• Update: Assessing the Evolutionary Trajectory of the Apaporis Caiman (Caiman crocodilus apaporiensis, Medem 1955) Via Mitochondrial Molecular Markers.

  Abstract

  The spectacled caiman (Caiman crocodilus) is currently considered to be a species complex due to the relatively high morphological and molecular diversity expressed across its range. One of the populations of interest, inhabiting the Apaporis River (Colombia), was described based on skull features as an incipient species (C. c. apaporiensis) and has been treated by some authors as a full species. Recent molecular work challenged this hypothesis, because relatively low mitochondrial molecular differentiation was found between the morphologically described Apaporis caiman and C. crocodilus (s.s.) Amazonian populations. (...)

  Keywords

  Crocodylians · Morphometrics · Phylogenetics · Phylogeography · Population genetics · Systematics.

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• Assessing the Influence of Allometry on Sexual and non-Sexual Traits: An Example in Cicindelidia trifasciata (Coleoptera: Cicindelinae) Using Geometric Morphometrics.

  Abstract

  Based on a quantitative mathematical revolution, the study of morphology has had an important emphasis by developing statistical shape analysis. This made possible the combination of multivariate statistical methods and new ways to visualize a morphological structure. Patterns of allometry (shape influence on size) in sexual and non-sexual traits were examined in adults of Cicindelidia trifasciata Fabricius collected in north Chilean wetland, using geometric morphometric techniques. Abdomen, mandible and wing shapes were analyzed using 16, 12 and 19 morphological landmarks. Sexual and non-sexual traits differences were found after a principal component analysis (...)

  Keywords

  Geometric morphometrics · Sexual shape dimorphism · Tiger beetle · Sexual traits.

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• Unveiling the Cryptic Morphology and Ontogeny of the Colombian Caiman crocodilus: A Geometric Morphometric Approach.

  Abstract

  Caiman crocodilus is an alligatoroid broadly distributed in the neotropics from Mexico to Brazil, where Colombia is the only country that has the complete subspecies complex distributed in its territory. This species has been the focus of many genetic, ecological and morphological studies. However, these studies are limited to traditional morphology methods or have limitations to examine interspecific variation among the four subspecies reported in Colombia. This is the first study of intraspecific variation in the skull of Caiman crocodilus complex distributed in Colombia, using a two-dimensional approach of geometric morphometric on 122 post-hatching ontogenetic cranial series. (...)

  Keywords

  Geometric morphometrics · Caiman crocodilus · Colombian biodiversity · Cranial variation · Ontogeny.

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• Cultivable Bacteria Populations Associated with Leaves of Banana and Plantain Plants and Their Antagonistic Activity Against Mycosphaerella fijiensis

  Abstract

  Mycosphaerella fijiensis is the etiological agent of Black Sigatoka, a fungal disease that affects production of banana and plantain crops in tropical regions. The sizes of cultivable epiphytic and endophytic bacterial populations, aerobic endospore forming bacteria (AEFB), and antagonist bacteria against M. fijiensis isolated from three Musa spp. cultivars from Urabá (Colombia) were studied, in order to find a suitable screening strategy to isolate antagonistic bacteria. Most of the variability found in the epiphytic and endophytic bacterial community sizes among fruit trees was explained by the cultivar differences. (...)

  Keywords

  Endophytic bacterium · Total bacterium · Leaf position · Indolic compound · Antagonistic bacterium.

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• The Box-Benkhen Experimental Design for the Optimization of the Electrocatalytic Treatment of Wastewaters with High Concentrations of Phenol and Organic Matter.

  Abstract

  In this work, the Box-Benkhen experimental Design (BBD) was applied for the optimization of the parameters of the electrocatalytic degradation of wastewaters resulting from a phenolic resins industry placed in the suburbs of Medellín (Colombia). The direct and the oxidant assisted electro-oxidation experiments were carried out in a laboratory scale batch cell reactor, with monopolar configuration, and electrodes made of graphite (anode) and titanium (cathode). A multifactorial experimental design was proposed, including the following experimental variables: initial phenol concentration, conductivity, and pH. The direct electro-oxidation process allowed to reach ca. 88% of phenol degradation, 38% of mineralization (TOC), 52% of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) degradation, and an increase in water biodegradability of 13%. (...)

  Keywords

  Anodic oxidation · Electro-oxidation process · Kinetics · Phenol.