Browsing by Author "Palma, R. Eduardo"

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    Near-shore distribution of phyllosomas of the two only lobster species (Decapoda: Achelata) present in Robinson Crusoe Island and endemic to the Juan Fernandez archipelago
    (SOC BIOLGIA CHILE, 2011) Palma, Alvaro T.; Caceres Montenegro, Ismael; Bennett, Richard S.; Magnolfi, Spartaco; Henriquez, Luis A.; Guerra, Jorge F.; Manriquez, Karen; Palma, R. Eduardo
    Two lobster species coexist in the southeast Pacific Juan Fernandez archipelago, Jasus frontalis (Milne-Edwards, 1837) and Acantharctus delfini (Bouvier, 1909). Like most lobster species they undergo a prolonged larval period, which is particularly long for J. frontalis (> 16 months). Though typical of Palinurids, this long larval duration is usually not thought to be conducive to local recruitment. While it is known that settlement is confined to the three islands of the archipelago (Robinson Crusoe, Alejandro Selkirk and Santa Clara) and Desventuradas Islands (aprox. 800 km to the north), it remains poorly understood how local larval supply allows such distribution pattern. The goal of this study is twofold. Firstly, we aimed to characterize the distribution and abundance of the larvae of these two species around Robinson Crusoe Island using plankton tows and systematic hydrographic records between October 2008 to March of 2011, thus providing the first systematic and prolonged coupled biophysical observations in the nearshore of the archipelago. We hypothesize that spatial and temporal larval distribution patterns are associated to their retention around the archipelago, thus contributing to our knowledge of the physical and biological processes maintaining their extreme isolation. Secondly, using molecular genetics, we confirm a simple taxonomic criteria to distinguish the larvae of the two species, thus aiding future studies of larval dynamics. Throughout phyllosomas of A. delfini were more abundant than that of J. frontalis. Both species were more abundant on the northern shores of Robinson Crusoe Island and generally associated with warmer and saltier waters and mostly present in the samples collected during spring and summer months. Phyllosomas of both species were more abundant during night-time tows in the upper layer of the water column surveyed suggesting a diurnal vertical migration behavior which, for coastal dwelling meroplanktonic species, can be related to a nearshore larval retention mechanism. These preliminary results represent a pioneering effort to understand the mechanisms driving the endemism and extreme isolation of the two study species.
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    Phylogeography of the subterranean rodent Spalacopus cyanus (Caviomorpha, Octodontidae)
    (ALLIANCE COMMUNICATIONS GROUP DIVISION ALLEN PRESS, 2008) Opazo, Juan C.; Bugueno, Manuel P.; Carter, Mauricio J.; Palma, R. Eduardo; Bozinovic, Francisco
    Spalacopus cyanus is a subterranean rodent inhabiting coastal and mountain habitats. Individuals from mountain populations are larger than individuals from the coast, and mountain populations have a more limited geographic range. To investigate the genetic structure and biogeography of this species, we analyzed mitochondrial DNA control region sequences. We found low levels of nucleotide diversity in comparison with other subterranean rodents. Coastal populations had higher nucleotide diversity and effective population size than mountain populations. Phylogenetic analysis using maximum parsimony and a haplotype network generated using statistical parsimony recognized 3 groups of haplotypes: northern coastal and mountain populations, central coastal populations, and southern coastal population. Consistent with the presence of unshared haplotypes, migration rates were practically 0, except from Valparaiso to Ventanas and from La Parva to Huentelauquen. We observed asymmetric migration rates from mountain to coastal populations, suggesting that this species originated in the Andean mountains. A likelihood ration test could not reject the null hypothesis of a stable population when all sequences were grouped into a single population and when coastal populations were analyzed separately. However, a negative exponential growth parameter was estimated for mountain populations,suggesting that these populations have undergone recent demographic changes.