The multigenerational effects of water contamination and endocrine disrupting chemicals on the fitness of .

Water pollution due to human activities produces sedimentation, excessive nutrients, and toxic chemicals, and this, in turn, has an effect on the normal endocrine functioning of living beings. Overall, water pollution may affect some components of the fitness of organisms (e.g.

A likelihood inference of historical biogeography in the world's most diverse terrestrial vertebrate genus: diversification of direct-developing frogs (Craugastoridae: Pristimantis) across the Neotropics.

The geology of the northern Andean region has driven the evolutionary history of Neotropical fauna through the creation of barriers and connections that have resulted in speciation and dispersal events, respectively. One of the most conspicuous groups of anuran fauna in the Andes and surrounding areas is the direct-developing species of the genus Pristimantis. We investigated the molecular phylogenetic placement of 12 species from the montane Andes of Colombia in a broader geographical context with a new genus-level phylogeny in order to identify the role of Andean orogeny over the last 40million years and the effect of elevational differences in diversification of Pristimantis.

Evidence for adaptive divergence of thermal responses among Bemisia tabaci populations from tropical Colombia following a recent invasion.

There is an increasing evidence that populations of ectotherms can diverge genetically in response to different climatic conditions, both within their native range and (in the case of invasive species) in their new range. Here, we test for such divergence in invasive whitefly Bemisia tabaci populations in tropical Colombia, by considering heritable variation within and between populations in survival and fecundity under temperature stress, and by comparing population differences with patterns established from putatively neutral microsatellite markers. We detected significant differences among populations linked to mean temperature (for survival) and temperature variation (for fecundity) in local environments.

Blood puncture as a nondestructive sampling tool to obtain DNA in frogs: comparison of protocols and survival analysis.

In molecular biology studies of Anura, nondestructive methods to obtain genetic material are needed as alternatives to toe clipping. This work evaluates a nondestructive method for sampling DNA from blood puncture, comparing the performance of three different extraction protocols (Qiagen Kit, Salting-out and Chelex). We collected 134 individuals of Eleutherodactylus johnstonei, extracting blood via puncture of the medial vein using commercial-grade glucometer lancets.

Genetic variability of five Periplaneta americana L. (Dyctioptera: Blattidae) populations in southwestern Colombia using the AFLP molecular marker technique.

The genetic structure of five Periplaneta americana (L.) populations from three cities (Cali, Popayán and Buenaventura) located in southwestern Colombia was estimated using the AFLP molecular marker technique. A set of 174 loci were analyzed, 120 of which were polymorphic.