Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mingyu Luo, Shaopeng Wang, Serguei Saavedra, Dieter Ebert, Florian Altermatt
Summary: This study developed a spatially explicit metacommunity model to investigate species coexistence in fragmented heterogeneous landscapes. By parameterizing the model with Bayesian approach and analyzing a time-series dataset, the study revealed the interspecific variation in extinction and recolonization processes and their dependencies on habitat size and environmental temperature. This interspecific variation contributes to species coexistence by reducing fitness differences and increasing niche differences.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Vladimir S. Lebedev, Daniil A. Mirzoyan, Georgy I. Shenbrot, Evgeniya N. Solovyeva, Varvara Yu. Bogatyreva, Alexandra A. Lisenkova, Enkhbat Undrakhbayar, Gansukh Sukhchuluun, Konstantin A. Rogovin, Alexei V. Surov, Anna A. Bannikova
Summary: In this study, a phylogenetic/phylogeographic analysis of the three-toed jerboas of the genus Stylodipus was conducted using mitochondrial and nuclear genes. The results revealed three species within the genus, as well as population-level divergence within one of the species. Furthermore, the study identified hybridization events between two sublineages, leading to mitonuclear discordance.
Article
Plant Sciences
Salvatore Tomasello, Christoph Oberprieler
Summary: Polyploidization is a common mechanism of speciation in plants, especially in high mountain environments and areas affected by climatic oscillations. This study investigates the role of polyploidization in the Mediterranean region, revealing the relationship between polyploidization events and geological periods and geographical environments.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Daniele De Luca, Emanuele Del Guacchio, Fabio Conti, Duilio Iamonico, Paolo Caputo
Summary: This paper provides a comprehensive study on the phylogenetic relationships within the genus Mcneillia through a multigene phylogeny. The results show extensive gene flow between taxa and demonstrate that Mcneillia is not monophyletic. The study also proposes new taxonomy for the genus, including the recognition of separate species and subspecies.
Article
Plant Sciences
Si-Qi Liang, Ronald L. L. Viane, Xian-Chun Zhang, Ran Wei
Summary: The Asplenium pekinense complex includes multiple ploidy species, with A. sarelii and A. pekinense being more common, while A. anogrammoides and A. altajense are rare species often misidentified. The A. varians complex is composed of the widespread A. tenuicaule, rare A. semivarians, and three other tetraploid species. Both species complexes are known for their taxonomic difficulty due to their history of reticulate evolution.
JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATICS AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Cristian R. Cervantes, Jose-Ruben Montes, Ulises Rosas, Salvador Arias
Summary: This study classified the Mammillaria haageana complex using genomic, morphological, and ecological data. The complex was found to consist of six distinct entities, mainly due to ecological speciation. These species hypotheses can be useful for future extinction risk assessments and conservation strategies.
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yongfu Li, Xuan Li, Shuai Nie, Min Zhang, Qinghua Yang, Wenbin Xu, Yifan Duan, Xianrong Wang
Summary: This study reveals the evolutionary history of the genus Osmanthus and the impact of introgression using multiple sequencing data and analysis approaches.
Article
Plant Sciences
Fengmao Yang, Jia Ge, Yongjie Guo, Richard Olmstead, Weibang Sun
Summary: This study investigates the evolutionary history of Asian species of the genus Buddleja and reveals 6 hybridization events and several allopolyploid speciation events. The study also corrects earlier misinterpretations and shows that tectonic activity, climate fluctuations, polyploidization, and hybridization contributed to the diversification of this lineage.
Article
Plant Sciences
Sharmin Hasan, Agnelo Furtado, Robert Henry
Summary: The wild rice gene pool in Australia is genetically distinct from that in Asia. Despite a reported reproductive barrier, rare plants with intermediate morphology have been observed in the wild, indicating hybridization. Specific gene analysis suggests that these plants may be early generation hybrids.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Sandeep Ameta, Manoj Kumar, Nayan Chakraborty, Yoshiya J. Matsubara, S. Prashanth, Dhanush Gandavadi, Shashi Thutupalli
Summary: The localization of self-reproducing autocatalytic chemistries within complex primitive phases is crucial for the development of heritable and evolvable chemical systems.
COMMUNICATIONS CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Melanie M. L. Lalonde, Jeffrey M. Marcus
Summary: The genus Junonia is a type of nymphalid butterfly with remarkable dispersal abilities. It is found on every continent except Europe and Antarctica, and is often the only butterfly species on remote oceanic islands. The biogeography and phylogeny of Junonia have been a subject of controversy and research limitations. However, this study presents the most comprehensive Junonia phylogeny to date, using complete mitogenomes and nuclear ribosomal RNA repeats from 40 out of 47 known species. The results show that Junonia is monophyletic, with the genus Salamis as its probable sister clade. There is evidence of genetic exchange between Junonia species from the Indo-Pacific region and the New World, suggesting a trans-Pacific route into the New World. Multiple trans-Atlantic or trans-Pacific invasions may have contributed to diversification in the New World. Hybridization and lateral transfer of mitogenomes were also observed, both in the New World and in certain Old World lineages. Variation associated with reticulate evolution poses challenges for phylogenetic reconstruction but may have played a role in speciation and diversification patterns.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Qiong Yu, Fu-Sheng Yang, Ya-Xing Chen, Hui Wu, Stefanie M. Ickert-Bond, Xiao-Quan Wang
Summary: By reconstructing the transcriptome-based phylogeny of 19 diploid Ephedra species, the evolutionary history of the gymnosperm genus Ephedra was investigated. The results revealed that Ephedra originated from Mediterranean species and split into three clades: American species, E. rhytidosperma, and other Asian species. Reticulate evolution was found to be common in Ephedra, and the genus likely originated in the late Cretaceous along the Tethys coast.
JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Louise Anderson, Peter Houk, Mark G. R. Miller, Javier Cuetos-Bueno, Curtis Graham, Kriskitina Kanemoto, Elizabeth Terk, Elizabeth McLeod, Maria Beger
Summary: This study introduces the framework of Trait-based adaptive management (TBAM) and applies it to food fish populations in the Pacific coral reef. By evaluating different drivers and vulnerabilities, it reveals that the community structure of fish populations is driven by various aspects of resource use and habitat. This framework offers selective management strategies for complex, multispecies fisheries.
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Pascal Angst, Camille Ameline, Christoph R. Haag, Frida Ben-Ami, Dieter Ebert, Peter D. Fields
Summary: Extinction-(re)colonization dynamics are characteristic features of dynamic metapopulations, which can lead to different evolutionary patterns. Our study found that the genetic bottleneck during colonization reduces effective population size, resulting in strong genetic drift and reduced selection efficacy in the metapopulation. The younger and more isolated subpopulations also showed lower genetic diversity and higher genetic differentiation.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Review
Microbiology
Soyoun Park, Jennifer Ronholm
Summary: Staphylococcus aureus is a formidable bacterial pathogen responsible for infections in humans and various animals, with specific pathoadaptive clonal lineages emerged in the agricultural sector. The close contact between humans and animals in high-density environments drives the evolution of S. aureus, while the use of antibiotics in agriculture contributes to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains, posing concerns for human health. Addressing antibiotic resistance in S. aureus from agricultural practices without negatively impacting productivity is a challenging priority.
CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY REVIEWS
(2021)