Biodiesel production from microalgae triacylglycerols is growing, because this feedstock is a more sustainable and advantageous alternative. In this study, we isolated and identified fourteen strains of native microalgae from the Peruvian Amazon. These strains showed great heterogeneity in biomass productivity, lipid productivity and lipid content, and thus, three of them (Acutodesmus obliquus, Ankistrodesmus sp. and Chlorella lewinii) were selected for further evaluation under culture of nitrogen-sufficient (+N) and nitrogen-deficient (−N) Chu medium No. 10. These microalgae species showed modifications in biomolecule content (protein, lipid and carbohydrate) with a pronounced increase of lipids and carbohydrate and a decrease of protein content under stress culture. Furthermore, the fatty acid profile was peculiar for each species, and these patterns showed evident changes, particularly in the proportion of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids. The results of this research suggest that the isolated native microalgae, from the Peruvian Amazon, could be suitable candidates for biodiesel production

Myrciaria dubia is an Amazonian fruit shrub that produces numerous bioactive phytochemicals, but is best known by its high L-ascorbic acid (AsA) content in fruits. Pronounced variation in AsA content has been observed both within and among individuals, but the genetic factors responsible for this variation are largely unknown. The goals of this research, therefore, were to assemble, characterize, and annotate the fruit transcriptome of M. dubia in order to reconstruct metabolic pathways and determine if multiple pathways contribute to AsA biosynthesis. In total 24,551,882 high-quality sequence reads were de novo assembled into 70,048 unigenes (mean length = 1150 bp, N50 = 1775 bp). Assembled sequences were annotated using BLASTX against public databases such as TAIR, GR-protein, FB, MGI, RGD, ZFIN, SGN, WB, TIGR_CMR, and JCVI-CMR with 75.2 % of unigenes having annotations. Of the three core GO annotation categories, biological processes comprised 53.6 % of the total assigned annotations, whereas cellular components and molecular functions comprised 23.3 and 23.1 %, respectively. Based on the KEGG pathway assignment of the functionally annotated transcripts, five metabolic pathways for AsA biosynthesis were identified: animal-like pathway, myo-inositol pathway, L-gulose pathway, D-mannose/L-galactose pathway, and uronic acid pathway. All transcripts coding enzymes involved in the ascorbate-glutathione cycle were also identified. Finally, we used the assembly to identified 6314 genic microsatellites and 23,481 high quality SNPs. This study describes the first next-generation sequencing effort and transcriptome annotation of a non-model Amazonian plant that is relevant for AsA production and other bioactive phytochemicals. Genes encoding key enzymes were successfully identified and metabolic pathways involved in biosynthesis of AsA, anthocyanins, and other metabolic pathways have been reconstructed. The identification of these genes and pathways is in agreement with the empirically observed capability of M. dubia to synthesize and accumulate AsA and other important molecules, and adds to our current knowledge of the molecular biology and biochemistry of their production in plants. By providing insights into the mechanisms underpinning these metabolic processes, these results can be used to direct efforts to genetically manipulate this organism in order to enhance the production of these bioactive phytochemicals. The accumulation of AsA precursor and discovery of genes associated with their biosynthesis and metabolism in M. dubia is intriguing and worthy of further investigation. The sequences and pathways produced here present the genetic framework required for further studies. Quantitative transcriptomics in concert with studies of the genome, proteome, and metabolome under conditions that stimulate production and accumulation of AsA and their precursors are needed to provide a more comprehensive view of how these pathways for AsA metabolism are regulated and linked in this species.

Despite its status as a global biodiversity hotspot there is still much to be discovered about the birds of Madagascar, including a full accounting of species-level diversity and the avifauna’s origins. The Bernieridae is a Malagasy endemic family that went unrecognized by science for decades and unnamed until 2010. This cryptic family has long represented a missing piece of the puzzle of the avian tree of life. We present the first comprehensive phylogeny of Bernieridae in order to examine its diversification history on Madagascar and its place within Passeriformes. In light of recent discoveries of cryptic species-level diversity in Madagascar’s vertebrate fauna, we used broad geographic sampling and integrative taxonomic methods to investigate the potential for cryptic lineages within every known species of the Bernieridae. Our approach combines phylogenomics using ∼4500 loci of ultraconserved elements (UCEs), genetic clustering of thousands of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and statistical analysis of morphological variation. These methods yielded the discovery of two unrecognized species in the previously monotypic genus Bernieria , along with new insights into patterns of fine-scale endemism in Madagascar’s humid forests. Our phylogenomic analyses provide conclusive support for Donacobiidae and Bernieridae as sister families, a biogeographically intriguing result given that the former is restricted to the Neotropics. We found a significant decline in the rate of speciation over time on Madagascar, consistent with a model of adaptive radiation. Bernieridae therefore joins the Vangidae as a second avian adaptive radiation on the island of Madagascar. These insights into the evolution of Bernieridae represent a step forward in understanding the origins and diversity of Madagascar’s endemic avifauna.

Multiple factors potentially affect nestling survival and maternal reproductive success. However, little is known about the relative importance of different factors when operating simultaneously or whether the same factors are important for nestlings and their mothers. We determined the effect of hatching asynchrony, individual egg size, mean egg size, nestling sex, and clutch initiation date on the survival of individual nestlings and on maternal reproductive success in Common Grackles (Quiscalus quiscula) from 2004 to 2006 in central Illinois. Factors most important to maternal success differed from those important for individual nestling growth and survival. Hatching asynchrony had the greatest within-nest influence on the fate of nestlings; the earlier a nestling hatched relative to siblings, the greater its mass and likelihood of fledging. Clutch size had the greatest influence on maternal reproductive success, with females with larger clutches fledging more young. Thus, both nestling survival and maternal success were largely determined by a single, albeit different, factor. A possible explanation for the apparent unimportance of most factors we measured in determining maternal success is that we did not consider variation among females. Individual variation in maternal attributes such as condition, size, age, experience, or mate quality may result in females tailoring clutch attributes (i.e., egg size, sex, and degree of hatching asynchrony) in ways that allow them to maximize their reproductive success. The discordance between factors that benefited mothers versus their offspring illustrates the importance of considering the maternal consequences of any factor that appears to affect offspring survival. Factors that increase the mass and survival of some offspring may not result in increased maternal reproductive success.