The sea snake subfamily Laticaudinae consists of a single genus with eight named species, based o... more The sea snake subfamily Laticaudinae consists of a single genus with eight named species, based on morphological characters. We used microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) data to clarify the adaptive radiation of these oviparous sea snakes in the South Pacific, with special reference to New Caledonia and Vanuatu. A mitochondrial DNA data set (ND4 gene 793 bp) was obtained from 345 individuals of the five species of Laticauda sp. sea snakes endemic to the region. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian approaches yielded the same optimal tree topology, identifying two major clades (yellow-banded and blue-banded sea snakes). Although all laticaudine sea snakes rely on small islands as oviposition sites, the two lineages differ in their use of marine vs. terrestrial habitats. A highly aquatic species (Laticauda laticaudata) shows a strong pattern of genetic isolation by distance, implying that the patchy distribution of terrestrial habitats has had little impact on gene flow. The more t...
Higher rates of dispersal in one sex than the other are widespread, and often attributed to the g... more Higher rates of dispersal in one sex than the other are widespread, and often attributed to the genetic advantages of reduced inbreeding. The direction of sex-biased dispersal shows strong phylogenetic conservatism (e.g. males disperse more than females in most mammals, but the reverse is true in most birds). By contrast, our genetic data reveal strong inter-population variation in the relative dispersal rates of two species of sea snakes (Laticauda saintgironsi and L. laticaudata) in the Noumea Lagoon of New Caledonia. Assignment methods using microsatellite data identified parallel variation in sex-specific dispersal in both species: dispersal was female-biased in the north-west of the sampling area (in islands far from the main island), but male-biased in the south-east (in islands closer to the main island). This flexibility may reflect sex differences in diets, with spatial variation in sex-specific resources generating spatial variation in sex-specific dispersal distances.
A spotted fever-like rickettsia was identified in a Hemaphysalis tick by polymerase chain reactio... more A spotted fever-like rickettsia was identified in a Hemaphysalis tick by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and sequencing of the 16S rDNA, ompA, and ompB genes. A comparison of these nucleotide sequences with those of other spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsiae revealed that the Hemaphysalis tick rickettsia ia was distinct from other previously reported strains. Phylogenetic analysis based on both ompA and ompB also indicates that the strain's closest relatives are the agents of Thai tick typhus (Rickettsia honei strain TT-118) and Flinders Island spotted fever (R. honei). This study represents the first report of an R. honei-like agent from a Hemaphysalis tick in Australia and of a spotted fever group rickettsia from Cape York Peninsula, Queensland.
The sea snake subfamily Laticaudinae consists of a single genus with eight named species, based o... more The sea snake subfamily Laticaudinae consists of a single genus with eight named species, based on morphological characters. We used microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) data to clarify the adaptive radiation of these oviparous sea snakes in the South Pacific, with special reference to New Caledonia and Vanuatu. A mitochondrial DNA data set (ND4 gene 793 bp) was obtained from 345 individuals of the five species of Laticauda sp. sea snakes endemic to the region. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian approaches yielded the same optimal tree topology, identifying two major clades (yellow-banded and blue-banded sea snakes). Although all laticaudine sea snakes rely on small islands as oviposition sites, the two lineages differ in their use of marine vs. terrestrial habitats. A highly aquatic species (Laticauda laticaudata) shows a strong pattern of genetic isolation by distance, implying that the patchy distribution of terrestrial habitats has had little impact on gene flow. The more t...
Higher rates of dispersal in one sex than the other are widespread, and often attributed to the g... more Higher rates of dispersal in one sex than the other are widespread, and often attributed to the genetic advantages of reduced inbreeding. The direction of sex-biased dispersal shows strong phylogenetic conservatism (e.g. males disperse more than females in most mammals, but the reverse is true in most birds). By contrast, our genetic data reveal strong inter-population variation in the relative dispersal rates of two species of sea snakes (Laticauda saintgironsi and L. laticaudata) in the Noumea Lagoon of New Caledonia. Assignment methods using microsatellite data identified parallel variation in sex-specific dispersal in both species: dispersal was female-biased in the north-west of the sampling area (in islands far from the main island), but male-biased in the south-east (in islands closer to the main island). This flexibility may reflect sex differences in diets, with spatial variation in sex-specific resources generating spatial variation in sex-specific dispersal distances.
A spotted fever-like rickettsia was identified in a Hemaphysalis tick by polymerase chain reactio... more A spotted fever-like rickettsia was identified in a Hemaphysalis tick by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and sequencing of the 16S rDNA, ompA, and ompB genes. A comparison of these nucleotide sequences with those of other spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsiae revealed that the Hemaphysalis tick rickettsia ia was distinct from other previously reported strains. Phylogenetic analysis based on both ompA and ompB also indicates that the strain's closest relatives are the agents of Thai tick typhus (Rickettsia honei strain TT-118) and Flinders Island spotted fever (R. honei). This study represents the first report of an R. honei-like agent from a Hemaphysalis tick in Australia and of a spotted fever group rickettsia from Cape York Peninsula, Queensland.
Uploads
Papers by Amanda Lane