scholarly journals How many species of the aquatic sloth Thalassocnus (Xenarthra: Megatheriidae) were in Chile?: new evidences from the Bahía Inglesa Formation, with a reappraisal of their biochronological affinities

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 693
Author(s):  
Javiera Peralta-Prato ◽  
Andrés Solórzano
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Pacific Coast ◽  
Taxonomic Diversity ◽  
Morphological Description ◽  
Distal Fragment ◽  
Northern Chile ◽  
Late Neogene ◽  
History Of ◽  
Open Question

The aquatic sloth, Thalassocnus, is one of the most intriguing lineage of mammal known from the southern pacific coast of South America during the late Neogene. It was initially recognized in Perú, but recent paleontological surveys also recorded its presence in Chile. However, the determination of how many species of Thalassocnus were actually present in Chile remains as an open question. Here, we provide a detailed morphological description of an isolated distal fragment of humerus recovered at the Mina Fosforita member (ca. 7 Ma), Bahía Inglesa Formation (Atacama Region, northern Chile), which is referred to Thalassocnus. Morphological comparisons with others forms from Chile and Perú allow us to attribute the CPUC/C/557 specimen to Thalassocnus cf. T. natans, though some degree of intraspecific variation is acknowledged. The assessment of the stratigraphic provenance of the materials with previously assigned to Thalassocnus from the Bahía Inglesa, Horcón and Coquimbo formations, permits us to propose that the taxonomic diversity of Thalassocnus in Chile is unequivocal conformed by T. carolomartini, and T. natans. We also admitted the likely presence of T. antiquus and probably T. yaucensis. Futures discoveries of more complete specimens, and/or the detailed analysis of undescribed specimens from Chile will undoubtedly contribute to illustrate the evolutionary history of the Thalassocnus radiation in Chile.

scholarly journals Ecological Insights from the Evolutionary History of Microbial Innovations

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario E. Muscarella ◽  
James P. O’Dwyer
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Selective Advantage ◽  
Ecological Function ◽  
Transition Rates ◽  
Independent Evidence ◽  
Resource Degradation ◽  
A Genome ◽  
Evolutionary Relatedness ◽  
History Of ◽  
Open Question

Bacteria and Archaea represent the base of the evolutionary tree of life and contain the vast majority of phylogenetic and functional diversity. Because these organisms and their traits directly impact ecosystems and human health, a focus on functional traits has become increasingly common in microbial ecology. These trait-based approaches have the potential to link microbial communities and their ecological function. But an open question is how, why, and in what order microorganisms acquired the traits we observe in the present day. To address this, we reconstructed the evolutionary history of microbial traits using genomic data to understand the evolution, selective advantage, and similarity of traits in extant organisms and provide insights into the composition of genomes and communities. We used the geological timeline and physiological expectations to provide independent evidence in support of this evolutionary history. Using this reconstructed evolutionary history, we explored hypotheses related to the composition of genomes. We showed that gene transition rates can be used to make predictions about the size and type of genes in a genome: generalist genomes comprise many evolutionarily labile genes while specialist genomes comprise more highly conserved functional genes. These findings suggest that generalist organisms do not build up and hoard an array of functions, but rather tend to experiment with functions related to environmental sensing, transport, and complex resource degradation. Our results provide a framework for understanding the evolutionary history of extant microorganisms, the origin and maintenanceof traits, and linking evolutionary relatedness and ecological function.

scholarly journals Evidence of ancient papillomavirus recombination

2006 ◽  
Vol 87 (9) ◽  
pp. 2527-2531 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arvind Varsani ◽  
Eric van der Walt ◽  
Livio Heath ◽  
Edward P. Rybicki ◽  
Anna Lise Williamson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
Human Papillomavirus ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Full Genome ◽  
Genome Sequences ◽  
Aids Epidemic ◽  
Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
History Of ◽  
Hpv Types ◽  
Open Question

An open question amongst papillomavirus taxonomists is whether recombination has featured in the evolutionary history of these viruses. Since the onset of the global AIDS epidemic, the question is somewhat less academic, because immune-compromised human immunodeficiency virus patients are often co-infected with extraordinarily diverse mixtures of human papillomavirus (HPV) types. It is expected that these conditions may facilitate the emergence of HPV recombinants, some of which might have novel pathogenic properties. Here, a range of rigorous analyses is applied to full-genome sequences of papillomaviruses to provide convincing statistical and phylogenetic evidence that evolutionarily relevant papillomavirus recombination can occur.

scholarly journals Ancient crested penguin constrains timing of recruitment into seabird hotspot

2020 ◽  
Vol 287 (1932) ◽  
pp. 20201497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel B. Thomas ◽  
Alan J. D. Tennyson ◽  
R. Paul Scofield ◽  
Tracy A. Heath ◽  
Walker Pett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Ancestral Area ◽  
Total Group ◽  
Late Neogene ◽  
History Of ◽  
Dietary Shifts ◽  
A New Species

New Zealand is a globally significant hotspot for seabird diversity, but the sparse fossil record for most seabird lineages has impeded our understanding of how and when this hotspot developed. Here, we describe multiple exceptionally well-preserved specimens of a new species of penguin from tightly dated (3.36–3.06 Ma) Pliocene deposits in New Zealand. Bayesian and parsimony analyses place Eudyptes atatu sp. nov. as the sister species to all extant and recently extinct members of the crested penguin genus Eudyptes . The new species has a markedly more slender upper beak and mandible compared with other Eudyptes penguins. Our combined evidence approach reveals that deep bills evolved in both crested and stiff-tailed penguins ( Pygoscelis ) during the Pliocene. That deep bills arose so late in the greater than 60 million year evolutionary history of penguins suggests that dietary shifts may have occurred as wind-driven Pliocene upwelling radically restructured southern ocean ecosystems. Ancestral area reconstructions using BioGeoBEARS identify New Zealand as the most likely ancestral area for total-group penguins, crown penguins and crested penguins. Our analyses provide a timeframe for recruitment of crown penguins into the New Zealand avifauna, indicating this process began in the late Neogene and was completed via multiple waves of colonizing lineages.

scholarly journals Evolutionary history of a relict conifer, Pseudotaxus chienii (Taxaceae), in south-east China during the late Neogene: old lineage, young populations

2019 ◽  
Vol 125 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yixuan Kou ◽  
Li Zhang ◽  
Dengmei Fan ◽  
Shanmei Cheng ◽  
Dezhu Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Genetic Divergence ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Isolation By Distance ◽  
Demographic History ◽  
East China ◽  
Population Divergence ◽  
Isolation By Environment ◽  
Late Neogene ◽  
History Of

Abstract Background and Aims Many monotypic gymnosperm lineages in south-east China paradoxically remain in relict status despite long evolutionary histories and ample opportunities for allopatric speciation, but this paradox has received little attention and has yet to be resolved. Here, we address this issue by investigating the evolutionary history of a relict conifer, Pseudotaxus chienii (Taxaceae). Methods DNA sequences from two chloroplast regions and 14 nuclear loci were obtained for 134 samples. The demographic history was inferred and the contribution of isolation by environment (IBE) in patterning genetic divergence was compared with that of isolation by distance (IBD). Key Results Three genetic clusters were identified. Approximate Bayesian computation analyses showed that the three clusters diverged in the late Pliocene (~3.68 Ma) and two admixture events were detected. Asymmetric gene flow and similar population divergence times (~ 3.74 Ma) were characterized using the isolation with migration model. Neither IBD nor IBE contributed significantly to genetic divergence, and the contribution of IBE was much smaller than that of IBD. Conclusions These results suggest that several monotypic relict gymnosperm lineages like P. chienii in south-east China did not remain in situ and undiversified for millions of years. On the contrary, they have been evolving and the extant populations have become established more recently, having insufficient time to speciate. Our findings provide a new perspective for understanding the formation and evolution of the relict gymnosperm flora of China as well as of the Sino-Japanese Flora.

scholarly journals Conserving the functional and phylogenetic trees of life of European tetrapods

2015 ◽  
Vol 370 (1662) ◽  
pp. 20140005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wilfried Thuiller ◽  
Luigi Maiorano ◽  
Florent Mazel ◽  
François Guilhaumon ◽  
Gentile Francesco Ficetola ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Trees ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Current System ◽  
Natura 2000 ◽  
Taxonomic Diversity ◽  
Distinct Species ◽  
Protection System ◽  
Distribution Data ◽  
History Of

Protected areas (PAs) are pivotal tools for biodiversity conservation on the Earth. Europe has had an extensive protection system since Natura 2000 areas were created in parallel with traditional parks and reserves. However, the extent to which this system covers not only taxonomic diversity but also other biodiversity facets, such as evolutionary history and functional diversity, has never been evaluated. Using high-resolution distribution data of all European tetrapods together with dated molecular phylogenies and detailed trait information, we first tested whether the existing European protection system effectively covers all species and in particular, those with the highest evolutionary or functional distinctiveness. We then tested the ability of PAs to protect the entire tetrapod phylogenetic and functional trees of life by mapping species' target achievements along the internal branches of these two trees. We found that the current system is adequately representative in terms of the evolutionary history of amphibians while it fails for the rest. However, the most functionally distinct species were better represented than they would be under random conservation efforts. These results imply better protection of the tetrapod functional tree of life, which could help to ensure long-term functioning of the ecosystem, potentially at the expense of conserving evolutionary history.

scholarly journals Evolutionary History of the phl Gene Cluster in the Plant-Associated Bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens

2009 ◽  
Vol 75 (7) ◽  
pp. 2122-2131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer A. Moynihan ◽  
John P. Morrissey ◽  
Eric R. Coppoolse ◽  
Willem J. Stiekema ◽  
Fergal O'Gara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Fluorescens ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Biological Control Agent ◽  
Control Agent ◽  
Systemic Resistance ◽  
Plant Association ◽  
Selective Pressures ◽  
Functional Implications ◽  
History Of

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas fluorescens is of agricultural and economic importance as a biological control agent largely because of its plant association and production of secondary metabolites, in particular 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol (2,4-DAPG). This polyketide, which is encoded by the eight-gene phl cluster, has antimicrobial effects on phytopathogens, promotes amino acid exudation from plant roots, and induces systemic resistance in plants. Despite its importance, 2,4-DAPG production is limited to a subset of P. fluorescens strains. Determination of the evolution of the phl cluster and understanding the selective pressures promoting its retention or loss in lineages of P. fluorescens will help in the development of P. fluorescens as a viable and effective inoculant for application in agriculture. In this study, genomic and sequence-based approaches were integrated to reconstruct the phylogeny of P. fluorescens and the phl cluster. It was determined that 2,4-DAPG production is an ancestral trait in the species P. fluorescens but that most lineages have lost this capacity through evolution. Furthermore, intragenomic recombination has relocated the phl cluster within the P. fluorescens genome at least three times, but the integrity of the cluster has always been maintained. The possible evolutionary and functional implications for retention of the phl cluster and 2,4-DAPG production in some lineages of P. fluorescens are discussed.

Morphologic and taxonomic history of Paleozoic ammonoids in time and morphospace

Paleobiology ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 128-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. B. Saunders ◽  
Emily Greenfest-Allen ◽  
David M. Work ◽  
S. V. Nikolaeva
Keyword(s):  
Mass Extinction ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Taxonomic Diversity ◽  
Mass Extinctions ◽  
History Of ◽  
Morphologic Variation ◽  
Components Analysis ◽  
Extinction Events ◽  
Mass Extinction Events

Principal components analysis (PCA) of 21 shell parameters (geometry, sculpture, aperture shape, and suture complexity) in 597 L. Devonian to L. Triassic ammonoid genera (spanning ~166 Myr) shows that eight basic morphotypes appeared within ~20 Myr of the first appearance of ammonoids. With one exception, these morphotypes persisted throughout the Paleozoic, occurring in ~75% of the ~5-Myr time bins used in this study. Morphotypes were not exclusive to particular lineages. Their persistence was not just a product of phylogenetic constraints or longevity, and multiple iterations of the same morphotypes occurred at different times and in different groups. Although mass extinction events severely condensed the range of morphologic variation and taxonomic diversity, the effects were short lived and most extinct morphotypes were usually iterated within 5 Myr. The most important effect of mass extinctions on ammonoid evolutionary history seems to have been their role in large scale taxonomic turnovers; they effectively eliminated previously dominant orders at the Frasnian/Famennian (F/F) (Agoniatitida), the Devonian/Mississippian (D/M) (Clymeniida), and the Permian/Triassic (P/T) (Goniatitida and Prolecanitida) extinctions. Survivors varied from two (P/T) to four (D/M) and five genera (F/F). These events generated sharp reductions in morphologic disparity at the D/M (58%) and at the P/T (59%), but there was a net increase at the F/F (38%). There was no obvious survival bias for particular morphotypes, but 64% are interpreted to have beenNautilus-like nektobenthic. The recurrence of particular combinations of morphology and their strong independence of phylogeny are strong arguments for functional constraint. Intervals between mass extinctions seem to have been relatively static in terms of morphotype numbers, in contrast to numbers of genera. Significant decreases in genus diversity (54%) and morphologic disparity (33%) commenced in the mid-Permian (Wordian/Capitanian boundary), well before the final P/T event.

scholarly journals Blepharostoma trichophyllum S.L. (Marchantiophyta): The Complex of Sibling Species and Hybrids

Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 1423
Author(s):  
Vadim A. Bakalin ◽  
Anna A. Vilnet ◽  
Seung Se Choi ◽  
Van Sinh Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Sibling Species ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Taxonomic Diversity ◽  
Distinct Species ◽  
Leaf Segment ◽  
Oil Bodies ◽  
Long Time ◽  
History Of ◽  
Pacific Asia

Blepharostoma trichophyllum was found to be a species collectiva formed by several strongly genetically different species. The taxonomic diversity in the group is the possible result of radiation in early stages; then, these taxa likely survived for a long time in similar environmental conditions, which resulted in stasis. Presently, the existing taxa are similar one to another and may be morphologically distinguished with difficulties. The most taxonomically valuable morphological characteristics include oil bodies and cells in the leaf segment features. The most diverse genotypes (the vast majority of which are treated here as distinct species) were found in amphi-Pacific Asia, which may reflect the evolutionary history of the genus or may be the consequence of more profound sampling in the macro-region in comparison with other parts of the Holarctic.

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