SquaMates Ep. 4: A Newt Hope

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The fourth episode of the SquaMates podcast! You wanted more snake genomes? You got them! You wanted more controversy? Double dose! This show is rife with bad puns and brilliant science, hosted by Mark D. Scherz, Gabriel Ugueto, and Ethan Kocak!

In this fourth episode, we revisit the Toxicofera, whinge about how busy we all are, mourn the loss of priceless collections, and bring you some hot new science from the last month! These breaking newts include some new snake genomes, some shockingly complicated methods, and a strong message of STAHP SENDING SALAMANDERS OVERSEAS! Our main discussion is a free-form conversation about the way we think about invasive species, and how it is often based on gut feelings, rather than evidence (which discuss without mentioning any primary literature). The featured #HERper is Rose Marie Antoinette Blommers-Schlösser, whose work did wonders for researchers studying Madagascar’s amphibians.

Episode notes sometimes get clipped on your device or by your podcast provider; for full (extensive) notes, go to http://www.squamatespod.com

Missedsnakes References:

Koch, N.M. & Gauthier, J.A. (2018) Noise and biases in genomic data may underlie radically different hypotheses for the position of Iguania within Squamata. PloS ONE, 13, e0202729. 10.1371/journal.pone.0202729

Works in Froggress

True or Poo is coming out soon—pre-order it now!

Breaking Newts References:

Wikimedia Campaign to upload photos of the Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro. Or upload your photos here. Or send them to thg.museo@gmail.com, lusantosmuseo@gmail.com, or isabeladfrreitas@gmail.com.

Miralles, A., Marin, J., Markus, D., Herrel, A., Hedges, S.B. & Vidal, N. (in press) Molecular evidence for the paraphyly of Scolecophidia and its evolutionary implications. Journal of Evolutionary Biology. 10.1111/jeb.13373

Opazo, J.C. & Zavala, K. (2018) Phylogenetic evidence for independent origins of GDF1 and GDF3 genes in anurans and mammals. Scientific Reports, 8, 13595. 10.1038/s41598-018-31954-w

Shibata, H., Chijiwa, T., Oda-Ueda, N., Nakamura, H., Yamaguchi, K., Hattori, S., Matsubara, K., Matsuda, Y., Yamashita, A. & Isomoto, A. (2018) The habu genome reveals accelerated evolution of venom protein genes. Scientific Reports, 8, 11300. 10.1038/s41598-018-28749-4

Burbrink, F.T. & Gehara, M. (2018) The biogeography of deep time phylogenetic reticulation. Systematic Biology, 67, 743–755. 10.1093/sysbio/syy019

Li, J.-T., Gao, Y.-D., Xie, L., Deng, C., Shi, P., Guan, M.-L., Huang, S., Ren, J.-L., Wu, D.-D. & Ding, L. (2018) Comparative genomic investigation of high-elevation adaptation in ectothermic snakes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, 201805348. 10.1073/pnas.1805348115

Sun, A.X., Londono, R., Hudnall, M.L., Tuan, R.S. & Lozito, T.P. (2018) Differences in neural stem cell identity and differentiation capacity drive divergent regenerative outcomes in lizards and salamanders. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, 201803780. 10.1073/pnas.1803780115

*This paper was discussed in the news segment of Episode 42 of the Common Descent Podcast

McGlothlin, J.W., Kobiela, M.E., Wright, H.V., Mahler, D.L., Kolbe, J.J., Losos, J.B. & Brodie III, E.D. (2018) Adaptive radiation along a deeply conserved genetic line of least resistance in Anolis lizards. Evolution Letters, 2, 310–322. 10.1002/evl3.72

*This extremely complicated paper is summarised on the Evolution Letters editor’s blog.

Fitzpatrick, L.D., Pasmans, F., Martel, A. & Cunningham, A.A. (2018) Epidemiological tracing of Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans identifies widespread infection and associated mortalities in private amphibian collections. Scientific Reports, 8, 13845. 10.1038/s41598-018-31800-z

#HERper further reading:

Wikipedia: Rose Marie Antoinette Blommers-Schlösser

Blommers-Schlösser, R.M.A. & Blanc, C.P. (1991) Amphibiens (première partie). Faune de Madagascar, 75, 1–397. [can be purchased here]

Blommers-Schlösser, R.M.A. & Blanc, C.P. (1993) Amphibiens (duexième partie). Faune de Madagascar, 75, 385–530. [can be purchased here]

Blommers-Schlösser, R.M.A. (1975) Observations on the larval development of some Malagasy frogs, with notes on their ecology and biology (Anura: Dyscophinae, Scaphiophryninae, and Cophylinae). Beaufortia, 24, 7–26. [pdf available here]

Shout-outs

llewelly: @llewelly (sorry about the epic fail at answering your question!)

Jakob Vinther: @macroevolut — the deliverer of the fossil colour talk that Mark mentioned in Works in Froggress.

Emma Sherratt: @DrEmSherratt — the deliverer of arguably the best talk at Evolution 2018.

Germán Orizaola: @GOrizaola — works on the treefrogs in Chernobyl

Colin Donihue: @colindonihue

Hey @TomBodett, I heard you ask @Faith_Salie on @waitwait for a pic of my leafblower setup. Here ya go!
I’m flattered—this is probably the first (and last) time my work has been measured against @TomCruise! When you get home, definitely tell your kids to go out and do science! pic.twitter.com/NiIxPNXlto

— Colin Donihue (@colindonihue) July 28, 2018

Follow the show and the hosts on social media!

SquaMates: website • twitter • instagram • facebook

Mark D. Scherz: website • twitter • instagram • tumblr • facebook • researchgate

Gabriel Ugueto: website • twitter • instagram • facebook • artwork prints

Ethan Kocak: website • twitter • tumblr • facebook