- University of Michigan
Research Museums Center
3600 Varsity Drive
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108 - (734) 615-2810
Cody W . Thompson
University of Michigan, Museum of Zoology, Department Member
- Evolutionary Biology, Conservation Biology, Evolution, Biological Sciences, Population Genetics, Biogeography, and 19 morePhylogenetics, Systematics (Taxonomy), Wildlife Biology, Taxonomy, Wildlife Ecology And Management, Phylogeography, Mammalogy, Systematics, Molecular Systematics, Ecological Niche Modeling, Wildlife Ecology, Hybrid Zones, Species Distribution Modelling, Natural History, Museum Studies, Genetics, Museology, Mammals, and Small Mammalsedit
- Professionally speaking, I have been involved in the science of mammalogy since my senior year at the University of N... moreProfessionally speaking, I have been involved in the science of mammalogy since my senior year at the University of Northern Iowa working in the laboratory of Dr. Jim Demastes. Though I did not realize that I wanted to pursue mammalogy as a career, Dr. Demastes helped develop my interests in the science. I first began to see my future in mammalogy take shape while pursuing my Master’s degree at Fort Hays State University. During this time, I served as the curatorial assistant for the mammal collections at the Sternberg Museum of Natural History, working under the direction of Dr. Elmer Finck and the late Dr. Jerry Choate. Ultimately, I decided to attend Texas Tech University for my Doctoral degree where I worked with Dr. Robert Bradley and had the privilege to work in the mammal collections at the Natural Science Research Laboratory of the Museum of Texas Tech University. Because of these experiences, mammalogy has developed into a lifelong passion.I joined the Mammal Division at the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology (UMMZ) in June 2013. The UMMZ is administered by the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB). I serve as the UMMZ Mammal Collections Manager and maintain a research appointment in EEB. With this two roles, I am fully involved in all aspects of the UMMZ Mammal Division, and I enjoy the challenge of integrating my experience working in museum collections with my own research program to continue to grow the Mammal Division.My approach to research is due to my beginnings in wildlife ecology. I have been able to apply many of these principles learned in the classroom while being employed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, where I worked directly in wildlife management roles. As such, I have approached my research from the perspective of a field biologist. I have done extensive fieldwork on mammals in the states of Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas, as well as internationally in Mexico. I have complemented my passion for fieldwork with a strong molecular component. As a result, my research has centered on the evolutionary and ecological implications of hybridization in mammals.edit
Blarina hylophaga (Elliot, 1899) is a soricid commonly called Elliot’s short-tailed shrew. A short-legged, robust shrew with a long, pointed snout and a short tail; it is 1 of 4 species in the genus Blarina. It occurs throughout most of... more
Blarina hylophaga (Elliot, 1899) is a soricid commonly called Elliot’s short-tailed shrew. A short-legged, robust shrew with a long, pointed snout and a short tail; it is 1 of 4 species in the genus Blarina. It occurs throughout most of the Great Plains of the United States, where it inhabits moist, well-drained grassland and riparian areas with deep leaf litter. It is listed as a species of greatest conservation need in Iowa and at possible risk in Texas, which might be due to the limited knowledge of the species throughout its geographic range
Research Interests:
Multilocus analyses indicate a mosaic distribution of hybrid
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic reveals a major gap in global biosecurity infrastructure: a lack of publicly available biological samples representative across space, time, and taxonomic... more
The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic reveals a major gap in global biosecurity infrastructure: a lack of publicly available biological samples representative across space, time, and taxonomic diversity. The shortfall, in this case for vertebrates, prevents accurate and rapid identification and monitoring of emerging pathogens and their reservoir host(s) and precludes extended investigation of ecological, evolutionary, and environmental associations that lead to human infection or spillover. Natural history museum biorepositories form the backbone of a critically needed, decentralized, global network for zoonotic pathogen surveillance, yet this infrastructure remains marginally developed, underutilized, underfunded, and disconnected from public health initiatives. Proactive detection and mitigation for emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) requires expanded biodiversity infrastructure and training (particularly in biodiverse and lower income countri...
Research Interests: Business, Microbiology, Immunology, Climate Change, Museum Studies, and 15 moreScience Education, Museum Education, Medical Microbiology, Tropical Medicine, Natural History, Public Health, Biodiversity, Medicine, Climate Change and Biodiversity, Museums, Biodiversity Research, Biosecurity, Natural history collections, One Health, and Natural History Museums
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Geography, Immunology, Climate Change, Museum Education, Natural History, and 15 morePublic Health, Biodiversity, Medicine, Bioscience, Museums, Biological Sciences, Biodiversity Research, Environmental Sciences, Natural history collections, Natural History Museum, One Health, Natural History Museums, Pathobiology, Host Pathogen Interactions, and Biorepositories
A taxonomic framework for South American cottontail rabbits (Lagomorpha: Leporidae: Sylvilagus) was recently published by Diersing and Wilson (2017). Although we agree with some of its taxonomic conclusions (e.g., species status for S.... more
A taxonomic framework for South American cottontail rabbits (Lagomorpha: Leporidae: Sylvilagus) was recently published by Diersing and Wilson (2017). Although we agree with some of its taxonomic conclusions (e.g., species status for S. apollinaris and S. fulvescens), we disagree with others. We provide herein evidence supporting S. andinus as a valid species based on morphological characters and novel molecular data. We also provide details of the morphological characters of S. apollinaris and S. fulvescens that support separating these from S. brasiliensis. We adduce data suggestive to the effect that—absent any type material—S. defilippi is at best a nomen dubium. Finally, we provide evidence in support of recognizing additional Neotropical species of Sylvilagus.Un esquema taxonómico para los conejos sudamericanos (Lagomorpha: Leporidae: Sylvilagus) fue recientemente publicado por Diersing y Wilson (2017). Aunque estamos de acuerdo con algunas de sus conclusiones (por ejemplo: est...
Research Interests: Evolutionary Biology, Zoology, Museum Studies, Museum, Taxonomy, and 15 moreBiology, Natural History, Evolution, Mammalogy, Museums, Mammals, Biological Sciences, Small Mammals, Environmental Sciences, Natural history collections, Natural History Museums, Lagomorpha, Rabbits, South American biodiversity, and Taxon
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Geography, Museum Studies, Museum, Natural History, Mammalogy, and 15 moreBiodiversity, Collecting and Collections, Medicine, Mammals, Biological Sciences, Mammal, Growth, Mammalia, Biodiversity Research, Environmental Sciences, Directory, Natural history collections, Genetic Resources, Museums and Collections, and Database
Research Interests: Evolutionary Biology, Phylogenetics, Molecular Systematics, Biology, Mammalogy, and 15 moreSystematics, Medicine, Rodentia, Mammals, Biological Sciences, Small Mammals, Environmental Sciences, Rodents, Paraphyly, Phylogenetic Systematics, Rodent, Monophyly, Peromyscus, Phylogenetic Tree, and Small mammal
Zoology Via L. da Vinci 44, 10095 Grugliasco (TO), Italy 4 Lurzengasse 3, D-97236 Randersacker, Germany 5 Wildlife Conservation and Management, School of Natural Resources and the Environment, 306 Biological Sciences East, Abstract The... more
Zoology Via L. da Vinci 44, 10095 Grugliasco (TO), Italy 4 Lurzengasse 3, D-97236 Randersacker, Germany 5 Wildlife Conservation and Management, School of Natural Resources and the Environment, 306 Biological Sciences East, Abstract The eastern gray squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis, is one of the world's most recognized sciurids and a highly successful human commensal. Historically restricted to eastern North America, gray squirrel populations are now established in Italy, U.K., South Africa, and Australia, and squirrels continue to expand their geographic range globally. Successful introductions of S. carolinensis often result in significant negative impacts on native ecosystem integrity. As a result, countries have devised and implemented unique pest management strategies to reduce or eradicate S. carolinensis populations, but with differing levels of success. We review accounts of historical global introductions of S. carolinensis, discuss its invasive biology and impacts in non...
Research Interests: Wildlife Ecology And Management, Biology, Invasive species ecology, Mammalogy, Invasive Species, and 14 moreTree squirrels (Rodentia), Museology, Mammals, Small Mammals, Habitat, Rodents, Introduced species, PEST analysis, Biological Collections, Ecology of Small Mammals, Mammals In General, Especially Bats and Small Mammals, Sciurus, and Sciurus Carolinensis
Research Interests: Evolutionary Biology, Gene Flow, Population Genetics, Biology, Hybridization, and 15 moreMammalogy, Biodiversity, Medicine, Rodentia, Mammals, Small Mammals, Dna Sequencing, Contact zones, Population, Rodents, AFLP Marker, Ground Squirrels, Hybrid Zones, Cytochrome B, and Amplified fragment length polymorphisms
Research Interests: Conservation Biology, Conservation, Conservation Ecology, Biology, Ecology, and 15 moreBiodiversity, Carnivora, Carnivore Ecology, Endangered Species, Large Carnivores, Biological Sciences, Biodiversity Conservation, Biodiversity Research, Foraging, Environmental Sciences, Carnivores, Habitat, Carnivore conservation, Endangered species conservation, and Leopardus
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Short-tailed shrews (genus Blarina Gray, 1838) are characterized by divergent karyotypes and are genetically distinct. Blarina species are similar morphologically but, in most cases, can be distinguished morphometrically. Blarina... more
Short-tailed shrews (genus Blarina Gray, 1838) are characterized by divergent karyotypes and are genetically distinct. Blarina species are similar morphologically but, in most cases, can be distinguished morphometrically. Blarina distributions tend to be parapatric along well-defined contact zones; however, it has been suggested that the northern short-tailed shrew ( Blarina brevicauda (Say, 1823)) and Elliot’s short-tailed shrew ( Blarina hylophaga Elliot, 1899) occur sympatrically in Iowa and Missouri. To evaluate this possibility, 179 specimens were collected in southwestern Iowa and northwestern Missouri. Karyotypes and total length were used for field identification, and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis was used to verify field identifications and to investigate the extent of hybridization. One hundred seventy-eight of 179 specimens were identified to species. The one exception had a karyotype of B. brevicauda (2n = 50, FN = 48); however, AFLP analysis ind...
Research Interests: Biology, Hybridization, Mammalogy, Biogeography, Museology, and 15 moreMammals, Small Mammals, Contact zones, Shrews, Karyotyping, Introgression, Hybrid Zones, Karyotypes, Amplified fragment length polymorphisms, AFLP, Biological Collections, Ecology of Small Mammals, Mammals In General, Especially Bats and Small Mammals, and Shrew
... tailed shrew (B. hylophaga), which are similar to B. brevicauda in external and cranial morphology (benedict 1999a, 1999b; bowles 1975, 1977; brant and Ortí 2002; braun and Kennedy 1983; Ellis et al. 1978; Genoways and choate 1972;... more
... tailed shrew (B. hylophaga), which are similar to B. brevicauda in external and cranial morphology (benedict 1999a, 1999b; bowles 1975, 1977; brant and Ortí 2002; braun and Kennedy 1983; Ellis et al. 1978; Genoways and choate 1972; Graham and Semken 1976; Jones et al ...
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Botany, Climate Change, Life Sciences, Mammalogy, Biogeography, and 15 moreBiodiversity, Grassland Ecology, Rodentia, Climate Change Impacts, Mammals, Small Mammals, Environmental Sciences, Range Expansion, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Rodents, Grasslands, Range Extension, Ecology of Small Mammals, Sigmodon hispidus, and Cotton Rat
Despite being nearly 10 months into the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic, the definitive animal host for SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), the causal agent of COVID-19, remains unknown.... more
Despite being nearly 10 months into the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic, the definitive animal host for SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), the causal agent of COVID-19, remains unknown. Unfortunately, similar problems exist for other betacoronaviruses, and no vouchered specimens exist to corroborate host species identification for most of these pathogens.
Research Interests: Microbiology, Museum Education, Disease ecology, Virology, Tropical Medicine, and 15 moreNatural History, Public Health, Biodiversity, Infectious Diseases, Medicine, Emerging Infectious Diseases, Museums, Natural history collections, One Health, Voucher Specimens, Natural History Museums, Host Pathogen Interactions, Mbio, Coronavirus COVID-19, and COVID-19 PANDEMIC
The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic reveals a major gap in global biosecurity infrastructure: a lack of publicly available biological samples representative across space, time, and taxonomic... more
The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic reveals a major gap in global biosecurity infrastructure: a lack of publicly available biological samples representative across space, time, and taxonomic diversity. The shortfall, in this case for vertebrates, prevents accurate and rapid identification and monitoring of emerging pathogens and their reservoir host(s) and precludes extended investigation of ecological, evolutionary, and environmental associations that lead to human infection or spillover. Natural history museum biorepositories form the backbone of a critically needed, decentralized, global network for zoonotic pathogen surveillance, yet this infrastructure remains marginally developed, underutilized, underfunded, and disconnected from public health initiatives. Proactive detection and mitigation for emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) requires expanded biodiversity infrastructure and training (particularly in biodiverse and lower income countries) and new communication pipelines that connect biorepositories and biomedical communities. To this end, we highlight a novel adaptation of Project ECHO’s virtual community of practice model: Museums and Emerging Pathogens in the Americas (MEPA). MEPA is a virtual network aimed at fostering communication, coordination, and collaborative problem-solving among pathogen researchers, public health officials, and biorepositories in the Americas. MEPA now acts as a model of effective international, interdisciplinary collaboration that can and should be replicated in other biodiversity hotspots. We encourage deposition of wildlife specimens and associated data with public biorepositories, regardless of original collection purpose, and urge biorepositories to embrace new specimen sources, types, and uses to maximize strategic growth and utility for EID research. Taxonomically, geographically, and temporally deep biorepository archives serve as the foundation of a proactive and increasingly predictive approach to zoonotic spillover, risk assessment, and threat mitigation.
Research Interests: Microbiology, Veterinary Medicine, Immunology, Climate Change, Museum Studies, and 14 moreScience Education, Museum Education, Virology, Tropical Medicine, Natural History, Public Health, Biodiversity, Medicine, Climate Change and Biodiversity, Museums, Biodiversity Research, Natural history collections, One Health, and Natural History Museums
Despite being nearly 10 months into the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic, the definitive animal host for SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), the causal agent of COVID-19, remains unknown.... more
Despite being nearly 10 months into the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic, the definitive animal host for SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), the causal agent of COVID-19, remains unknown. Unfortunately, similar problems exist for other betacoronaviruses, and no vouchered specimens exist to corroborate host species identification for most of these pathogens. This most basic information is critical to the full understanding and mitigation of emerging zoonotic diseases. To overcome this hurdle, we recommend that host-pathogen researchers adopt vouchering practices and collaborate with natural history collections to permanently archive microbiological samples and host specimens. Vouchered specimens and associated samples provide both repeatability and extension to host-pathogen studies, and using them mobilizes a large workforce (i.e., biodiversity scientists) to assist in pandemic preparedness. We review several well-known examples that successfully integrate host-pathogen research with natural history collections (e.g., yellow fever, hantaviruses, helminths). However, vouchering remains an underutilized practice in such studies. Using an online survey, we assessed vouchering practices used by microbiologists (e.g., bacteriologists, parasitologists, virologists) in host-pathogen research. A much greater number of respondents permanently archive microbiological samples than archive host specimens, and less than half of respondents voucher host specimens from which microbiological samples were lethally collected. To foster collaborations between microbiologists and natural history collections, we provide recommendations for integrating vouchering techniques and archiving of microbiological samples into host-pathogen studies. This integrative approach exemplifies the premise underlying One Health initiatives, providing critical infrastructure for addressing related issues ranging from public health to global climate change and the biodiversity crisis.
Research Interests: Microbiology, Museum Education, Disease ecology, Virology, Tropical Medicine, and 12 moreNatural History, Public Health, Biodiversity, Infectious Diseases, Emerging Infectious Diseases, Museums, Natural history collections, Host-Pathogen Interactions, One Health, Natural History Museums, Coronavirus COVID-19, and COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Research Interests: Immunology, Climate Change, Museum Studies, Museum Education, Virology, and 11 moreNatural History, Public Health, Biodiversity, Climate Change and Biodiversity, Museums, Biodiversity Research, Natural history collections, Host-Pathogen Interactions, Natural History Museum, One Health, and Natural History Museums
Research Interests: Immunology, Climate Change, Museum Studies, Museum Education, Disease ecology, and 13 moreVirology, Tropical Medicine, Natural History, Public Health, Biodiversity, Emerging Infectious Diseases, Museums, Biodiversity Research, Natural history collections, Natural History Museum, Natural History Museums, Collections Based Research, and Biorepositories
Research Interests: Immunology, Climate Change, Museum Education, Virology, Tropical Medicine, and 13 moreNatural History, Public Health, Biodiversity, Virus-Host Interactions, Museums, Biodiversity Research, Natural history collections, Host-Pathogen Interactions, Natural History Museum, One Health, Natural History Museums, Pathobiology, and Biorepositories
A taxonomic framework for South American cottontail rabbits (Lagomorpha: Leporidae: Sylvilagus) was recently published by Diersing and Wilson (2017). Although we agree with some of its taxonomic conclusions (e.g., species status for S.... more
A taxonomic framework for South American cottontail rabbits (Lagomorpha: Leporidae: Sylvilagus) was recently published by Diersing and Wilson (2017). Although we agree with some of its taxonomic conclusions (e.g., species status for S. apollinaris and S. fulvescens), we disagree with others. We provide herein evidence supporting S. andinus as a valid species based on morphological characters and novel molecular data. We also provide details of the morphological characters of S. apollinaris and S. fulvescens that support separating these from S. brasiliensis. We adduce data suggestive to the effect that-absent any type materialS. defilippi is at best a nomen dubium. Finally, we provide evidence in support of recognizing additional Neotropical species of Sylvilagus. Un esquema taxonómico para los conejos sudamericanos (Lagomorpha: Leporidae: Sylvilagus) fue recientemente publicado por Diersing y Wilson (2017). Aunque estamos de acuerdo con algunas de sus conclusiones (por ejemplo: estatus de especie válida para S. apollinaris y S. fulvescens), no estamos de acuerdo con las restantes conclusiones taxonómicas. Aportamos aquí pruebas convincentes sobre la característica naturaleza de los caracteres morfológicos y moleculares de S. andinus, pruebas que esgrimimos en apoyo de la hipótesis que esta última es una especie válida, así confirmando su escisión de S. brasiliensis. Proporcionamos detalles de los caracteres morfológicos de S. apollinaris y S. fulvescens que confirman la decisión taxonómica de asimismo separarlos de S. brasiliensis. Proporcionamos datos en aditamento que indican que a falta de cualquier material tipo para S. defilippi, este nombre es en el mejor de los casos un nomen dubium. Finalmente, ofrecemos datos y evidencia apoyando nuestras decisiones de reconocer un mayor número de especies Neotropicales de Sylvilagus que previamente se conocían.
Research Interests:
The Systematic Collections Committee of the American Society of Mammalogists advises curators and other personnel affiliated with natural history collections in matters relating to administration, curation, and accreditation of mammal... more
The Systematic Collections Committee of the American Society of Mammalogists advises curators and other personnel affiliated with natural history collections in matters relating to administration, curation, and accreditation of mammal specimens and their associated data. The Systematic Collections Committee also maintains a list of curatorial standards for managing a collection-accreditation program under the auspices of the American Society of Mammalogists. To date, the Systematic Collections Committee has provided guidance for the more traditional specimen collections (skin, skeletal, fluid, etc.) and specimen data management. Given the rapidly expanding role of genetic resources in biological research, the Systematic Collections Committee herein presents a series of formal guidelines and standards designed to assist collections professionals in the current best practices for curation and maintenance of collections of genetic resources, to ensure long-term integrity of the archived material, and to address personnel safety and guidelines for researchers and curatorial staff. These guidelines and standards are intended to provide constructive guidance and a mechanism of accreditation for collections that vary in scale and infrastructure. El Comité de Colecciones Sistemáticas de la Sociedad Americana de Mastozoólogos asesora a curadores y demás personal afiliado a colecciones de historia natural en asuntos relacionados a la administración, curación y
Research Interests:
The Rio Grande ground squirrel (Ictidomys parvidens) and the thirteen-lined ground squirrel (I. tridecemlineatus) form a mosaic hybrid zone across portions of New Mexico and Texas. Recent studies have linked habitat modification to the... more
The Rio Grande ground squirrel (Ictidomys parvidens) and the thirteen-lined ground squirrel (I. tridecemlineatus) form a mosaic hybrid zone across portions of New Mexico and Texas. Recent studies have linked habitat modification to the formation of secondary contact; however, it has been suggested that ancient hybridization was a result of climate change. Therefore, ecological niche modeling (ENM) was used to assess the possible contributions of climate change and human-mediated habitat modification on present distributions of each species and contemporary hybridization, as well as to test the effect of climate on species' distributions during the last glacial maximum (LGM) and last inter-glacial (LIG). Specimen-occurrence records were obtained from natural history collections. Niche models were developed with Maxent for present, LGM, and LIG data and compared using niche-identity/equivalency tests and correlation analyses to assess differences between the two species and extent of overlap. Present models were similar to known species distributions. Models indicated that both climate and land use affected present distributions of each species. However, models that considered only land-use data overpredicted the distribution of each species, whereas models using only climatic variables were similar to known distributions. Models based on palaeoclimatic data further suggested the influence of climate on the distribution of both species. Present and LGM models were significantly different from each other, but niche overlap was greatest for present models. ENM revealed that present distributions of I. parvidens and I. tridecemlineatus were influenced primarily by climate change, although anthropogenic changes in natural habitat might have had a compounding effect on movement of either species leading to secondary contact and contemporary hybridization. In addition, secondary contact appears to be a recent phenomenon, as there was limited overlap of species' distributions during LGM and LIG. Therefore, gene flow has been restricted until recently.
Research Interests: Museum Studies, Species Distribution Models, Hybridization, Mammalogy, Ecological Niche Modeling, and 10 moreRodentia, Mammals, Small Mammals, Natural history collections, Rodents, Squirrel species biology, natural history, disease, Ground Squirrels, Hybrid Zones, Rodent, and Ecology of Small Mammals
The chemokine ligand XCL1 plays critical roles in immune responses with diverse physiological and pathological implications through interactions with a cognate G protein-coupled receptor XCR1. To shed insight into their versatile nature,... more
The chemokine ligand XCL1 plays critical roles in immune responses with diverse physiological and pathological implications through interactions with a cognate G protein-coupled receptor XCR1. To shed insight into their versatile nature, we analyzed genetic variations of XCL1 and XCR1 in murine rodents, including commonly-used model organisms Mus musculus (house mouse) and Rattus norvegicus (Norway rat). Our results showed that adaptive selection has contributed to the genetic diversification of these proteins in murine lineage. Moreover, in both M. musculus and R. norvegicus, the chemokine and its receptor exhibit similar signs of selective sweeps resulting from positive selection. In light of currently available structural and interaction information for che-mokines and their receptors, the similarity of XCL1/XCR1 evolutionary patterns among murine species and the parallels of their evolutionary footprints within individual species suggest that interplay could exist between the adaptively selected changes, or between the domains on which the identified changes are located, and consequently preserve the physiological interaction of XCL1 and XCR1.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Climate Change, Natural History, Mammalogy, Mammals, Northern Great Plains, and 13 moreRange Expansion, Natural history collections, Natural History Museum, North Dakota, Natural History Museums, Didelphidae, Didelphimorphia, Mesocarnivores, Range Extension, Didelphids, Opossums, Mesocarnivore Ecology, and Didelphis
The receptor for advanced glycation end products is associated with a series of physiological and pathological processes. Here, we studied the evolution of this multiligand receptor in primates and murine rodents. The evolutionary... more
The receptor for advanced glycation end products is associated with a series of physiological and pathological processes. Here, we studied the evolution of this multiligand receptor in primates and murine rodents. The evolutionary analyses reveal that adaptive selection had contributed to the variation at a number of amino acid sites in both taxa. Further, the major adaptively selected sites of both taxa are located on the extracellular ligand- and intracellular adaptor-binding regions and receptor oligomerization-related surfaces. The co-occurrence of adaptive evolution on the homologue domains suggests that they could play similar roles in these taxa. In terms of advantage fitness, the adaptive changes at these sites could contribute to host defence against the potential challenges towards these interactions and relevant signalling pathways, or the specificity of these essential points.
Research Interests:
Analyses of the mitochondrial cytochrome-b gene were used to determine levels of genetic differentiation and patterns of relationship among members of the Neotoma mexicana (Mexican woodrat) species group in Mesoamerica. Three... more
Analyses of the mitochondrial cytochrome-b gene were used to determine levels of genetic differentiation and patterns of relationship among members of the Neotoma mexicana (Mexican woodrat) species group in Mesoamerica. Three well-supported clades were obtained that conform to the species N. ferruginea Tomes, 1862, N. mexicana Baird, 1855, and N. picta Goldman, 1904. Neotoma ferruginea is the senior name for the clade that contains samples from southern Mexico and Nuclear Central America previously identified as N. isthmica Goldman, 1904, or as subspecies of N. mexicana (chamula Goldman, 1909; vulcani Sanborn, 1935). The phylogeo- graphic pattern observed within the N. mexicana species group resembles that reported for other vertebrates co-distributed in mountains to the west (Trans- Mexican Neovolcanic Belt, Oaxacan sierras) and east (highlands of Chiapas, Mexico, and Nuclear Central America) of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.