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Feng L, Qin H, Li J, Li X, Feng J, Jiang T. Extrinsic and intrinsic factors influencing the emergence and return of the Asian particolored bat Vespertilio sinensis to the summer roost. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8890. [PMID: 35600692 PMCID: PMC9106590 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Revised: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Circadian rhythms play a crucial role in the health and survival of organisms. However, little is known concerning how intrinsic and extrinsic factors affect animal daily rhythms in the field, especially in nocturnal animals. Here, we investigated the first emergence, mid-emergence, and return times of Vespertilio sinensis, and also integrated environmental conditions (temperature, humidity, and light intensity) and biotic factors (reproductive status and predation risk) to determine causes of variation in the activity rhythms of the bats. We found that variation in the first emergence time, the mid-emergence time, and the final return time were distinct. The results demonstrated that the emergence and return times of bats were affected by light intensity, reproductive status, and predation risk in a relatively complex pattern. Light intensity had the greatest contribution to activity rhythms. Moreover, we first investigated the effects of actual predators on the activity rhythms of bats; the results showed that the mid-emergence time of bats was earlier as predators were hunting, but the final return time was later when predators were present. Finally, our results also highlighted the importance of higher energy demands during the lactation in bats to variation in activity rhythms. These results improve our understanding of the patterns and causes of variation in activity rhythms in bats and other nocturnal animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Feng
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and UtilizationNortheast Normal UniversityChangchunChina
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education MinistryInstitute of Grassland ScienceNortheast Normal UniversityChangchunChina
| | - Hexuan Qin
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and UtilizationNortheast Normal UniversityChangchunChina
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education MinistryInstitute of Grassland ScienceNortheast Normal UniversityChangchunChina
| | - Jingjing Li
- College of Animal Science and TechnologyJilin Agricultural UniversityChangchunChina
| | - Xin Li
- College of Animal Science and TechnologyJilin Agricultural UniversityChangchunChina
| | - Jiang Feng
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and UtilizationNortheast Normal UniversityChangchunChina
- College of Animal Science and TechnologyJilin Agricultural UniversityChangchunChina
| | - Tinglei Jiang
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and UtilizationNortheast Normal UniversityChangchunChina
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education MinistryInstitute of Grassland ScienceNortheast Normal UniversityChangchunChina
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2
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Brokaw AF, Smotherman M. Olfactory tracking strategies in a neotropical fruit bat. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:jeb231829. [PMID: 33536298 PMCID: PMC7904095 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.231829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Many studies have characterized olfactory-tracking behaviors in animals, and it has been proposed that search strategies may be generalizable across a wide range of species. Olfaction is important for fruit- and nectar-feeding bats, but it is uncertain whether existing olfactory search models can predict the strategies of flying mammals that emit echolocation pulses through their nose. Quantitative assessments of how well echolocating bats track and localize odor sources are lacking, so we developed a behavioral assay to characterize the olfactory detection and tracking behavior of crawling northern yellow-shouldered bats (Sturnira parvidens), a common neotropical frugivore. Trained bats were presented with a choice between control and banana-odor-infused solutions in a series of experiments that confirmed that bats are able to locate a reward based on odor cues alone and examined the effect of odor concentration on olfactory search behaviors. Decision distance (the distance from which bats made their change in direction before directly approaching the target) was distinctly bimodal, with an observed peak that coincided with an inflection point in the odor concentration gradient. We observed two main search patterns that are consistent with both serial sampling and learned route-following strategies. These results support the hypothesis that bats can combine klinotaxis with spatial awareness of experimental conditions to locate odor sources, similar to terrestrial mammals. Contrary to existing models, bats did not display prominent head-scanning behaviors during their final approach, which may be due to constraints of nasal-emitted biosonar for orientation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyson F Brokaw
- Interdisciplinary Program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Michael Smotherman
- Interdisciplinary Program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
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3
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Davies KTJ, Yohe LR, Almonte J, Sánchez MKR, Rengifo EM, Dumont ER, Sears KE, Dávalos LM, Rossiter SJ. Foraging shifts and visual preadaptation in ecologically diverse bats. Mol Ecol 2020; 29:1839-1859. [PMID: 32293071 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2019] [Revised: 02/28/2020] [Accepted: 03/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Changes in behaviour may initiate shifts to new adaptive zones, with physical adaptations for novel environments evolving later. While new mutations are commonly considered engines of adaptive change, sensory evolution enabling access to new resources might also arise from standing genetic diversity, and even gene loss. We examine the relative contribution of molecular adaptations, measured by positive and relaxed selection, acting on eye-expressed genes associated with shifts to new adaptive zones in ecologically diverse bats from the superfamily Noctilionoidea. Collectively, noctilionoids display remarkable ecological breadth, from highly divergent echolocation to flight strategies linked to specialized insectivory, the parallel evolution of diverse plant-based diets (e.g., nectar, pollen and fruit) from ancestral insectivory, and-unusually for echolocating bats-often have large, well-developed eyes. We report contrasting levels of positive selection in genes associated with the development, maintenance and scope of visual function, tracing back to the origins of noctilionoids and Phyllostomidae (the bat family with most dietary diversity), instead of during shifts to novel diets. Generalized plant visiting was not associated with exceptional molecular adaptation, and exploration of these novel niches took place in an ancestral phyllostomid genetic background. In contrast, evidence for positive selection in vision genes was found at subsequent shifts to either nectarivory or frugivory. Thus, neotropical noctilionoids that use visual cues for identifying food and roosts, as well as for orientation, were effectively preadapted, with subsequent molecular adaptations in nectar-feeding lineages and the subfamily Stenodermatinae of fig-eating bats fine-tuning pre-existing visual adaptations for specialized purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kalina T J Davies
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Laurel R Yohe
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, USA.,Department of Geology & Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Jesus Almonte
- Independent Scientist, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
| | - Miluska K R Sánchez
- Escuela Profesional de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional de Piura, Piura, Peru
| | - Edgardo M Rengifo
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Interunidades em Ecologia Aplicada, Escola Superior de Agricultura 'Luiz de Queiroz', Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura, Universidade de São Paulo, Piracicaba, Brazil.,Centro de Investigación Biodiversidad Sostenible (BioS), Lima, Peru
| | - Elizabeth R Dumont
- School of Natural Sciences, University of California Merced, Merced, CA, USA
| | - Karen E Sears
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Liliana M Dávalos
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, USA.,Consortium for Inter-Disciplinary Environmental Research, School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Stephen J Rossiter
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
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4
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Gutierrez EDA, Castiglione GM, Morrow JM, Schott RK, Loureiro LO, Lim BK, Chang BSW. Functional Shifts in Bat Dim-Light Visual Pigment Are Associated with Differing Echolocation Abilities and Reveal Molecular Adaptation to Photic-Limited Environments. Mol Biol Evol 2019; 35:2422-2434. [PMID: 30010964 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msy140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Bats are excellent models for studying the molecular basis of sensory adaptation. In Chiroptera, a sensory trade-off has been proposed between the visual and auditory systems, though the extent of this association has yet to be fully examined. To investigate whether variation in visual performance is associated with echolocation, we experimentally assayed the dim-light visual pigment rhodopsin from bat species with differing echolocation abilities. While spectral tuning properties were similar among bats, we found that the rate of decay of their light-activated state was significantly slower in a nonecholocating bat relative to species that use distinct echolocation strategies, consistent with a sensory trade-off hypothesis. We also found that these rates of decay were remarkably slower compared with those of other mammals, likely indicating an adaptation to dim light. To examine whether functional changes in rhodopsin are associated with shifts in selection intensity upon bat Rh1 sequences, we implemented selection analyses using codon-based likelihood clade models. While no shifts in selection were identified in response to diverse echolocation abilities of bats, we detected a significant increase in the intensity of evolutionary constraint accompanying the diversification of Chiroptera. Taken together, this suggests that substitutions that modulate the stability of the light-activated rhodopsin state were likely maintained through intensified constraint after bats diversified, being finely tuned in response to novel sensory specializations. Our study demonstrates the power of combining experimental and computational approaches for investigating functional mechanisms underlying the evolution of complex sensory adaptations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo de A Gutierrez
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Gianni M Castiglione
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Ophthalmology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - James M Morrow
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, ON, Canada.,Centre of Forensic Sciences, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Ryan K Schott
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Livia O Loureiro
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Burton K Lim
- Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Belinda S W Chang
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, ON, Canada.,Centre for the Analysis of Genome Evolution and Function, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Zeale MRK, Stone EL, Zeale E, Browne WJ, Harris S, Jones G. Experimentally manipulating light spectra reveals the importance of dark corridors for commuting bats. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2018; 24:5909-5918. [PMID: 30288876 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2018] [Accepted: 08/13/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The rapid global spread of artificial light at night is causing unprecedented disruption to ecosystems. In otherwise dark environments, street lights restrict the use of major flight routes by some bats, including the threatened lesser horseshoe bat Rhinolophus hipposideros, and may disrupt foraging. Using radio tracking, we examined the response of individual female R. hipposideros to experimental street lights placed on hedgerows used as major flight routes. Hedgerows were illuminated on one side over four nights using lights with different emission spectra, while the opposite side of the hedge was not illuminated. Automated bat detectors were used to examine changes in overall bat activity by R. hipposideros and other bat species present. R. hipposideros activity reduced significantly under all light types, including red light, challenging a previously held assumption that red light is safe for bats. Despite this, R. hipposideros rapidly adapted to the presence of lights by switching their flight paths to the dark side of the hedgerow, enabling them to reach foraging sites without restriction. Red light had no effect on the activity of the other species present. Slow-flying Myotis spp. avoided orange, white and green light, while more agile Pipistrellus spp. were significantly more active at these light types compared to dark controls, most probably in response to accumulations of insect prey. No effect of any light type was found for Nyctalus or Eptesicus spp. Our findings demonstrate that caution must be used when promoting forms of lighting that are thought to be safe for wildlife before they are tested more widely. We argue that it is essential to preserve dark corridors to mitigate the impacts of artificial light at night on bat activity and movements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matt R K Zeale
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Emma L Stone
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Emma Zeale
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | | | - Stephen Harris
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Gareth Jones
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
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Kim GH, Kim HG, Jeon CJ. Immunocytochemical Localization of Choline Acetyltransferase in the Microbat Visual Cortex. Acta Histochem Cytochem 2018; 51:153-165. [PMID: 30510329 PMCID: PMC6261840 DOI: 10.1267/ahc.18018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2018] [Accepted: 08/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to investigate the organization of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT)-immunoreactive (IR) fibers in the visual cortex of the microbat, using standard immunocytochemistry and confocal microscopy. ChAT-IR fibers were distributed throughout all layers of the visual cortex, with the highest density in layer III and the lowest density in layer I. However, no ChAT-IR cells were found in the microbat visual cortex. ChAT-IR fibers were classified into two types: small and large varicose fibers. Previously identified sources of cholinergic fibers in the mammalian visual cortex, the nucleus of the diagonal band, the substantia innominata, and the nucleus basalis magnocellularis, all contained strongly labeled ChAT-IR cells in the microbat. The average diameter of ChAT-IR cells in the nucleus of the diagonal band, the substantia innominata, and the nucleus basalis magnocellularis was 16.12 μm, 13.37 μm, and 13.90 μm, respectively. Our double-labeling study with ChAT and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and triple labeling with ChAT, GABA, and post synaptic density 95 (PSD-95), suggest that some ChAT-IR fibers make contact with GABAergic cells in the microbat visual cortex. Our results should provide a better understanding of the nocturnal bat visual system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gil-Hyun Kim
- Department of Biology, School of Life Sciences, BK21 Plus KNU Creative BioResearch Group, College of Natural Sciences, and Brain Science and Engineering Institute, Kyungpook National University
| | - Hang-Gu Kim
- Department of Biology, School of Life Sciences, BK21 Plus KNU Creative BioResearch Group, College of Natural Sciences, and Brain Science and Engineering Institute, Kyungpook National University
| | - Chang-Jin Jeon
- Department of Biology, School of Life Sciences, BK21 Plus KNU Creative BioResearch Group, College of Natural Sciences, and Brain Science and Engineering Institute, Kyungpook National University
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Santana MAD, Medeiros HHA, Leite MD, Barros MAS, de Góis Morais PLA, Soares JG, Ladd FVL, Cavalcante JS, Cavalcante JC, Costa MSMO, Nascimento Jr. ES. Retinofugal Projections Into Visual Brain Structures in the Bat Artibeus planirostris: A CTb Study. Front Neuroanat 2018; 12:66. [PMID: 30135648 PMCID: PMC6092499 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2018.00066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2018] [Accepted: 07/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
A well-developed visual system can provide significant sensory information to guide motor behavior, especially in fruit-eating bats, which usually use echolocation to navigate at high speed through cluttered environments during foraging. Relatively few studies have been performed to elucidate the organization of the visual system in bats. The present work provides an extensive morphological description of the retinal projections in the subcortical visual nuclei in the flat-faced fruit-eating bat (Artibeus planirostris) using anterograde transport of the eye-injected cholera toxin B subunit (CTb), followed by morphometrical and stereological analyses. Regarding the cytoarchitecture, the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) was homogeneous, with no evident lamination. However, the retinal projection contained two layers that had significantly different marking intensities and a massive contralateral input. The superior colliculus (SC) was identified as a laminar structure composed of seven layers, and the retinal input was only observed on the contralateral side, targeting two most superficial layers. The medial pretectal nucleus (MPT), olivary pretectal nucleus (OPT), anterior pretectal nucleus (APT), posterior pretectal nucleus (PPT) and nucleus of the optic tract (NOT) were comprised the pretectal nuclear complex (PNT). Only the APT lacked a retinal input, which was predominantly contralateral in all other nuclei. Our results showed the morphometrical and stereological features of a bat species for the first time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melquisedec A. D. Santana
- Laboratory of Neuroanatomy, Department of Morphology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | - Helder H. A. Medeiros
- Laboratory of Neuroanatomy, Department of Morphology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | - Mariana D. Leite
- Laboratory of Neuroanatomy, Department of Morphology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | | | | | - Joacil Germano Soares
- Laboratory of Neuroanatomy, Department of Morphology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | - Fernando V. L. Ladd
- Laboratory of Neuroanatomy, Department of Morphology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | - Jeferson S. Cavalcante
- Laboratory of Neurochemical Studies, Department of Physiology, Bioscience Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | - Judney C. Cavalcante
- Laboratory of Neuroanatomy, Department of Morphology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | - Miriam S. M. O. Costa
- Laboratory of Neuroanatomy, Department of Morphology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
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Appel G, López-Baucells A, Magnusson WE, Bobrowiec PED. Aerial insectivorous bat activity in relation to moonlight intensity. Mamm Biol 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mambio.2016.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Muchhala N, Serrano D. The Complexity of Background Clutter Affects Nectar Bat Use of Flower Odor and Shape Cues. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0136657. [PMID: 26445216 PMCID: PMC4596802 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0136657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2015] [Accepted: 08/06/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Given their small size and high metabolism, nectar bats need to be able to quickly locate flowers during foraging bouts. Chiropterophilous plants depend on these bats for their reproduction, thus they also benefit if their flowers can be easily located, and we would expect that floral traits such as odor and shape have evolved to maximize detection by bats. However, relatively little is known about the importance of different floral cues during foraging bouts. In the present study, we undertook a set of flight cage experiments with two species of nectar bats (Anoura caudifer and A. geoffroyi) and artificial flowers to compare the importance of shape and scent cues in locating flowers. In a training phase, a bat was presented an artificial flower with a given shape and scent, whose position was constantly shifted to prevent reliance on spatial memory. In the experimental phase, two flowers were presented, one with the training-flower scent and one with the training-flower shape. For each experimental repetition, we recorded which flower was located first, and then shifted flower positions. Additionally, experiments were repeated in a simple environment, without background clutter, or a complex environment, with a background of leaves and branches. Results demonstrate that bats visit either flower indiscriminately with simple backgrounds, with no significant difference in terms of whether they visit the training-flower odor or training-flower shape first. However, in a complex background olfaction was the most important cue; scented flowers were consistently located first. This suggests that for well-exposed flowers, without obstruction from clutter, vision and/or echolocation are sufficient in locating them. In more complex backgrounds, nectar bats depend more heavily on olfaction during foraging bouts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan Muchhala
- Department of Biology, University of Missouri St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Diana Serrano
- Escuela de Ciencias Biologicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
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