Publications by authors named "Leandro M Sousa"

In the Amazon, some species of Loricariidae are at risk of extinction due to habitat loss and overexploitation by the ornamental fish market. Cytogenetic data related to the karyotype and meiotic cycle can contribute to understanding the reproductive biology and help management and conservation programs of these fish. Additionally, chromosomal mapping of repetitive DNA in Loricariidae may aid comparative genomic studies in this family.

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Article Synopsis
  • Loricariidae are a diverse group of neotropical fish with around 1026 species, making them the most diverse within the Siluriformes order.
  • This study focuses on the chromosomal mapping of the histone multigene family and U2 snRNA in two species, revealing varied patterns of histone distribution and the presence of U2 snDNA in specific chromosomal regions.
  • The findings highlight the complex dispersion of multigene families and suggest that transposable elements and recombination processes play significant roles in the evolutionary dynamics of these fish genomes.
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Hydropower is a threat to freshwater fishes. Despite a recent boom in dam construction, few studies have assessed their impact on mega-diverse tropical rivers. Using a before-after study design, we investigated the early impacts of the Belo Monte hydroelectric complex, the third-largest hydropower project in the world, on fishes of the Xingu River, a major clear-water tributary of the lower Amazon.

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Building dams for hydroelectric use causes several negative effects on the aquatic fauna with special attention to fish communities. In fact, among other impacts, dams act as a barrier for migratory fish, causing discontinuities in rivers and not allowing fish to move to the headwaters to breed and back to the lower portions of rivers, to grow. For more than 300 years, fishways have been used to minimize the impact of dams.

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Baryancistrus xanthellus (Loricariidae) is an endemic fish species from the Xingu River basin with its life history in the shallow rapid waters flowing over bedrock substrates. In order to investigate the genetic diversity and demographic history of B. xanthellus we analyzed sequence data for one mitochondrial gene (Cyt b) and introns 1 and 5 of nuclear genes Prolactin (Prl) and Ribosomal Protein L3 (RPL3).

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Hopliancistrus is an Ancistrini genus diagnosed by having few and very strong cheek odontodes on interopercular area, and a patch of strong and stiff odontodes on the antero-lateral border of the snout. The type species is herein redescribed based on types and recently collected specimens. In addition, four new congeneric species are described based on specimens collected in other parts of the Rio Xingu and Rio Tapajós basins.

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A recent study based on genomic data by Roxo et al. (2019) provided a phylogeny of the Loricariidae, the largest catfish family and second largest Neotropical fish family with approximately 1,000 species. The study represents a valuable and innovative contribution for understanding higher-level relationships within the family.

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The Amazon Basin is an unquestionable biodiversity hotspot, containing the highest freshwater biodiversity on earth and facing off a recent increase in anthropogenic threats. The current knowledge on the spatial distribution of the freshwater fish species is greatly deficient in this basin, preventing a comprehensive understanding of this hyper-diverse ecosystem as a whole. Filling this gap was the priority of a transnational collaborative project, i.

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Loricariidae is a diverse group of fish from the neotropical region, occupying a wide variety of freshwater environments. Cytogenetic data have brought important insights into Loricariidae diversity because they help validate undescribed species as well as our understanding of inter- and intraspecific diversity. However, conventional cytogenetic approaches are limited in their ability to detect variability in some lineages, as seen in the Peckoltia clade, owing to their apparent conserved karyotype.

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Loricariidae family comprises the greatest variability of Neotropical catfish species, with more than 800 valid species. This family shows significant chromosomal diversity. Mapping of repetitive DNA sequences can be very useful in exploring such diversity, especially among groups that appear to share a preserved karyotypic macrostructure.

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Despite growing interest in trait-based approaches to community assembly, little attention has been given to seasonal variation in trait distribution patterns. Mobile animals can rapidly mediate influences of environmental factors and species interactions through dispersal, suggesting that the relative importance of different assembly mechanisms can vary over short time scales. This study analyzes seasonal changes in functional trait distributions of tropical fishes in the Xingu River, a major tributary of the Amazon with large predictable temporal variation in hydrologic conditions and species density.

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The monotypic species Ossubtus xinguense was originally described based on scarce material putatively divided into juveniles and adults. Ossubtus xinguense has a restricted distribution and was previously known only from a few rapids downstream of the city of Altamira, in the Volta Grande stretch of the Middle Xingu River. Until recently, the species was rare in museums because its habitat (large rapids) is difficult to sample.

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The diversity of Hypancistrus species in the Xingu River is remarkable and the variation in color morphs represents a real challenge to taxonomists to delimit species boundaries. One of the most recognizable Hypancistrus complexes is the worm-lined species, known in the aquarium trade as King Tiger Plec in English, Hypancistrus "pão" in Portuguese or under the L-numbers L066 and L333 that represent two melanic pigment pattern phenotypes. To assess the identity of these two phenotypes, we described their karyotypes and sequenced part of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene (DNA barcode).

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Structural chromosome changes are widely described in different vertebrate groups and generate genetic, phenotypic and behavioral diversity. During the evolution of loricariids, several rearrangements (fissions, fusions, inversions) seem to have occurred. Hypancistrus, tribe Ancistrini, are highly demanded for fishkeeping around the world.

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Erythrocharax altipinnis is described from the Serra do Cachimbo, Pará, Brazil. The new taxon is distinguished from all of the Characidae genera by having the pelvic bones firmly attached through the isquiatic processes; a nearly triangular hiatus in the musculature covering the anterior chamber of the swim bladder between the first and second pleural ribs (pseudotympanum); the pedunculate, notably expanded and distally compressed teeth in both jaws; circumorbital series represented by antorbital and four infraorbital bones with laterosensory canals not enclosed; a single tooth row in the premaxillary with the teeth perfectly aligned and similar in shape and cusp number; the first three branched dorsal-fin rays distinctly elongate in males; a bright red adipose and caudal fins in life; a conspicuous dark midlateral stripe extending from the opercle to the tip of the median caudal-fin rays; and by the absence of a humeral spot. The phylogenetic position of the new taxon is discussed using morphological and molecular datasets, with conflicting results of both approaches discussed.

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This work presents a detailed study about the adsorption of iron(III)-thiocyanate complexes onto unloaded polyether-type polyurethane foam (PUF). A novel strategy was employed for this purpose, utilizing the adjustment of the plug cylinder of PUF to the arm of an overhead stirrer. The system was characterized in relation to equilibrium and kinetic aspects and it was modeled by applying Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms.

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