scholarly journals Incongruent molecular and morphological variation in the crab spider Synema globosum (Araneae, Thomisidae) in Europe

ZooKeys ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1078 ◽  
pp. 107-134
Author(s):  
Karin Urfer ◽  
Tamara Spasojevic ◽  
Seraina Klopfstein ◽  
Hannes Baur ◽  
Liana Lasut ◽  
...  

Establishing species boundaries is one of the challenges taxonomists around the world have been tackling for centuries. The relation between intraspecific and interspecific variability is still under discussion and in many taxa it remains understudied. Here the hypothesis of single versus multiple species of the crab spider Synema globosum (Fabricius) is tested. The wide distribution range as well as its high morphological variability makes this species an interesting candidate for re-evaluation using an integrative approach. This study combines information from barcoding, phylogenetic reconstruction based on mitochondrial CO1 and ITS2 of more than 60 specimens collected over a wide range of European localities, and morphology. The findings show deep clades with up to 6% mean pairwise distance in the CO1 barcode without any biogeographical pattern. The nuclear ITS2 gene did not support the CO1 clades. Morphological assessment of somatic and genital characters in males and females and a morphometric analysis of the male palp uncovered high intraspecific variation that does not match the CO1 or ITS2 phylogenies or biogeography either. Screening for endosymbiotic Wolbachia bacteria was conducted and only a single infected specimen was found. Several scenarios might explain these inconsistent patterns. While the deep divergences in the barcoding marker might suggest cryptic or ongoing speciation or geographical isolation in the past, the lack of congruent variation in the nuclear ITS2 gene or the studied morphological character systems, especially the male palp, indicates that S. globosum might simply be highly polymorphic both in terms of its mtDNA and morphology. Therefore, more data on ecology and behaviour and full genome sequences are necessary to ultimately resolve this taxonomically intriguing case.

2019 ◽  
Vol 70 (10) ◽  
pp. 3738-3740

The Tonsillectomy in children or adults is an intervention commonly encountered in the ENT (Ear Nose and Throat) and Head and Neck surgeon practice. The current tendency is to perform this type of surgery in major ambulatory surgery centers. Two objectives are thus pursued: first of all, the increase of the patient quality of life through the reintegration into the family as quickly as possible and secondly, the expenses associated with continuous hospitalization are reduced. Any tertiary (multidisciplinary) sleep center must ensure the complete diagnosis and treatment (including surgery) of sleep respiratory disorders. Under these conditions the selection of patients and especially the implementation of the specific protocols in order to control the postoperative complications it becomes essential. The present paper describes our experience of tonsillectomy as treatment for selected patients with chronic rhonchopathy (snoring) and mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnoea. It was presented the impact of antibiotics protocols in reducing the main morbid outcomes following tonsillectomy, in our day surgery center. The obtained results can also be a prerequisite for the integrative approach of the patients with sleep apnoea who were recommended surgical treatment. Considering the wide range of therapeutic modalities used in sleep apnoea, each with its specific advantages and disadvantages, more extensive and multicenter studies are needed. Keywords: post-tonsillectomy morbidity, day surgery center, sleep disorders


Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 518
Author(s):  
Bronwyn Egan ◽  
Zwannda Nethavhani ◽  
Barbara van Asch

Macrotermes termites play important ecological roles and are consumed by many communities as a delicacy and dietary complement throughout Africa. However, lack of reliable morphological characters has hampered studies of Macrotermes diversity in a wide range of scientific fields including ecology, phylogenetics and food science. In order to place our preliminary assessment of the diversity of Macrotermes in South Africa in context, we analysed a comprehensive dataset of COI sequences for African species including new and publicly available data. Phylogenetic reconstruction and estimates of genetic divergence showed a high level of incongruity between species names and genetic groups, as well as several instances of cryptic diversity. We identified three main clades and 17 genetic groups in the dataset. We propose that this structure be used as a background for future surveys of Macrotermes diversity in Africa, thus mitigating the negative impact of the present taxonomic uncertainties in the genus. The new specimens collected in Limpopo fell into four distinct genetic groups, suggesting that the region harbours remarkable Macrotermes diversity relative to other African regions surveyed in previous studies. This work shows that African Macrotermes have been understudied across the continent, and that the genus contains cryptic diversity undetectable by classic taxonomy. Furthermore, these results may inform future taxonomic revisions in Macrotermes, thus contributing to advances in termitology.


Phytotaxa ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 530 (2) ◽  
pp. 198-204
Author(s):  
MILOŠ ZBILJIĆ ◽  
DMITAR LAKUŠIĆ ◽  
IVANA STEVANOSKI ◽  
NEVENA KUZMANOVIĆ

Teucrium montanum is a species widely distributed in Europe, occurring also in North Africa and Asia Minor. Because of its wide distribution and high morphological variability, many taxa related to T. montanum have been described. In this paper we discuss and lectotypify the following six names of taxa described or reported for the Balkan Peninsula: T. helianthemoides, T. montanum var. hirsutum, T. montanum var. modestum, T. montanum var. parnassicum, T. pannonicum, and T. skorpilii.


2012 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Reveillaud ◽  
Céline Allewaert ◽  
Thierry Pérez ◽  
Jean Vacelet ◽  
Bernard Banaigs ◽  
...  

The identification of sponges that lack a mineral skeleton is always highly challenging, especially for Hexadella species, which are also fibreless. Recently, the yellow species Hexadella pruvoti Topsent was identified as a cryptic species complex while the pink coloured Hexadella racovitzai Topsent showed two highly divergent lineages. We performed a COI phylogenetic reconstruction using 27 new Mediterranean Hexadella samples in order to confirm the presence of divergent lineages within both shallow-water species. Specimens were described with an integrative approach combining morphological and cytological investigations, biochemical profiling and assessment of natural toxicity in order to identify diagnostic characters for each taxon. H. topsenti, sp. nov. is distinguished from H. racovitzai by its colour, its surface network shape, divergent secondary metabolite patterns and toxicity values. H. crypta, sp. nov. differs from H. pruvoti by a different encrusting growth form when alive, and by distinctively colouring the ethanol fixative solution. In addition, H. pruvoti and H. crypta show different types of cells with inclusions as well as distinct metabolic fingerprints. Natural toxicity values, however, do not permit the separation of H. pruvoti and H. crypta. Our work shows that only the use of a combination of complementary tools can provide relevant descriptions for some problematic taxa.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaime Gasca-Pineda ◽  
Yocelyn T. Gutiérrez-Guerrero ◽  
Erika Aguirre-Planter ◽  
Luis E. Eguiarte

AbstractWild maize, commonly known as teosinte, has a wide distribution in central Mexico and inhabits a wide range of environmental conditions. According to previous studies, the environment is a determinant factor for the amount and distribution of genetic diversity. In this study, we used a set of neutral markers to explore the influence of contemporary factors and historical environmental shifts on genetic diversity, including present and three historical periods. Using a set of 22 nuclear microsatellite loci, we genotyped 527 individuals from 29 localities. We found highly variable levels of genetic diversity (Z. m. parviglumis HE= 0.3646–0.7699; Z. m. mexicana HE= 0.5885–0.7671) and significant genetic structure among localities (average DEST= 0.4332). Also, we recovered significant values of heterozygote deficiency (average FIS= 0.1796) and variable levels of selfing (sg2=0.0–0.3090). The Bayesian assignment analysis yielded four genetic clusters dividing the sample into subspecies, that in turn, were separated into two clusters. Environmental conditions played a strong influence in the distribution of genetic diversity, as demographic analysis and changes in species range revealed by modeling analyses were consistent. We conclude that current genetic diversity in teosinte is the result of a mixture of local adaptation and genetic isolation along with historical environmental fluctuations.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Valentina Gnisci ◽  
Selvaggia Cognetti de Martiis ◽  
Alessandro Belmonte ◽  
Carla Micheli ◽  
Viviana Piermattei ◽  
...  

The ecological structure of Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile meadows was evaluated on the northern coast of Lazio, Italy (central Tyrrhenian, Mediterranean sea). This is an infra-littoral zone with a wide range of anthropogenic activities and high geo-morphological variability, which reflects heterogeneity in shoot density, leaf morphology and biomass in fragmented patches. Genetic variability in populations corresponds to the formation of 3 sub-clusters, in the diverse impacted zones (north, centre and south), being correlated to the geographical distance between sites. AMOVA estimated a high genetic variation showing 43.05% individual differences within populations with a marked differentiation among the populations (56.9%) indicated by Fst value (0.57). These results revealed the role of the genetic structure of seagrasses for determining selectivity of fragmented habitat, in response to natural drivers. They showed that site-specific self-recruitment is related to biodiversity capacity and to the geo-morphological characteristic of the coast.


Author(s):  
Nadejda Zubareva ◽  
◽  
Iroda Siddikova

The present paper reports on a study that aims to explore the cognitive and pragmatic potential of leveraging phraseological intensifiers in English political discourse. The authors argue that the phraseological intensifiers of political discourse could not be discussed without any contribution to the extra-linguistic context. Therefore, the present study works with a cognitive linguistic explanation of the phraseological intensifiers used by English politicians and journalists as well as performed pragmatic impact that aimed to foster the relevant conceptualization process. The suggestion of phraseological intensifiers depends on context linguistic meaning in the employed by the authors cognitive-pragmatic paradigm. This paper also denotes a wide range of relative to intensity categories, which should be distinguished from it. Such an analysis allows the authors to account for the wide distribution of intensifiers and their co-occurrence with categories that do not encode degree variables. The results of the study show that phraseological intensifiers significantly outperformed in the degree of pragmatic suggestion in political discourse and made use of them in a more appropriate way.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 646-657
Author(s):  
Bui Duc Tung ◽  
Ngoc Ha Do ◽  
Nguyen Kim Thanh ◽  
Le Hong Luong ◽  
Osamu Watanabe ◽  
...  

Landslide damage has been reported in many limestone areas in Europe, where the population lives close to limestone areas, and in Guilin in southern China and Ha Long in Vietnam, which are known for their unique limestone landscapes. There are few studies on the mechanism and type of landslide motion in and around such limestone areas. The lack of basic data is a problem for risk assessment and countermeasures in limestone areas. In this study, we summarized the causes and mechanisms of landslide occurrence, including geology and groundwater, focusing on six landslides that occurred in limestone areas in northern Vietnam, and classified them into six types of landslide movement. In the case of Japan, the occurrence of landslides in limestone areas is rare despite the wide distribution of limestone, and it is difficult to classify the type of movement. Differences in the landslide mechanisms are caused by the difference between limestones generated in the pelagic environment of Japan and limestones developed along the Tethys Sea coast, which are mixed with pelitic rocks as shallow-water sediments in Europe, China, and Vietnam. It is necessary to elucidate the relationship between landslides and the formation environment and sedimentary characteristics of limestone as an accretionary prism based on comparisons of a wide range of cases in future studies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (9) ◽  
pp. 2747-2762 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guénola Drillon ◽  
Raphaël Champeimont ◽  
Francesco Oteri ◽  
Gilles Fischer ◽  
Alessandra Carbone

Abstract Gene order can be used as an informative character to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships between species independently from the local information present in gene/protein sequences. PhyChro is a reconstruction method based on chromosomal rearrangements, applicable to a wide range of eukaryotic genomes with different gene contents and levels of synteny conservation. For each synteny breakpoint issued from pairwise genome comparisons, the algorithm defines two disjoint sets of genomes, named partial splits, respectively, supporting the two block adjacencies defining the breakpoint. Considering all partial splits issued from all pairwise comparisons, a distance between two genomes is computed from the number of partial splits separating them. Tree reconstruction is achieved through a bottom-up approach by iteratively grouping sister genomes minimizing genome distances. PhyChro estimates branch lengths based on the number of synteny breakpoints and provides confidence scores for the branches. PhyChro performance is evaluated on two data sets of 13 vertebrates and 21 yeast genomes by using up to 130,000 and 179,000 breakpoints, respectively, a scale of genomic markers that has been out of reach until now. PhyChro reconstructs very accurate tree topologies even at known problematic branching positions. Its robustness has been benchmarked for different synteny block reconstruction methods. On simulated data PhyChro reconstructs phylogenies perfectly in almost all cases, and shows the highest accuracy compared with other existing tools. PhyChro is very fast, reconstructing the vertebrate and yeast phylogenies in <15 min.


2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 718-730 ◽  
Author(s):  
Françoise Dany

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to call for an integrative approach to career research aiming to avoid both fragmentation and closure of the field through the discussion of a wide range of perspectives on career or career situations. The paper discusses the specificity of this integrative approach vs others, like the traditional approach or the multi or transdisciplinary approaches. Design/methodology/approach – The work is based on a review of the career literature, and an analytic comparison of existing research approaches across this body of literature. Findings – The paper shows the tendency of career theory to stick to narrow views of a career. The paper highlights the importance of taking into account the wide variety of career situations, which results from the fact that careers are necessarily located in time and space. The paper provides examples that invite to better explore career differences and seek for alternative explanations to career experiences. Because career dynamics are marked both by individual agency and different levels of structures, a more integrative kind of career research should thus trigger richer conversations among researchers regarding the complexity of the inhabited world. Originality/value – The specific added value of the integrative approach suggested in this paper is to open new routes for a career theory that could become stronger and enhance its power to illuminate a wide range of issues.


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