| a survey of the coccidian parasites of reptiles from islands of the galápagos archipelago: 1990-1994. | from 1990 through 1994, fecal samples were collected and examined for coccidian parasites from 26 giant land tortoises geochelone nigra, from 715 lava lizards tropidurus spp., from 139 land iguanas conolophus subcristatus, and from 128 marine iguanas amblyrhynchus cristatus, all of which inhabit various islands in the galápagos archipelago. none of the samples from a. cristatus or from c. subcristatus was infected with coccidia. only 1 of 26 (4%) g. nigra was infected with a single eimeria speci ... | 1996 | 8636848 |
| inter-population variation of carotenoids in galápagos land iguanas (conolophus subcristatus). | carotenoids have received much attention from biologists because of their ecological and evolutionary implications in vertebrate biology. we sampled galápagos land iguanas (conolophus subcristatus) to investigate the types and levels of blood carotenoids and the possible factors affecting inter-population variation. blood samples were collected from populations from three islands within the species natural range (santa cruz, isabela, and fernandina) and one translocated population (venecia). lut ... | 2005 | 16129639 |
| temporal and spatial covariation of gender and oxidative stress in the galápagos land iguana conolophus subcristatus. | abstract physiological responses to organismal stress can have direct impacts on individual fitness. while responses to stressors mediated by glucocorticoid hormones are well studied, the regulation of the redox system via pro-oxidant and antioxidant balance as well as the natural causes of oxidative stress in nature remain poorly known, especially for reptiles. in this study, we investigate the interpopulation and intersex variation in oxidative damage and plasma antioxidant capacity in the gal ... | 2009 | 19659444 |
| tracking acquired antibiotic resistance in commensal bacteria of galápagos land iguanas: no man, no resistance. | antibiotic resistance, evolving and spreading among bacterial pathogens, poses a serious threat to human health. antibiotic use for clinical, veterinary and agricultural practices provides the major selective pressure for emergence and persistence of acquired resistance determinants. however, resistance has also been found in the absence of antibiotic exposure, such as in bacteria from wildlife, raising a question about the mechanisms of emergence and persistence of resistant strains under simil ... | 2010 | 20126545 |
| Characterization of Salmonella occurring at high prevalence in a population of the land iguana Conolophus subcristatus in Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. | The aim of the study was to elucidate the association between the zoonotic pathogen Salmonella and a population of land iguana, Colonophus subcristatus, endemic to Galápagos Islands in Ecuador. We assessed the presence of Salmonella subspecies and serovars and estimated the prevalence of the pathogen in that population. Additionally, we investigated the genetic relatedness among isolates and serovars utilising pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) on XbaI-digested DNA and determined the antimi ... | 2011 | 21853080 |
| genomic fingerprinting and serotyping of salmonella from galápagos iguanas demonstrates island differences in strain diversity. | salmonella carriage patterns in wild and captive reptiles suggest that both geographical proximity and host ecological differences may determine bacterial diversity among reptile populations. in this study, we explore the relative importance of these factors on salmonella diversity in free-living galápagos iguanas. we isolated salmonella enterica from marine iguanas (amblyrhynchus cristatus) and land iguanas (conolophus subcristatus and c. pallidus) living on two islands (plaza sur and santa fe) ... | 2011 | 23761248 |
| the complete mitochondrial genomes of the galápagos iguanas, amblyrhynchus cristatus and conolophus subcristatus. | the galápagos iguanas are among the oldest vertebrate lineages on the galápagos archipelago, and the evolutionary history of this clade is of great interest to biologists. we describe here the complete mitochondrial genomes of the marine iguana, amblyrhynchus cristatus (genbank accession number: kt277937) and the land iguana conolophus subcristatus (genbank accession number: kt277936). the genomes contain 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer rnas, and two ribosomal rnas genes, as well as a contr ... | 2016 | 26357924 |
| hybridization masks speciation in the evolutionary history of the galápagos marine iguana. | the effects of the direct interaction between hybridization and speciation-two major contrasting evolutionary processes--are poorly understood. we present here the evolutionary history of the galápagos marine iguana (amblyrhynchus cristatus) and reveal a case of incipient within--island speciation, which is paralleled by between-island hybridization. in-depth genome-wide analyses suggest that amblyrhynchus diverged from its sister group, the galápagos land iguanas, around 4.5 million years ago ( ... | 2015 | 26041359 |
| species-specific evolution of class i mhc genes in iguanas (order: squamata; subfamily: iguaninae). | over the last few decades, the major histocompatibility complex (mhc) has emerged as a model for understanding the influence of natural selection on genetic diversity in populations as well as for investigating the genetic basis of host resistance to pathogens. however, many vertebrate taxa remain underrepresented in the field of mhc research, preventing its application to studies of disease, evolution, and conservation genetics in these groups. this is particularly true for squamates, which are ... | 2008 | 18488213 |
| the effect of the thermal environment on the ability of hatchling galapagos land iguanas to avoid predation during dispersal. | during the month of february 1979, several hundred hatchling land iguanas (conolophus pallidus) were observed emerging from their natal burrows in a 2 ha communal nesting area on isla santa fe, galapagos islands. during this emergence, as many as nine galapagos hawks were observed to patrol the nesting area and attack hatchling iguanas.the hypothesis that the ability of hatchling land iguanas to escape predation could be influenced by the interaction of the physiological state of the lizards and ... | 1981 | 28309312 |
| ty1-copia group retrotransposon sequences in amphibia and reptilia. | we have isolated sequences belonging to ty1-copia group retrotransposons from the genomes of an amphibian (pyxicephalus adspersa) and three reptiles (conolophus subscristatus, amblyrynchus cristatus and pytas mucosus). two different sequences were found in the amphibian (tpa1 and tpa2). each is present in several copies per genome and absent from the genomes of two other amphibian species. the c. subcristatus sequence tcs1 is present in multiple copies in both its host genome (galapagos land igu ... | 1995 | 7823913 |
| chemical signatures of femoral pore secretions in two syntopic but reproductively isolated species of galápagos land iguanas (conolophus marthae and c. subcristatus). | the only known population of conolophus marthae (reptilia, iguanidae) and a population of c. subcristatus are syntopic on wolf volcano (isabela island, galápagos). no gene flow occurs suggesting that effective reproductive isolating mechanisms exist between these two species. chemical signature of femoral pore secretions is important for intra- and inter-specific chemical communication in squamates. as a first step towards testing the hypothesis that chemical signals could mediate reproductive i ... | 2020 | 32868803 |
| health assessment of conolophus subcristatus, conolophus pallidus, and c. subcristatus x amblyrhynchus cristatus hybrid (galápagos land iguanas). | the land iguanas, conolophus pallidus and conolophus subcristatu are large and charismatic lizards endemic to the galápagos archipelago, but little information exists on their normal health parameters. the former is restricted to santa fe island, while c. subcristatus inhabits the islands of the central and western region of the archipelago. both species are classified as vulnerable by the iucn red list of threatened species. as part of a population health assessment authorized by the galápagos ... | 2019 | 31618199 |
| methods of body temperature assessment in conolophus subcristatus, conolophus pallidus (galápagos land iguanas), and amblyrhynchus cristatus x c. subcristatus hybrid. | since cardiovascular, respiratory, and metabolic systems of reptiles are affected by temperature, accurate measurements are of great importance in both captive husbandry and research. ectothermic animals generally have core body temperatures close to ambient temperature but can differ from the immediate environment if they are using sunlight to thermoregulate. many zoological facilities and exotic pet caregivers have begun using infrared temperature guns to assess ambient temperatures of reptile ... | 2019 | 30740271 |
| diversity of compounds in femoral secretions of galápagos iguanas (genera: amblyrhynchus and conolophus), and their potential role in sexual communication in lek-mating marine iguanas (amblyrhynchus cristatus). | chemical signals are widely used in the animal kingdom, enabling communication in various social contexts, including mate selection and the establishment of dominance. femoral glands, which produce and release waxy secretions into the environment, are organs of central importance in lizard chemical communication. the galápagos marine iguana (amblyrhynchus cristatus) is a squamate reptile with a lek-mating system. although the lekking behaviour of marine iguanas has been well-studied, their poten ... | 2017 | 28828277 |
| effects of parasitic infection and reproduction on corticosterone plasma levels in galápagos land iguanas, conolophus marthae and c. subcristatus. | in vertebrates, one main feature of stress response is the release of glucocorticoids (corticosterone in reptiles), steroid hormones whose synthesis is regulated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (hpa). in the galápagos islands, populations of land iguanas are differentially impacted by a tick-transmitted apicomplexan hemoparasite of genus hepatozoon, which could cause diseases and ultimately reduce fitness. using competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (elisa), we examined basel ... | 2017 | 28808564 |
| plasma concentrations of progesterone and estradiol and the relation to reproduction in galápagos land iguanas, conolophus marthae and c. subcristatus (squamata, iguanidae). | in a combined approach, endocrine and ultrasonic analyses were performed to assess reproduction of two syntopic populations of terrestrial galápagos iguanas the conolophus marthae (the galápagos pink land iguana) and c. subcristatus on the volcán wolf (isabela island). the elisa methods (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) were used to measure plasma concentrations of progesterone (p4) and 17β-estradiol (e2) from samples collected over the course of three different seasons: july 2010, june 2012-2 ... | 2016 | 27449407 |
| galápagos land iguana (conolophus subcristatus) as a seed disperser. | the role of the most common land iguana (conolophus subcristatus) in the galápagos islands as an effective seed disperser is explored in this study. a total of 5705 seeds of 32 plant species were identified from 160 scats, 4545 of which (80%) appeared visually undamaged. germination trials of 849 seeds from 29 species revealed that at least 10 species remained viable after passing through the iguana's gut, although only a small proportion of those seeds (4%) germinated. in any case, we argue tha ... | 2016 | 26748830 |
| an overlooked pink species of land iguana in the galapagos. | despite the attention given to them, the galápagos have not yet finished offering evolutionary novelties. when darwin visited the galápagos, he observed both marine (amblyrhynchus) and land (conolophus) iguanas but did not encounter a rare pink black-striped land iguana (herein referred to as "rosada," meaning "pink" in spanish), which, surprisingly, remained unseen until 1986. here, we show that substantial genetic isolation exists between the rosada and syntopic yellow forms and that the rosad ... | 2009 | 19124773 |
| population genetics of galápagos land iguana (genus conolophus) remnant populations. | the galápagos land iguanas (genus conolophus) have faced significant anthropogenic disturbances since the 17th century, leading to severe reduction of some populations and the extinction of others. conservation activities, including the repatriation of captive-bred animals to depleted areas, have been ongoing since the late 1970s, but genetic information has not been extensively incorporated. here we use nine species-specific microsatellite loci of 703 land iguanas from the six islands where the ... | 2008 | 19120985 |
| development of 10 highly-polymorphic microsatellite markers in the vulnerable galápagos land iguanas (genus conolophus). | the two species of galápagos land iguanas (conolophus subcristatus and c. pallidus) are listed as 'vulnerable' species by the international union for the conservation of nature (iucn red list; http://www.iucnredlist.org). here, we report on the isolation and characterization of 10 microsatellite markers using 562 individuals sampled on all galápagos islands where conolophus species occur today. we show that these 10 loci are highly polymorphic and display diagnostic alleles for five out of the s ... | 2009 | 21564655 |
| physical and biotic determinants of space utilization by the galapagos land iguana (conolophus pallidus). | home ranges of the galapagos land iguana (conolophus pallidus) were examined with respect to food availability and the thermal environment. activity patterns, the amount of space used per day, and time required to use the entire home range were also investigated. the effects of, and the relationships between, these factors vary seasonally, as do home range sizes and preferred body temperatures.food supplementation experiments resulted in only temporary reductions in use of space. home range size ... | 1985 | 28310825 |