Evolutionary Biology of Carabus Ground Beetles

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teiji Sota
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Ground Beetles

scholarly journals Divergent sperm traits in Carabidae ground beetles (Insecta: Coleoptera)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kôji Sasakawa
Keyword(s):  
Light Microscopy ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Sperm Morphology ◽  
Size Variation ◽  
Morphological Diversity ◽  
Ground Beetles ◽  
Size Dimorphism ◽  
Evolutionary Pattern ◽  
Sperm Traits

AbstractSperm exhibit marked morphological diversity, and investigations into sperm diversity can further the understanding of many areas of evolutionary biology. In this study, using light microscopy, sperm morphology was examined in 39 species of Carabidae from eight subfamilies, including five subfamilies in which sperm morphology has not previously been examined. In all but one of the subfamilies, the subfamily members shared the same type of sperm: single sperm were observed in Cicindelinae, Nebriinae, and Trechinae; sperm conjugates, in which numerous sperm adhere together, were observed in Elaphrinae, Patrobinae, and Brachinae; and both single sperm and sperm conjugates were observed in Broscinae. In the remaining subfamily, Harpalinae, most species formed sperm conjugates, but some species formed single sperm. Some noteworthy sperm were also observed: the shortest single sperm in the order Coleoptera was found; multiflagellated sperm were observed, which had previously been reported from only one species in the class Insecta; and size variation of sperm conjugates, which may represent size dimorphism, was observed. Based on the results of this and previous studies, the evolutionary pattern of sperm traits and the phylogenetic utility of sperm morphologies in Carabidae are discussed.

Gene trees: A powerful tool for exploring the evolutionary biology of species and speciation

2000 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 211-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan R. Templeton ◽  
Stephanie D. Maskas ◽  
Mitchell B. Cruzan
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Gene Trees

Darwin's two competing phylogenetic trees: marsupials as ancestors or sister taxa?

2012 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. David Archibald
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Record ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Phylogenetic Trees ◽  
Charles Darwin ◽  
The Other ◽  
Charles Lyell ◽  
Single Origin ◽  
Molecular Studies ◽  
Richard Owen ◽  
First Time

Studies of the origin and diversification of major groups of plants and animals are contentious topics in current evolutionary biology. This includes the study of the timing and relationships of the two major clades of extant mammals – marsupials and placentals. Molecular studies concerned with marsupial and placental origin and diversification can be at odds with the fossil record. Such studies are, however, not a recent phenomenon. Over 150 years ago Charles Darwin weighed two alternative views on the origin of marsupials and placentals. Less than a year after the publication of On the origin of species, Darwin outlined these in a letter to Charles Lyell dated 23 September 1860. The letter concluded with two competing phylogenetic diagrams. One showed marsupials as ancestral to both living marsupials and placentals, whereas the other showed a non-marsupial, non-placental as being ancestral to both living marsupials and placentals. These two diagrams are published here for the first time. These are the only such competing phylogenetic diagrams that Darwin is known to have produced. In addition to examining the question of mammalian origins in this letter and in other manuscript notes discussed here, Darwin confronted the broader issue as to whether major groups of animals had a single origin (monophyly) or were the result of “continuous creation” as advocated for some groups by Richard Owen. Charles Lyell had held similar views to those of Owen, but it is clear from correspondence with Darwin that he was beginning to accept the idea of monophyly of major groups.

Carabidae of Barnaul city parks: ecological characteristics and species composition

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 348-353
Author(s):  
E. A. Kuchina ◽  
N. D. Ovcharenko ◽  
L. D. Vasileva
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Diversity Index ◽  
Similarity Index ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
Ground Beetles ◽  
Forest Steppe ◽  
Ecological Groups ◽  
Dominant Group ◽  
Species Diversity Index ◽  
Steppe Species

<p>Anthropogenic impact on the population of ground beetles leads to a change in their numbers, structure of dominance, density, species composition, spectrum of life forms. This makes the beetles Carabidae a convenient and informative bioindicator of the ecological state of biocenoses. The material for this work was the Carabidae collections conducted in June-August 2016-2017 in the park zone of different regions of Barnaul, differing in location, area, hydrological regime, vegetation cover, purpose and anthropogenic load. When processing the material, the quantitative, species and generic composition of the carabidae was determined, calculations were made for such indicators as the Berger-Parker dominance index, the Shannon species diversity index (Hs), and the Jacquard species similarity index. The fauna (Coleoptera, Carabidae) of the park zone of Barnaul is represented by 55 species belonging to 20 genera. The dominant group is represented by species belonging to steppe, forest and polyzonal groups. Forest-steppe species of ground beetles as dominants have not been identified in any of the investigated territories. The greatest variety of ecological groups was noted on the territory of the Yubileyny рark, which is explained by the presence of zones with various microclimatic conditions, the presence of a birch grove that flows through the park with the Pivovarka River, and a wide log in the park. Registered species belong to eight groups of life forms belonging to two classes - zoophagous and myxophytophagous. On the numerical and species abundance, zoophages predominate. The spectrum of life forms corresponds to the zonal spectrum characteristic of the forest-steppe zone.</p><p> </p>

Homology, Genes, and Evolutionary Innovation

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Günter P. Wagner
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Regulatory Networks ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Origin And Evolution ◽  
Major Transitions ◽  
Form And Function ◽  
Historical Continuity ◽  
Evolutionary Innovation ◽  
Character Identity

Homology—a similar trait shared by different species and derived from common ancestry, such as a seal's fin and a bird's wing—is one of the most fundamental yet challenging concepts in evolutionary biology. This book provides the first mechanistically based theory of what homology is and how it arises in evolution. The book argues that homology, or character identity, can be explained through the historical continuity of character identity networks—that is, the gene regulatory networks that enable differential gene expression. It shows how character identity is independent of the form and function of the character itself because the same network can activate different effector genes and thus control the development of different shapes, sizes, and qualities of the character. Demonstrating how this theoretical model can provide a foundation for understanding the evolutionary origin of novel characters, the book applies it to the origin and evolution of specific systems, such as cell types; skin, hair, and feathers; limbs and digits; and flowers. The first major synthesis of homology to be published in decades, this book reveals how a mechanistically based theory can serve as a unifying concept for any branch of science concerned with the structure and development of organisms, and how it can help explain major transitions in evolution and broad patterns of biological diversity.

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