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Caputi AA. Living life with an electric touch. J Exp Biol 2023; 226:jeb246060. [PMID: 38009325 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.246060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2023]
Abstract
The electric organ discharges (EODs) produced by weakly electric fish have long been a source of scientific intrigue and inspiration. The study of these species has contributed to our understanding of the organization of fixed action patterns, as well as enriching general imaging theory by unveiling the dual impact of an agent's actions on the environment and its own sensory system during the imaging process. This Centenary Review firstly compares how weakly electric fish generate species- and sex-specific stereotyped electric fields by considering: (1) peripheral mechanisms, including the geometry, channel repertoire and innervation of the electrogenic units; (2) the organization of the electric organs (EOs); and (3) neural coordination mechanisms. Secondly, the Review discusses the threefold function of the fish-centered electric fields: (1) to generate electric signals that encode the material, geometry and distance of nearby objects, serving as a short-range sensory modality or 'electric touch'; (2) to mark emitter identity and location; and (3) to convey social messages encoded in stereotypical modulations of the electric field that might be considered as species-specific communication symbols. Finally, this Review considers a range of potential research directions that are likely to be productive in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angel Ariel Caputi
- Sistema Nacional de Investigadores - Uruguay, Av. Wilson Ferreira Aldunate 1219, Pando, PC 15600, Uruguay
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2
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Taphorn DC, Liverpool E, Lujan NK, DoNascimiento C, Hemraj DD, Crampton WGR, Kolmann MA, Fontenelle JP, de Souza LS, Werneke DC, Ram M, Bloom DD, Sidlauskas BL, Holm E, Lundberg JG, Sabaj MH, Bernard C, Armbruster JW, López-Fernández H. Annotated checklist of the primarily freshwater fishes of Guyana. PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA 2022. [DOI: 10.1635/053.168.0101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Elford Liverpool
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Guyana, Turkeyen, East Coast Demerara, 413741, Georgetown, Guyana.
| | - Nathan K. Lujan
- Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen's Park, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 2C6, Canada and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3B2, Canada
| | - Carlos DoNascimiento
- Universidad de Antioquia, Grupo de Ictiología, Instituto de Biología, Calle 67 No. 53-108, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia
| | - Devya D. Hemraj
- Centre for the Study of Biological Diversity, Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Guyana, Turkeyen Campus, Greater Georgetown, Guyana
| | | | - Matthew A. Kolmann
- Department of Biology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, 40292, USA
| | - João Pedro Fontenelle
- University of Toronto, Institute of Forestry and Conservation, 33 Willcocks St. Office 4004, M5S 3E8, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Lesley S. de Souza
- Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 S. Lake Shore, Chicago, IL, 60605 USA
| | - David C. Werneke
- Department of Biological Sciences, 101 Rouse, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, 36849, USA
| | - Mark Ram
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Guyana, Turkeyen Campus, Greater Georgetown, Guyana
| | - Devin D. Bloom
- Department of Biological Sciences and Institute of the Environment & Sustainability, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, 49008-5410, USA
| | - Brian L. Sidlauskas
- Oregon State University, Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Sciences, 104 Nash Hall, Corvallis, Oregon, 97331-3803 USA and Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, Dist
| | - Erling Holm
- Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen's Park, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 2C6, Canada
| | - John G. Lundberg
- The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA, 19103, USA
| | - Mark H. Sabaj
- The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA, 19103, USA
| | - Calvin Bernard
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Guyana, Turkeyen Campus, Greater Georgetown, Guyana
| | | | - Hernán López-Fernández
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, 1105 North University Ave. Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
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Peixoto LAW, de Pinna M. Patterns of diversification and phylogenetic structure in the dorsolateral head musculature of Neotropical electric eels (Ostariophysi: Gymnotiformes), with a myological synonymy. NEOTROPICAL ICHTHYOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1590/1982-0224-2021-0009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Abstract The present study offers a broad comparative analysis of the dorsolateral head musculature in the Gymnotiformes, with detailed descriptions and illustrations of the dorsolateral head muscles of 83 species representing combined all valid genera. Results permit a detailed assessment of primary homologies and taxonomically-relevant variation across the order. This provides the basis for a myological synonymy, which organizes 33 previously proposed names for 15 recognized muscles. Morphological variation derived from dorsolateral head musculature was coded into 56 characters. When analyzed in isolation, that set of characters results in Gymnotidae as the sister group of remaining gymnotiforms, and all other currently recognized families as monophyletic groups. In a second analysis, myological characters were concatenated with other previously proposed characters into a phenotypic matrix. Results of that analysis reveal new myological synapomorphies for nearly all taxonomic categories within Gymnotiformes. A Partitioned Bremer Support (PBS) was used to asses the significance of comparative myology in elucidating phylogenetic relationships. PBS values show strongly non-uniform distributions on the tree, with positive scores skewed towards more inclusive taxa, and negative PBS values concentrated on less inclusive clades. Our results provide background for future studies on biomechanical constraints evolved in the early stages of gymnotiform evolution.
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Waddell JC, Crampton WGR. Reproductive effort and terminal investment in a multi‐species assemblage of Amazon electric fish. ECOL MONOGR 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecm.1499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Joseph C. Waddell
- Department of Biology University of Central Florida 4100 Libra Dr 32816 Orlando FL USA
- Department of Integrative and Computational Neurobiology Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable Av. Italia 3318 Montevideo 11600 Uruguay
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Korniienko Y, Tiedemann R, Vater M, Kirschbaum F. Ontogeny of the electric organ discharge and of the papillae of the electrocytes in the weakly electric fish Campylomormyrus rhynchophorus (Teleostei: Mormyridae). J Comp Neurol 2021; 529:1052-1065. [PMID: 32785950 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2019] [Revised: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 08/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
The electric organ of the mormyrid weakly electric fish, Campylomormyrus rhynchophorus (Boulenger, 1898), undergoes changes in both the electric organ discharge (EOD) and the light and electron microscopic morphology as the fish mature from the juvenile to the adult form. Of particular interest was the appearance of papillae, surface specializations of the uninnervated anterior face of the electrocyte, which have been hypothesized to increase the duration of the EOD. In a 24.5 mm long juvenile the adult electric organ (EO) was not yet functional, and the electrocytes lacked papillae. A 40 mm long juvenile, which produced a short biphasic EOD of 1.3 ms duration, shows small papillae (average area 136 μm2 ). In contrast, the EOD of a 79 mm long juvenile was triphasic. The large increase in duration of the EOD to 23.2 ms was accompanied by a small change in size of the papillae (average area 159 μm2 ). Similarly, a 150 mm long adult produced a triphasic EOD of comparable duration to the younger stage (24.7 ms) but featured a prominent increase in size of the papillae (average area 402 μm2 ). Thus, there was no linear correlation between EOD duration and papillary size. The most prominent ultrastructural change was at the level of the myofilaments, which regularly extended into the papillae, only in the oldest specimen-probably serving a supporting function. Physiological mechanisms, like gene expression levels, as demonstrated in some Campylomormyrus species, might be more important concerning the duration of the EOD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yevheniia Korniienko
- Humboldt University of Berlin, Faculty of Life Sciences, Albrecht Daniel Thaer-Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Unit of Biology and Ecology of Fishes, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ralph Tiedemann
- University of Potsdam, Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, Unit of Evolutionary Biology / Systematic Zoology, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Marianne Vater
- Unit of General Zoology, Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam Golm, Germany
| | - Frank Kirschbaum
- Humboldt University of Berlin, Faculty of Life Sciences, Albrecht Daniel Thaer-Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Unit of Biology and Ecology of Fishes, Berlin, Germany
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Waddell JC, Caputi AA. Electrocommunication in pulse Gymnotiformes: the role of electric organ discharge (EOD) time course in species identification. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 223:jeb.226340. [PMID: 32748795 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.226340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Understanding how individuals detect and recognize signals emitted by conspecifics is fundamental to discussions of animal communication. The species pair Gymnotus omarorum and Brachyhypopomus gauderio, found in syntopy in Uruguay, emit species-specific electric organ discharge (EOD) that can be sensed by both species. The aim of this study was to unveil whether either of these species is able to identify a conspecific EOD, and to investigate distinctive recognition signal features. We designed a forced-choice experiment using a natural behavior (i.e. tracking electric field lines towards their source) in which each fish had to choose between a conspecific and a heterospecific electric field. We found a clear pattern of preference for a conspecific waveform even when pulses were played within 1 Hz of the same rate. By manipulating the time course of the explored signals, we found that the signal features for preference between conspecific and heterospecific waveforms were embedded in the time course of the signals. This study provides evidence that pulse Gymnotiformes can recognize a conspecific exclusively through species-specific electrosensory signals. It also suggests that the key signal features for species differentiation are probably encoded by burst coder electroreceptors. Given these results, and because receptors are sharply tuned to amplitude spectra and also tuned to phase spectra, we extend the electric color hypothesis used in the evaluation of objects to apply to communication signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph C Waddell
- Departamento de Neurociencias Integrativas y Computacionales, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Av. Italia 3318, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Angel A Caputi
- Departamento de Neurociencias Integrativas y Computacionales, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Av. Italia 3318, Montevideo, Uruguay
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7
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Kim LY, Crampton WGR, Albert JS. Two New Species of Gymnotus (Gymnotiformes: Gymnotidae) from Brazil and Historical Biogeography of the Subgenus Lamontianus. COPEIA 2020. [DOI: 10.1643/ci-19-205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lesley Y. Kim
- Department of Biology, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, P.O. Box 43602, Lafayette, Louisiana 70504; . Send reprint requests to this address
| | - William G. R. Crampton
- Department of Biology, University of Central Florida, Biological Sciences Bldg., 4110 Libra Drive, Orlando, Florida 32816-2368;
| | - James S. Albert
- Department of Biology, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, P.O. Box 43602, Lafayette, Louisiana 70504;
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8
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Waddell JC, Caputi AA. Waveform discrimination in a pair of pulse-generating electric fishes. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2020; 96:1065-1071. [PMID: 32077109 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.14298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2019] [Revised: 01/07/2020] [Accepted: 01/17/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Studies of pulse-type gymnotiform electric fishes have suggested that electric organ discharge waveforms (EODw) allow individuals to discriminate between conspecific and allospecific signals, but few have approached this experimentally. Here we implement a phase-locked playback technique for a syntopic species pair, Brachyhypopomus gauderio and Gymnotus omarorum. Both species respond to changes in stimulus waveform with a transitory reduction in the interpulse interval of their self-generated discharge, providing strong evidence of discrimination. We also document sustained rate changes in response to different EODws, which may suggest recognition of natural waveforms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph C Waddell
- Department of Integrative and Computational Neurosciences, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Angel A Caputi
- Department of Integrative and Computational Neurosciences, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Montevideo, Uruguay
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9
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Ontogeny of electric organ and electric organ discharge in Campylomormyrus rhynchophorus (Teleostei: Mormyridae). J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2020; 206:453-466. [PMID: 32112119 PMCID: PMC8557190 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-020-01411-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2019] [Revised: 02/09/2020] [Accepted: 02/15/2020] [Indexed: 10/29/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this study was a longitudinal description of the ontogeny of the adult electric organ of Campylomormyrus rhynchophorus which produces as adult an electric organ discharge of very long duration (ca. 25 ms). We could indeed show (for the first time in a mormyrid fish) that the electric organ discharge which is first produced early during ontogeny in 33-mm-long juveniles is much shorter in duration and has a different shape than the electric organ discharge in 15-cm-long adults. The change from this juvenile electric organ discharges into the adult electric organ discharge takes at least a year. The increase in electric organ discharge duration could be causally linked to the development of surface evaginations, papillae, at the rostral face of the electrocyte which are recognizable for the first time in 65-mm-long juveniles and are most prominent at the periphery of the electrocyte.
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10
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Aguilar C, Miller MJ, Loaiza JR, González R, Krahe R, De León LF. Tempo and mode of allopatric divergence in the weakly electric fish Sternopygus dariensis in the Isthmus of Panama. Sci Rep 2019; 9:18828. [PMID: 31827183 PMCID: PMC6906317 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-55336-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2018] [Accepted: 11/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Spatial isolation is one of the main drivers of allopatric speciation, but the extent to which spatially-segregated populations accumulate genetic differences relevant to speciation is not always clear. We used data from ultraconserved elements (UCEs) and whole mitochondrial genomes (i.e., mitogenomes) to explore genetic variation among allopatric populations of the weakly electric fish Sternopygus dariensis across the Isthmus of Panama. We found strong genetic divergence between eastern and western populations of S. dariensis. Over 77% of the UCE loci examined were differentially fixed between populations, and these loci appear to be distributed across the species' genome. Population divergence occurred within the last 1.1 million years, perhaps due to global glaciation oscillations during the Pleistocene. Our results are consistent with a pattern of genetic differentiation under strict geographic isolation, and suggest the presence of incipient allopatric species within S. dariensis. Genetic divergence in S. dariensis likely occurred in situ, long after the closure of the Isthmus of Panama. Our study highlights the contribution of spatial isolation and vicariance to promoting rapid diversification in Neotropical freshwater fishes. The study of spatially-segregated populations within the Isthmus of Panama could reveal how genetic differences accumulate as allopatric speciation proceeds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Celestino Aguilar
- Centro de Biodiversidad y Descubrimiento de Drogas, Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Servicios de Alta Tecnología (INDICASAT AIP), P. O. Box 0843-01103, Panamá, República de Panamá
- Department of Biotechnology, Acharya Nagarjuna University, Guntur, India
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa Ancón, P.O. Box 0843-03092, Panamá, República de Panamá
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Matthew J Miller
- Centro de Biodiversidad y Descubrimiento de Drogas, Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Servicios de Alta Tecnología (INDICASAT AIP), P. O. Box 0843-01103, Panamá, República de Panamá
- Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History and Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA
| | - Jose R Loaiza
- Centro de Biodiversidad y Descubrimiento de Drogas, Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Servicios de Alta Tecnología (INDICASAT AIP), P. O. Box 0843-01103, Panamá, República de Panamá
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa Ancón, P.O. Box 0843-03092, Panamá, República de Panamá
- Programa Centroamericano de Maestría en Entomología, Universidad de Panamá, Panamá, República de Panamá
| | - Rigoberto González
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa Ancón, P.O. Box 0843-03092, Panamá, República de Panamá
| | - Rüdiger Krahe
- Institut für Biologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Luis F De León
- Centro de Biodiversidad y Descubrimiento de Drogas, Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Servicios de Alta Tecnología (INDICASAT AIP), P. O. Box 0843-01103, Panamá, República de Panamá.
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa Ancón, P.O. Box 0843-03092, Panamá, República de Panamá.
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA.
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11
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Craig JM, Kim LY, Tagliacollo VA, Albert JS. Phylogenetic revision of Gymnotidae (Teleostei: Gymnotiformes), with descriptions of six subgenera. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0224599. [PMID: 31697735 PMCID: PMC6837465 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0224599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2019] [Accepted: 10/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
The diversity of gymnotid electric fishes has been intensely studied over the past 25 years, with 35 species named since 1994, compared to 11 species in the previous 236 years. Substantial effort has also been applied in recent years to documenting gymnotid interrelationships, with seven systematic studies published using morphological and molecular datasets. Nevertheless, until now, all gymnotids have been assigned to one of just two supraspecific taxa, the subfamily Electrophorinae with one genus Electrophorus and three valid species and the subfamily Gymnotine also with one genus Gymnotus and 43 valid species. This simple classification has obscured the substantial phenotypic and lineage diversity within the subfamily Gymnotine and hampered ecological and evolutionary studies of gymnotid biology. Here we present the most well-resolved and taxon-complete phylogeny of the Gymnotidae to date, including materials from all but one of the valid species. This phylogeny was constructed using a five-gene molecular dataset and a 115-character morphological dataset, enabling the inclusion of several species for which molecular data are still lacking. This phylogeny was time-calibrated using biogeographical priors in the absence of a fossil record. The tree topology is similar to those of previous studies, recovering all the major clades previously recognized with informal names. We propose a new gymnotid classification including two subfamilies (Electrophorinae and Gymnotinae) and six subgenera within the genus Gymnotus. Each subgenus exhibits a distinctive biogeographic distribution, within which most species have allopatric distributions and the subgenera are diverged from one another by an estimated 5–35 million years. We further provide robust taxonomic diagnoses, descriptions and identification keys to all gymnotid subgenera and all but four species. This new taxonomy more equitably partitions species diversity among supra-specific taxa, employing the previously vacant subgenus and subfamily ranks. This new taxonomy renders known gymnotid diversity more accessible to study by highlighting the deep divergences (chronological, geographical, genetic and morphological) among its several clades.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack M. Craig
- Department of Biology, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Lesley Y. Kim
- Department of Biology, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA, United States of America
| | | | - James S. Albert
- Department of Biology, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA, United States of America
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de Santana CD, Crampton WGR, Dillman CB, Frederico RG, Sabaj MH, Covain R, Ready J, Zuanon J, de Oliveira RR, Mendes-Júnior RN, Bastos DA, Teixeira TF, Mol J, Ohara W, Castro NCE, Peixoto LA, Nagamachi C, Sousa L, Montag LFA, Ribeiro F, Waddell JC, Piorsky NM, Vari RP, Wosiacki WB. Unexpected species diversity in electric eels with a description of the strongest living bioelectricity generator. Nat Commun 2019; 10:4000. [PMID: 31506444 PMCID: PMC6736962 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11690-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2018] [Accepted: 07/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Is there only one electric eel species? For two and a half centuries since its description by Linnaeus, Electrophorus electricus has captivated humankind by its capacity to generate strong electric discharges. Despite the importance of Electrophorus in multiple fields of science, the possibility of additional species-level diversity in the genus, which could also reveal a hidden variety of substances and bioelectrogenic functions, has hitherto not been explored. Here, based on overwhelming patterns of genetic, morphological, and ecological data, we reject the hypothesis of a single species broadly distributed throughout Greater Amazonia. Our analyses readily identify three major lineages that diverged during the Miocene and Pliocene-two of which warrant recognition as new species. For one of the new species, we recorded a discharge of 860 V, well above 650 V previously cited for Electrophorus, making it the strongest living bioelectricity generator.
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Affiliation(s)
- C David de Santana
- Division of Fishes, Department of Vertebrate Zoology, MCR 159, National Museum of Natural History, PO Box 37012, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, WA, 20013-7012, USA.
| | | | - Casey B Dillman
- Division of Fishes, Department of Vertebrate Zoology, MCR 159, National Museum of Natural History, PO Box 37012, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, WA, 20013-7012, USA.,Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA
| | - Renata G Frederico
- Laboratório de Ecologia e Conservação, Universidade Federal do Pará, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Belém, Pará, Brazil.,Laboratório de ecologia de peixes, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerias, Institudo de Ciências Biológicas, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Mark H Sabaj
- Department of Ichthyology, The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA, 19103, USA
| | - Raphaël Covain
- Muséum d'histoire naturelle, Département d'herpétologie et d'ichtyologie, route de Malagnou 1, case postale 6434, CH-1211, Genève 6, Switzerland
| | - Jonathan Ready
- Laboratório de Lepidopterologia e Ictiologia Integrada, Centro de Estudos Avançados da Biodiversidade, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Pará, Brazil
| | - Jansen Zuanon
- Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
| | - Renildo R de Oliveira
- Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
| | - Raimundo N Mendes-Júnior
- RESEX do Rio Cajari, Instituto Chico Mendes da Conservação da Biodiversidade, Macapá, Amapá, Brazil
| | - Douglas A Bastos
- Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
| | - Tulio F Teixeira
- Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo, Laboratório de Ictiologia, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.,Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia de Vertebrados, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Jan Mol
- Anton de Kom University of Suriname, Paramaribo, Suriname
| | - Willian Ohara
- Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo, Laboratório de Ictiologia, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.,Laboratório de Ciências Ambientais, Universidade Federal de Rondônia, Presidente Médice, Rondônia, Brazil
| | | | - Luiz A Peixoto
- Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo, Laboratório de Ictiologia, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Cleusa Nagamachi
- Laboratório de Citogenética, Centro de Estudos Avançados da Biodiversidade, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Pará, Brazil
| | - Leandro Sousa
- Laboratório de Ictiologia, Faculdade de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Altamira, Pará, Brazil
| | - Luciano F A Montag
- Laboratório de Ecologia e Conservação, Universidade Federal do Pará, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Belém, Pará, Brazil
| | - Frank Ribeiro
- Instituto de Ciências e Tecnologia das Águas, Universidade Federal do Oeste do Pará, Campus Amazônia, Santarém, Pará, Brazil
| | - Joseph C Waddell
- Department of Biology, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, 32816, USA
| | - Nivaldo M Piorsky
- Universidade Federal do Maranhão, Departamento de Biologia, Laboratório de Ecologia e Sistemática de Peixes, São Luis, Maranhão, Brazil
| | - Richard P Vari
- Division of Fishes, Department of Vertebrate Zoology, MCR 159, National Museum of Natural History, PO Box 37012, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, WA, 20013-7012, USA
| | - Wolmar B Wosiacki
- Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Caixa Postal 399, 66040-170, Belém, Pará, Brazil
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Stoddard PK, Tran A, Krahe R. Predation and Crypsis in the Evolution of Electric Signaling in Weakly Electric Fishes. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
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14
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Crampton WGR. Electroreception, electrogenesis and electric signal evolution. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2019; 95:92-134. [PMID: 30729523 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.13922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2018] [Accepted: 02/05/2019] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Electroreception, the capacity to detect external underwater electric fields with specialised receptors, is a phylogenetically widespread sensory modality in fishes and amphibians. In passive electroreception, a capacity possessed by c. 16% of fish species, an animal uses low-frequency-tuned ampullary electroreceptors to detect microvolt-range bioelectric fields from prey, without the need to generate its own electric field. In active electroreception (electrolocation), which occurs only in the teleost lineages Mormyroidea and Gymnotiformes, an animal senses its surroundings by generating a weak (< 1 V) electric-organ discharge (EOD) and detecting distortions in the EOD-associated field using high-frequency-tuned tuberous electroreceptors. Tuberous electroreceptors also detect the EODs of neighbouring fishes, facilitating electrocommunication. Several other groups of elasmobranchs and teleosts generate weak (< 10 V) or strong (> 50 V) EODs that facilitate communication or predation, but not electrolocation. Approximately 1.5% of fish species possess electric organs. This review has two aims. First, to synthesise our knowledge of the functional biology and phylogenetic distribution of electroreception and electrogenesis in fishes, with a focus on freshwater taxa and with emphasis on the proximate (morphological, physiological and genetic) bases of EOD and electroreceptor diversity. Second, to describe the diversity, biogeography, ecology and electric signal diversity of the mormyroids and gymnotiforms and to explore the ultimate (evolutionary) bases of signal and receptor diversity in their convergent electrogenic-electrosensory systems. Four sets of potential drivers or moderators of signal diversity are discussed. First, selective forces of an abiotic (environmental) nature for optimal electrolocation and communication performance of the EOD. Second, selective forces of a biotic nature targeting the communication function of the EOD, including sexual selection, reproductive interference from syntopic heterospecifics and selection from eavesdropping predators. Third, non-adaptive drift and, finally, phylogenetic inertia, which may arise from stabilising selection for optimal signal-receptor matching.
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Fronk AH, Kim LY, Craig JM, Crampton WGR, Albert JS. Sexual Size Dimorphism in the Macana Tigrina, Gymnotus javari (Gymnotidae, Gymnotiformes). COPEIA 2019. [DOI: 10.1643/ci-18-164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Aaron H. Fronk
- Department of Biology, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, P.O. Box 43602, Lafayette, Louisiana 70504; (AHF) C00226417@louisiana. edu; and (JSA) . Send reprint requests to AHF
| | - Lesley Y. Kim
- Department of Biology, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, P.O. Box 43602, Lafayette, Louisiana 70504; (AHF) C00226417@louisiana. edu; and (JSA) . Send reprint requests to AHF
| | - Jack M. Craig
- Department of Biology, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, P.O. Box 43602, Lafayette, Louisiana 70504; (AHF) C00226417@louisiana. edu; and (JSA) . Send reprint requests to AHF
| | - William G. R. Crampton
- Department of Biology, University of Central Florida, Biological Sciences Bldg., 4110 Libra Drive, Orlando, Florida 32816-2368;
| | - James S. Albert
- Department of Biology, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, P.O. Box 43602, Lafayette, Louisiana 70504; (AHF) C00226417@louisiana. edu; and (JSA) . Send reprint requests to AHF
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16
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Alda F, Tagliacollo VA, Bernt MJ, Waltz BT, Ludt WB, Faircloth BC, Alfaro ME, Albert JS, Chakrabarty P. Resolving Deep Nodes in an Ancient Radiation of Neotropical Fishes in the Presence of Conflicting Signals from Incomplete Lineage Sorting. Syst Biol 2018; 68:573-593. [DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syy085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2018] [Revised: 11/30/2018] [Accepted: 12/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Fernando Alda
- Museum of Natural Science, Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
- Department of Biology, Geology and Environmental Science, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Chattanooga, TN 37403, USA
| | - Victor A Tagliacollo
- Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo (MZUSP), Ipirianga, 04263-000, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Maxwell J Bernt
- Department of Biology, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA 70503, USA
| | - Brandon T Waltz
- Department of Biology, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA 70503, USA
| | - William B Ludt
- Museum of Natural Science, Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
| | - Brant C Faircloth
- Museum of Natural Science, Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
| | - Michael E Alfaro
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - James S Albert
- Department of Biology, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA 70503, USA
| | - Prosanta Chakrabarty
- Museum of Natural Science, Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
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17
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Giora J, Carvalho TP. Anatomy and homology of the accessory electric organs of the toothless knifefishes (Rhamphichthyoidea: Gymnotiformes). JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2018; 93:1059-1068. [PMID: 30246387 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.13808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2018] [Accepted: 09/11/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
We describe the anatomy and histology of the accessory electric organs of several knifefish taxa. Accessory electric organs are observed among Rhamphichthyoidea in the opercular, mental and humeral regions. Within this group, some species of Brachyhypopomus possess an accessory electric organ in the opercular region. Rhamphichthyinae and Steatogenys possess accessory electric organs in the mental region of the body that differs in many aspects, such as general electrocyte shape and its number of caudal ridges. Steatogenys, Hypopygus and Rhamphichthys possess an accessory electric organ in the humeral region that differs in position, electrocyte configuration and shape. Electrocytes of both humeral and mental accessory electric organs in Steatogenys share a number of common features (e.g., electrocyte shape and innervation pattern), which distinguishes them from the electric organs of related groups. Rhamphichthys has an accessory electric organ in the humeral (specifically subpectoral) region, which has not previously been reported in the literature and differs in arrangement and electrocyte shape from those previously described electric organs of other taxa. Homology of these accessory electric organs is discussed in the context of hypothesized relationships among rhamphichthyoid taxa, indicating that accessory electric organs originated multiple times with apparently no subsequent losses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Júlia Giora
- Laboratório de Ictiologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Tiago P Carvalho
- Laboratório de Ictiologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Department of Ichthyology, The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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18
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Machado MDA, Cardoso AL, Milhomem-Paixão SSR, Pieczarka JC, Nagamachi CY. Gymnotus coatesi (Gymnotiformes): A Case of Colocation of Multiple Sites of 18S rDNA with Telomeric Sequences. Zebrafish 2017; 14:459-463. [PMID: 28654369 DOI: 10.1089/zeb.2017.1435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Gymnotus coatesi is a small and rare species of banded knife fish that was originally described by LaMonte in 1935, found along the main stretch of the Amazon River. There is no described cytogenetic data on this species. We analyzed the karyotype of five specimens of G. coatesi collected from Cururutuia Stream in Bragança, Pará, Brazil. The obtained diploid number is 50 and the karyotypic formula is 24 m/sm +26 st/a. The constitutive heterochromatin is DAPI positive and distributed mainly in the centromeric and pericentromeric regions of the chromosomes. Ag-nucleolus organizer regions staining showed nine active sites. The 5S rDNA probe hybridized chromosome pair 17 in the interstitial part of the long arm. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with telomeric probes revealed signals only at terminal regions of the chromosomes. The 18S rDNA probe hybridized to 21 sites, and these signals colocalized with the telomeric sequences. This relatively high number of 18S rDNA sites may reflect gene duplication mediated by transposable elements. These results indicate that although the diploid number of G. coatesi is within the range previously observed for other members of the genus, various karyotypic characteristics distinguish G. coatesi from the other species of the genus and members of the Gymnotiform order.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milla de Andrade Machado
- 1 Laboratório de Citogenética, Centro de Estudos Avançados da Biodiversidade, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará , Belém, Pará, Brazil
| | - Adauto Lima Cardoso
- 2 Laboratório Genômica Integrativa, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho , Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Julio Cesar Pieczarka
- 1 Laboratório de Citogenética, Centro de Estudos Avançados da Biodiversidade, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará , Belém, Pará, Brazil
| | - Cleusa Yoshiko Nagamachi
- 1 Laboratório de Citogenética, Centro de Estudos Avançados da Biodiversidade, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará , Belém, Pará, Brazil
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19
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Guariento RT, Mosqueiro TS, Matias P, Cesarino VB, Almeida LOB, Slaets JFW, Maia LP, Pinto RD. Automated pulse discrimination of two freely-swimming weakly electric fish and analysis of their electrical behavior during dominance contest. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 110:216-223. [PMID: 28188835 DOI: 10.1016/j.jphysparis.2017.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2016] [Revised: 01/24/2017] [Accepted: 02/05/2017] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Electric fishes modulate their electric organ discharges with a remarkable variability. Some patterns can be easily identified, such as pulse rate changes, offs and chirps, which are often associated with important behavioral contexts, including aggression, hiding and mating. However, these behaviors are only observed when at least two fish are freely interacting. Although their electrical pulses can be easily recorded by non-invasive techniques, discriminating the emitter of each pulse is challenging when physically similar fish are allowed to freely move and interact. Here we optimized a custom-made software recently designed to identify the emitter of pulses by using automated chirp detection, adaptive threshold for pulse detection and slightly changing how the recorded signals are integrated. With these optimizations, we performed a quantitative analysis of the statistical changes throughout the dominance contest with respect to Inter Pulse Intervals, Chirps and Offs dyads of freely moving Gymnotus carapo. In all dyads, chirps were signatures of subsequent submission, even when they occurred early in the contest. Although offs were observed in both dominant and submissive fish, they were substantially more frequent in submissive individuals, in agreement with the idea from previous studies that offs are electric cues of submission. In general, after the dominance is established the submissive fish significantly changes its average pulse rate, while the pulse rate of the dominant remained unchanged. Additionally, no chirps or offs were observed when two fish were manually kept in direct physical contact, suggesting that these electric behaviors are not automatic responses to physical contact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael T Guariento
- São Carlos Institute of Physics, University of São Paulo, PO Box 369, 13560-970 São Carlos, SP, Brazil.
| | | | - Paulo Matias
- São Carlos Institute of Physics, University of São Paulo, PO Box 369, 13560-970 São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Vinicius B Cesarino
- São Carlos Institute of Physics, University of São Paulo, PO Box 369, 13560-970 São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Lirio O B Almeida
- São Carlos Institute of Physics, University of São Paulo, PO Box 369, 13560-970 São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Jan F W Slaets
- São Carlos Institute of Physics, University of São Paulo, PO Box 369, 13560-970 São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Leonardo P Maia
- São Carlos Institute of Physics, University of São Paulo, PO Box 369, 13560-970 São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Reynaldo D Pinto
- São Carlos Institute of Physics, University of São Paulo, PO Box 369, 13560-970 São Carlos, SP, Brazil
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20
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de Sousa TP, Marques DKS, Vitorino CDA, Faria KDC, Braga GDSF, Ferreira DC, Venere PC. Cytogenetic and Molecular Data Support the Occurrence of Three Gymnotus Species (Gymnotiformes: Gymnotidae) Used as Live Bait in Corumbá, Brazil: Implications for Conservation and Management of Professional Fishing. Zebrafish 2017; 14:177-186. [PMID: 28151699 DOI: 10.1089/zeb.2016.1356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In the Pantanal of Mato Grosso do Sul, electric fish (Gymnotus spp.) are the primary source of live bait, accounting for more than three-quarters of total sales. Based on chromosomal and molecular markers, the present study attempted to identify the Gymnotus species used as bait in the region of Corumbá, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Three species were detected, based on their distinct karyotypes: G. paraguensis (2n = 54), G. sylvius (2n = 40), and G. pantanal (2n = 39-40, X1X2Y/X1X1X2X2), with no evidence being found of interspecific hybrids. All three species presented a single nucleolar organizer regions (NOR) (heterochromatin CMA3+/DAPI-) and pericentromeric heterochromatin in almost all chromosomes, with a few distal and/or interstitial blocks. G. sylvius and G. pantanal had one and two pairs of chromosomes with 5S rDNA sites, respectively, while G. paraguensis had 17 chromosome pairs with these markers. The three species formed well-defined clusters in the DNA barcoding analysis. The integrated analysis of the cytogenetic and DNA barcoding data confirmed that the diversity of Gymnotus species exploited as live bait in the study region has been underestimated. These findings indicate that the markers analyzed represent valuable tools for the conservation and fishery management of the Gymnotus stocks exploited.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiane Pires de Sousa
- 1 Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia e Conservação, Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso, Nova Xavantina, MT, Brazil
| | | | - Carla de Andrade Vitorino
- 3 Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia e Conservação da Biodiversidade, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, MT, Brazil
| | - Karina de Cassia Faria
- 1 Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia e Conservação, Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso, Nova Xavantina, MT, Brazil
| | - Gisele da Silva Ferreira Braga
- 3 Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia e Conservação da Biodiversidade, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, MT, Brazil
| | - Daniela Cristina Ferreira
- 4 Programa de Pós-graduação em Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, MT, Brazil
| | - Paulo Cesar Venere
- 1 Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia e Conservação, Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso, Nova Xavantina, MT, Brazil .,3 Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia e Conservação da Biodiversidade, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, MT, Brazil .,4 Programa de Pós-graduação em Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, MT, Brazil
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21
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Waddell JC, Rodríguez-Cattáneo A, Caputi AA, Crampton WGR. Electric organ discharges and near-field spatiotemporal patterns of the electromotive force in a sympatric assemblage of Neotropical electric knifefish. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 110:164-181. [PMID: 27794446 DOI: 10.1016/j.jphysparis.2016.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2016] [Revised: 09/11/2016] [Accepted: 10/25/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Descriptions of the head-to-tail electric organ discharge (ht-EOD) waveform - typically recorded with electrodes at a distance of approximately 1-2 body lengths from the center of the subject - have traditionally been used to characterize species diversity in gymnotiform electric fish. However, even taxa with relatively simple ht-EODs show spatiotemporally complex fields near the body surface that are determined by site-specific electrogenic properties of the electric organ and electric filtering properties of adjacent tissues and skin. In Brachyhypopomus, a pulse-discharging genus in the family Hypopomidae, the regional characteristics of the electric organ and the role that the complex 'near field' plays in communication and/or electrolocation are not well known. Here we describe, compare, and discuss the functional significance of diversity in the ht-EOD waveforms and near-field spatiotemporal patterns of the electromotive force (emf-EODs) among a species-rich sympatric community of Brachyhypopomus from the upper Amazon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph C Waddell
- Department of Biology, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, United States
| | - Alejo Rodríguez-Cattáneo
- Department of Integrative and Computational Neurosciences, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Angel A Caputi
- Department of Integrative and Computational Neurosciences, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Montevideo, Uruguay.
| | - William G R Crampton
- Department of Biology, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, United States.
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22
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Phylogenetic Systematics, Biogeography, and Ecology of the Electric Fish Genus Brachyhypopomus (Ostariophysi: Gymnotiformes). PLoS One 2016; 11:e0161680. [PMID: 27736882 PMCID: PMC5063478 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0161680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2015] [Accepted: 08/10/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
A species-level phylogenetic reconstruction of the Neotropical bluntnose knifefish genus Brachyhypopomus (Gymnotiformes, Hypopomidae) is presented, based on 60 morphological characters, approximately 1100 base pairs of the mitochondrial cytb gene, and approximately 1000 base pairs of the nuclear rag2 gene. The phylogeny includes 28 species of Brachyhypopomus and nine outgroup species from nine other gymnotiform genera, including seven in the superfamily Rhamphichthyoidea (Hypopomidae and Rhamphichthyidae). Parsimony and Bayesian total evidence phylogenetic analyses confirm the monophyly of the genus, and identify nine robust species groups. Homoplastic osteological characters associated with diminutive body size and occurrence in small stream habitats, including loss of squamation and simplifications of the skeleton, appear to mislead a phylogenetic analysis based on morphological characters alone–resulting in the incorrect placing of Microsternarchus + Racenisia in a position deeply nested within Brachyhypopomus. Consideration of geographical distribution in light of the total evidence phylogeny indicates an origin for Brachyhypopomus in Greater Amazonia (the superbasin comprising the Amazon, Orinoco and major Guiana drainages), with subsequent dispersal and vicariance in peripheral basins, including the La Plata, the São Francisco, and trans-Andean basins of northwest South America and Central America. The ancestral habitat of Brachyhypopomus likely resembled the normoxic, low-conductivity terra firme stream system occupied by many extant species, and the genus has subsequently occupied a wide range of terra firme and floodplain habitats including low- and high-conductivity systems, and normoxic and hypoxic systems. Adaptations for impedance matching to high conductivity, and/or for air breathing in hypoxic systems have attended these habitat transitions. Several species of Brachyhypopomus are eurytopic with respect to habitat occupancy and these generally exhibit wider geographical ranges than stenotopic species.
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Picq S, Alda F, Bermingham E, Krahe R. Drift-driven evolution of electric signals in a Neotropical knifefish. Evolution 2016; 70:2134-44. [PMID: 27436179 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2015] [Revised: 04/12/2016] [Accepted: 07/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Communication signals are highly diverse traits. This diversity is usually assumed to be shaped by selective forces, whereas the null hypothesis of divergence through drift is often not considered. In Panama, the weakly electric fish Brachyhypopomus occidentalis is widely distributed in multiple independent drainage systems, which provide a natural evolutionary laboratory for the study of genetic and signal divergence in separate populations. We quantified geographic variation in the electric signals of 109 fish from five populations, and compared it to the neutral genetic variation estimated from cytochrome oxidase I (COI) sequences of the same individuals, to test whether drift may be driving divergence of their signals. Signal distances were highly correlated with genetic distances, even after controlling for geographic distances, suggesting that drift alone is sufficient to explain geographic variation in electric signals. Significant differences at smaller geographic scales (within drainages) showed, however, that electric signals may evolve at a faster rate than expected under drift, raising the possibility that additional adaptive forces may be contributing to their evolution. Overall, our data point to stochastic forces as main drivers of signal evolution in this species and extend the role of drift in the evolution of communication systems to fish and electrocommunication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Picq
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 1B1, Canada. .,Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092 Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama. .,Current Address: GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Evolutionary Ecology of Marine Fishes, Düsternbrooker Weg 20, Kiel, 24105, Germany.
| | - Fernando Alda
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092 Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama.,Current Address: Museum of Natural Science, Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, 119 Foster Hall, Baton Rouge, LA
| | - Eldredge Bermingham
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 1B1, Canada.,Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092 Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama.,Current Address: Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science, 3280 South Miami Avenue, Miami, FL
| | - Rüdiger Krahe
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 1B1, Canada
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24
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Tagliacollo VA, Bernt MJ, Craig JM, Oliveira C, Albert JS. Model-based total evidence phylogeny of Neotropical electric knifefishes (Teleostei, Gymnotiformes). Mol Phylogenet Evol 2015; 95:20-33. [PMID: 26616344 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2015.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2014] [Revised: 10/26/2015] [Accepted: 11/08/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
This study provides the most comprehensive Model-Based Total Evidence (MBTE) phylogenetic analyses of the clade Gymnotiformes to date, reappraising relationships using a dataset comprised of six genes (5277bp) and 223 morphological characters, and an ingroup taxon sample including 120 of 212 valid species representing 34 of the 35 extant genera. Our MBTE analyses indicate the two main gymnotiform clades are Gymnotidae and Sternopygoidei, the latter comprised of Rhamphichthyoidea (Rhamphichthyidae+Hypopomidae) and Sinusoidea (Sternopygidae+Apteronotidae). Within Gymnotidae, Electrophorus and Gymnotus are sister taxa, and Gymnotus includes the following six clades: (i) G. pantherinus clade, (ii) G. coatesi clade, (iii) G. anguillaris clade, (iv) G. tigre clade, (v) G. cylindricus clade, and (vi) G. carapo clade. Within Rhamphichthyoidea, Steatogenae (Steatogenys+Hypopygus) is a member of Rhamphichthyidae, and Hypopomidae includes the following clades: (i) Akawaio, (ii) Hypopomus, (iii) Microsternarchini, and (iv) Brachyhypopomus. Within Sternopygidae, Sternopygus and Eigenmanninae are sister groups, Rhabdolichops is the sister to other Eigenmanninae, Archolaemus+Distocyclus is the sister to Eigenmannia, and Japigny is nested within Eigenmannia. Within Apteronotidae, Sternarchorhamphinae (Sternarchorhamphus+Orthosternarchus) is the sister to Apteronotinae, Adontosternarchus is the sister group to other Apteronotinae, Sternarchorhynchini (Sternarchorhynchus+Platyurosternarchus) is the sister to Navajini, and species assigned to Apteronotus are members of two separate clades: (i) A. sensu stricto in the Apteronotini, and (ii) the "A." bonapartii clade in the Navajini.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor A Tagliacollo
- Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP, Instituto de Biociências de Botucatu, Botucatu, SP 18618-970, Brazil; University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Department of Biology, Lafayette, LA 70504-2451, USA.
| | - Maxwell J Bernt
- University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Department of Biology, Lafayette, LA 70504-2451, USA
| | - Jack M Craig
- University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Department of Biology, Lafayette, LA 70504-2451, USA
| | - Claudio Oliveira
- Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP, Instituto de Biociências de Botucatu, Botucatu, SP 18618-970, Brazil
| | - James S Albert
- University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Department of Biology, Lafayette, LA 70504-2451, USA
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25
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Pedraja F, Aguilera P, Caputi AA, Budelli R. Electric imaging through evolution, a modeling study of commonalities and differences. PLoS Comput Biol 2014; 10:e1003722. [PMID: 25010765 PMCID: PMC4091691 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1003722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2013] [Accepted: 05/30/2014] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Modeling the electric field and images in electric fish contributes to a better understanding of the pre-receptor conditioning of electric images. Although the boundary element method has been very successful for calculating images and fields, complex electric organ discharges pose a challenge for active electroreception modeling. We have previously developed a direct method for calculating electric images which takes into account the structure and physiology of the electric organ as well as the geometry and resistivity of fish tissues. The present article reports a general application of our simulator for studying electric images in electric fish with heterogeneous, extended electric organs. We studied three species of Gymnotiformes, including both wave-type (Apteronotus albifrons) and pulse-type (Gymnotus obscurus and Gymnotus coropinae) fish, with electric organs of different complexity. The results are compared with the African (Gnathonemus petersii) and American (Gymnotus omarorum) electric fish studied previously. We address the following issues: 1) how to calculate equivalent source distributions based on experimental measurements, 2) how the complexity of the electric organ discharge determines the features of the electric field and 3) how the basal field determines the characteristics of electric images. Our findings allow us to generalize the hypothesis (previously posed for G. omarorum) in which the perioral region and the rest of the body play different sensory roles. While the "electrosensory fovea" appears suitable for exploring objects in detail, the rest of the body is likened to a "peripheral retina" for detecting the presence and movement of surrounding objects. We discuss the commonalities and differences between species. Compared to African species, American electric fish show a weaker field. This feature, derived from the complexity of distributed electric organs, may endow Gymnotiformes with the ability to emit site-specific signals to be detected in the short range by a conspecific and the possibility to evolve predator avoidance strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Pedraja
- Departamento de Biología Celular y Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Pedro Aguilera
- Departamento de Neurociencias Integrativas y Computacionales, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Angel A. Caputi
- Departamento de Neurociencias Integrativas y Computacionales, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Ruben Budelli
- Departamento de Biología Celular y Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
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