Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Cynthia Skema, Lucile Jourdain-Fievet, Jean-Yves Dubuisson, Timothee Le Pechon
Summary: The dispersal of plants has played a crucial role in the evolution of the diverse flora in Madagascar and the surrounding islands of the western Indian Ocean. Understanding the biogeography of this region is important for studying the Dombeyoideae subfamily, which has a high species richness in the western Indian Ocean region. The study found that Madagascar was a source for colonization of continents and emphasized the importance of narrow sympatry in the evolution of the subfamily.
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Chinta Sidharthan, K. Praveen Karanth
Summary: This study aims to investigate the origins and dispersal pathways of typhlopoids in India. Results indicate that Gerrhopilus is an ancient lineage, while the other three genera are more recent arrivals from Africa and Asia. Biogeographic reconstructions suggest an East Gondwanan origin for typhlopoids, with India harboring a combination of ancient and more recently dispersed lineages.
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Chen-Xuan Yang, Shui-Yin Liu, Nyree J. C. Zerega, Gregory W. Stull, Elliot M. Gardner, Qin Tian, Wei Gu, Qing Lu, Ryan A. Folk, Heather R. Kates, Robert P. Guralnick, Douglas E. Soltis, Pamela S. Soltis, Yue-Hua Wang, Ting-Shuang Yi
Summary: This study used newly generated and previously published Hyb-Seq data to reconstruct the phylogeny of the mulberry genus and explore its biogeographic history. The results showed the evolutionary relationships and origin time of the genus, providing important insights into understanding species relationships and the evolutionary history of Morus.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Menglin Wang, Simon Hellemans, Ales Bucek, Taisuke Kanao, Jigyasa Arora, Crystal Clitheroe, Jean-Jacques Rafanomezantsoa, Brian L. Fisher, Rudolf Scheffrahn, David Sillam-Dusses, Yves Roisin, Jan Sobotnik, Thomas Bourguignon
Summary: Madagascar, due to its isolation, is home to unique plant and animal species, including various lineages of termites. This study used mitochondrial genomes to explore the historical biogeography of Neoisoptera, a termite lineage. The results suggest that Neoisoptera colonized Madagascar between 7 and 10 times independently during the Miocene, similar to its colonization of Australia.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jiantao Hu, Hongjie Li, Harumi Sakai, Takahiko Mukai, Ho Young Suk, Chenhong Li
Summary: In this study, a robust phylogeny of the genus Odontobutis was built based on comprehensive molecular data collection and analysis. Divergence time estimation and ancestral range reconstruction indicated that the common ancestor of modern Odontobutis was likely distributed in Japan, southern China, or the Korean Peninsula. Geographical events in East Asia since the late Miocene, such as the opening of the Japan/East Sea and climate change, might have contributed to the diversification and current distribution pattern of Odontobutis.
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Rachel S. Welt, Christopher J. Raxworthy
Summary: The study found that the endemic lineage of iguanas on the isolated Indian Ocean island of Madagascar is closely related to the Leiosauridae in South America, suggesting a long-distance overwater dispersal of the Opluridae lineage. The divergence between Opluridae and Leiosauridae occurred between the late Cretaceous and mid-Paleogene, when Madagascar was already an isolated island from other Gondwanan landmasses.
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Xing Liu, Hui-Min Cai, Wen-Qiao Wang, Wei Lin, Zhi-Wei Su, Zhong-Hui Ma
Summary: This study investigated the relationship between fruit colour variation and species diversification in the genus Callicarpa. The results showed that fruit colours were correlated with biogeographic distribution, dispersal events, and diversification rate. Violet-fruited lineages were associated with large-scale dispersal events and highest diversification rates.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nelson Menolli Jr, Santiago Sanchez-Ramirez, Marisol Sanchez-Garcia, Chaoqun Wang, Sean Patev, Noemia Kazue Ishikawa, Juan L. Mata, Alexandre Rafael Lenz, Ruby Vargas-Isla, Lauren Liderman, Meriel Lamb, Mitchell Nuhn, Karen W. Hughes, Yang Xiao, David S. Hibbett
Summary: Lentinula, the genus that includes the widely cultivated shiitake mushroom, was analyzed in a global-scale phylogenetic study. The study identified 15 independent lineages that may correspond to different species, with lineages in Asia-Australasia and the Americas plus Madagascar forming sister clades. The study also revealed the evolutionary history and distribution of Lentinula, suggesting that the extant distribution is likely the result of long-distance dispersal. Some taxa within the genus require further taxonomic studies.
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
James S. Albert, Maxwell J. Bernt, Aaron H. Fronk, Joao P. Fontenelle, Shannon L. Kuznar, Nathan R. Lovejoy
Summary: Recent studies have revealed a large-scale biotic interchange between the Western and Eastern Amazon basins, associated with the uplift of the Northern Andes and the formation of the modern Amazon River. Tectonically-driven megariver capture events facilitated a massive biotic interchange between these basins, contributing to the overall biodiversity of Greater Amazonia.
GLOBAL AND PLANETARY CHANGE
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Xia Liu, Zhaoshan Wang, Wei Wang, Qinqin Huang, Yanfei Zeng, Yu Jin, Honglei Li, Shuhui Du, Jianguo Zhang
Summary: This study examines the origin and biogeography of the Populus genus using phylogenetic analysis of chloroplast fragments. The results suggest that the early divergences of the Salicaceae family occurred in Eurasia after the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction, with subsequent spread to other regions. Modern Populus species began to diversify during the early Oligocene, potentially facilitated by climate changes. Populus species from Eurasia colonized North America via the Bering Land Bridges. The present-day distribution of Populus can be explained by differences in extinction rates in different regions. Further research is needed to test these hypotheses. This study highlights the importance of combining phylogenetic analysis and biogeographic interpretations to understand the origin and distribution of biodiversity in temperate plant floras.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ishan Agarwal, Aaron M. Bauer, Tony Gamble, Varad B. Giri, Daniel Jablonski, Akshay Khandekar, Pratyush P. Mohapatra, Rafaqat Masroor, Anurag Mishra, Uma Ramakrishnan
Summary: The study investigates the evolutionary history and species diversity of the leopard gecko using multi-locus sequence data and wide sampling. It reveals that leopard geckos in the pet trade come from a few shallow clades and the current estimate of species diversity is moderately underestimated.
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Zhaoxue Zhang, Xinye Liu, Mengfei Tao, Xiaoyong Liu, Jiwen Xia, Xiuguo Zhang, Zhe Meng
Summary: Based on multi-locus phylogenies and morphological characteristics, three new species were discovered, namely Pseudoplagiostoma alsophilae, P. bambusae, and P. machili. Molecular clock analysis revealed that the ancestor of Pseudoplagiostomataceae and Apoharknessiaceae emerged in the Cretaceous period, with most species appearing in the Paleogene and Neogene periods. Historical biogeography reconstruction suggested that Asia, especially Southeast Asia, was likely the ancestral area for Pseudoplagiostomataceae.
Article
Entomology
Yue Zhang, Hu Li, Shiqian Feng, Yujia Qin, Marc De Meyer, Massimiliano Virgilio, Sandeep Singh, Fan Jiang, Anastasia Priscilla Kawi, Agus Susanto, Isabel Martinez-Sanudo, Jiajiao Wu, Kemo Badji, Undarmaa Davaasambuu, Zhihong Li
Summary: In this study, the origin, phylogeny, and evolutionary history of Tephritidae were investigated using comprehensive mitogenomic analysis. The results indicated incongruence between subgeneric designations based on morphology and mitogenomic data, suggesting the need for re-evaluation of the current classification. The divergence time estimation and historical biogeography analyses suggested that Tephritidae originated in the Palaearctic realm, and Dacini might have originated in Laurasia rather than Gondwana.
ENTOMOLOGIA GENERALIS
(2023)
Article
Biology
Yun Hsiao, Rolf G. Oberprieler, Andreas Zwick, Yu-Lingzi Zhou, Adam Slipinski
Summary: In this study, museomics was used to estimate the molecular phylogeny of Australian cycad weevils, revealing their origins and relationship with the diversification of Australian cycads. It was found that the association between cycad weevils and their hosts is mostly non-species-specific and the diversity of Australian cycad weevils is shaped by geographical factors rather than coevolution. The synchronous radiation of cycads and weevil pollinators is suggested to be a result of post-Oligocene diversification common in Australian organisms.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biology
Laura Hagemann, Nanda Grow, Yvonne E-M B. Bohr, Dyah Perwitasari-Farajallah, Yulius Duma, Sharon L. Gursky, Stefan Merker
Summary: This study presents genetic evidence showing the phylogenetic position of Tarsius pumilus, the mountain tarsier of Sulawesi, Indonesia. The research reveals that T. pumilus is not a variation of a lowland tarsier, but rather the most basal species among the Sulawesi tarsiers. The divergence between T. pumilus and other Sulawesi tarsiers is dated back to around 9.88 million years ago, which coincides with the deepening of the marine environment between eastern and western Sulawesi.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
C. Weirauch, M. Forthman, V. Grebennikov, P. Banar
ORGANISMS DIVERSITY & EVOLUTION
(2017)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Michael Forthman, Christiane Weirauch
SYSTEMATIC ENTOMOLOGY
(2017)
Article
Ecology
Michael Forthman, Christiane Weirauch
JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2018)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Michael Forthman, Christine W. Miller, Rebecca T. Kimball
Article
Ecology
Zachary Emberts, Colette M. St Mary, Cody Coyotee Howard, Michael Forthman, Philip W. Bateman, Ummat Somjee, Wei Song Hwang, Daiqin Li, Rebecca T. Kimball, Christine W. Miller
Article
Zoology
Michael Forthman
Summary: This paper describes two new species of the millipede assassin bug genus Abelocephala collected in Taiwan, with habitus and structural images provided for each species. A revised diagnosis of Abelocephala and an updated identification key to all species of the genus are also given.
Article
Zoology
Michael Forthman, Helcio R. Gil-Santana
Summary: Taxonomical and morphological notes on species in the cruciata-group of Rhiginia Stal were provided, including descriptions of new species Rhiginia lourdesae and Rhiginia nicholsae. An updated key to the New World genera of Ectrichodiinae was also presented, reflecting recent taxonomic changes in the subfamily.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Michael Forthman, Edward L. Braun, Rebecca T. Kimball
Summary: The study found that gene tree error can affect the estimation of coalescent branch lengths, with low informative loci leading to significantly shorter CBLs. Gene tree resolution has a greater impact on UCE datasets, while it does not seem to affect exon datasets as much.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Caroline D. Miller, Michael Forthman, Christine W. Miller, Rebecca T. Kimball
Summary: Sequence capture studies are increasingly being used to recover legacy loci from off-target sequences, with some success in recovering mitochondrial and nuclear legacy loci. Complementing complete mitogenomes with additional reference mitochondrial sequences did not improve phylogenetic analysis significantly, while extracted legacy loci offered substantial improvement. Phylogenetic analysis combining legacy and sequence capture data generally produced congruent results with previous studies, although with lower support. Future studies may benefit from integrating legacy data with sequence capture data without additional expenses.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Michael Forthman, Christine W. Miller, Rebecca T. Kimball
Summary: Recent phylogenomic analyses challenge previous phylogenetic hypotheses of Coreidae and Alydidae within the insect superfamily Coreoidea. The study expands upon previous research and supports the existence of an AHP clade, resolves the position of Hydarinae, and confirms the monophyly of pseudophloeine tribes. Further systematic work is needed for the reclassification of Alydidae and Coreidae.
ORGANISMS DIVERSITY & EVOLUTION
(2022)
Editorial Material
Entomology
Michael Forthman, Ricky Lara, Andrew W. Meeds, David A. Rider
PAN-PACIFIC ENTOMOLOGIST
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Katie Adler, Anna E. R. Schill, Alex M. Stolberg, Christine W. Miller, Michael Forthman
Summary: This study reports the first record of the bow-legged bug species H. subinermis in California and provides a detailed description and images of its nymphs. The findings suggest that this bug species is found exclusively on specific Schinus terebinthifolia plants and may exhibit mimicry behaviors resembling ants.
PAN-PACIFIC ENTOMOLOGIST
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Michael Forthman, Chandler Downie, Christine W. Miller, Rebecca T. Kimball
Summary: Intra- and interspecific communication is crucial to fitness via mating, territoriality, and defence. Studying stridulatory mechanisms in insects provides insights into the origin and diversification of communication systems. We investigated the evolution of stridulatory mechanisms in the Coreoidea superfamily and identified four mechanisms with evolutionary gains, suggesting their adaptive nature and providing a foundation for further research.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Michael Forthman, Eric R. L. Gordon, Rebecca T. Kimball
Summary: Target capture is commonly used in various fields of genetic research. The choice of hybridization temperature during the process has been investigated in vertebrates but not in invertebrates. Lower hybridization temperatures were found to enhance the recovery of targeted elements in leaf-footed bugs. Transcriptome-derived baits showed less sensitivity to hybridization temperature compared to baits developed from divergent genomes. Thus, using low hybridization temperatures can improve cost-effective invertebrate locus recovery.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Entomology
Michael Forthman, Christine W. Miller, Rebecca T. Kimball
INSECT SYSTEMATICS AND DIVERSITY
(2020)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Markus Osaland Fjelde, Einar Timdal, Reidar Haugan, Mika Bendiksby
Summary: This study investigated the taxonomy of the crustose lichen genus Calvitimela using molecular phylogenetics and morphological observations. The results revealed evolutionarily old and deeply divergent lineages within Calvitimela, with overlapping morphological characters between different subgenera. Chemical characters were informative at the level of subgenera but often homoplastic at the species level. A practical taxonomy of Calvitimela was proposed based on these findings.
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2024)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Bo-Yang Shi, Da Pan, Kang-Qin Zhang, Tian-Yu Gu, Darren C. J. Yeo, Peter K. L. Ng, Neil Cumberlidge, Hong-Ying Sun
Summary: This study investigates the evolutionary history and speciation mechanisms of montane potamids in the Hengduan Mountains Region. The results suggest that the vicariance events of these crabs are correlated with the emergence of sky islands due to the uplift of the mountains. The mountain ridges provided corridors for their dispersal and past climatic conditions played a crucial role in their evolutionary history. The mechanisms isolating sky islands are reinforced by the climatic features of dry-hot valleys and continue to affect local diversification.
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2024)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Attila Nemeth, Edvard Mizsei, Levente Laczko, David Czaban, Zsolt Hegyeli, Szabolcs Lengyel, Gabor Csorba, Gabor Sramko
Summary: Species delimitation of European blind mole rats is challenging due to their small morphological differences and complex chromosomal evolution. This study provides a comprehensive framework to improve understanding of their evolutionary history and revise their taxonomy. The results reveal the presence of multiple superspecies and species, with distinct geographic patterns and rapid chromosomal evolution.
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2024)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ying Qi, Zhaoyan Zhong, Xu Liu, Xing He, Yadong Zhou, Lili Zhang, Chong Chen, Katrin Linse, Jian-Wen Qiu, Jin Sun
Summary: This study investigates the phylogenetic relationships among patellogastropod families using mitochondrial and phylogenomic data. The results show that the mitochondrial phylogeny recovers monophyly of most families, but the relationships among families are still contentious. However, a more robust family-level topology consistent with morphology is achieved by phylogenomics. Additionally, the mainly deep-water families are found to be monophyletic, suggesting a single colonization of the deep water during the Jurassic.
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2024)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yu-Jie Shi, Jin -Liang Huang, Jia-Xuan Mi, Jing Li, Fan-Yu Meng, Yu Zhong, Fang He, Fei -Fei Tian, Fan Zhang, Liang-Hua Chen, Han-Bo Yang, Hong-Lin Hu, Xue-Qin Wan
Summary: Despite numerous studies on hybrid speciation, our understanding of this process remains limited. In this study, we conducted an 18-year systematic investigation on Populus taxa on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and discovered three new taxa that originated from distant hybridization between two different sections. These hybrid taxa demonstrate greater ecological adaptability than their ancestral species due to heterosis. We propose a hybrid speciation process model that can explain important evolutionary concerns.
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2024)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Anna Cho, Denis Tikhonenkov, Gordon Lax, Kristina I. Prokina, Patrick J. Keeling
Summary: Unlike conspicuous ochrophytes, many small and overlooked flagellates belonging to basally branching stramenopiles remain poorly characterized at the cellular or genomic level. This study describes four new species, including two new genera, of sediment-dwelling MAST-6 and provides updated phylogenomic tree of stramenopiles. The characterization of these flagellates is important due to their phylogenetic diversity and abundance in various environments.
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2024)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tian-Tian Xue, Steven B. Janssens, Bin-Bin Liu, Sheng-Xiang Yu
Summary: Phylogenomic conflicts are widespread among genomic data, with most previous studies primarily focusing on nuclear datasets instead of organellar genomes. In this study, we investigated the phylogenetic conflicts within and between plastid and mitochondrial genomes using Potentilla as a case study. We found that both plastid and mitochondrial genomes divided Potentilla into eight highly supported clades, with two newly identified clades. Our results demonstrate that mitochondrial genes can fully resolve phylogenetic relationships among major clades of Potentilla and are not always linked with plastomes in evolutionary history.
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2024)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alexandra A. Grossi, Chunpo Tian, Mengjiao Ren, Fasheng Zou, Daniel R. Gustafsson
Summary: This study suggests that the coevolutionary relationships between chewing lice, endosymbiotic bacteria, and birds are not independent, but the patterns vary depending on the analysis method used. Additionally, louse host-switching does not seem to affect bacterial strains.
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2024)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ingrid Olivares, Sergio Tusso, Maria Jose Sanin, Marylaure de La Harpe, Oriane Loiseau, Jonathan Rolland, Nicolas Salamin, Michael Kessler, Kentaro K. Shimizu, Margot Paris
Summary: Traditionally, differences between species have been associated with morphological variation. However, the discovery of cryptic diversity suggests that the evolution of distinct lineages can occur without morphological differences. Through genetic analysis, we found that a tropical montane plant lineage is composed of numerous unrecognized genetic groups that are not morphologically distinct. Geographic distance and topography play a crucial role in determining the genetic divergence of these groups.
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2024)