Quantitative immunological studies of the albumins of several species of fire bellied toads, genus Bombina (original) (raw)
Related papers
Molecular …, 2011
Exact location and number of glacial refugia still remain unclear for many European coldblooded terrestrial vertebrates. We performed a fine-scaled multilocus phylogeographic analysis of two Bombina species combining mitochondrial variation of 950 toads from 385 sites and nuclear genes (Rag-1, Ncx-1) from a subset of samples to reconstruct their colonization and contemporary variation patterns. We identified the lowlands northwest of the Black Sea and the Carpathians to be important refugial areas for B. bombina and B. variegata, respectively. This result emphasizes the importance of Central European refugia for ectothermic terrestrial species, far north of the Mediterranean areas regarded as exclusive glacial refugia for the animals. Additional refugia for B. variegata have been located in the southern Apennines and Balkans. In contrast, no evidence for the importance of other east European plains as refugial regions has been found. The distribution of mtDNA and Ncx-1 variation suggests the presence of local refugia near the Black Sea for B. bombina; however, coalescent simulations did not allow to distinguish whether one or two refugia were present in the region. Strong genetic drift apparently accompanied postglacial expansions reducing diversity in the colonization areas. Extended sampling, coupled with the multilocus isolation with migration analysis, revealed a limited and geographically restricted gene flow from the Balkan to Carpathian populations of B. variegata. However, despite proximity of inferred B. bombina and B. variegata refugia, gene exchange between them was not detected.
Exact location and number of glacial refugia still remain unclear for many European coldblooded terrestrial vertebrates. We performed a fine-scaled multilocus phylogeographic analysis of two Bombina species combining mitochondrial variation of 950 toads from 385 sites and nuclear genes (Rag-1, Ncx-1) from a subset of samples to reconstruct their colonization and contemporary variation patterns. We identified the lowlands northwest of the Black Sea and the Carpathians to be important refugial areas for B. bombina and B. variegata, respectively. This result emphasizes the importance of Central European refugia for ectothermic terrestrial species, far north of the Mediterranean areas regarded as exclusive glacial refugia for the animals. Additional refugia for B. variegata have been located in the southern Apennines and Balkans. In contrast, no evidence for the importance of other east European plains as refugial regions has been found. The distribution of mtDNA and Ncx-1 variation suggests the presence of local refugia near the Black Sea for B. bombina; however, coalescent simulations did not allow to distinguish whether one or two refugia were present in the region. Strong genetic drift apparently accompanied postglacial expansions reducing diversity in the colonization areas. Extended sampling, coupled with the multilocus isolation with migration analysis, revealed a limited and geographically restricted gene flow from the Balkan to Carpathian populations of B. variegata. However, despite proximity of inferred B. bombina and B. variegata refugia, gene exchange between them was not detected.
2007
Abstract The fire-bellied toads Bombina bombina and Bombina variegata, interbreed in a long, narrow zone maintained by a balance between selection and dispersal. Hybridization takes place between local, genetically differentiated groups. To quantify divergence between these groups and reconstruct their history and demography, we analysed nucleotide variation at the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene (1096 bp) in 364 individuals from 156 sites representing the entire range of both species.
Relationships among Discoglossid Frogs : An Albumin Perspective
Amphibia-reptilia, 1984
Relationships among frogs of the genera Alytes, Bombina, Discoglossus, an d Baleaphryne were studied using the quantitative immunological micro-complement fixation technique. Albumins were compared among these genera as well as among several species of each genus. Our results indicate that the closest genetic relative of Baleaphryne muletensis is Alytes obstetricans. Moreover, the albu mins of Baleaphryne and A. obstetricans are as similar or more similar to each other than the albumins of all four species of Bombina, both species of Discoglossus, or the two species of Alytes available for study are to each other. We conclude that Baleaphryne is congeneric with Alytes. The distances measured among Alytes, Bomb ina, and Discoglossus suggest a Cretaceous (85-92 MYBP) divergence of Alytes from the lineage that later gave rise to Bombina and Discoglossus. These latter two genera appear to have diverged in the late Cretaceous, roughly 69-75 MYBP. Extant species of Bombina began diverging in the mid-to late-Miocene, as did Alytes obstetricans and A. cistemasii. Discoglossus pictus and D. sardus in Europe last shared a common gene pool in the Pliocene. Albumins of individuals of D. pictus from Spain compared with northwestern African D. pictus suggest that these populations have been separated for some 9-10 million years, and are probably not conspecific. Our findings do not support Lanza et al.'s (1975, 1976) suggestions that Bombina and Alytes belong in the separate family Bombinidae.
We studied external morphology and molecular genetics of two forms of the oriental fire bellied toad, described as separate subspecies Bombina orientalis silvatica Bombina orientalis practicola Korotkov, 1972. We have found significant differences between them in body size, coloration and some morphometric parameters but not in genetics. Taking into account their geographical separation, one can consider them as forest and meadow ecological morphs but not different taxa. Therefore, the names Bom bina orientalis practicola B. orientalis silvatica Korotkov, 1972, should be considered as junior synonyms of the name Bombina orientalis (Boulenger, 1980). We suppose that these morphs have been isolated from each other recently, and their morphological differences at genetic similarity are related to high plasticity of the species, when ecologically determined morphological differentiation precedes genetic differ entiation.
Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 1988
Geographie variability and genetic interactions in tfie contact Zone between the fire-bellied toads, B o m b i n a bornbina and B. vuriegatu, were studied using analysis of morphological and genetic variation in sixteen samples from the Slovak Karst and Aggtelek Karst regions. Genotype frequencies at four marker loci (Ldh-I, Mdh-I, A d k , Hern) demonstrate the existence of a hybrid Zone with highly variable population structures. WhiIe some samples appear to represent panmictic hybrid populations, other samples are very heterogeneous. Pure individuals of both species occurred together with hybrids at one site. Habitat segregation among genetically differentiated demes probably causes this heterogeneity of population structiires. Increased frcquencies OE the allele ~d h-I " , which is present in low proportion in B. b0rrzbirz~1 south of the coiitact zone, were fourid in soine liybrid popu1:itims. 'The analysis of natural hybridization is one of the ceritral and most active fields iii the study of speciatlori. Corijectured dynarnics of hybrid zones are of great impor
Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 2006
The toads of the Bufo bufo species group are widely distributed in the Eurasian continent and Japanese Archipelago. In this study, we analyzed the mtDNA gene sequences of this species group and estimated the divergence time to clarify the evolutionary relationships and biogeography of toads distributed in the Far East and Europe. The phylogenetic tree indicated that this group produced Bufo bufo in Europe, whereas it produced B. japonicus in the Far East. B. japonicus was divided into three major clades corresponding to a group consisting of B. j. gargarizans in China, B. j. bankorensis in Taiwan, and B. j. miyakonis on Miyako Isl. and eastern and western groups of Japanese B. j. japonicus subspecies group. The eastern and western groups were divided into several subclades which tended to reXect the region-speciWc geographic distribution of all localities except B. j. japonicus from Hakodate. The estimated branching times of these clades suggest that geological events may have inXuenced the divergence of the toads distributed in the Far East and Europe.
A study on the blood cells of the fire-bellied toad, Bombina bombina L. (Anura: Bombinatoridae
Animal Biology, 2010
Th e aim of this study was to determine the blood cells parameters of Anatolian and Th racian Bombina bombina populations. Th e size and counts of various blood cells were analyzed in 29 mature Bombina bombina specimens belonging to two populations (Durusu-Istanbul and Döşeme Bataklığı -Adapazarı) in northwest Anatolia. Th e mean erythrocyte count was determined as 251.429/mm 3 , that of leucocytes was 2.114/mm 3 , and that of thrombocytes was 12.857/mm 3 . Th ere was no signifi cant sexual variation in blood cell counts of our B. bombina sample which was collected during their breeding season. Th e leucocyte diff erential counts and staining properties of blood cells were also determined. Interspecifi c comparisons indicate that northwest Anatolian B. bombina samples share general features with other anurans but diff er from other populations of the same species in blood cell parameters. Th e lower number of erythrocyte and their relatively large surface area of our samples suggest a lower level of metabolism and relatively higher oxygen uptake. We suggest that this structure is probably not only due to adaptations to diff erent geographic regions and altitude but also a combination of recent habitat reductions due to human actions and agricultural contaminants may account for the blood cell parameters as well as other genetic and morphologic patterns of these isolated and small populations of this species.