@article{KehlmaierBarlowHastingsetal.2017,
  author    = {Kehlmaier, Christian and Barlow, Axel and Hastings, Alexander K. and Vamberger, Melita and Paijmans, Johanna L. A. and Steadman, David W. and Albury, Nancy A. and Franz, Richard and Hofreiter, Michael and Fritz, Uwe},
  title     = {Tropical ancient DNA reveals relationships of the extinct bahamian giant tortoise Chelonoidis alburyorum},
  series = {Proceedings of the Royal Society of London : Series B, Biological sciences},
  volume    = {284},
  journal   = {Proceedings of the Royal Society of London : Series B, Biological sciences},
  publisher = {The Royal Society},
  address   = {London},
  issn      = {0962-8452},
  doi       = {10.1098/rspb.2016.2235},
  pages     = {8},
  year      = {2017},
  abstract  = {Ancient DNA of extinct species from the Pleistocene and Holocene has provided valuable evolutionary insights. However, these are largely restricted to mammals and high latitudes because DNA preservation in warm climates is typically poor. In the tropics and subtropics, non-avian reptiles constitute a significant part of the fauna and little is known about the genetics of the many extinct reptiles from tropical islands. We have reconstructed the near-complete mitochondrial genome of an extinct giant tortoise from the Bahamas (Chelonoidis alburyorum) using an approximately 1000-year-old humerus from a water-filled sinkhole (blue hole) on Great Abaco Island. Phylogenetic and molecular clock analyses place this extinct species as closely related to Galapagos (C. niger complex) and Chaco tortoises (C. chilensis), and provide evidence for repeated overseas dispersal in this tortoise group. The ancestors of extant Chelonoidis species arrived in South America from Africa only after the opening of the Atlantic Ocean and dispersed from there to the Caribbean and the Galapagos Islands. Our results also suggest that the anoxic, thermally buffered environment of blue holes may enhance DNA preservation, and thus are opening a window for better understanding evolution and population history of extinct tropical species, which would likely still exist without human impact.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{FerreraSarmentoPriscuetal.2017,
  author    = {Ferrera, Isabel and Sarmento, Hugo and Priscu, John C. and Chiuchiolo, Amy and Gonzalez, Jose M. and Grossart, Hans-Peter},
  title     = {Diversity and Distribution of Freshwater Aerobic Anoxygenic Phototrophic Bacteria across a Wide Latitudinal Gradient},
  series = {Frontiers in microbiology},
  volume    = {8},
  journal   = {Frontiers in microbiology},
  publisher = {Frontiers Research Foundation},
  address   = {Lausanne},
  issn      = {1664-302X},
  doi       = {10.3389/fmicb.2017.00175},
  pages     = {12},
  year      = {2017},
  abstract  = {Aerobic anoxygenic phototrophs (AAPs) have been shown to exist in numerous marine and brackish environments where they are hypothesized to play important ecological roles. Despite their potential significance, the study of freshwater AAPs is in its infancy and limited to local investigations. Here, we explore the occurrence, diversity and distribution of AAPs in lakes covering a wide latitudinal gradient: Mongolian and German lakes located in temperate regions of Eurasia, tropical Great East African lakes, and polar permanently ice-covered Antarctic lakes. Our results show a widespread distribution of AAPs in lakes with contrasting environmental conditions and confirm that this group is composed of different members of the Alpha- and Betaproteobacteria. While latitude does not seem to strongly influence AAP abundance, clear patterns of community structure and composition along geographic regions were observed as indicated by a strong macro-geographical signal in the taxonomical composition of AAPs. Overall, our results suggest that the distribution patterns of freshwater AAPs are likely driven by a combination of small-scale environmental conditions (specific of each lake and region) and large-scale geographic factors (climatic regions across a latitudinal gradient).},
  language  = {en}
}