Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Wenpan Dong, Chao Xu, Yanlei Liu, Jipu Shi, Wenying Li, Zhili Suo
Summary: The study sequenced 20 Lagerstroemia chloroplast genomes and combined them with 15 existing genomes to investigate phylogenetic relationships and divergence times. Results indicate Lagerstroemia is a monophyletic group with four clades, originating in the late Paleocene and diversifying in the middle Miocene. Most species diversified during the Pleistocene. Four variable loci were found in the chloroplast genomes.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Tom Carruthers, Robert W. Scotland
Summary: Research using simulation and analysis has found that when substitution rates, speciation rates, and extinction rates vary, the benefits of increased character and taxon sampling on parameter estimation accuracy are limited. Methodological assumptions are more likely to be violated, and limitations in the information content of the data become more important in complex cases.
SYSTEMATIC BIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Microbiology
Achala R. Rathnayaka, K. W. Thilini Chethana, Alan J. L. Phillips, Jian-Kui Liu, Milan C. Samarakoon, E. B. Gareth Jones, Samantha C. Karunarathna, Chang-Lin Zhao
Summary: This study re-evaluated the character evolution and taxonomic placements of Botryosphaeriales species. It found that the order originated around 109 million years ago in the early Cretaceous period. The study also assessed two hypotheses and found a relationship between conidial color and nutritional mode in botryosphaerialean taxa.
Article
Zoology
Jhon Jairo Ospina-Sarria, Taran Grant
Summary: By studying the phenotypic characters of Brachycephaloidea, we have provided new synapomorphies to recognize three clades previously recognized solely on the basis of DNA. We conclude that phenotypic data are a valuable source of evidence in testing phylogenetic hypotheses of Brachycephaloidea.
ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Xia Tang, Yong-Zhong Lu, Lakmali S. S. Dissanayake, Ishani D. D. Goonasekara, Ruvishika S. S. Jayawardena, Yuan-Pin Xiao, Kevin D. D. Hyde, Xue-Mei Chen, Ji-Chuan Kang
Summary: Diaporthales is a diverse order of fungi that includes various types of organisms associated with forest plants, crops, and even animal and human tissues. This study introduces two new genera, Pulvinaticonidioma and Subellipsoidispora, found in Dipterocarpaceae in Thailand, which were identified through morphological and phylogenetic analyses. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the diversity and characteristics of Diaporthales.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Jiae Yoo, D. Wayne Coats, Sunju Kim
Summary: This study investigated the morphology, development, and molecular characteristics of intracellular parasites infecting heterotrophic dinoflagellates in coastal waters of Busan, Republic of Korea. Four different Euduboscquella species were found to infect Cucumeridinium coeruleum, Gyrodinium cf. ochraceum, and two unidentified species of Gyrodinium. The genetic distance among Euduboscquella species infecting dinoflagellates was significantly greater than those infecting ciliates, and the placement of the novel parasites in multiple clades indicates the paraphyletic nature of the genus Euduboscquella.
JOURNAL OF EUKARYOTIC MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
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
Mycology
X. Ji, J. L. Zhou, C. G. Song, T. M. Xu, D. M. Wu, B. K. Cui
Summary: This study conducted taxonomic and phylogenetic analyses on the genus Polyporus and its related genera, and studied the divergence times and evolutionary relationships using conserved regions of DNA fragments. The results showed that the species of Polyporus and its related genera can be divided into six different clades. Additionally, three new species of Polyporus and seven new species of Picipes were discovered.
Article
Plant Sciences
Jun-Jie Ge, Hong-Fei Ying, Sheng-Quan Xu, Hua-Teng Huang
Summary: Gomphomastacinae is a distinct grasshopper subfamily with unique characteristics adapted to high-altitude life. By analyzing mitochondrial genome sequences, it was found that the subfamily originated in the Cretaceous period and diversified among alpine genera around 30-50 million years ago. The most likely biogeographic scenario suggests an ancestral lineage in East Gondwana dispersed to Central and Western Asia through India, with subsequent divergence of alpine genera along with the uplift of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATICS AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Mycology
Wan-Hao Chen, Jian-Dong Liang, Xiu-Xiu Ren, Jie-Hong Zhao, Yan-Feng Han, Zong-Qi Liang
Summary: This study describes two new genera Neoaraneomyces and Pseudometarhizium from China, their spider-associated and insect-associated species, and the challenges of species-level identification due to similar morphological characteristics in many fungi. Phylogenetic analysis placed the new genera in Clavicipitaceae, suggesting possible convergent evolution and host jumping in the newly described spider-associated species.
Article
Microbiology
Neil P. Schultes, Rafael F. Castaneda-Ruiz, Robert E. Marra, Noelle Strzalkowski, Li De-Wei
Summary: The study described two new species of Striatibotrys, which are morphologically and phylogenetically distinct from previously known related species.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATIC AND EVOLUTIONARY MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Xue Yin, Scott Jarvie, Wen-Yong Guo, Tao Deng, Lingfeng Mao, Minhua Zhang, Chengjin Chu, Hong Qian, Jens-Christian Svenning, Fangliang He
Summary: The study reveals niche conservatism among plant species sharing ancestors in eastern Asia and eastern North America, with significant negative relationships between niche overlap and divergence times. Herbaceous plants exhibit higher niche conservatism compared to woody plants.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2021)
Article
Mycology
Gustavo H. Jeronimo, D. Rabern Simmons, Kevin R. Amses, Kensuke Seto, Timothy Y. James, Carmen L. A. Pires-Zottarelli, Joyce E. Longcore
Summary: Cladochytriales is a group of chytrids that includes both monocentric and polycentric lineages, commonly found in algae and decaying plant material in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Recently, two polycentric chytrids with unique rhizomycelia structures were discovered on onion skin, distinct from known cladochytrialean genera or those in other orders. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that these two isolates belong to separate branches of a predominantly monocentric clade. The discovery of these new chytrids expands our understanding of their diversity and supports the unreliable nature of thalli's development as a taxonomic character.
MYCOLOGICAL PROGRESS
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Erika A. Alvarado, Feresa P. Cabrera, Monica O. Paiano, James T. Fumo, Heather L. Spalding, Celia M. Smith, Jason C. Leonard, Keolohilani H. Lopes Jr, Randall K. Kosaki, Alison R. Sherwood
Summary: This article reports for the first time the presence of two genera, Halopeltis and Leptofauchea, from the Hawaiian Islands, representing the deepest records for both genera. Molecular phylogenetic analyses revealed multiple species within Leptofauchea, including a new species Leptofauchea huawelau sp. nov., and a new record for Hawaii, L. lucida from Western Australia. The Hawaiian Halopeltis formed a well-supported clade and a new species, Halopeltis nua-hilihilia sp. nov., is described. These findings highlight the importance of the Hawaiian mesophotic zone as a habitat for diverse and undescribed species of marine macroalgae.
Article
Biology
Nuria Melisa Morales-Garcia, Pamela G. Gill, Christine M. Janis, Emily J. Rayfield
Summary: In the study by Nuria Melisa Morales-Garcia et al., jaw shape and mechanical advantage of the masseter (MAM) and temporalis (MAT) muscles were analyzed in 70 extant and 45 extinct mammals. The researchers found that these metrics can accurately distinguish dietary groups in most extant mammals and can also be used to infer diet in Mesozoic taxa. This study lays the foundation for future ecomorphological studies in this field.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Matias Cristian Baranzelli, Andrea Cosacov, Anahi Espindola, Maria del Rosario Iglesias, Lauren M. Chan, Leigh A. Johnson, Alicia Noemi Sersic
EVOLUTIONARY ECOLOGY
(2018)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Silvia Denham, Nicolas Brignone, Leigh Johnson, Raul Pozner
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2019)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marcela V. Nicola, Leigh A. Johnson, Raul Pozner
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2019)
Article
Plant Sciences
Nicolas F. Brignone, Raul E. Pozner, Silvia S. Denham
Article
Plant Sciences
Matias Cristian Baranzelli, Andrea Cosacov, Nicolas Rocamundi, Eduardo Andres Issaly, Dana Lucia Aguilar, Gonzalo Andres Camps, Guadalupe Andraca-Gomez, Ivan Alejandro Petrinovic, Leigh A. Johnson, Alicia Noemi Sersic
PERSPECTIVES IN PLANT ECOLOGY EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS
(2020)
Article
Plant Sciences
David Gowen, Leigh A. Johnson
Article
Plant Sciences
Raul Ernesto Pozner, Leigh A. Johnson, Silvia Suyai Denham
Summary: Calyceraceae, a small South American family sister to Asteraceae, has been taxonomically rearranged into eight genera based on phylogenetic analyses. Flower morphology is diverse but provides limited diagnostic features, reflecting likely selection for pollination or fruit dispersal rather than phylogenetic affinity.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
David E. Jarvis, Peter J. Maughan, Joseph DeTemple, Veronica Mosquera, Zheng Li, Michael S. Barker, Leigh A. Johnson, Clinton J. Whipple
Summary: This study used the chromosome-scale reference genome of Gilia yorkii to investigate genome evolution in the Polemoniaceae and identified important genes related to inflorescence architecture and flower color variation through quantitative trait loci mapping. The results demonstrate that Gilia can serve as a genetic model for studying the evolution of development in plants.
GENOME BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Juca A. B. San Martin, Raul E. Pozner, Veronica S. Di Stilio
Summary: This study investigates the anatomy and development of seed cone bracts in Ephedra plants and reveals how fleshy and papery-winged bracts develop from leaves. The results indicate that mucilage in fleshy seed cone bracts is derived from chlorenchyma cells, which are also found in young leaves. This research provides insights into the development and evolution of gymnosperm fleshy diaspores.
Article
Plant Sciences
Nicolas F. Brignone, Raul Pozner, Silvia S. Denham
Summary: This study investigates the macroevolutionary patterns and diversification dynamics of Atripliceae and finds that traits rather than time played a crucial role in their diversification. The extreme arid or saline environments where Atripliceae species prevail may explain their distinct evolutionary trends compared to other angiosperms, highlighting the importance of conservation efforts to preserve these plants as genetic resources in response to climate change.
Article
Plant Sciences
Leigh A. Johnson, David Gowen
Summary: The taxonomic concept for Navarretia minima has undergone significant changes from its original description. This study re-establishes the concept in line with the protologue and original material, and introduces a new combination name for plants that fit the current concept for N. leucocephala subsp. minima. The study also provides lectotypes for N. minima and N. suksdorfii.
Article
Plant Sciences
Theresa C. Saunders, J. Mark Porter, Leigh A. Johnson
Summary: This study investigates the phylogenetic relationships and impacts of hybridization in a subsection of the Plant kingdom using DNA sequencing and genetic data, revealing a history of hybridization and introgression within the group.
JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATICS AND EVOLUTION
(2023)