Diversity and evolution of the parotoid macrogland in true toads (Anura: Bufonidae)

Abstract Skin glands in amphibians are either distributed throughout the skin or aggregated in multiglandular structures such as the parotoids typical of most species of Bufonidae. Although many early divergent and derived bufonids lack a discrete parotoid in the postorbital–supratympanic (PoSt) region, they have a great macroscopic diversity in the skin morphology of this region. To understand the origin and evolution of this diversity, in particular of the parotoids, we describe the histomorphology of the skin of the PoSt and dorsal regions in 17 species of bufonids, with or without external evident parotoid, and compare it with previously published descriptions. The survey results in 27 characters that were optimized on a phylogenetic hypothesis of Bufonidae. Our results reveal that the PoSt region has a noteworthy morphological diversity of types of glands, spatial organization and differences in the secretion products. Some morphological characters represent putative synapomorphies of internal clades of Bufonidae and are related to the progressive differentiation towards defined structures (macroglands, parotoids). These morphological results, along with published information on the toxicity of the skin secretions and defensive behaviours in some representative species, allow us to infer possible relationships between these features.

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Symmetry breaking of the cellular lobes closely relates to phylogenetic structure within green microalgae of theMicrasteriaslineage (Zygnematophyceae)

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.6098 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

pp. e6098 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Jiri Neustupa ◽

Jan Stastny

Keyword(s):

Symmetry Breaking ◽

Morphological Diversity ◽

Morphological Characters ◽

Morphological Integration ◽

Model Systems ◽

Green Microalgae ◽

Phylogenetic Structure ◽

Morphological Asymmetry ◽

Hierarchical Levels ◽

Average Shape

Green microalgae of theMicrasteriaslineage are unicellular microorganisms with modular morphology consisting of successively differentiated lobes. Due to their morphological diversity and peculiar morphogenesis, these species are important model systems for studies of cytomorphogenesis and cellular plasticity. Interestingly, the phylogenetic structure of theMicrasteriaslineage and most other Desmidiales is poorly related to the traditional morphological characters used for delimitation of taxa. In this study, we focused on symmetry breaking between adjacent cellular lobes in relation to phylogeny of the studied species. While pronounced morphological asymmetry between the adjacent lobes is typical for some species, others have been characterized by the almost identical morphologies of these structures. We asked whether there is any detectable average shape asymmetry between the pairs of lobes and terminal lobules in 19Micrasteriasspecies representing all major clades of this desmidiacean lineage. Then, we evaluated whether the asymmetric patterns among species are phylogenetically structured. The analyses showed that the phylogeny was in fact strongly related to the patterns of morphological asymmetry between the adjacent cellular lobes. Thus, evolution of the asymmetric development between the adjacent lobes proved to be the key event differentiating cellular shape patterns ofMicrasterias. Conversely, the phylogeny was only weakly related to asymmetry between the pairs of terminal lobules. The subsequent analyses of the phylogenetic morphological integration showed that individual hierarchical levels of cellular morphology were only weakly coordinated with regard to asymmetric variation among species. This finding indicates that evolutionary differentiation of morphogenetic processes leading to symmetry breaking may be relatively independent at different branching levels. Such modularity is probably the key to the evolvability of cellular shapes, leading to the extraordinary morphological diversity of these intriguing microalgae.

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Keragaman Mutan Wijen (Sesamum indicum L.) Berdasarkan Karakter Kualitatif; Diversity of Sesame Mutants (Sesamum indicum L.) Based on Qualitative Characters

Buletin Tanaman Tembakau Serat & Minyak Industri ◽

10.21082/btsm.v13n1.2021.1-13 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 1

Author(s):

Vina Eka Aristya

Keyword(s):

Genetic Variability ◽

Morphological Diversity ◽

Structural Diversity ◽

Morphological Characters ◽

Sesamum Indicum ◽

Mutation Induction ◽

Second Phase ◽

Genotype Distribution ◽

Qualitative Characters ◽

Mutant Lines

ABSTRAKSesamum indicum L. adalah salah satu tanaman alternatif penghasil minyak nabati penting. Pendekatan pemuliaan melalui induksi mutasi berusaha untuk menghasilkan variabilitas baru populasi wijen, yang secara umum tersusun dari individu homozigot. Karakter morfologi berguna untuk mengidentifikasi galur dan memastikan hasil pemuliaan mutasi. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengevaluasi keragaman morfologi wijen hasil mutasi berdasarkan 26 karakter kualitatif. Penggalian informasi dengan metode analisis kelompok juga dikaji untuk menggambarkan variabilitas genetik pada 57 galur mutan wijen (jenis hitam dan putih) generasi M4 dan M5. Penelitian ini dilakukan dalam dua tahap: tahap pertama terdiri 18 galur generasi M4, dievaluasi pada Maret-Agustus 2015; tahap kedua terdiri atas 39 galur M5, ditanam pada November 2015 hingga April 2016. Pemeriksaan penampilan kualitatif mengikuti panduan descriptor list untuk wijen. Secara umum, penilaian representatif dari sifat kualitatif pada galur mutan wijen generasi M4 akan diikuti oleh keturunan generasi M5. Dendrogram dibangun untuk membedakan galur menjadi kelompok berdasarkan matriks tingkat kemiripan. Struktur populasi utama dari 57 galur berdasarkan sifat kualitatif dikategorikan dalam dua kelompok besar. Materi genotipe kelompok I diklasifikasikan menjadi dua sub-kelompok, terdiri 17 dan 31 galur. Sub-kelompok ini menjadi bagian distribusi genotipe terbesar. Kelompok II tersusun oleh 9 galur, mayoritas dari M4. Nilai korelasi antar karakter bervariasi antara 0,7176 hingga 1,0. Keragaman morfologi antar galur wijen dipengaruhi oleh sifat genetik dibandingkan faktor lingkungan. Studi ini membantu seleksi galur terpilih berdasarkan kestabilan fenotipe. Evaluasi keragaman struktur populasi wijen mutan bermanfaat untuk program pemuliaan.ABSTRACTSesamum indicum L. is one of the alternative crops that produces vegetative oil. The plant breeding approach through mutation induction could produce new genetic variability in sesame populations, which are generally composed of homozygous individuals. The study aims were to determine the diversity of sesame-mutant lines based on 26 qualitative characters. Cluster analysis method was carried out to describe the genetic variability of 57 sesame mutant lines (consist of black and white types) 4th (M4) and 5th generations (M5). The study was done in two phases, the first phases consisted of 18 M4 lines planted in March-August 2015; the second phase consisted 39 M5 lines planted in November 2015 to April 2016. Analyses of qualitative morphological characters followed the descriptors list for sesame. In general, a representative assessment of qualitative traits in M4 lines will be followed by the offspring of M5. Dendrogram showed that the 57 mutant lines categorized into two major clusters. Cluster I were composed of two sub-clusters, consisting 17 and 31 lines. This sub-cluster was the largest part of the genotype distribution. Cluster II composed of 9 lines, where M4 were the majority. The correlation value between characters ranged from 0.7176 up to 1.0. Morphological diversity among lines were largely influenced by genetic rather than environmental factors. This study supports the selection of lines based on phenotype stability. Evaluation of the structural diversity of mutant-sesame populations could be applied in sesame-breeding programs.

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Morphological evidence for paraphyly of Holopothrips Hood (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae), a Neotropical genus of gall-inducing thrips

Insect Systematics & Evolution ◽

10.1163/1876312x-bja10017 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-24

Author(s):

Mariana F. Lindner ◽

Augusto Ferrari ◽

Adriano Cavalleri

Keyword(s):

Phylogenetic Analysis ◽

Host Plants ◽

Morphological Diversity ◽

Morphological Characters ◽

Bootstrap Support ◽

Morphological Evidence ◽

Diverse Group ◽

The Matrix ◽

Internal Relations ◽

Evolutionary Story

Abstract Holopothrips is a diverse group of thrips associated to galls in the Neotropics, with a variety of host plants and wide morphological diversity. Relationships to other Neotropical groups have been proposed, but are still untested, and the monophyly of the genus remains doubtful. Here, we perform a phylogenetic analysis of Holopothrips, based on morphological characters. A total of 87 species were included in the matrix and eight analyses were carried out, but all of them failed to recover Holopothrips as a monophyletic grouping. Bremer and Bootstrap support values were low, and the topologies varied among all analyses, with uncertain internal relations for the ingroup. These results indicate that the relationships for Holopothrips species, and the proposed related genera, are more complex than previously reported; and morphological characters may not be enough to recover the evolutionary story within this group. We also discuss the influences of different character coding, continuous characters and weighting schemes in our results.

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Phylogenetics of the mycoheterotrophic genus Thismia (Thismiaceae: Dioscoreales) with a focus on the Old World taxa: delineation of novel natural groups and insights into the evolution of morphological traits

Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society ◽

10.1093/botlinnean/boaa017 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 193 (3) ◽

pp. 287-315 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Ekaterina A Shepeleva ◽

Mikhail I Schelkunov ◽

Michal Hroneš ◽

Michal Sochor ◽

Martin Dančák ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Significant Proportion ◽

Morphological Diversity ◽

Taxonomic Revision ◽

Morphological Characters ◽

Morphological Description ◽

Molecular Evidence ◽

Ancestral State ◽

Old World ◽

Molecular Phylogenetic ◽

Floral Characters

Abstract Thismia is a genus of > 80 mycoheterotrophic species characterized by a peculiar appearance and complex floral morphology. A significant proportion of the species and morphological diversity of Thismia has only been uncovered in the past two decades, and new discoveries continue to be made. Given that many new data have recently become available, and the most comprehensive taxonomic revision of the genus from 1938 addresses less than half of the currently known species, previous hypotheses for species relationships and infrageneric taxonomic classification in Thismia was in need of review. Extensive molecular phylogenetic studies of Thismia at the genus level have never been presented. We investigate the phylogenetic relationships of 41 species (and one variety) of Thismia from the Old World. Our study comprises 68 specimens (for 28 of which the data were newly generated), including outgroup taxa broadly representing Thismiaceae (= Burmanniaceae p.p. sensuAPG IV, 2016), and is based on two nuclear and one mitochondrial marker. We use maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference to infer relationships among the taxa. We also constructed a morphological dataset of 12 mostly floral characters, comparing these characters to hypotheses based on molecular evidence to identify putative synapomorphies for major clades and to discuss hypotheses regarding the evolution of structural traits in the genus. Our analyses indicate that the majority of currently accepted infrageneric taxa of Thismia are polyphyletic. We find support for the monophyly of the Old World group, in which we recognize five well-supported lineages (clades); the only New World species studied appears to be related to the Neotropical genus Tiputinia. Ancestral state reconstructions demonstrate that the evolution of most morphological characters was homoplastic, but we identify characters that provide each of the five clades of Old World Thismia with a unique morphological description. The geographical distribution of the species under study is also shown to be consistent with the major clades. Our investigation provides a phylogenetic basis for the development of a novel sectional classification of Thismia reflecting morphological and geographical traits.

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IS Program Issues

Information Technology Education in the New Millennium ◽

10.4018/978-1-931777-05-6.ch015 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 118-129

Author(s):

Douglas Leif

Keyword(s):

Information Systems ◽

Origin And Evolution ◽

Survey Results ◽

Academic Information

This chapter suggests the challenges of academic information systems programs are a product of origin and evolution. Based upon the literature and survey results, the chapter suggests issues concerning origin, perceptions, solutions, and accreditation.

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Taxonomic Synopsis of Eriosema (Leguminosae: Papilionoideae, Phaseoleae) in Brazil

Phytotaxa ◽

10.11646/phytotaxa.416.2.1 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 416 (2) ◽

pp. 91-137 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

ELISA SILVA CÂNDIDO ◽

WANDERLEIA DE VARGAS ◽

LUÍSA MARIA DE PAULA ALVES BEZERRA ◽

VIDAL DE FREITAS MANSANO ◽

MOHAMMAD VATANPARAST ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Field Work ◽

Morphological Characters ◽

Second Step ◽

Correct Identification ◽

Type Specimens ◽

Distribution Maps ◽

Savanna Vegetation ◽

Tropical Environments ◽

Species Complexes ◽

Representative Species

Eriosema is a pantropical genus occurring mostly in savanna vegetation and grasslands of tropical environments, with approximately 150 species and two centers of diversity, one in Africa with about 110 species, and the other in the Neotropics with about 40 species. Considering the large number of Eriosema taxa in Brazil, including five recently described, and the lack of recent study that encompasses all species that occur in the country, a taxonomic synopsis of the Brazilian species of Eriosema was needed and is presented here. Herbaria collections, including type specimens, were consulted and field work was carried out in Brazil. Our study records 35 Eriosema species in Brazil, which concentrates most of the diversity of the genus in the Americas (85%; 35 out of 41 species). Most of this diversity occurs in the Central Brazilian savannas, particularly in the states of Goiás (29 taxa, eight endemic), and Minas Gerais (26 taxa, four endemic). Among all American species in the genus, Eriosema simplicifolium and E. crinitum have the broadest geographical distributions, and occur throughout Brazil and most part of the American continent. They form species complexes and future detailed studies will be necessary in order to understand taxon boundaries and delimitations. An identification key, taxon descriptions, information about type specimens as well as information on the habitat, phenological and geographical records, together with distribution maps, images of representative species in the field and the main morphological characters are provided to assist in the correct identification of this group of savanna plants. We also present 15 lectotypifications, out of which three are second-step.

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On the origin and evolution of major morphological characters

Biological Reviews ◽

10.1111/j.1469-185x.2006.tb00220.x ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 81 (4) ◽

pp. 609-628 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Graham E. Budd

Keyword(s):

Morphological Characters ◽

Origin And Evolution

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Optimal fishing samplers to reveal the morphological structure of a fish assemblage in a subtropical tidal flat

Neotropical Ichthyology ◽

10.1590/1982-0224-20170168 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Carolina C. Siliprandi ◽

Víctor M. Tuset ◽

Antoni Lombarte ◽

Marc Farré ◽

Carmen L. D. B. Rossi-Wongtschowski

Keyword(s):

Tidal Flat ◽

Fish Assemblage ◽

Fish Assemblages ◽

Morphological Variability ◽

Morphological Structure ◽

Morphological Diversity ◽

Morphological Characters ◽

Otter Trawl ◽

Brazilian Coast ◽

Geometric Morphometric

ABSTRACT Morphological characters of species are essential for assessing the functional structure of a fish assemblage, since differences between them, for example in body shape, are related to many functional and ecological traits (e.g., swimming, search for food, striking and capturing prey, evading predators, spawning). Globally, tidal flats are relevant to fish assemblages by offering feeding, refuge, and reproduction grounds. To analyze the morphofunctional structure of the fish assemblage from a tidal flat on the Brazilian coast, we conducted standardized sampling using nine different fishing gears. The geometric morphometric method was applied to describe the fish shapes and verify the morphological structure of the assemblage. Here, we present the influence/susceptibility of each gear type on the morphological diversity of the fish assemblage. The results indicated that beach seine, otter trawl, marginal encircling gillnet, and fish traps, together, were the most effective gears to represent the maximum morphological variability of fish inhabiting that tidal flat. Moreover, the assemblage showed high morphological redundancy considered as a resistance of the ecosystem for avoiding functional diversity loss, emphasizing the importance of complementary gear use when determining fish assemblages in a conservation context.

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New species reveal unexpected interspecific microhabitat diversity in the genus Uthina Simon, 1893 (Araneae : Pholcidae)

Invertebrate Systematics ◽

10.1071/is18002 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Bernhard A. Huber ◽

Kai R. Caspar ◽

Jonas Eberle

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Natural History ◽

New Records ◽

Morphological Diversity ◽

Morphological Characters ◽

Molecular Data ◽

South Sulawesi ◽

Species Pairs ◽

Three New Species ◽

Colour Dimorphism

Representatives of the Southeast Asian pholcid spider genus Uthina Simon, 1893 have been thought to be very homogeneous in their ecology and morphology. The 14 previously known species all inhabit near-ground microhabitats and cave entrances, and range from pale to dark brown in colour. Even their genitalia are partly very similar, with some species pairs being barely distinguishable based on morphological characters. Here we describe three new species from Bali, Java and Sulawesi that represent three further microhabitats and demonstrate considerable ecological and morphological diversity within the genus: U. maya, sp. nov. from Bali is a large dark species on tree trunks; U. hylobatea, sp. nov. from Bali and eastern Java is a pale leaf-dwelling species that exhibits colour dimorphism; and U. mimpi, sp. nov. is a pale troglomorphic species collected in the aphotic zones of two South Sulawesi caves. In addition, we present new data for five previously described species, including ultrastructure, natural history, new records, taxonomic notes and a description of the previously unknown female of Uthina khaosokensis Yao, Li & Jäger, 2014. Molecular data suggest that all previously described species are very closely related to each other (constituting the monophyletic luzonica-group), and that the three new species represent separate clades within the genus. However, the basal trichotomy could not be resolved: U. maya + (U. hylobatea + U. mimpi) + luzonica-group.

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Let’s make Pulvigera great again: re-circumscription of a misunderstood group of Orthotrichaceae that diversified in North America

Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society ◽

10.1093/botlinnean/boaa013 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 193 (2) ◽

pp. 180-206 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Francisco Lara ◽

Isabel Draper ◽

Maren Flagmeier ◽

Juan Antonio Calleja ◽

Vicente Mazimpaka ◽

...

Keyword(s):

North America ◽

Phylogenetic Reconstruction ◽

Morphological Diversity ◽

Morphological Characters ◽

Identification Key ◽

Marquesas Islands ◽

Morphological Studies ◽

Taxonomic Framework

Abstract Orthotrichum lyellii was described in 1878 based on the crisped leaves with plane margins on its elongated and branched stems, and on the presence of brood-bodies. In Europe, these characters remain constant, but in North America several similar forms lacking propagules have been described either at the specific or infraspecific level. These were all reduced to synonyms of O. lyellii. In 2015, Orthotrichum was divided, and O. lyellii was transferred to Pulvigera, a genus thus far considered to be monospecific. In this study, the variability of P. lyellii is analysed in an integrative taxonomic framework. Morphological studies on > 200 specimens, including the nomenclatural types of the taxa previously described, were combined with biogeographical and ecological evidence and with a phylogenetic reconstruction of 39 terminals based on five molecular loci. All the sources of evidence suggest the existence of four different taxa in North America, one also present on the Marquesas Islands. The study of type materials led to their identification as P. lyellii and three other taxa previously described from North America, Orthotrichum papillosum, O. lyellii var. howei and O. pringlei. These taxa differ from each other in taxonomically significant morphological characters of the gametophyte and sporophyte. The morphological diversity has led us to reinterpret Pulvigera, and to amend its description. Nomenclatural changes for the reinstated taxa are proposed, and full descriptions and an identification key for Pulvigera spp. in North America are provided.

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