Several Amazonian species of Plukenetia are remarkably rich sources of polyunsaturated fatty acids, in particular α-linolenic acid. The lipid composition of the large-seeded, recently described 'Mountain Sacha Inchi' Plukenetia carolis-vegae is reported here for the first time, and compared with Plukenetia huayllabambana, two cultivars of Plukenetia volubilis, and a newly developed hybrid between P. volubilis and P.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTo date, more than 2400 valid fish species have been recorded in the Amazon basin. However, some regions remain poorly documented. This is the case in the Beni basin and in particular in one of its main sub-basins, the Tuichi, an Andean foothills rivers flowing through the Madidi National Park in the Bolivian Amazonia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Amazon basin holds the world's largest freshwater fish diversity. Information on the intensity and timing of reproductive ecology of Amazonian fish is scant. We use a metabarcoding method by capture using a single probe to quantify species-level ichthyoplankton dynamics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFis an Amazonian catfish highly appreciated for its high flesh quality, size, and commercial value. Its aquaculture is pursued to satisfy the demands of an increasing population in the region. However, knowledge of the nutritional needs during the early life stages is necessary for improving growth and reducing the incidence of cannibalism, factors that limit the success of its commercial farming.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDipteryx timber has been heavily exploited in South America since 2000s due to the increasing international demand for hardwood. Developing tools for the genetic identification of Dipteryx species and their geographical origin can help to promote legal trading of timber. A collection of 800 individual trees, belonging to 6 different Dipteryx species, was genotyped based on 171 molecular markers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThere is a high international demand for timber from the genus Dipteryx, or "shihuahuaco" as it is known in Peru. Developing tools that allow the identification and discrimination of Dipteryx species is therefore important for supporting management of natural populations and to underpin legal trade of its timber. The objective of this study was the molecular characterization of Dipteryx species in the Peruvian Amazonia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEvaluating biodiversity and understanding the processes involved in diversification are noticeable conservation issues in fishes subject to large, sometimes illegal, ornamental trade purposes. Here, the diversity and evolutionary history of the Neotropical dwarf cichlid genus Apistogramma from several South American countries are investigated. Mitochondrial and nuclear markers are used to infer phylogenetic relationships between 31 genetically identified species.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPigmented hemosporidian parasites that do not exhibit erthyrocytic schizogony, and infect birds, chelonians, and squamates, have been classified in various genera over time. These classifications have reflected vertebrate hosts, insect vectors, and variations in morphology and life history observed in representative species. Side-necked turtles ( Podocnemis spp.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPseudoplatystoma species are highly prized South American Pimelodid migratory catfishes. Until recently, their taxonomy was not clearly established, with discrepancies between morphological and molecular analyses. Here, Pseudoplatystoma species from the Peruvian Amazon were characterized at the molecular level from a sample representing the observed range of their color pattern variations in the study area.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhylogeographic patterns and sex-biased dispersal were studied in riverine populations of West Indian (Trichechus manatus) and Amazonian manatees (T. inunguis) in South America, using 410bp D-loop (Control Region, Mitochondrial DNA) sequences and 15 nuclear microsatellite loci. This multi-locus approach was key to disentangle complex patterns of gene flow among populations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe present a mtDNA analysis of Podocnemis expansa (n = 81) and Podocnemis unifilis (n = 228) turtles traded in Peru to evaluate the potential origin of these animals. In particular, we were interested in the relationship between samples reported in the Iquitos markets (IMs) and a Pacaya Samiria Natural Reserve (PSNR) where illegal hunting is presumed. Our mtDNA data showed that, for both species, all haplotypes found within the PSNR were observed in the IM, and that these markets also displayed haplotypes not documented in the reserve.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMol Phylogenet Evol
September 2010
We investigated demographic history and population structuring of Colossoma macropomum sampled from 14 localities in the Amazon basin and the Bolivian sub-basin; the two basins are separated by a series of 16 rapids. Although genetically differentiated, IMa analyses suggest non-zero bi-directional migration rates, and inter-basin divergence of approximately 17 thousand years ago. Analyses in BEAST indicated that Bolivian C.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe phylogenetic relationships within the piranhas were assessed using mitochondrial sequences with the aim of testing several hypotheses proposed to explain the origin of Neotropical diversity (palaeogeography, hydrogeology and museum hypotheses). Sequences of the ribosomal 16S gene (510 bp) and control region (980 bp) were obtained from 15 localities throughout the main South American rivers for 21 of the 28 extant piranha species. The results indicate that the genus Serrasalmus is monophyletic and comprises three major clades.
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