Article
Anatomy & Morphology
N. Adam Smith, Krista L. Koeller, Julia A. Clarke, Daniel T. Ksepka, Jonathan S. Mitchell, Ali Nabavizadeh, Ryan C. Ridgley, Lawrence M. Witmer
Summary: In the study of wing-propelled diving birds, dippers are unique in their adaptation to underwater locomotion, showing differences in anatomical characteristics compared to other taxa. While sharing some similarities with nonpasserine wing-propelled divers, dippers exhibit distinct muscular and integumentary novelties which may precede skeletal and neuroendocranial morphology in the acquisition of this novel locomotory mode.
ANATOMICAL RECORD-ADVANCES IN INTEGRATIVE ANATOMY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Zoology
Paulo D. P. Pinheiro, Boris L. Blotto, Santiago R. Ron, Edward L. Stanley, Paulo C. A. Garcia, Celio F. B. Haddad, Taran Grant, Julian Faivovich
Summary: This study investigated the morphology and evolution of the prepollex in different species of Cophomantini, and discussed its function, behavior, and sexual dimorphism. It found two distinct morphologies and identified various synapomorphies and their evolutionary origins.
ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Zoology
Gary N. Bronner, Samantha Mynhardt, Nigel C. Bennett, Lientjie Cohen, Nick Crumpton, Michael Hofreiter, Patrick Arnold, Robert J. Asher
Summary: Our study conducted a phylogenetic analysis of genetic and anatomical data in golden moles and tenrecs, revealing new classification relationships and evolutionary history. The tropical genus Huetia showed high diversity in both species distribution and anatomical structures. The diversification of crown chrysochlorids and crown tenrecids likely occurred in the Miocene, with fossils from the Eocliff region in Namibia dating back to the late Eocene to early Miocene.
ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Laura C. Breitkreuz, Ivonne J. Garzon-Orduna, Shaun L. Winterton, Michael S. Engel
Summary: We present a phylogeny of Chrysopidae based on combined molecular and morphological data. Apochrysinae was found to be sister to the rest of the family (Nothochrysinae and Chrysopinae), and the monogeneric tribe Nothancylini is confirmed as sister to the remaining Chrysopinae. The other four tribes are grouped into two clades, Belonopterygini + Leucochrysini and Ankylopterygini + Chrysopini. The Nineta-group is transferred from Chrysopini to Ankylopterygini. Within the diverse and species-rich Chrysopini, five genus-group clades are recognized: Chrysopa, Chrysoperla, Chrysopodes, Eremochrysa, and Meleoma. Mapping of characters on the phylogeny provides insights into their evolution in the family. Taxonomic changes proposed include the inclusion of Chrysopidia, Nineta, and Tumeochrysa in the tribe Ankylopterygini, and the synonymization of Furcochrysa with Chrysopa.
ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Mahdi Rajabizadeh, Dominique Adriaens, Barbara De Kegel, Aziz Avci, Cetin Ilgaz, Anthony Herrel
Summary: Miniaturization brings substantial structural and functional constraints, with different Eirenis dwarf snake species showing varying changes in neurocranium size and jaw muscle force during the process. The gape index also exhibits negative allometry across transitions between Dolichophis and Eirenis subgenera. Different structural patterns are observed through miniaturization in the Dolichophis-Eirenis dwarfing lineages.
JOURNAL OF ANATOMY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jun-Tong Chen, Magnus Liden, Xian-Han Huang, Liang Zhang, Xin-Jian Zhang, Tian-Hui Kuang, Jacob B. Landis, Dong Wang, Tao Deng, Hang Sun
Summary: A systematic study of Corydalis with 530 species revealed three subgenera, 25 sections, and one series as monophyletic, and proposed a new classification with four subgenera, 39 sections, including 16 consistent with previous classification, 16 recircumscribed, one reinstated, and six newly established sections.
JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Chao Yang, Xiaojuan Du, Yuxin Liu, Hao Yuan, Qingxiong Wang, Xiang Hou, Huisheng Gong, Yan Wang, Yuan Huang, Xuejuan Li, Haiyan Ye
Summary: The genus Motacilla belongs to the family Motacillidae and its mitochondrial features and phylogeny have been controversial. In this study, we generated and analyzed complete mitogenomes of four Motacilla species and reconstructed phylogenetic trees based on mitochondrial genes. The results showed that Motacilla is a monophyletic group, with M. cinerea located in a basal position and M. lava and M. tschutschensis showing closer relationships. This study provides important insights into the mitochondrial characteristics and phylogeny of Motacilla.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Xin-Ying Ma, Guang-Hui Xu, Bing-He Geng
Summary: Neopterygii is a taxonomically diverse clade of ray-finned fishes, including the stem group of large-sized neopterygians, Colobodontidae, which has been discovered to have a more rapid diversification than previously thought. The new species, Feroxichthys panzhouensis sp. nov., shows unique features and a body form that suggests an adaptation to structurally complex habitats. Additionally, the findings provide important insights into the morphological and ecological diversity of neopterygian fishes in the Triassic marine ecosystems of South China.
Article
Entomology
Jin Shang, Wentian Xu, Xiaofang Huang, Dong Zhang, Liping Yan, Thomas Pape
Summary: Flesh flies (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) are a rapidly evolving group with over 3000 known species, known for their diverse breeding habits. By sequencing the complete mitochondrial genomes of five species of flesh flies and comparing them, the study found that the mitochondrial genomes matched the hypothetical condition of the insect ancestor. The evolutionary rates of the subfamilies within Sarcophagidae differed significantly, and the phylogenetic analysis supported the monophyly of Sarcophagidae and each subfamily. This study suggests that phylogenetic analysis using mitochondrial genomes may not be suitable for rapidly evolving subfamilies and that the genes ND2 and ND6 have potential as DNA markers for species identification and delimitation in flesh flies.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mengyue Guo, Xiaohui Pang, Yanqin Xu, Wenjun Jiang, Baosheng Liao, Jingsheng Yu, Jiang Xu, Jingyuan Song, Shilin Chen
Summary: This study systematically investigated the phylogeny and evolution of Epimedium using plastid genome data. The findings provide new insights into the relationships and evolution of Epimedium species and contribute to better understanding the classification of this genus.
JOURNAL OF ADVANCED RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Isabel Draper, Ricardo Garilleti, Juan Antonio Calleja, Maren Flagmeier, Vicente Mazimpaka, Beatriz Vigalondo, Francisco Lara
Summary: This study presents a dated molecular phylogenetic reconstruction at the subfamily level for the Orthotrichoideae, revealing three main clades and proposing the separation of new genera. Dating analyses suggest the tribes within Orthotrichoideae originated in the Middle Jurassic, with the highest diversification burst occurring during the Oligocene. The analysis of morphological traits shows that while there are no exclusive characters, all genera can be defined by a combination of a few characters.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lin Zhang, Xinxin Zhu, Yiyong Zhao, Jing Guo, Taikui Zhang, Weichen Huang, Jie Huang, Yi Hu, Chien-Hsun Huang, Hong Ma
Summary: The adaptation of Pooideae to cool climates has been influenced by gene duplications and regulatory mechanisms. Pooideae originated in the late Cretaceous and underwent divergences under cooling conditions. During the Eocene-Oligocene transition, Pooideae species experienced significant gene duplications and regulatory changes, promoting their adaptation to cold habitats.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Vera Tosetto, Piero Damarco, Riccardo Daniello, Marco Pavia, Giorgio Carnevale, Michelangelo Bisconti
Summary: We conducted a new study on previously published eurhinodelphinid materials from the early Miocene of Piedmont, Italy. Through the new preparation and analysis of fossil specimens, we provided new anatomical data on the skull and ear bones of these eurhinodelphinids. We also reclassified a skull previously assigned to Tursiops miocaenus as Ziphiodelphis sigmoideus based on new comparisons of the squamosal bone.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Guang-Hui Xu
Summary: This study reports the discovery of a new species of Peltoperleidus in Yunnan, China, extending the genus's geological range by approximately two million years and marking its first record in Asia. The new species is proposed to be a small-sized durophagous predator and a new family, Peltoperleididae, is suggested for the genus. Comparative studies with European relatives provide new insights into the origin and distribution of this taxon.
Article
Plant Sciences
Xiaodong Xu, Xuexiu Li, Dong Wang
Summary: A robust backbone phylogeny is fundamental for developing a stable classification and is instructive for further research. However, it was still not available for Corydalis DC., a taxonomically notoriously difficult genus. In this study, we constructed backbone phylogeny and estimated the divergence of Corydalis based on plastome data. Our analyses recovered main clades and provided support for the majority of lineages within Corydalis. We also found unusual plastome structural rearrangements, which supported our phylogeny and revealed the unreliability of some diagnostic characters in Corydalis.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)