The evolutionary history of vines in a neotropical biodiversity hotspot: phylogenomics and biogeography of a large passion flower clade (Passiflora section Decaloba)

The results of phylogenetic analysis of two molecular datasets sampling all three endemic New Zealand ‘honeyeaters’ (Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae, Anthornis melanura and Notiomystis cincta) are reported. The undisputed relatedness of the first two species to other honeyeaters (Meliphagidae), and a close relationship between them, are demonstrated. However, our results confirm that Notiomystis is not a honeyeater, but is instead most closely related to the Callaeidae (New Zealand wattlebirds) represented by Philesturnus carunculatus in our study. An estimated divergence time for Notiomystis and Philesturnus of 33.8 mya (Oligocene) suggests a very long evolutionary history of this clade in New Zealand. As a taxonomic interpretation of these data we place Notiomystis in a new family of its own which takes the name Notiomystidae. We expect this new phylogenetic and taxonomic information to assist policy decisions for the conservation of this rare bird.

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Evolutionary persistence in Gunnera and the contribution of southern plant groups to the tropical Andes biodiversity hotspot

10.7287/peerj.preprints.3330 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Christine D. Bacon ◽

Francisco Velásquez-Puentes ◽

Luis Felipe Hinojosa ◽

Thomas Schwartz ◽

Bengt Oxelman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Evolutionary History ◽

Biodiversity Hotspot ◽

Tropical Andes ◽

Quaternary Climate ◽

Biogeographic History ◽

Plant Groups ◽

History Of ◽

Rapid Diversification ◽

High Degree ◽

Evolutionary Persistence

Several studies have demonstrated the contribution of northern immigrants to the flora of the tropical Andes – the world’s “hottest” biodiversity hotspot. However, much less is known about the biogeographic history and diversification of Andean groups with southern origins, although it has been suggested that northern and southern groups have contributed roughly equally to the high Andean (i.e. páramo) flora. Here we infer the evolutionary history of the southern hemisphere plant genus Gunnera, a lineage with a rich fossil history and an important ecological role as an early colonising species characteristic of wet, montane environments. Our results show striking contrasts in species diversification, where some species may have persisted for some 90 million years, whereas others date to less than 2 Ma since origination. The outstanding longevity of the group is likely linked to a high degree of niche conservatism across its highly disjunct range, whereby Gunnera tracks damp and boggy soils in cool habitats. Colonisation of the northern Andes is related to Quaternary climate change, with subsequent rapid diversification appearing to be driven by their ability to take advantage of environmental opportunities. This study demonstrates the composite origin of a mega-diverse biota.

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Diversity and evolution of New Caledonian endemic Taophila subgenus Lapita (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Eumolpinae)

Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society ◽

10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz119 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 189 (4) ◽

pp. 1123-1154

Author(s):

Leonardo Platania ◽

Anabela Cardoso ◽

Jesús Gómez-Zurita

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Species Diversity ◽

Species Distribution ◽

Evolutionary History ◽

New Caledonia ◽

Biodiversity Hotspot ◽

Leaf Beetles ◽

Distribution Ranges ◽

History Of ◽

Mtdna Markers

Abstract New Caledonia is an important biodiversity hotspot, where numerous plant and animal groups show high levels of species diversity and endemicity, while facing multiple threats to their habitats. Leaf beetles in the subfamily Eumolpinae illustrate this pattern, with species estimates higher than the number of described taxa and distribution ranges that are often consistent with microendemicity. In this study, we increase the knowledge of this group by focusing on the Taophila subgenus Lapita, known from three species but here expanded to eleven with eight new species: T. atlantis sp. nov., T. hermes sp. nov., T. kronos sp. nov., T. oceanica sp. nov., T. olympica sp. nov., T. ouranos sp. nov., T. riberai sp. nov., and T. tridentata sp. nov. Additionally, we infer the evolutionary history of the group using mtDNA markers (COI and rrnS). This phylogeny and the species distribution help hypothesize a model of evolution for this lineage in the context of historical climatic and geological changes of New Caledonia.

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Evolutionary persistence in Gunnera and the contribution of southern plant groups to the tropical Andes biodiversity hotspot

10.7287/peerj.preprints.3330v1 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Christine D. Bacon ◽

Francisco Velásquez-Puentes ◽

Luis Felipe Hinojosa ◽

Thomas Schwartz ◽

Bengt Oxelman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Evolutionary History ◽

Biodiversity Hotspot ◽

Tropical Andes ◽

Quaternary Climate ◽

Biogeographic History ◽

Plant Groups ◽

History Of ◽

Rapid Diversification ◽

High Degree ◽

Evolutionary Persistence

Several studies have demonstrated the contribution of northern immigrants to the flora of the tropical Andes – the world’s “hottest” biodiversity hotspot. However, much less is known about the biogeographic history and diversification of Andean groups with southern origins, although it has been suggested that northern and southern groups have contributed roughly equally to the high Andean (i.e. páramo) flora. Here we infer the evolutionary history of the southern hemisphere plant genus Gunnera, a lineage with a rich fossil history and an important ecological role as an early colonising species characteristic of wet, montane environments. Our results show striking contrasts in species diversification, where some species may have persisted for some 90 million years, whereas others date to less than 2 Ma since origination. The outstanding longevity of the group is likely linked to a high degree of niche conservatism across its highly disjunct range, whereby Gunnera tracks damp and boggy soils in cool habitats. Colonisation of the northern Andes is related to Quaternary climate change, with subsequent rapid diversification appearing to be driven by their ability to take advantage of environmental opportunities. This study demonstrates the composite origin of a mega-diverse biota.

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Evolutionary persistence inGunneraand the contribution of southern plant groups to the tropical Andes biodiversity hotspot

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.4388 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

pp. e4388 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Christine D. Bacon ◽

Francisco J. Velásquez-Puentes ◽

Luis Felipe Hinojosa ◽

Thomas Schwartz ◽

Bengt Oxelman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Evolutionary History ◽

Biodiversity Hotspot ◽

Tropical Andes ◽

Quaternary Climate ◽

Biogeographic History ◽

Plant Groups ◽

History Of ◽

Rapid Diversification ◽

High Degree ◽

Evolutionary Persistence

Several studies have demonstrated the contribution of northern immigrants to the flora of the tropical Andes—the world’s richest and most diverse biodiversity hotspot. However, much less is known about the biogeographic history and diversification of Andean groups with southern origins, although it has been suggested that northern and southern groups have contributed roughly equally to the high Andean (i.e., páramo) flora. Here we infer the evolutionary history of the southern hemisphere plant genusGunnera, a lineage with a rich fossil history and an important ecological role as an early colonising species characteristic of wet, montane environments. Our results show striking contrasts in species diversification, where some species may have persisted for some 90 million years, and whereas others date to less than 2 Ma since origination. The outstanding longevity of the group is likely linked to a high degree of niche conservatism across its highly disjunct range, wherebyGunneratracks damp and boggy soils in cool habitats. Colonisation of the northern Andes is related to Quaternary climate change, with subsequent rapid diversification appearing to be driven by their ability to take advantage of environmental opportunities. This study demonstrates the composite origin of a mega-diverse biota.

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Elaborating the role of reflection and individual differences in the study of folk-economic beliefs

Behavioral and Brain Sciences ◽

10.1017/s0140525x18000274 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 41 ◽

Author(s):

Kevin Arceneaux

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Individual Differences ◽

Cognitive Processes ◽

Evolutionary History ◽

Behavioral Responses ◽

History Of ◽

Economic Beliefs

AbstractIntuitions guide decision-making, and looking to the evolutionary history of humans illuminates why some behavioral responses are more intuitive than others. Yet a place remains for cognitive processes to second-guess intuitive responses – that is, to be reflective – and individual differences abound in automatic, intuitive processing as well.

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