Reig's short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis reigi) was recently described morphologically, based on ... more Reig's short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis reigi) was recently described morphologically, based on a single specimen from southeastern Venezuela. It was considered most similar to M. adusta, which is allopatrically distributed in the Andes and surrounding areas, but there has not been an explicit study of systematic relationships with other species of Monodelphis. We report the first occurrence from Guyana of this rare species that was previously known by only the holotype. In a molecular phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial cytochrome b sequence variation, it groups within a well-supported monophyletic clade that includes M. adusta, M. handleyi, M. osgoodi, and M. peruviana. M. adusta was found to be the sister taxon to the rest of the adusta-complex. M. reigi is the basal taxon (sister species) of remaining adusta-complex forms. This corroborates earlier morphological studies suggesting close affinity of these taxa. As presently known, M. reigi is endemic to the highland regions (41,000 m asl) of the Guiana Shield of northern South America, and is the only taxon within the M. adusta species complex that does not occur in the Andes or adjacent lowland regions. Based on previous molecular dating of Didelphidae, this suggests that there was a dispersal event from the Andes to the Guiana Highlands in the Miocene that gave rise to M. reigi.
Research on mammals in the Guianas of northern South America has had a checkered history. In this... more Research on mammals in the Guianas of northern South America has had a checkered history. In this review, I summarize the notable contributions to mammalogical study in Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana. These studies began in the mid-18th century with the binomial nomenclature system of scientific classification created by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus, who described 23 species new to science based on holotype specimens from the Guianas. Notwithstanding popular accounts by amateur naturalists visiting this region, over the next 7 decades there was only sporadic taxonomic work done on Guianan mammals primarily by researchers at European museums. The first comprehensive biological exploration took place in the 1840's during a geographic survey of the boundaries of British Guiana. But it was not until almost half a century later that scientific publications began to regularly document the increasing species diversity in the region, including the prodigious work of Oldfield Thomas at the British Museum of Natural History in London. Another lull in the study of mammals occurred in the mid-1910's to the early 1960's after which foreign researchers began to rediscover the Guianas and their pristine habitats. This biological renaissance is still ongoing and I give a prospectus on the direction of future research in one of the last frontiers of tropical rainforest. An initiative that would be greatly beneficial is the establishment of a university network in the Guianas with graduate-based research to develop a cadre of professional experts on biodiversity and evolution as seen in other countries of South America. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
We report on the first comprehensive DNA barcoding survey of bats from Jamaica and compare the ge... more We report on the first comprehensive DNA barcoding survey of bats from Jamaica and compare the genetic variation to similar species on South America and Central America. Bats comprise the majority of mammalian diversity in typical lowland forest in the Neotropics, but the Caribbean is one noticeable geographic gap in the International Barcode of Life reference database. Of the 20 known species reported from Jamaica, half were DNA barcoded and were genetically distinct with interspecific variation ranging from 17 to 33%. By contrast, intraspecific variation ranged from 0 to 0.5% indicating that the barcode gap was sufficient in differentiating bat species diversity in Jamaica. The low levels of intraspecific divergence indicate that the populations within each species are relatively homogeneous across the island. There were, however, several cases of high sequence divergence for widely distributed species that occur on both the Caribbean islands and the continental mainland, which wa...
This list includes the 225 species of mammals recorded from Guyana with the museum or literature ... more This list includes the 225 species of mammals recorded from Guyana with the museum or literature source documenting occurrence. There may be another 22 species of mammals from Guyana, in which case this list represents about 91% of the possible diversity. If a species is represented by a voucher specimen at ROM, then no other institutions are listed.
... the high diploid and fundamental number karyotype of Ecto-phylla as the basal lineage followe... more ... the high diploid and fundamental number karyotype of Ecto-phylla as the basal lineage followed by a successivly derived karyotype for Chiro-derma and then a ... The 2n = 26 and FN = 48 karyotype of all species of Chiroderma, V. bidens, and V. nymphaea would be at the node ...
Cases of geographically restricted co-occurring sister taxa are rare and may point to potential d... more Cases of geographically restricted co-occurring sister taxa are rare and may point to potential divergence with gene flow. The two bat species Murina gracilis and M. recondita are both endemic to Taiwan and are putative sister species. To test for non-allopatric divergence and gene flow in these taxa, we generated sequences using Sanger and Next Generation Sequencing, and combined these with microsatellite data for coalescent-based analyses. MtDNA phylogenies supported the reciprocally monophyletic sister relationship between M. gracilis and M. recondita, however, clustering of microsatellite genotypes revealed several cases of species admixture suggesting possible introgression. Sequencing of microsatellite flanking regions revealed that admixture signatures stemmed from microsatellite allele homoplasy rather than recent introgressive hybridization, and also uncovered an unexpected sister relationship between M. recondita and the continental species M. eleryi, to the exclusion of M. gracilis. To dissect the basis of these conflicts between ncDNA and mtDNA, we analysed sequences from 10 anonymous ncDNA loci with *BEAST and isolation-with-migration (IM) and found two distinct clades of M. eleryi, one of which was sister to M. recondita. We conclude that Taiwan was colonized by the ancestor of M. gracilis first, followed by the ancestor of M. recondita after a period of allopatric divergence. After colonization, the mitochondrial genome of M. recondita was replaced by that of the resident M. gracilis. This study illustrates how apparent signatures of sympatric divergence can arise from complex histories of allopatric divergence, colonization and hybridization, thus highlighting the need for rigorous analyses to distinguish between such scenarios. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
A small mammal survey was conducted in the Bakhuis Mountains of western Suriname in South America... more A small mammal survey was conducted in the Bakhuis Mountains of western Suriname in South America as part of a larger environmental and social impact assessment for a proposed bauxite mining concession. The objectives were to establish a baseline study of species diversity and relative abundance for comparison of seasonality, areas, and habitats to facilitate the identification and monitoring of potential impacts of mining to the environment. There were 83 species of small mammals documented comprising 68 species of bats, 8 species of rats and mice, and 7 species of opossums. The most abundant bat was the Seba's short-tailed bat, Carollia perspicillata Linnaeus, which was recorded at all six study sites. The most abundant non-volant small mammal was the Guianan spiny rat, Proechimys guyannensis E. Geoffroy. Noteworthy discoveries during the survey include the documentation of four species of bats new to the fauna of Suriname (Cyttarops alecto Thomas, smoky sheath-tailed bat; Saccopteryx gymnura Thomas; least two-lined sac-winged bat; Diaemus youngi Jentink; bird-feeding vampire bat; and Lasiurus egregius Peters, greater red bat). There were no obvious differences between the dry and wet season samplings that were attributable directly to climatic conditions. In terms of spatial variation, the relative abundance of bats among the five study sites within the concession area was similar to each other, but significantly different from a sixth study site at a nearby ecotourism operation, which had large numbers of three species (C. perspicillata; Molossus molossus, common free-tailed bat; and Sturnira lilium, little yellowshouldered bat) that are better adapted to human modified surroundings. This suggests that the recent mining explorations in Bakhuis have had a relatively minor impact on bats and that the otherwise pristine forests within the concession can tolerate low levels of disturbance in proportionally small areas over a short duration. For specific habitats, the xeric forest on plateaus had a reduced subset of species of small mammals that were found in the mesic forest of the surrounding lowland regions, which was acting as a species reservoir for upland areas. Small mammals, in particular bats as primary seed dispersers and flower pollinators, are important components of the ecosystem for the successful reforestation of natural habitats, and factors related to community structure are good indicators of the health of the environment.
Evolutionary Biology – Concepts, Molecular and Morphological Evolution, 2010
A phylogenetic analysis of loci from the four genetic transmission pathways in mammals (mitochond... more A phylogenetic analysis of loci from the four genetic transmission pathways in mammals (mitochondrial, autosomal, X, and Y sex chromosomes) was used to investigate the evolution of bats in the pantropically distributed family Emballonuridae. The nuclear data sets support a monophyletic clade of species found in the New World. Character optimization of distributional areas suggests that the most recent common
Pancreatic ribonuclease (RNASE1) is a digestive enzyme that has been one of the key models in stu... more Pancreatic ribonuclease (RNASE1) is a digestive enzyme that has been one of the key models in studies of evolutionary innovation and functional diversification. It has been believed that the RNASE1 gene duplications are correlated with the plant-feeding adaptation of foregut-fermenting herbivores. Here, we characterized RNASE1 genes from Caniformia, which has a simple digestive system and lacks microbial digestion typical of herbivores, in an unprecedented scope based on both gene sequence and tissue expression analyses. Remarkably, the results yielded new hypotheses regarding the evolution and the function of Caniformia RNASE1 genes. Four independent gene duplication events in the families of superfamily Musteloidea, including Procyonidae, Ailuridae, Mephitidae and Mustelidae, were recovered, rejecting previous Mustelidae-specific duplication hypothesis, but supporting Musteloidea duplication hypothesis. Moreover, our analyses revealed pronounced differences among the RNASE1 gene c...
sections provide numerous additional references for those requiring further information. The book... more sections provide numerous additional references for those requiring further information. The book should be on the library shelves of any researchers, government agencies and non-government conservation and scientific organizations studying seabird biology and/ or the conservation of seabirds. Errors appear to be few -the reference to Wilson et al. (1985) cited on page 116 is not listed in that chapter's literature cited section, which includes two references that don't appear to have been cited. However, since most of the chapters are written as scientific papers, some may be too technical for some readers. The review by Cooper et al. of legal and quasilegal aspects of the issue provides a valuable reference compendium, but is so riddled with acronyms that I found myself wishing for a glossary. I also hope that the seven abstracts at the end of the book are expanded into full papers somewhere. As valuable a contribution as the book is in itself, this volume will undoubtedly also stimulate more research that will require another update before long. Such an update could usefully also include papers or chapters on aquatic bird bycatch of fisheries on inland waters, such as those of the Great Lakes, several large prairie province lakes and similar lakes on other continents.
Reig's short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis reigi) was recently described morphologically, based on ... more Reig's short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis reigi) was recently described morphologically, based on a single specimen from southeastern Venezuela. It was considered most similar to M. adusta, which is allopatrically distributed in the Andes and surrounding areas, but there has not been an explicit study of systematic relationships with other species of Monodelphis. We report the first occurrence from Guyana of this rare species that was previously known by only the holotype. In a molecular phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial cytochrome b sequence variation, it groups within a well-supported monophyletic clade that includes M. adusta, M. handleyi, M. osgoodi, and M. peruviana. M. adusta was found to be the sister taxon to the rest of the adusta-complex. M. reigi is the basal taxon (sister species) of remaining adusta-complex forms. This corroborates earlier morphological studies suggesting close affinity of these taxa. As presently known, M. reigi is endemic to the highland regions (41,000 m asl) of the Guiana Shield of northern South America, and is the only taxon within the M. adusta species complex that does not occur in the Andes or adjacent lowland regions. Based on previous molecular dating of Didelphidae, this suggests that there was a dispersal event from the Andes to the Guiana Highlands in the Miocene that gave rise to M. reigi.
Research on mammals in the Guianas of northern South America has had a checkered history. In this... more Research on mammals in the Guianas of northern South America has had a checkered history. In this review, I summarize the notable contributions to mammalogical study in Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana. These studies began in the mid-18th century with the binomial nomenclature system of scientific classification created by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus, who described 23 species new to science based on holotype specimens from the Guianas. Notwithstanding popular accounts by amateur naturalists visiting this region, over the next 7 decades there was only sporadic taxonomic work done on Guianan mammals primarily by researchers at European museums. The first comprehensive biological exploration took place in the 1840's during a geographic survey of the boundaries of British Guiana. But it was not until almost half a century later that scientific publications began to regularly document the increasing species diversity in the region, including the prodigious work of Oldfield Thomas at the British Museum of Natural History in London. Another lull in the study of mammals occurred in the mid-1910's to the early 1960's after which foreign researchers began to rediscover the Guianas and their pristine habitats. This biological renaissance is still ongoing and I give a prospectus on the direction of future research in one of the last frontiers of tropical rainforest. An initiative that would be greatly beneficial is the establishment of a university network in the Guianas with graduate-based research to develop a cadre of professional experts on biodiversity and evolution as seen in other countries of South America. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
We report on the first comprehensive DNA barcoding survey of bats from Jamaica and compare the ge... more We report on the first comprehensive DNA barcoding survey of bats from Jamaica and compare the genetic variation to similar species on South America and Central America. Bats comprise the majority of mammalian diversity in typical lowland forest in the Neotropics, but the Caribbean is one noticeable geographic gap in the International Barcode of Life reference database. Of the 20 known species reported from Jamaica, half were DNA barcoded and were genetically distinct with interspecific variation ranging from 17 to 33%. By contrast, intraspecific variation ranged from 0 to 0.5% indicating that the barcode gap was sufficient in differentiating bat species diversity in Jamaica. The low levels of intraspecific divergence indicate that the populations within each species are relatively homogeneous across the island. There were, however, several cases of high sequence divergence for widely distributed species that occur on both the Caribbean islands and the continental mainland, which wa...
This list includes the 225 species of mammals recorded from Guyana with the museum or literature ... more This list includes the 225 species of mammals recorded from Guyana with the museum or literature source documenting occurrence. There may be another 22 species of mammals from Guyana, in which case this list represents about 91% of the possible diversity. If a species is represented by a voucher specimen at ROM, then no other institutions are listed.
... the high diploid and fundamental number karyotype of Ecto-phylla as the basal lineage followe... more ... the high diploid and fundamental number karyotype of Ecto-phylla as the basal lineage followed by a successivly derived karyotype for Chiro-derma and then a ... The 2n = 26 and FN = 48 karyotype of all species of Chiroderma, V. bidens, and V. nymphaea would be at the node ...
Cases of geographically restricted co-occurring sister taxa are rare and may point to potential d... more Cases of geographically restricted co-occurring sister taxa are rare and may point to potential divergence with gene flow. The two bat species Murina gracilis and M. recondita are both endemic to Taiwan and are putative sister species. To test for non-allopatric divergence and gene flow in these taxa, we generated sequences using Sanger and Next Generation Sequencing, and combined these with microsatellite data for coalescent-based analyses. MtDNA phylogenies supported the reciprocally monophyletic sister relationship between M. gracilis and M. recondita, however, clustering of microsatellite genotypes revealed several cases of species admixture suggesting possible introgression. Sequencing of microsatellite flanking regions revealed that admixture signatures stemmed from microsatellite allele homoplasy rather than recent introgressive hybridization, and also uncovered an unexpected sister relationship between M. recondita and the continental species M. eleryi, to the exclusion of M. gracilis. To dissect the basis of these conflicts between ncDNA and mtDNA, we analysed sequences from 10 anonymous ncDNA loci with *BEAST and isolation-with-migration (IM) and found two distinct clades of M. eleryi, one of which was sister to M. recondita. We conclude that Taiwan was colonized by the ancestor of M. gracilis first, followed by the ancestor of M. recondita after a period of allopatric divergence. After colonization, the mitochondrial genome of M. recondita was replaced by that of the resident M. gracilis. This study illustrates how apparent signatures of sympatric divergence can arise from complex histories of allopatric divergence, colonization and hybridization, thus highlighting the need for rigorous analyses to distinguish between such scenarios. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
A small mammal survey was conducted in the Bakhuis Mountains of western Suriname in South America... more A small mammal survey was conducted in the Bakhuis Mountains of western Suriname in South America as part of a larger environmental and social impact assessment for a proposed bauxite mining concession. The objectives were to establish a baseline study of species diversity and relative abundance for comparison of seasonality, areas, and habitats to facilitate the identification and monitoring of potential impacts of mining to the environment. There were 83 species of small mammals documented comprising 68 species of bats, 8 species of rats and mice, and 7 species of opossums. The most abundant bat was the Seba's short-tailed bat, Carollia perspicillata Linnaeus, which was recorded at all six study sites. The most abundant non-volant small mammal was the Guianan spiny rat, Proechimys guyannensis E. Geoffroy. Noteworthy discoveries during the survey include the documentation of four species of bats new to the fauna of Suriname (Cyttarops alecto Thomas, smoky sheath-tailed bat; Saccopteryx gymnura Thomas; least two-lined sac-winged bat; Diaemus youngi Jentink; bird-feeding vampire bat; and Lasiurus egregius Peters, greater red bat). There were no obvious differences between the dry and wet season samplings that were attributable directly to climatic conditions. In terms of spatial variation, the relative abundance of bats among the five study sites within the concession area was similar to each other, but significantly different from a sixth study site at a nearby ecotourism operation, which had large numbers of three species (C. perspicillata; Molossus molossus, common free-tailed bat; and Sturnira lilium, little yellowshouldered bat) that are better adapted to human modified surroundings. This suggests that the recent mining explorations in Bakhuis have had a relatively minor impact on bats and that the otherwise pristine forests within the concession can tolerate low levels of disturbance in proportionally small areas over a short duration. For specific habitats, the xeric forest on plateaus had a reduced subset of species of small mammals that were found in the mesic forest of the surrounding lowland regions, which was acting as a species reservoir for upland areas. Small mammals, in particular bats as primary seed dispersers and flower pollinators, are important components of the ecosystem for the successful reforestation of natural habitats, and factors related to community structure are good indicators of the health of the environment.
Evolutionary Biology – Concepts, Molecular and Morphological Evolution, 2010
A phylogenetic analysis of loci from the four genetic transmission pathways in mammals (mitochond... more A phylogenetic analysis of loci from the four genetic transmission pathways in mammals (mitochondrial, autosomal, X, and Y sex chromosomes) was used to investigate the evolution of bats in the pantropically distributed family Emballonuridae. The nuclear data sets support a monophyletic clade of species found in the New World. Character optimization of distributional areas suggests that the most recent common
Pancreatic ribonuclease (RNASE1) is a digestive enzyme that has been one of the key models in stu... more Pancreatic ribonuclease (RNASE1) is a digestive enzyme that has been one of the key models in studies of evolutionary innovation and functional diversification. It has been believed that the RNASE1 gene duplications are correlated with the plant-feeding adaptation of foregut-fermenting herbivores. Here, we characterized RNASE1 genes from Caniformia, which has a simple digestive system and lacks microbial digestion typical of herbivores, in an unprecedented scope based on both gene sequence and tissue expression analyses. Remarkably, the results yielded new hypotheses regarding the evolution and the function of Caniformia RNASE1 genes. Four independent gene duplication events in the families of superfamily Musteloidea, including Procyonidae, Ailuridae, Mephitidae and Mustelidae, were recovered, rejecting previous Mustelidae-specific duplication hypothesis, but supporting Musteloidea duplication hypothesis. Moreover, our analyses revealed pronounced differences among the RNASE1 gene c...
sections provide numerous additional references for those requiring further information. The book... more sections provide numerous additional references for those requiring further information. The book should be on the library shelves of any researchers, government agencies and non-government conservation and scientific organizations studying seabird biology and/ or the conservation of seabirds. Errors appear to be few -the reference to Wilson et al. (1985) cited on page 116 is not listed in that chapter's literature cited section, which includes two references that don't appear to have been cited. However, since most of the chapters are written as scientific papers, some may be too technical for some readers. The review by Cooper et al. of legal and quasilegal aspects of the issue provides a valuable reference compendium, but is so riddled with acronyms that I found myself wishing for a glossary. I also hope that the seven abstracts at the end of the book are expanded into full papers somewhere. As valuable a contribution as the book is in itself, this volume will undoubtedly also stimulate more research that will require another update before long. Such an update could usefully also include papers or chapters on aquatic bird bycatch of fisheries on inland waters, such as those of the Great Lakes, several large prairie province lakes and similar lakes on other continents.
Uploads
Papers by Burton Lim