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Phellinotus (Polyporales) is a common genus of wood-decay fungi in tropical and subtropical areas, endemic to the Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest (SDTF) biome. However, Phellinotus diversity remains unexplored, despite being a major threat to living trees. Therefore, this study is aimed at confirming and characterizing through morphological and molecular data the first isolates of Phellinotus teixeirae in Pithecellobium dulce (Fabaceae) trees (locally referred to as 'Chiminango') from the endangered Colombian SDTF biome. Fifteen fungal specimens were recovered from living P. dulce trees, in the urban area and at the Universidad del Valle campus, and classified as P. teixeirae based on taxonomical descriptors. Phylogenetic relationships were inferred from a four-loci dataset (ribosomal and gene-coding regions), including 82 taxa covering 3991 nucleotide positions. The analysis recovered seven highly supported (>90% bootstrapping) monophyletic taxa of the 'Phellinotus Clade', and confirmed the new distribution range of P. teixeirae (100% bootstrap support), which extends approx. 1000 km north in the Neotropics. Hierarchical stratified Analysis of MOlecular VAriance (AMOVA) provided a clear genetic distinction between species (70% of variation, p-value = 0.001) and low differentiation among country of origin within species (11%, p-value = 0.044). Discriminant Analysis for Principal Components (DAPC) indicated complex clustering including closely related species, probably a signal of recent radiation and weak species boundaries. Median-joining haplotype network analysis identified unique haplotypes, which may correlate with new host colonization and population expansion (Tajima's D ≤ −0.5). In conclusion, this study provides the first assessment of the genetic diversity of P. teixeirae in a novel geography (SDTP) and host tree (P. dulce). However, increasing the number of isolates remains critical to understand further the genus' distribution patterns and drivers of genetic diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with 45 species and 27 genera belonging to all three tortricidae subfamilies (24 Tortricinae, 7 Chlidanotinae, 14 Olethreutinae). 20 species are described as new. These are: Netechma cordillerana sp. n., Lobogenesis trematerrae sp. n., Transtillaspis atheles sp. n., Orthocomotis tambitoa sp. n., Orthocomotis miranda sp. n., Sisurcana gnosta sp. n., Holoptygma lingunca sp. n., Auratonota mimstigmosa sp. n., Auratonota meion sp. n., Hilarographa sepidmarginata sp. n., Hilarographa belizastrum sp. n., Hilarographa odontia sp. n., Omiostola basiramula sp. n., Omiostola detodesma sp. n., Hedya zoyphium sp. n., Tsinilla unciphrona sp. n., Pseudexentera tambitoana sp. n., Tambitnotia tambita sp.n., Pseydexentera dolicha sp. n., Ricula caucae sp. n., and Tambitnotia gen. n. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the historical conditions of two debates about evolution in nineteenth century Colombia. The aim is to show how Darwin's was understood within colombian intellectual context, and how some intellectuals generated positions along the theory. The way they were constructed, References, opinions, persuasion capability, among others are very important to understand the main characteristics of scientific discourse, and examples to create authority and credibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temporal variation in the connectivity of populations of migratory animals has not been widely documented, despite having important repercussions for population ecology and conservation. Because the long-distance movements of migratory animals link ecologically distinct and geographically distant areas of the world, changes in the abundance and migratory patterns of species may reflect differential drivers of demographic trends acting over various spatial scales. Using stable hydrogen isotope analyses (δ2H) of feathers from historical museum specimens and contemporary samples obtained in the field, we provide evidence for an approximately 600 km northward shift over 45 years in the breeding origin of a species of songbird of major conservation concern (blackpoll warbler, Setophaga striata) wintering in the foothills of the eastern Andes of Colombia. Our finding mirrors predictions of range shifts for boreal-breeding species under warming climate scenarios and habitat loss in the temperate zone, and underscores likely drivers of widespread declines in populations of migratory birds. Our work also highlights the value of natural history collections to document the effects of global change on biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dengue fever is a major public health problem in Colombia. A fever surveillance study was conducted for evaluation of the clinical, epidemiological, and molecular patterns of dengue, prior to Chikungunya and Zika epidemics.Methods: In November 2011-February 2014, a passive facility-based surveillance was implemented in Santa Cruz Hospital, Medellin, and enrolled eligible febrile patients between 1 and 65 years-of-age. Acute and convalescent blood samples were collected 10-21 days apart and tested for dengue using IgM/IgG ELISA. RNA was extracted for serotyping using RT-PCR on acute samples and genotyping was performed by sequencing.Results: Among 537 febrile patients enrolled during the study period, 29% (n = 155) were identified to be dengue-positive. Only 7% of dengue cases were hospitalized, but dengue-positive patients were 2.6 times more likely to be hospitalized, compared to non-dengue cases, based on a logistic regression. From those tested with RT-PCR (n = 173), 17 were dengue-confirmed based on PCR and/or virus isolation showing mostly DENV-3 (n = 9) and DENV-4 (n = 7) with 1 DENV-1. Genotyping results showed that: DENV-1 isolate belongs to the genotype V or American/African genotype; DENV-3 isolates belong to genotype III; and DENV-4 isolates belong to the II genotype and specifically to the IIb sub-genotype or linage.Conclusions: Our surveillance documented considerable dengue burden in Santa Cruz comuna during non-epidemic years, and genetic diversity of circulating DENV isolates, captured prior to Chikungunya epidemic in 2014 and Zika epidemic in 2015. Our study findings underscore the need for continued surveillance and monitoring of dengue and other arboviruses and serve as epidemiological and molecular evidence base for future studies to assess changes in DENV transmission in Medellin, given emerging and re-emerging arboviral diseases in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A systematic Sm-Nd isotopic study is reported for Paleoproterozoic to Late Paleozoic strata from the Dongchuan area in the southwestern Yangtze Block. The results, combined with the available detrital zircon U-Pb ages and Hf isotope data, constrain the provenances of these sedimentary rocks and further identify three important tectono-magmatic activities. Most of the Paleo-Mesoproterozoic samples (Dongchuan Group) display a wide TDM2 range of 1.92–2.52 Ga with corresponding εNd(t) values of +4.0 to −3.5, suggesting Paleoproterozoic-dominated provenances mixed with mantle-derived materials. This corresponds to the ~1.7–1.5 Ga mafic magmatic activities commonly occurred in the southwestern Yangtze Block, which are related to the early breakup of the Columbia supercontinent. The obvious vale of TDM2 and apex of εNd(t) occurred in the Neoproterozoic strata (~0.8 Ga) of the southwestern margin over the whole Yangtze Block. This is consistent with the widely recognized mantle-derived magmatism around the Yangtze Block related to the breakup of Rodinia. However, the decreases in Nd model ages are different among various regions, indicating that the Neoproterozoic mantle inputs are more profound in the southwestern and central Yangtze Block than the southeastern Yangtze and the Jiangnan orogenic belt. The late Ediacaran to early Cambrian strata from the southwestern Yangtze exhibit a decrease in TDM2 (from 2.00 to 1.67 Ga) and increase in εNd(t) (from −9.0 to −5.2). This is in accordance with the coeval juvenile crustal materials discovered in the northwestern Yangtze, which were probably derived from the assembly of the Gondwana continent. Thus, a Gondwanan affinity is suggested for the southwestern Yangtze Block. Overall, the Nd isotopic studies of the Paleoproterozoic to Late Paleozoic sedimentary strata from the southwestern Yangtze Block identified three major episodes of magmatic activities, late Paleoproterozoic (~1.7 Ga), Neoproterozoic (~0.8 Ga) and late Neoproterozoic-early Cambrian (~0.55 Ga) in the context of Columbia, Rodinia and the subsequent Gondwana supercontinents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To be able to survive, Helicobacter pylori must adhere to the gastric epithelial cells of its human host. For this purpose, the bacterium employs an array of adhesins, for example, AlpA. The adhesin AlpA has been proposed as a major adhesin because of its critical role in human stomach colonization. Therefore, understanding how AlpA evolved could be important for the development of new diagnostic strategies. However, the genetic variation and microevolutionary patterns of alpA have not been described in Colombia. The study aim was to describe the variation patterns and microevolutionary process of alpA in Colombian clinical isolates of H. pylori. The existing polymorphisms, which are deviations from the neutral model of molecular evolution, and the genetic differentiation of the alpA gene from Colombian clinical isolates of H. pylori were determined. The analysis shows that gene conversion and purifying selection have shaped the evolution of three different variants of alpA in Colombia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]