Diet of Andean Leaf-Eared Mice () Living at Extreme Elevations on Atacama Volcanoes: Insights From Metagenomics, DNA Metabarcoding, and Stable Isotopes.

On the flanks of > 6000 m Andean volcanoes that tower over the Atacama Desert, leaf-eared mice () live at extreme elevations that surpass known vegetation limits. The diet of these mice in these barren, hyperarid environments has been the subject of much speculation. According to the arthropod fallout hypothesis, sustenance is provided by windblown insects that accumulate in snowdrifts ("aolian deposits").

Diet of Andean leaf-eared mice () living at extreme elevations on Atacama volcanoes: insights from metagenomics, DNA metabarcoding, and stable isotopes.

On the flanks of >6000 m Andean volcanoes that tower over the Atacama Desert, leaf-eared mice () live at extreme elevations that surpass known vegetation limits. What the mice eat in these barren, hyperarid environments has been the subject of much speculation. According to the arthropod fallout hypothesis, sustenance is provided by windblown insects that accumulate in snowdrifts ('aolian deposits').

Comparing trophic position estimates using bulk and compound specific stable isotope analyses: applying new approaches to mackerel icefish .

Quantifying the tropic position (TP) of an animal species is key to understanding its ecosystem function. While both bulk and compound-specific analyses of stable isotopes are widely used for this purpose, few studies have assessed the consistency between and within such approaches. is a specialist teleost that predates almost exclusively on Antarctic krill .

Biomarker selection depends on gene function and organ: the case of the cytochrome P450 family genes in freshwater fish exposed to chronic pollution.

Pollution and its effects have been of major concern in recent decades. Many strategies and markers have been developed to assess their effects on biota. Cytochrome P450 (CYP) genes have received significant attention in this context because of their relationship with detoxification and activation of exogenous compounds.

Uniparental and biparental markers unravel invasion pathways, population admixture, and genetic structure in naturalized rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).

The present study combined uniparental mtDNA and biparental SNPs to illuminate the invasion and colonization pathways of rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, one of the world's most widespread invasive fishes, that has been intensively propagated in Chile, South America. The specific aims of the study were (i) to evaluate potential donor populations, which could be either from the species' native range in North America or from introduced populations in Europe, by comparing mtDNA D-loop/control region haplotypes; and (ii) to assess the factors that have shaped genetic diversity and contemporary genetic structure of rainbow trout populations introduced to Chile through SNP genotyping. The authors comprehensively sampled 24 sites in 12 basins ranging from the High Andean Plateau (Altiplano, 18° S) to northern Patagonia (41° S).

NEOTROPICAL FRESHWATER FISHES: A dataset of occurrence and abundance of freshwater fishes in the Neotropics.

The Neotropical region hosts 4225 freshwater fish species, ranking first among the world's most diverse regions for freshwater fishes. Our NEOTROPICAL FRESHWATER FISHES data set is the first to produce a large-scale Neotropical freshwater fish inventory, covering the entire Neotropical region from Mexico and the Caribbean in the north to the southern limits in Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay. We compiled 185,787 distribution records, with unique georeferenced coordinates, for the 4225 species, represented by occurrence and abundance data.

Chilean Salmon Sushi: Genetics Reveals Product Mislabeling and a Lack of Reliable Information at the Point of Sale.

Species diagnosis is essential to assess the level of mislabeling or misnamed seafood products such as sushi. In Chile, sushi typically includes salmon as the main ingredient, but species used are rarely declared on the menu. In order to identify which species are included in the Chilean sushi market, we analyzed 84 individual sushi rolls sold as "salmon" from sushi outlets in ten cities across Chile.

Morphological and taxonomic descriptions of a new genus and species of killifishes (Teleostei: Cyprinodontiformes) from the high Andes of northern Chile.

A new genus and species, Pseudorestias lirimensis, is described from the southern part of the Chilean Altiplano. While sharing several characters that clearly align the new species with Orestias, this new fish is characterized by numerous autapomorphies: the Meckel cartilage is a continuous cartilage that broadly expands posteriorly (in large specimens, it keeps its anterior part and is resorbed posteriorly), the basibranchials are fused into one long element, the second pharyngobranchial is not displaced dorsally over pharyngobranchial tooth plate 3+4, but they are aligned, the anterior and posterior ceratohyals are closely articulated keeping a scarce amount of cartilage between both bones and ventral to them, ossified middle and distal dorsal radials are present in females as well as ossified middle and distal anal radials. Pseudorestias lirimensis presents strong sexual dimorphism associated to size.

Understanding morphological variability in a taxonomic context in Chilean diplomystids (Teleostei: Siluriformes), including the description of a new species.

Following study of the external morphology and its unmatched variability throughout ontogeny and a re-examination of selected morphological characters based on many specimens of diplomystids from Central and South Chile, we revised and emended previous specific diagnoses and consider , , , and (Baker River) to be valid species. Another group, previously identified as sp., .

The complete mitochondrial genome of the endemic and threatened killifish Orestias ascotanensis Parenti, 1984 (Cyprinodontiformes, Cyprinodontidae) from the High Andes.

The killifish Orestias ascotanensis is endemic to the small isolated springs of Ascotán salt pan in the Central High Andes, Chile. Due to small populations, mining activity, and increasing aridity, this species is catalogued in danger of extinction. The complete mitochondrial genome of O.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the killifish Orestias sp. (Cyprinodontiformes, Cyprinodontidae) from the high Andean range.

The killifish genus Orestias is endemic to freshwater ecosystems in the High Andes of Peru, Bolivia and Chile. Phylogenetic and phylogeographic studies with partial mitochondrial genes have failed to resolve relationship among species, needing more comprehensive approaches. In this study, we described the complete mitochondrial genome of Orestias sp.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the rocky reef fish Cheilodactylus variegatus Valenciennes, 1833 (Teleostei: Cheilodactylidae).

Cheilodactylus variegatus is a common benthivorous marine fish inhabiting in rocky subtidal habitats in the eastern south Pacific coast of Chile and Peru. However, its biology and ecology are relatively understudied and its taxonomic assignment has been debated recently. The complete mitochondrial genome was assembled de novo and mapped to a reference using 5.

Next generation sequencing yields the complete mitochondrial genome of the Endangered Chilean silverside Basilichthys microlepidotus (Jenyns, 1841) (Teleostei, Atherinopsidae), validated with RNA-seq.

The complete sequence of the mitochondrial genome for the Chilean silverside Basilichthys microlepidotus is reported for the first time. The entire mitochondrial genome was 16,544 bp in length (GenBank accession no. KM245937); gene composition and arrangement was conformed to that reported for most fishes and contained the typical structure of 2 rRNAs, 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNAs and a non-coding region.