level rise are predicted to threaten coastal marshes, these results suggest the recovery strategy for SMHM could incorporate managed wetlands.

scholarly journals Habitat of the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse ( Reithrodontomys raviventris ) in San Francisco Bay

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 662-677
Author(s):  
Bruce G. Marcot ◽  
Isa Woo ◽  
Karen M. Thorne ◽  
Chase M. Freeman ◽  
Glenn R. Guntenspergen
Keyword(s):  
Salt Marsh ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
San Francisco Bay ◽  
Harvest Mouse

Cultivation of New Emerging Agro-Nutritional Crop of Quinoa at Madinat al-Hikmah Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Afzal Rizvi ◽  
Syed Abid Ali ◽  
Iqra Munir ◽  
Kousar Yasmeen ◽  
Rubina Abid ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Arid Zone ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Morphological Data ◽  
Low Concentrations ◽  
Sindh Province ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Elemental Accumulation ◽  
Semi Arid ◽  
Good Agreement

Aim: Quinoa is a popular source of protein, minerals and alternative to traditional grains. The objective of this study is to introduce the Quinoa in the semi-arid zone of Sindh province of Pakistan. Method: A variety of NARC-9 from the agricultural Punjab province was cultivated and subjected to analyze the growth, morphological characters of the varieties obtained, saponin, protein and the elemental composition viz. Cd, Cu, Fe, K, Na, Pb, and Zn. Result: The result demonstrated the optimum growth and no disease were found in the experimental area. At least three major varieties of quinoa were obtained. Seed morphological data of these three quinoa cultivars were collected. The average saponin levels were quite reasonable. Overall proteins band pattern revealed very high polymorphism in quinoa cultivars and the results were also in good agreement with earlier studies. Conclusion: All quinoa cultivars of Madinat al-Hikmah showed high concentrations of albumin than globulin concentrations (i.e. 48-52% and 24-27%, respectively) as compared to control seeds from market that had similar concentrations of the two fractions i.e. 35.58% and 37.68%, respectively. Likewise, low concentrations of prolamin 14-16% and glutelin 11-12% compared to control seeds 13% rank our crop much better quality than the imported one in the market. The trend of elemental accumulation was followed as K >Na >Fe >Zn >Cu >Pb >Cd, while for comparison it was Na >K >Zn >Fe >Cu >Pb >Cd >Pb for wheat grown under similar conditions. Traditional grains together make a major contribution to the total nutritional element intake of the average Pakistani citizen through diet, not only because of large amounts consumed, but also in part by suitable levels of their proteins and elemental up take for good health. Thus the successful cultivation of quinoa in the semi-arid zone of Sindh will certainly prove beneficial.

scholarly journals Tardigrades of Kristianstads Vattenrike Biosphere Reserve with description of four new species from Sweden

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Edoardo Massa ◽  
Roberto Guidetti ◽  
Michele Cesari ◽  
Lorena Rebecchi ◽  
K. Ingemar Jönsson
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
New Records ◽  
Biosphere Reserve ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Sem Analysis ◽  
Morphological Data ◽  
Integrative Approach ◽  
Confocal Laser ◽  
Biological Value

AbstractKristianstads Vattenrike Biosphere Reserve [KVBR] is a UNESCO designated area of Sweden possessing high biological value. Although several studies on tardigrades inhabiting Sweden have been performed, the KVBR area has been neglected. The current study investigates the tardigrade fauna of five areas of the biosphere reserve and includes 34 samples of different substrates analysed quantitatively and qualitatively. In total, 33 species of tardigrades were found in the samples, including 22 new records for the Skåne region, 15 new records for Sweden, and four species new to science. Mesobiotus emiliae sp. nov., Xerobiotus gretae sp. nov., Itaquascon magnussoni sp. nov., and Thulinius gustavi sp. nov. were described with an integrative approach (when possible) using morphological characters (light, electron scanning, and confocal laser scanning microscopies) and molecular markers (ITS2, 18S, 28S, cox1). A new protocol to increase morphological data was developed recovering mounted specimens within old slides for SEM analysis. Emended diagnoses for the genus Itaquascon and the transfer of Platicrista itaquasconoide to the genus Meplitumen are proposed. This study enriches the knowledge of the tardigrade biodiversity both within the KVBR and in Sweden and contributes to the rapidly increasing number of tardigrade species reported worldwide. The 33 species identified in the KVBR area represents 28% of all water bear species found in Sweden so far. The restricted study areas and limited number of samples collected suggests that the KVBR is very rich of tardigrades.

scholarly journals Disentangling relationships among eastern Mediterranean Cymbalaria including description of a novel species from the southern Peloponnese (Greece)

2021 ◽  
Vol 307 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pau Carnicero ◽  
Núria Garcia-Jacas ◽  
Llorenç Sáez ◽  
Theophanis Constantinidis ◽  
Mercè Galbany-Casals
Keyword(s):  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Taxonomic Revision ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Molecular Data ◽  
Morphological Data ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Aegean Islands ◽  
Molecular Phylogenetic

AbstractThe eastern Mediterranean basin hosts a remarkably high plant diversity. Historical connections between currently isolated areas across the Aegean region and long-distance dispersal events have been invoked to explain current distribution patterns of species. According to most recent treatments, at least two Cymbalaria species occur in this area, Cymbalaria microcalyx and C. longipes. The former comprises several intraspecific taxa, treated at different ranks by different authors based on morphological data, evidencing the need of a taxonomic revision. Additionally, some populations of C. microcalyx show exclusive morphological characters that do not match any described taxon. Here, we aim to shed light on the systematics of eastern Mediterranean Cymbalaria and to propose a classification informed by various sources of evidence. We performed molecular phylogenetic analyses using ITS, 3’ETS, ndhF and rpl32-trnL sequences and estimated the ploidy level of some taxa performing relative genome size measures. Molecular data combined with morphology support the division of traditionally delimited C. microcalyx into C. acutiloba, C. microcalyx and C. minor, corresponding to well-delimited nrDNA lineages. Furthermore, we propose to combine C. microcalyx subsp. paradoxa at the species level. A group of specimens previously thought to belong to Cymbalaria microcalyx constitute a well-defined phylogenetic and morphological entity and are described here as a new species, Cymbalaria spetae. Cymbalaria longipes is non-monophyletic, but characterized by being glabrous and diploid, unlike other eastern species. The nrDNA data suggest at least two dispersals from the mainland to the Aegean Islands, potentially facilitated by marine regressions.

The Salt Marsh Yellowthroats of San Francisco

The Condor ◽  
1918 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 62-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
George W. Schussler
Keyword(s):  
Salt Marsh ◽  
San Francisco

scholarly journals The taxonomic history of Indo-Papuan groundsnakes, genus Stegonotus Duméril et al., 1854 (Colubridae), with some taxonomic revisions and the designation of a neotype for S. parvus (Meyer, 1874)

Zootaxa ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4512 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
CHRISTINE M. KAISER ◽  
HINRICH KAISER ◽  
MARK O’SHEA
Keyword(s):  
New Guinea ◽  
Molecular Data ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Morphological Data ◽  
Valid Species ◽  
Museum Specimens ◽  
Type Specimens ◽  
History Of ◽  
Original Species ◽  
Species Specific

Since its conceptualization in 1854, 29 species of the colubrid genus Stegonotus have been recognized or described, of which 15 (admiraltiensis, batjanensis, borneensis, cucullatus, derooijae, diehli, florensis, guentheri, iridis, heterurus, melanolabiatus, modestus, muelleri, parvus, poechi) are still considered valid today. Original species descriptions for the members of this genus were published in Dutch, English, French, German, and Italian and, perhaps as a consequence of these polyglot origins, there has been a considerable amount of confusion over which species names should be applied to which populations of Stegonotus throughout its range across Borneo, the Philippines, Wallacea, New Guinea, Australia, and associated archipelagos. In addition, the terminology used to notate characteristics in the descriptions of these forms was not uniform and may have added to the taxonomic confusion. In this paper, we trace in detail the history of the type specimens, the species, and the synonyms currently associated with the genus Stegonotus and provide a basic, species-specific listing of their characteristics, derived from our examination of over 1500 museum specimens. Based on our data, we are able to limit the distribution of S. modestus to the islands of Ambon, Buru, and Seram in the central Moluccas of Indonesian Wallacea. We correct the type locality of S. cucullatus to the Manokwari area on the Bird’s Head Peninsula of West Papua, Indonesian New Guinea and designate a neotype for S. parvus, a species likely to be a regional endemic in the Schouten Archipelago of Cenderawasih Bay (formerly Geelvink Bay), Indonesian New Guinea. We unequivocally identify and explain the problematic localities of the type specimens of S. muelleri and Lycodon muelleri, which currently reside in the same specimen jar. We remove L. aruensis and L. lividum from the synonymy of S. modestus and recognize them as S. aruensis n. comb. and S. lividus n. comb., respectively. We remove S. keyensis and Zamenophis australis from the synonymy of S. cucullatus and recognize them as S. keyensis n. comb. and S. australis n. comb., respectively. We further remove S. reticulatus from the synonymy of S. cucullatus, S. dorsalis from the synonymy of S. diehli, and S. sutteri from the synonymy of S. florensis. We designate lectotypes for S. guentheri, S. heterurus, S. lividus, and S. reticulatus. Lastly, we introduce S. poechi, a valid species not mentioned in the scientific literature since its description in 1924. This brings the diversity in the genus Stegonotus to 22 species. We also caution that in a complex group of organisms like Stegonotus any rush to taxonomic judgment on the basis of molecular and incomplete morphological data sets may perpetuate errors and introduce incongruities. Only through the careful work of connecting type material with museum specimens and molecular data can the taxonomy and nomenclature of complex taxa be stabilized. 

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