Astrid Muñoz

Universidad de La Salle · Departamento de Ciencias Básicas

Colombia hosts the second highest amphibian species diversity on Earth, yet its fauna remains poorly studied, especially using molecular genetic techniques. We present the results of the first wide-scale DNA barcoding survey of anurans of Colombia, focusing on a transect across the Eastern Cordillera. We surveyed 10 sites between the Magdalena Vall...

Heliconius butterflies provide good examples of both homoploid hybrid speciation and ecological speciation. In particular, examples of adaptive introgression have been detected among the subspecies of Heliconius timareta, which acquired red color pattern elements from H. melpomene. We tested whether the introgression of red wing pattern elements in...

Aim: The frog genus Rheobates (Anura: Aromobatidae) is endemic to mid-elevations in the Colombian Andes. Our aim was to evaluate the role of the northern Andean high peaks and the low Magdalena Valley in creating bar- riers to dispersal and promoting vicariance within Rheobates. Location: Three disjunct mid-elevation flanks of the northern Colombi...

Matrix with FST values for mtDNA markers (lower triangle) and AFLP markers (upper triangle). Abbreviations correspond to localities. In the hybrid zone, individuals were separated by phenotype: H. e. chestertonii (CV) or H. e. venus (CV_V). Asterisk shows comparisons with significant values (P < 0.05).

Genetic diversity from AFLP markers. Estimates of total gene diversity (HT) and within group (HS). Index of fixation (FST) was calculated grouping the populations within species (** P <0.01).

Sequences of species and subspecies from Genbank used in the mitochondrial analysis.

Principal Components Analysis of AFLP markers. The circles represent individuals of H. e. chestertonii and asterisks H. e. venus. Black circles showed individuals from south populations and gray circles those from the north.

Network of mtDNA haplotypes. The median joining network of mtDNA haplotypes is congruent with the three clades in phylogenetic analysis (see Results). The colours represent H. e. venus (white), H. e. chestertonii samples of the north (black) and south of Cauca Valley (gray).

AFLPs combination primers. Eight initial primer mixtures of selective amplifications.

Cryptic population structure can be an indicator of incipient speciation or historical processes. We investigated a previously documented deep break in the mitochondrial haplotypes of Heliconius erato chestertonii to explore the possibility of cryptic speciation, and also the possible presence of endosymbiont bacteria that might drive mitochondrial...

An important evolutionary question concerns whether one or many barriers are involved in the early stages of speciation. We examine pre- and post-zygotic reproductive barriers between two species of butterflies (Heliconius erato chestertonii and H. e. venus) separated by a bimodal hybrid zone in the Cauca Valley, Colombia. We show that there is bot...

In Heliconius butterflies, it has been proposed that speciation occurs through a combination of divergence in ecological habitat preferences and mimetic colour patterns. Here we test this hypothesis by investigating a parapatric form of the widespread species Heliconius erato. Mendelian (colour patterns) and molecular genetic data permit us to addr...