Insights into speciation and species delimitation of closely related eucalypts using an interdisciplinary approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 110
Author(s):  
Susan Rutherford
Keyword(s):  
Species Delimitation ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Population Genomics ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Common Garden ◽  
Green Ash ◽  
Central Process ◽  
Seedling Traits ◽  
The Many ◽  
Life On Earth

Speciation is a central process in evolutionary biology and is responsible for the diversity of life on Earth. Although there has been much progress in evolutionary research over the past 150 years, understanding the many facets of speciation remains a challenge. In this synthesis, I focus on the use of an interdisciplinary approach to examine speciation and species delimitation in a group of closely related eucalypts called the green ashes (Eucalyptus subgenus Eucalyptus section Eucalyptus). The green ashes comprise tall trees on fertile soils (e.g. the tallest angiosperm in the world, E. regnans), as well as medium trees and mallees on low-nutrient soils. Previous phylogenetic and population-genetics analyses based on genome-wide scans showed that species boundaries in the green ashes are not always consistent with classifications based on morphology and there was evidence of gene flow across lineages. Genomic analyses also suggested that the green ashes were at varying stages of speciation, with some species being highly genetically differentiated, whereas others were at earlier stages on the speciation continuum. A previous common garden study showed that inter-specific differences in seedling traits were significant, with traits such as leaf width being highly plastic across resource treatments for most species. Overall, this synthesis demonstrated that an interdisciplinary approach incorporating phylogenomics, population genomics and a common garden experiment can provide insights into speciation and species delimitation in the green ash eucalypts. Such an approach may be useful in understanding the evolutionary history of other closely related species in Eucalyptus, as well as other groups of organisms.

Evolution

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin Dunbar
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
Life Sciences ◽  
Core Theory ◽  
History Of ◽  
Evolutionary Science ◽  
Microscopic World ◽  
The Many ◽  
Life On Earth ◽  
And Behavior

Evolution is one of the most important processes in life. It not only explains the detailed history of life on earth, but its scope also extends into many aspects of our own contemporary behavior-who we are and how we got to be here, our psychology, our cultures-and greatly impacts modern advancements in medicine and conservation biology. Perhaps its most important claim for science is its ability to provide an overarching framework that integrates the many life sciences into a single unified whole. Yet, evolution-evolutionary biology in particular-has been, and continues to be, regarded with suspicion by many. Understanding how and why evolution works, and what it can tell us, is perhaps the single most important contribution to the public perception of science. This book provides an overview of the basic theory and showcases how widely its consequences reverberate across the life sciences, the social sciences and even the humanities. In this book, Robin Dunbar uses examples drawn from plant life, animals and humans to illustrate these processes. Evolutionary science has important advantages. Most of science deals with the microscopic world that we cannot see and invariably have difficulty understanding, but evolution deals with the macro-world in which we live and move. That invariably makes it much easier for the lay audience to appreciate, understand and enjoy. Evolution: What Everyone Needs to Know® takes a broad approach to evolution, dealing both with the core theory itself and its impact on different aspects of the world we live in, from the iconic debates of the nineteenth century, to viruses and superbugs, to human evolution and behavior.

Cities of Splendour in the Shaping of Sephardi History

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane S. Gerber
Keyword(s):  
Seventeenth Century ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Tenth Century ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Many ◽  
At Home

Sephardi identity has meant different things at different times, but has always entailed a connection with Spain, from which the Jews were expelled in 1492. While Sephardi Jews have lived in numerous cities and towns throughout history, certain cities had a greater impact on the shaping of their culture. This book focuses on those that may be considered most important, from Cordoba in the tenth century to Toledo, Venice, Safed, Istanbul, Salonica, and Amsterdam at the dawn of the seventeenth century. Each served as a venue in which a particular dimension of Sephardi Jewry either took shape or was expressed in especially intense form. Significantly, these cities were mostly heterogeneous in their population and culture — half of them under Christian rule and half under Muslim rule — and this too shaped the Sephardi worldview and attitude. While Sephardim cultivated a distinctive identity, they felt at home in the cultures of their adopted lands. The book demonstrates that Sephardi history and culture have always been multifaceted. The book's interdisciplinary approach captures the many contexts in which the life of the Jews from Iberia unfolded, without either romanticizing the past or diluting its reality.

The “evolution” of Anomalocaris and its classification in the arthropod class Dinocarida (nov.) and order Radiodonta (nov.)

1996 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 280-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Desmond Collins
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Sea Cucumber ◽  
Great Difficulty ◽  
Burgess Shale ◽  
Middle Cambrian ◽  
The Past ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Many ◽  
Life On Earth ◽  
Mistaken Identification

The remarkable “evolution” of the reconstructions of Anomalocaris, the extraordinary predator from the 515 million year old Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale of British Columbia, reflects the dramatic changes in our interpretation of early animal life on Earth over the past 100 years. Beginning in 1892 with a claw identified as the abdomen and tail of a phyllocarid crustacean, parts of Anomalocaris have been described variously as a jellyfish, a sea-cucumber, a polychaete worm, a composite of a jellyfish and sponge, or have been attached to other arthropods as appendages. Charles D. Walcott collected complete specimens of Anomalocaris nathorsti between 1911 and 1917, and a Geological Survey of Canada party collected an almost complete specimen of Anomalocaris canadensis in 1966 or 1967, but neither species was adequately described until 1985. At that time they were interpreted by Whittington and Briggs to be representatives of “a hitherto unknown phylum.”Here, using recently collected specimens, the two species are newly reconstructed and described in the genera Anomalocaris and Laggania, and interpreted to be members of an extinct arthropod class, Dinocarida, and order Radiodonta, new to science. The long history of inaccurate reconstruction and mistaken identification of Anomalocaris and Laggania exemplifies our great difficulty in visualizing and classifying, from fossil remains, the many Cambrian animals with no apparent living descendants.

One-Handed Musicians—More Than a Gimmick

2012 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 231-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
KH Woldendorp ◽  
W van Gils
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Professional ◽  
Muscle Strength ◽  
Upper Extremity ◽  
Physical Condition ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
The Other ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
The Many

There are many musicians with acquired limitations in making music, and there are many people with a disability who would like to play a music instrument in a modified way. There is discouragingly little information about this topic in literature. This article gives an overview of “making music in a modified way.” It focuses on the possibilities for musicians with one-handed functionality to overcome problems with regards to their physical condition, insufficient muscle strength, or missing parts of the upper extremity. Five categories of possibilities for the functional one-handed musicians are described: 1) one-hand reconstructed instruments, 2) one-hand compositions, 3) adaptations of the instrument for the other hand, 4) prostheses to make it possible to play with both hands/arms, and 5) other techniques which enable the use of the leg(s). The solutions described make clear that playing music in an adaptive way requires an interdisciplinary approach. The purpose of this article is to inform, and to inspire, the healthcare professional about the many possibilities for functional one-handed musicians.

Interventions and Solutions in Gender and IT

2011 ◽  
pp. 1991-1998
Author(s):  
Amy B. Woszczynski ◽  
Janette Moody
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Women In It ◽  
It Workforce ◽  
Women In Technology ◽  
The Many ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Professional Fields ◽  
It Workplace ◽  
Gender And It

The role of women in technology-related fields began with promising contributions from pioneers like Grace Hopper. In recent years, women have moved away from information technology (IT) fields, and the number of women selecting IT majors in universities continues to decline. Likewise, the number of women employed in the IT workforce remains low and declining. Researchers have recognized the problem and have investigated the many reasons for low participation of women in IT-related fields. Researchers have proposed various interventions to fill the pipeline and retain women in computing. In this chapter, we provide an overview of the current state of women in IT. We focus on girls and women at various life stages, from early education to the IT workplace. We also provide a discussion of the various methods and appropriate interventions that may be employed to encourage women to become empowered users of technology worldwide. We use a broad definition of IT, which includes computer science (CS), computer engineering, information systems (IS), information technology (IT), and related professional fields. By examining research from multiple technologyrelated fields, we gain a clearer picture of the many ways that women may participate in IT. Recent research on gender and IT has used an interdisciplinary approach, which has greatly expanded our potential for understanding why women decide not to pursue IT-related fields and how to implement appropriate interventions. Researchers from topics as diverse as IS, psychology, social sciences, education, and feminism, have taken a distinctive approach to understanding why women are not better represented in the IT workplace. We believe this broad, interdisciplinary approach has great potential to understand motivations for women pursuing IT-related careers. As Trauth & Niederman (2006, p. 8) said, “…the IT profession is challenged with meeting the demand to enlarge the IT workforce by recruiting and retaining personnel from historically underrepresented groups.” This chapter looks at women in IT, shedding light on one historically underrepresented group.

How Virtue Was Born

Gerontology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin A. Nowak ◽  
Karl Sigmund
Keyword(s):  
Social Contract ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Evolution Of Cooperation ◽  
European Forum ◽  
The Social ◽  
History Of ◽  
Life On Earth

This paper summarizes the Opening Lecture of the European Forum Alpbach 2017 in Tyrol/Austria (https://www.alpbach.org/de/). It deals with the evolution of cooperation throughout the history of life on Earth, and in particular human cooperation based on partnership. It emphasizes the role of institutions providing incentives for cooperation, and the role of praise and blame in guiding our actions. This helps for a better understanding of the social contract, based on evolutionary biology and psychology.

scholarly journals Awareness amongst Audiologists Regarding Effects of Radiation Therapy on Auditory System

2018 ◽  
Vol 08 (04) ◽  
pp. 015-019
Author(s):  
Bennet Elsa Joseph ◽  
Nituna Vinod ◽  
Dona Maria Thomas ◽  
Arya Krishnan S.
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Radiation Therapy ◽  
Auditory System ◽  
Background Radiation ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Post Radiation ◽  
Effects Of Radiation ◽  
The Many ◽  
To Receive ◽  
Descriptive Statistical Analysis

Abstract Background: Radiation therapy has been a life saver for patients suffering from cancer. Hearing loss can be one of the many side effects of radiation therapy. It can affect the integration of the patient into society after the treatment of cancer is complete. Along with hearing loss, the patients may also experience other auditory symptoms like tinnitus, loudness intolerance and speech perception difficulties which are to be assessed, diagnosed and treated by Audiologists. In order to provide effective rehabilitation, it is necessary that Audiologists are aware of the effect of radiation therapy on the auditory system and what role they play in the interdisciplinary approach. The aim of the present study was to briefly assess whether this awareness is present amongst Audiologists. Method : A questionnaire was prepared to comprise of questions related to the various aspects of effects of radiation therapy on the auditory system. The questionnaire was circulated online amongst Audiologists and completed questionnaires were subjected to descriptive statistical analysis. Results : Only 76.9% Audiologists who were part of the survey were sure that hearing loss can be a side effect of radiation therapy. Many of the Audiologists were not sure whether they should provide audiological services to the patient before radiation therapy or after radiation therapy. 44% were not sure about what measures could be taken to reduce the effect of radiation therapy on the auditory system. 96.3% stated that there is a need to receive more specific training in dealing with rehabilitative cases post radiation therapy.

AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO THE STUDY OF BOATS OF CENTRAL VIETNAM

2016 ◽  
Vol 36 ◽  
pp. 25
Author(s):  
Charlotte Minh Ha Pham
Keyword(s):  
South China Sea ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Maritime Archaeology ◽  
Combined Approach ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
Central Vietnam ◽  
The Many ◽  
Maritime Environment

<p class="Body" align="left">Despite a growing academic literature on maritime trade, shipping and navigation in the South China Sea, there is little information about how local societies negotiated their maritime environment, or how it influenced their daily life. This is most particularly the case for Vietnam, often considered through its history as an agrarian state. Nonetheless, with a coastline of over 3400 km located along a major shipping route between Malacca and China, Vietnam has a long lasting historical connection with its maritime environment and an exceptional boat diversity. Yet again, little is known about local boatbuilding traditions, boat use, seafaring skills and navigation, related maritime activities, about the organisation and role of the many harbours that dotted the coast of central Vietnam.</p><p class="Body" align="left">As a step in the development of maritime archaeology in Vietnam, a combined approach in the research of archives and ethnography can contribute to build up knowledge about maritime aspects of life in Vietnam, and can also provide context and understanding for potential maritime archaeological finds. At the same time it can push the boundaries of maritime archaeologists to incite research that goes beyond nautical technology.</p>

scholarly journals An evaluation of pool-sequencing transcriptome-based exon capture for population genomics in non-model species

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emeline Deleury ◽  
Thomas Guillemaud ◽  
Aurélie Blin ◽  
Eric Lombaert
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
High Throughput Sequencing ◽  
Harmonia Axyridis ◽  
Population Genomics ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Allele Frequencies ◽  
Technical Solution ◽  
Model Species ◽  
Exon Capture

AbstractExon capture coupled to high-throughput sequencing constitutes a cost-effective technical solution for addressing specific questions in evolutionary biology by focusing on expressed regions of the genome preferentially targeted by selection. Transcriptome-based capture, a process that can be used to capture the exons of non-model species, is use in phylogenomics. However, its use in population genomics remains rare due to the high costs of sequencing large numbers of indexed individuals across multiple populations. We evaluated the feasibility of combining transcriptome-based capture and the pooling of tissues from numerous individuals for DNA extraction as a cost-effective, generic and robust approach to estimating the variant allele frequencies of any species at the population level. We designed capture probes for ∼5 Mb of chosen de novo transcripts from the Asian ladybird Harmonia axyridis (5,717 transcripts). We called ∼300,000 bi-allelic SNPs for a pool of 36 non-indexed individuals. Capture efficiency was high, and pool-seq was as effective and accurate as individual-seq for detecting variants and estimating allele frequencies. Finally, we also evaluated an approach for simplifying bioinformatic analyses by mapping genomic reads directly to targeted transcript sequences to obtain coding variants. This approach is effective and does not affect the estimation of SNP allele frequencies, except for a small bias close to some exon ends. We demonstrate that this approach can also be used to predict the intron-exon boundaries of targeted de novo transcripts, making it possible to abolish genotyping biases near exon ends.

scholarly journals Ancestral polymorphisms shape the adaptive radiation of Metrosideros across the Hawaiian Islands

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (37) ◽  
pp. e2023801118
Author(s):  
Jae Young Choi ◽  
Xiaoguang Dai ◽  
Ornob Alam ◽  
Julie Z. Peng ◽  
Priyesh Rughani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genome Assembly ◽  
Adaptive Radiation ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Population Genomics ◽  
Hawaiian Islands ◽  
Divergent Selection ◽  
Metrosideros Polymorpha ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽  
Founder Populations ◽  
Adaptive Radiations

Some of the most spectacular adaptive radiations begin with founder populations on remote islands. How genetically limited founder populations give rise to the striking phenotypic and ecological diversity characteristic of adaptive radiations is a paradox of evolutionary biology. We conducted an evolutionary genomics analysis of genus Metrosideros, a landscape-dominant, incipient adaptive radiation of woody plants that spans a striking range of phenotypes and environments across the Hawaiian Islands. Using nanopore-sequencing, we created a chromosome-level genome assembly for Metrosideros polymorpha var. incana and analyzed whole-genome sequences of 131 individuals from 11 taxa sampled across the islands. Demographic modeling and population genomics analyses suggested that Hawaiian Metrosideros originated from a single colonization event and subsequently spread across the archipelago following the formation of new islands. The evolutionary history of Hawaiian Metrosideros shows evidence of extensive reticulation associated with significant sharing of ancestral variation between taxa and secondarily with admixture. Taking advantage of the highly contiguous genome assembly, we investigated the genomic architecture underlying the adaptive radiation and discovered that divergent selection drove the formation of differentiation outliers in paired taxa representing early stages of speciation/divergence. Analysis of the evolutionary origins of the outlier single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) showed enrichment for ancestral variations under divergent selection. Our findings suggest that Hawaiian Metrosideros possesses an unexpectedly rich pool of ancestral genetic variation, and the reassortment of these variations has fueled the island adaptive radiation.

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