Systematics, Biogeography, and Morphological Character Evolution of the Hemiepiphytic Subfamily Monsteroideae (Araceae)

2019 ◽  
Vol 104 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandro Zuluaga ◽  
Martin Llano ◽  
Ken Cameron
Keyword(s):  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
R Package ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Ancestral State ◽  
Seed Shape ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
And Migration ◽  
The Tropics

The subfamily Monsteroideae (Araceae) is the third richest clade in the family, with ca. 369 described species and ca. 700 estimated. It comprises mostly hemiepiphytic or epiphytic plants restricted to the tropics, with three intercontinental disjunctions. Using a dataset representing all 12 genera in Monsteroideae (126 taxa), and five plastid and two nuclear markers, we studied the systematics and historical biogeography of the group. We found high support for the monophyly of the three major clades (Spathiphylleae sister to Heteropsis Kunth and Rhaphidophora Hassk. clades), and for six of the genera within Monsteroideae. However, we found low rates of variation in the DNA sequences used and a lack of molecular markers suitable for species-level phylogenies in the group. We also performed ancestral state reconstruction of some morphological characters traditionally used for genera delimitation. Only seed shape and size, number of seeds, number of locules, and presence of endosperm showed utility in the classification of genera in Monsteroideae. We estimated ancestral ranges using a dispersal-extinction-cladogenesis model as implemented in the R package BioGeoBEARS and found evidence for a Gondwanan origin of the clade. One tropical disjunction (Monstera Adans. sister to Amydrium Schott–Epipremnum Schott) was found to be the product of a previous Boreotropical distribution. Two other disjunctions are more recent and likely due to long-distance dispersal: Spathiphyllum Schott (with Holochlamys Engl. nested within) represents a dispersal from South America to the Pacific Islands in Southeast Asia, and Rhaphidophora represents a dispersal from Asia to Africa. Future studies based on stronger phylogenetic reconstructions and complete morphological datasets are needed to explore the details of speciation and migration within and among areas in Asia.

scholarly journals Chance long-distance or human-mediated dispersal? How Acacia s.l. farnesiana attained its pan-tropical distribution

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 170105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen L. Bell ◽  
Haripriya Rangan ◽  
Manuel M. Fernandes ◽  
Christian A. Kull ◽  
Daniel J. Murphy
Keyword(s):  
The Philippines ◽  
Historical Sources ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Old World ◽  
South Central ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Pacific Ocean ◽  
Spanish Explorers ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
Old World Tropics

Acacia s.l. farnesiana , which originates from Mesoamerica, is the most widely distributed Acacia s.l. species across the tropics. It is assumed that the plant was transferred across the Atlantic to southern Europe by Spanish explorers, and then spread across the Old World tropics through a combination of chance long-distance and human-mediated dispersal. Our study uses genetic analysis and information from historical sources to test the relative roles of chance and human-mediated dispersal in its distribution. The results confirm the Mesoamerican origins of the plant and show three patterns of human-mediated dispersal. Samples from Spain showed greater genetic diversity than those from other Old World tropics, suggesting more instances of transatlantic introductions from the Americas to that country than to other parts of Africa and Asia. Individuals from the Philippines matched a population from South Central Mexico and were likely to have been direct, trans-Pacific introductions. Australian samples were genetically unique, indicating that the arrival of the species in the continent was independent of these European colonial activities. This suggests the possibility of pre-European human-mediated dispersal across the Pacific Ocean. These significant findings raise new questions for biogeographic studies that assume chance or transoceanic dispersal for disjunct plant distributions.

scholarly journals Exploring DNA structures in real-time polymerase kinetics using Pacific Biosciences sequencer data

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sterling Sawaya ◽  
James Boocock ◽  
Mik Black ◽  
Neil Gemmell
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Double Helix ◽  
Dna Structure ◽  
R Package ◽  
Dna Structures ◽  
Pacific Biosciences ◽  
Tandem Repeat Sequences ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Polymerase Pausing

Pausing of DNA polymerase can indicate the presence of a DNA structure that differs from the canonical double-helix. Here we detail a method to investigate how polymerase pausing in the Pacific Biosciences sequencer reads can be related to DNA structure. The Pacific Biosciences sequencer uses optics to view a polymerase and its interaction with a single DNA molecule in real-time, offering a unique way to detect potential alternative DNA structures. We have developed a new way to examine polymerase kinetics and relate it to the DNA sequence by using a wavelet transform of read information from the sequencer. We use this method to examine how polymerase kinetics are related to nucleotide base composition. We then examine tandem repeat sequences known for their ability to form different DNA structures: (CGG)n and (CG)n repeats which can, respectively, form G-quadruplex DNA and Z-DNA. We find pausing around the (CGG)n repeat that may indicate the presence of G-quadruplexes in some of the sequencer reads. The (CG)n repeat does not appear to cause polymerase pausing, but its kinetics signature nevertheless suggests the possibility that alternative nucleotide conformations may sometimes be present. We discuss the implications of using our method to discover DNA sequences capable of forming alternative structures. The analyses presented here can be reproduced on any Pacific Biosciences kinetics data for any DNA pattern of interest using an R package that we have made publicly available.

scholarly journals The Orchids of Tonga, Niue, and the Cook Islands

Lankesteriana ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Phillip Cribb ◽  
Arthur Whistler
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Islands ◽  
Solomon Islands ◽  
New Guinea ◽  
Cook Islands ◽  
Society Islands ◽  
Present Book ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The World ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
Pacific Species

Orchids are one of the largest families of flowering plants in the Pacific region, especially in the tropics. Despite the remoteness of Tonga, Niue, and the Cook Islands, orchids have reached them in some numbers. Both terrestrial and epiphytic genera are well represented in the floras of these distant but neighboring archipelagos. Most of the species are found elsewhere in the Pacific, particularly in Fiji, Samoa, and the Society Islands. The affinities of these orchids can be traced to New Guinea and the adjacent archipelagos. New Guinea, with an estimated 3000 species that make it one of the richest orchid floras in the world, is a fertile source of seed for the scattered islands that lie to its east and southeast. The orchids appear to have reached Tonga, Niue, and the Cook Islands in recent times. Only two species, Habenaria amplifolia from Rarotonga and Robiquetia tongaensis from Tonga, are endemic to the islands covered in the present book, and both are closely related to more widespread Pacific species. This guide constitutes the fourth of a series of orchid floristic treatments that have so far covered Vanuatu (Lewis & Cribb 1989), the Solomon Islands and Bougainville (Lewis & Cribb 1991), and Samoa (Cribb & Whistler 1996). A recent, excellent and detailed account of the Fijian orchid flora (Kores 1991) has also been a valuable source for those interested in Pacific islands orchids. These accounts have generated renewed interest in the orchid floras of those archipelagos, leading to new discoveries and re-interpretations of several species. We hope that this small guide will likewise bring a renewal of interest in not only the orchids, but also the floras of these islands as a whole. 

scholarly journals Parthenium hysterophorus (parthenium weed).

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Weyl ◽  
Jeanine Vélez-Gavilán ◽  
Asad Shabbir ◽  
Chris Parker
Keyword(s):  
Trinidad And Tobago ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Invasion Success ◽  
Parthenium Hysterophorus ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Soil Seed Banks ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
National Boundaries

Abstract Parthenium hysterophorus is an annual herb that aggressively colonizes disturbed sites. It is considered as one of the '100 most invasive species in the world' by the IUCN (GISD, 2018). Native to the New World, it has been accidentally introduced into several countries and has become a serious agricultural and rangeland weed in parts of Australia, Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands. It is reported as a major weed in field crops in more than 45 countries (Bajwa et al., 2016; Shabbir et al., 2019), with yield losses estimated in millions of dollars in Australia (Kaur et al., 2014). It grows on any type of soil and in a wide range of habitats. It affects the production of crops, animals, human and animal health, and biodiversity. Several characteristics, such as wide adaptability, photo- and thermo-insensitivity, lack of natural enemies in non-native regions, drought tolerance, strong competition and allelopathy, high seed production ability, longevity of seeds in soil seed banks, and small and light seeds that are capable of long distance travel via wind, water, birds, vehicles, farm machinery and other animal traffic, contribute to its rapid introduction world-wide, cutting across national boundaries and climate barriers (Kaur et al., 2014; Bajwa et al., 2016). The genetic diversity found among different populations and biotypes are also strongly contributing to its invasion success (Bajwa et al., 2018). The species is reported as invasive in various countries in Asia, Africa, and Oceania (Gnanavel, 2013; EPPO, 2018; GISD, 2018; PIER, 2018). In the Americas, it is reported as invasive in Cuba, and in Trinidad and Tobago. In Cuba it is considered as one of the most noxious species (Oviedo Prieto et al., 2012). Although listed as introduced by various sources it is also listed as native by others (USDA-ARS, 2018). In Trinidad and Tobago it is a predominant weed of industrial areas, crops, orchards, ornamentals and greenhouses (Bridgemohan et al., 2015).

scholarly journals Tropical Island Imaginary

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Torre
Keyword(s):  
Human Nature ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
Historical Survey ◽  
Tropical Islands ◽  
Tropical Island ◽  
Western Literature ◽  
Truth Claim ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Tropical Australia ◽  
The Tropics

This paper opens with a historical survey of the imaginary representation of islands in Western literature and then proceeds to a selective account of the island imaginary in largely ‘middlebrow’ writings and photography about the tropics. Complexities and paradoxes in the significances and semiotics of islands can be found in much writing about the Pacific islands of tropical Australia. E.J.Banfield largely established the paradisal perspective on tropical islands and extolled the lifestyle of the ‘beachcomber’. The often challenged ‘truth claim’ that ‘the camera cannot lie’ is most pertinent to Hurley’s work: what we see there is not only a speculum but more often a spectacle of the island imaginary; indeed the staging and replication of content so as to reflect what Hurley wanted to see in his subjects amounts to the substitution of a hyperreal, which then establishes itself in the discourse of the tropical island imaginary. Norman Lindsay tapped into some persistent motifs of the island imaginary: the excitement created by shipwreck and survival; the romance and salacious possibilities afforded by the attractions between a heroine and her suitors; and the realities of human nature stripped of civilised manners. Paradoxically, the popular works of Ion L. Idriess problematize the boundaries between material fact and textual discourse, tapping into what may well be a paradigm for the island imaginary in general—a space where contraries multiply and fantasies materialize. Lastly, Frank Clune’s ‘counterfeit adventures’ similarly play around persistent binaries and stereotypes in the island imaginary, and perpetuate a reification of the complexity and elusiveness of their subject.

A molecular phylogeny for the Pacific monitor lizards (Varanus subgenus Euprepiosaurus) reveals a recent and rapid radiation with high levels of cryptic diversity

2019 ◽  
Vol 186 (4) ◽  
pp. 1053-1066 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valter Weijola ◽  
Varpu Vahtera ◽  
Christer Lindqvist ◽  
Fred Kraus
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Phylogeny ◽  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
Solomon Islands ◽  
Distinct Species ◽  
Rapid Radiation ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Species Groups ◽  
Monitor Lizards ◽  
Lineage Diversification

Abstract We provide a geographically well-sampled, time-calibrated molecular phylogeny for the Pacific monitor lizards (Varanus: subgenus Euprepiosaurus) based on ND4 and 16S rRNA mitochondrial DNA sequences. Three well-supported clades, or species groups, are retrieved: the Varanus doreanus Group, the V. jobiensis Group and the V. indicus Group. The subgenus is estimated to have originated in the Mid-Miocene, but extant lineage diversification dates from the Late Miocene and Pliocene. A rapid and widespread radiation of the V. indicus Group into the South-West Pacific islands has occurred in the Pleistocene, but colonization onto these islands did not occur in a linear, stepping-stone fashion. Genetically distinct populations – by tradition classified as V. indicus, but seemingly representing distinct species – occur scattered on Tanimbar, several of the Solomon Islands, the Admiralty Islands, the Louisiade Archipelago, Palau and Guam. Our analyses indicate that Varanus jobiensis is a species complex with several divergent lineages that started to separate in the Pliocene and continued in the Pleistocene, the former coinciding with the uplift of the Central Dividing Range on New Guinea. We find that sympatry among species of Euprepiosaurus has not occurred until divergence times of 4.7–5.8 Myr have accrued.

scholarly journals Molecular Systematics of the Firefly Genus Luciola (Coleoptera: Lampyridae: Luciolinae) with the Description of a New Species from Singapore

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 687
Author(s):  
Wan F. A. Jusoh ◽  
Lesley Ballantyne ◽  
Su Hooi Chan ◽  
Tuan Wah Wong ◽  
Darren Yeo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Sensu Stricto ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Distinct Genus ◽  
Phylogenetic Framework ◽  
First Time ◽  
A New Species

The firefly genus Luciola sensu McDermott contains 282 species that are distributed across major parts of Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia, and the Pacific islands. Due to phenotypic similarities, species identification using external morphological characters can be unreliable for this group. Consequently, decades of piecemeal taxonomic treatments have resulted in numerous erroneous and contentious classifications. Furthermore, our understanding of the group’s evolutionary history is limited due to the lack of a robust phylogenetic framework that has also impeded efforts to stabilize its taxonomy. Here, we constructed molecular phylogenies of Luciola and its allies based on combined mitogenomes and Cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COX1) sequences including a newly sequenced mitogenome of an unidentified taxon from Singapore. Our results showed that this taxon represents a distinct and hitherto undescribed evolutionary lineage that forms a clade with L. filiformis from Japan and L. curtithorax from China. Additionally, the Singaporean lineage can be differentiated from other congeners through several external and internal diagnostic morphological characters, and is thus described herein as a new species. Our phylogeny also strongly supported the paraphyly of Luciola with regard to L. cruciata and L. owadai, which were inferred to be more closely related to the genus Aquatica as opposed to other members of Luciola sensu stricto. The genus Hotaria was inferred as a derived clade within Luciola (sister to L. italica), supporting its status as a subgenus of Luciola instead of a distinct genus. This is the first time since 1909 that a new species of luminous firefly has been discovered in Singapore, highlighting the need for continued biodiversity research, even in small, well-studied and highly developed countries, such as Singapore.

scholarly journals Temperature explains broad patterns of Ross River virus transmission across Australia

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta S. Shocket ◽  
Sadie J. Ryan ◽  
Erin A. Mordecai
Keyword(s):  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
Mechanistic Model ◽  
Empirical Relationship ◽  
Virus Transmission ◽  
Thermal Response ◽  
Nonlinear Effects ◽  
Ross River Virus ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Tropics

ABSTRACTTemperature impacts the physiology of ectotherms, including vectors that transmit disease. While thermal biology predicts nonlinear effects of temperature on vector and pathogen traits that drive disease transmission, the empirical relationship between temperature and transmission remains unknown for most vector-borne pathogens. We built a mechanistic model to estimate the thermal response of Ross River virus, an important mosquito-borne pathogen of humans in Australia, the Pacific Islands, and potentially emerging worldwide. Transmission peaks at moderate temperatures (26.4°C) and declines to zero at low (17.0°C) and high (31.5°C) temperatures. The model predicted broad patterns of disease across Australia. First, transmission is year-round endemic in the tropics and sub-tropics but seasonal in temperate zones. Second, nationwide human cases peak seasonally as predicted from population-weighted seasonal temperatures. These results illustrate the importance of nonlinear, mechanistic models for inferring the role of temperature in disease dynamics and predicting responses to climate change.

scholarly journals Gecko diversity: a history of global discovery

2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 117-125
Author(s):  
Peter Uetz ◽  
Alex Slavenko ◽  
Shai Meiri ◽  
Matthew Heinicke
Keyword(s):  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Land Area ◽  
Type Specimens ◽  
The West ◽  
The Past ◽  
Family Level ◽  
History Of ◽  
Primary Type ◽  
The Tropics

1935 gecko species (and 224 subspecies) were known in December 2019 in seven families and 124 genera. These nearly 2000 species were described by ~950 individuals of whom more than 100 described more than 10 gecko species each. Most gecko species were discovered during the past 40 years. The primary type specimens of all currently recognized geckos (including subspecies) are distributed over 161 collections worldwide, with 20 collections having about two thirds of all primary types. The primary type specimens of about 40 gecko taxa have been lost or unknown. The phylogeny of geckos is well studied, with DNA sequences being available for ~76% of all geckos (compared to ~63% in other reptiles) and morphological characters now being collected in databases. Geographically, geckos occur on five continents and many islands but are most species-rich in Australasia (which also houses the greatest diversity of family-level taxa), Southeast Asia, Africa, Madagascar, and the West Indies. Among countries, Australia has the highest number of geckos (241 species), with India, Madagascar, and Malaysia being the only other countries with more than 100 described species each. As expected, when correcting for land area, countries outside the tropics have fewer geckos.

Parthenium hysterophorus (parthenium weed).

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Weyl ◽  
Jeanine Vélez-Gavilán ◽  
Asad Shabbir ◽  
Chris Parker
Keyword(s):  
Trinidad And Tobago ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Invasion Success ◽  
Parthenium Hysterophorus ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Soil Seed Banks ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
National Boundaries

Abstract Parthenium hysterophorus is an annual herb that aggressively colonizes disturbed sites. It is considered as one of the '100 most invasive species in the world' by the IUCN (GISD, 2018). Native to the New World, it has been accidentally introduced into several countries and has become a serious agricultural and rangeland weed in parts of Australia, Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands. It is reported as a major weed in field crops in more than 45 countries (Bajwa et al., 2016; Shabbir et al., 2019), with yield losses estimated in millions of dollars in Australia (Kaur et al., 2014). It grows on any type of soil and in a wide range of habitats. It affects the production of crops, animals, human and animal health, and biodiversity. Several characteristics, such as wide adaptability, photo- and thermo-insensitivity, lack of natural enemies in non-native regions, drought tolerance, strong competition and allelopathy, high seed production ability, longevity of seeds in soil seed banks, and small and light seeds that are capable of long distance travel via wind, water, birds, vehicles, farm machinery and other animal traffic, contribute to its rapid introduction world-wide, cutting across national boundaries and climate barriers (Kaur et al., 2014; Bajwa et al., 2016). The genetic diversity found among different populations and biotypes are also strongly contributing to its invasion success (Bajwa et al., 2018). The species is reported as invasive in various countries in Asia, Africa, and Oceania (Gnanavel, 2013; EPPO, 2018; GISD, 2018; PIER, 2018). In the Americas, it is reported as invasive in Cuba, and in Trinidad and Tobago. In Cuba it is considered as one of the most noxious species (Oviedo Prieto et al., 2012). Although listed as introduced by various sources it is also listed as native by others (USDA-ARS, 2018). In Trinidad and Tobago it is a predominant weed of industrial areas, crops, orchards, ornamentals and greenhouses (Bridgemohan et al., 2015).

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