Abstract: NATO ASI Series

Abstract: Investigating wild animals while minimizing human disturbance remains an important methodological challenge. When approached by a remote-operated vehicle (rover) which can be equipped to make radio-frequency identifications, wild penguins had significantly lower and shorter stress responses (determined by heart rate and behavior) than when approached by humans. Upon immobilization, the rover-unlike humans-did not disorganize colony structure, and stress rapidly ceased. Thus, rovers can reduce human disturbance of wild animals and the resulting scientific bias.

Abstract: Clades that have undergone episodes of rapid cladogenesis are challenging from a phylogenetic point of view. They are generally characterised by short or missing internal branches in phylogenetic trees and by conflicting topologies among individual gene trees. This may be the case of the subfamily Trematominae, a group of marine teleosts of coastal Antarctic waters, which is considered to have passed through a period of rapid diversification. Despite much phylogenetic attention, the relationships among Trematominae species remain unclear. In contrast to previous studies that were mostly based on concatenated datasets of mitochondrial and/or single nuclear loci, we applied various single-locus and multilocus phylogenetic approaches to sequences from 11 loci (eight nuclear) and we also used several methods to assess the hypothesis of a radiation event in Trematominae evolution. Diversification rate analyses support the hypothesis of a period of rapid diversification during Trematominae history and only a few nodes in the hypothetical species tree were consistently resolved with various phylogenetic methods. We detected significant discrepancies among trees from individual genes of these species, most probably resulting from incomplete lineage sorting, suggesting that concatenation of loci is not the most appropriate way to investigate Trematominae species interrelationships. These data also provide information about the possible effects of historic climate changes on the diversification rate of this group of fish.

Abstract: We explore the relationships within Serraniformes (Li et al., 2009) using a dense taxon sampling and seven nuclear markers. Six had already used been for teleost phylogeny (IRBP, MC1R, MLL4, Pkd1, Rhodopsin, and RNF213) at other scales, and one (MLL2) is new. The results corroborate the composition of Serraniformes described in previous publications (some Gasterosteiformes, Perciformes and Scorpaeniformes). Within the clade, Notothenioidei and Zoarcoidei are each monophyletic. Cottoidei was not monophyletic due to placement of the genus Ebinania (Psychrolutidae). Our independent data confirm the sister-group relationship of Percophidae and Notothenioidei as well as the division of Platycephaloidei in four different groups (Bembridae, Platycephalidae, Hoplichthyidae and Peristediidae with Triglidae). Within Cottoidei, Liparidae and Cyclopteridae formed a clade associated with Cottidae, the genus Cottunculus (Psychrolutidae), and Agonidae. Serranidae and Scorpaenidae are not monophyletic, with the Serranidae divided in two clades (Serraninae and Epinephelinae/Anthiinae) and Scorpaenidae including Caracanthidae and the genus Ebinania (Psychrolutidae). We discuss some morphological characters supporting clades within the Scorpaenidae.