scholarly journals A living fossil tale of Pangaean biogeography

2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1775) ◽  
pp. 20132648 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerome Murienne ◽  
Savel R. Daniels ◽  
Thomas R. Buckley ◽  
Georg Mayer ◽  
Gonzalo Giribet
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Phylogeny ◽  
Living Fossil ◽  
Biogeographic Pattern ◽  
Early Mesozoic ◽  
Early Diversification ◽  
Ecological Barriers ◽  
Biogeographic Regionalization ◽  
Growing Body ◽  
Velvet Worms ◽  
History Of

The current distributions of widespread groups of terrestrial animals and plants are supposedly the result of a mixture of either vicariance owing to continental split or more recent trans-oceanic dispersal. For organisms exhibiting a vicariant biogeographic pattern—achieving their current distribution by riding on the plates of former supercontinents—this view is largely inspired by the belief that Pangaea lacked geographical or ecological barriers, or that extinctions and dispersal would have erased any biogeographic signal since the early Mesozoic. We here present a time-calibrated molecular phylogeny of Onychophora (velvet worms), an ancient and exclusively terrestrial panarthropod group distributed throughout former Pangaean landmasses. Our data not only demonstrate that trans-oceanic dispersal does not need be invoked to explain contemporary distributions, but also reveal that the early diversification of the group pre-dates the break-up of Pangaea, maintaining regionalization even in landmasses that have remained contiguous throughout the history of the group. These results corroborate a growing body of evidence from palaeontology, palaeogeography and palaeoclimatic modelling depicting ancient biogeographic regionalization over the continuous landmass of Pangaea.

The evolution of ecological tolerance in prokaryotes

1989 ◽  
Vol 80 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 209-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew H. Knoll ◽  
John Bauld
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Phylogeny ◽  
Microbial Ecology ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Developmental History ◽  
Early Diversification ◽  
Physico Chemical ◽  
History Of ◽  
Stability Limits ◽  
Prokaryotic Evolution

ABSTRACTThe ecological ranges of Archaeobacteria and Eubacteria are constrained by a requirement for liquid water and the physico-chemical stability limits of biomolecules, but within this broad envelope, prokaryotes have evolved adaptations that permit them to tolerate a remarkable spectrum of habitats. Laboratory experiments indicate that prokaryotes can adapt rapidly to novel environmental conditions, yet geological studies suggest early diversification and long-term stasis within the prokaryotic kingdoms. These apparently contradictory perspectives can be reconciled by understanding that, in general, rates and patterns of prokaryotic evolution reflect the developmental history of the Earth's surface environments. Our understanding of modern microbial ecology provides a lens through which our accumulating knowledge of physiology, molecular phylogeny and the Earth's history can be integrated and focussed on the phenomenon of prokaryotic evolution.

The Tempo and mode(S) of Prebiotic Evolution

1997 ◽  
Vol 161 ◽  
pp. 419-429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Lazcano
Keyword(s):  
Origin Of Life ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Biological Evolution ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Early Diversification ◽  
Time Period ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
History Of ◽  
Widespread Phenomenon ◽  
The Origin Of Life

AbstractDifferent current ideas on the origin of life are critically examined. Comparison of the now fashionable FeS/H2S pyrite-based autotrophic theory of the origin of life with the heterotrophic viewpoint suggest that the later is still the most fertile explanation for the emergence of life. However, the theory of chemical evolution and heterotrophic origins of life requires major updating, which should include the abandonment of the idea that the appearance of life was a slow process involving billions of years. Stability of organic compounds and the genetics of bacteria suggest that the origin and early diversification of life took place in a time period of the order of 10 million years. Current evidence suggest that the abiotic synthesis of organic compounds may be a widespread phenomenon in the Galaxy and may have a deterministic nature. However, the history of the biosphere does not exhibits any obvious trend towards greater complexity or «higher» forms of life. Therefore, the role of contingency in biological evolution should not be understimated in the discussions of the possibilities of life in the Universe.

scholarly journals Amazonia as the Origin and Diversification Area of Didelphidae (Mammalia: Metatheria), and a Review of the Fossil Record of the Clade

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariela C. Castro ◽  
Murilo J. Dahur ◽  
Gabriel S. Ferreira
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Amazon Basin ◽  
Parametric Models ◽  
Isthmus Of Panama ◽  
Biogeographic History ◽  
Early Diversification ◽  
Northern Portion ◽  
History Of ◽  
Environmental Events ◽  
Fossil Records

AbstractDidelphidae is the largest New World radiation of marsupials, and is mostly represented by arboreal, small- to medium-sized taxa that inhabit tropical and/or subtropical forests. The group originated and remained isolated in South America for millions of years, until the formation of the Isthmus of Panama. In this study, we present the first reconstruction of the biogeographic history of Didelphidae including all major clades, based on parametric models and stratified analyses over time. We also compiled all the pre-Quaternary fossil records of the group, and contrasted these data to our biogeographic inferences, as well as to major environmental events that occurred in the South American Cenozoic. Our results indicate the relevance of Amazonia in the early diversification of Didelphidae, including the divergence of the major clades traditionally ranked as subfamilies and tribes. Cladogeneses in other areas started in the late Miocene, an interval of intense shifts, especially in the northern portion of Andes and Amazon Basin. Occupation of other areas continued through the Pliocene, but few were only colonized in Quaternary times. The comparison between the biogeographic inference and the fossil records highlights some further steps towards better understanding the spatiotemporal evolution of the clade. Finally, our results stress that the early history of didelphids is obscured by the lack of Paleogene fossils, which are still to be unearthed from low-latitude deposits of South America.

scholarly journals Biogeography of Italy revisited: genetic lineages confirm major phylogeographic patterns and a pre-Pleistocene origin of its biota

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Schmitt ◽  
Uwe Fritz ◽  
Massimo Delfino ◽  
Werner Ulrich ◽  
Jan Christian Habel
Keyword(s):  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Balkan Peninsula ◽  
Po Plain ◽  
Genetic Lineages ◽  
Biogeographic Patterns ◽  
Italian Peninsula ◽  
Biogeographic Pattern ◽  
History Of ◽  
Multiple Species ◽  
Micro Plates

AbstractWarm-adapted species survived the cold stages of the past glacial-interglacial cycles in southern European peninsulas and recolonized major parts of Central and Northern Europe in the wake of postglacial warming. However, many of the genetic lineages which differentiated within these refugia predate even the Pleistocene. One of these refugia is the Italian Peninsula with its surrounding islands. In this meta-analysis, we compiled phylogeographic patterns of multiple species across this region. We transformed existing geographic information on 78 animal and plant species (with a total of 471 genetic lineages) within 17 predefined areas into presence/absence matrices. We elaborated three matrices: (i) only old lineages exclusively distinguished by deep splits, (ii) only young lineages distinguished by shallow (i.e. recent) splits, and (iii) presence/absence of the respective species. To infer biogeographic relationships between the predefined areas, we performed bootstrapped neighbour joining cluster analyses on these three matrices. In addition, we reviewed the geological history of Italy to identify causes of the observed biogeographic patterns. We found Sardinia and Corsica to be biogeographically closely linked with each other, and that they diverge strongly from all other regions. Sicily also diverges strongly from all other regions, while the intra-island differentiation was comparatively low. On the Italian mainland, Calabria exhibited the most pronounced biogeographic differentiation, often with several lineages present, resulting from old vicariance events within the region. Furthermore, southern Apulia and the Po Plain with adjoining areas of northern peninsular Italy displayed considerable distinctiveness. Admixture prevailed in the areas between these three regions. The ancient isolation of Sicily, as well as Sardinia plus Corsica, resulted in endemic lineages with only moderate recent exchange with adjacent mainland regions. Pronounced diversification occurs within the Italian Peninsula. The complex tectonic activities, such as shifting (micro)plates, submergence of major parts of peninsular Italy with the genesis of numerous Pliocene islands, in combination with the climatic cycles during the Pleistocene have most likely generated the current biogeographic pattern of species. Immigrations from the Balkan Peninsula into northern Italy partly accounted for the distinctiveness of this region.

Notes on Emerson in Latin America

PMLA ◽  
1961 ◽  
Vol 76 (3) ◽  
pp. 227-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
John E. Englekirk
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Latin America ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Extended Treatment ◽  
Growing Body ◽  
Fiction Writers ◽  
Literary Relations ◽  
History Of ◽  
Good Coverage

A number of chapters—some definitive, others suggestive—have already appeared to afford us a clearer picture of the reception of United States writers and writings in Latin America. Studies on Franklin, Poe, Longfellow, and Whitman provide reasonably good coverage on major representative figures of our earlier literary years. There are other nineteenth-century writers, however, who deserve more extended treatment than that given in the summary and bibliographical studies available to date. A growing body of data may soon make possible the addition of several significant chapters with which to round out this period in the history of inter-American literary relations. Bryant and Dickinson will be the only poets to call for any specific attention. Fiction writers will prove more numerous. Irving, Cooper, Hawthorne, Hearn, Hart, Melville, and Twain will figure in varying degrees of prominence. Of these, some like Irving and Cooper early captured the Latin American imagination; others like Hawthorne, and particularly Melville, were to remain virtually unknown until our day. Paine and Prescott and Mann will represent yet other facets of American letters and thought.

scholarly journals Early diversification of sperm size in the evolutionary history of the old world leaf warblers (Phylloscopidae)

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 777-789 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Supriya ◽  
M. Rowe ◽  
T. Laskemoen ◽  
D. Mohan ◽  
T. D. Price ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Old World ◽  
Early Diversification ◽  
History Of ◽  
Leaf Warblers ◽  
Sperm Size

scholarly journals High biogeographic and latitudinal variability in gastropod drilling predation on molluscs along the eastern Indian coast: Implications on the history of fossil record of drillholes

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. e0256685
Author(s):  
Subhronil Mondal ◽  
Hindolita Chakraborty ◽  
Sandip Saha ◽  
Sahana Dey ◽  
Deepjay Sarkar
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Variability ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Eastern Coast ◽  
Detailed Knowledge ◽  
Biogeographic Pattern ◽  
Drilling Predation ◽  
History Of ◽  
Latitudinal Patterns ◽  
Consecutive Time

Studies on the large-scale latitudinal patterns of gastropod drilling predation reveal that predation pressure may decrease or increase with increasing latitude, or even show no trend, questioning the generality of any large-scale latitudinal or biogeographic pattern. Here, we analyze the nature of spatio-environmental and latitudinal variation in gastropod drilling along the Indian eastern coast by using 76 samples collected from 39 locations, covering ~2500 km, incorporating several ecoregions, and ~15° latitudinal extents. We find no environmental or latitudinal gradient. In fact, drilling intensity varies highly within the same latitudinal bin, or oceanic sub-basins, or even the same ecoregions. Moreover, different ecoregions with their distinctive biotic and abiotic environmental variables show similar predation intensities. However, one pattern is prevalent: some small infaunal prey taxa, living in the sandy-muddy substrate—which are preferred by the naticid gastropods—are always attacked more frequently over others, indicating taxon and size selectivity by the predators. The result suggests that the biotic and abiotic factors, known to influence drilling predation, determine only the local predation pattern. In the present case, the nature of substrate and prey composition determines the local predation intensity: soft substrate habitats host dominantly small, infaunal prey. Since the degree of spatial variability in drilling intensity within any time bin can be extremely high, sometimes greater than the variability across consecutive time bins, temporal patterns in drilling predation can never be interpreted without having detailed knowledge of the nature of this spatial variability within a time bin.

scholarly journals Evolution of Philodendron (Araceae) species along Neotropical biomes

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leticia Loss-Oliveira ◽  
Cassia CMS Sakuragui ◽  
Maria de Lourdes Soares ◽  
Carlos G Schrago
Keyword(s):  
Morphological Diversity ◽  
Neotropical Region ◽  
Last Common Ancestor ◽  
Amazon Forest ◽  
Ancestral Reconstruction ◽  
Biogeographic History ◽  
Early Diversification ◽  
Sister Clade ◽  
History Of ◽  
Wide Geographic Distribution

Philodendron is the second most diverse genus of the Araceae, a tropical monocot family with significant morphological diversity along its wide geographic distribution in the Neotropics. Although evolutionary studies of Philodendron were conducted in recent years, the phylogenetic relationship among its species remains unclear. Additionally, analyses conducted to date suggested the inclusion of all American representatives of a closely related genus, Homalomena, within the Philodendron clade. A thorough evaluation of the phylogeny and timescale of these lineages is thus necessary to elucidate the tempo and mode of evolution of this large Neotropical genus and to unveil the biogeographic history of Philodendron evolution along the Amazonian and Atlantic Rain Forests, as well as open dry forests of South America. To this end, we have estimated the molecular phylogeny for 68 Philodendron species, which consists of the largest sampling assembled to date aiming the study of the evolutionary affinities. We have also performed ancestral reconstruction of species distribution along biomes. Finally, we contrasted these results with the inferred timescale of Philodendron and Homalomena lineage diversification. Our estimates indicate that American Homalomena is the sister clade to Philodendron. The early diversification of Philodendron took place in the Amazon Forest from Early to Middle Miocene, followed by colonization of the Atlantic Forest and the savanna-like landscapes, respectively. Based on the age of the last common ancestor of Philodendron, the species of this genus diversified by rapid radiations, leading to its wide extant distribution in the Neotropical region.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document