Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ivan Garcia-Cunchillos, Juan Carlos Zamora, Martin Ryberg, Carlos Lado
Summary: This study inferred the phylogeny of Trichiales based on three genetic regions and studied the evolutionary history of key morphological characters. The results showed that most fruiting body traits in Trichiales do not represent exclusive synapomorphies or autapomorphies for most monophyletic groups, and the evolution of these traits exhibited complex patterns.
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Michel Laurin
Summary: Biological nomenclature has ancient origins and is found globally. The existence of cryptic 'ethnotaxonomic ranks' within nomenclatures has been questioned, especially considering their absence in Aristotle's classification. The introduction of rank-based nomenclature (RN) has had a significant impact on biological nomenclature, but it lacks the precision seen in other fields. The development of phylogenetic nomenclature (PN) and the PhyloCode align with the trend of explicit and precise delimitation of entities in evolutionary biology and phylogenetics.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Daniel Madzia, Victoria M. Arbour, Clint A. Boyd, Andrew A. Farke, Penelope Cruzado-Caballero, David C. Evans
Summary: Ornithischians, a globally distributed group of Mesozoic dinosaurs, evolved considerable morphological disparity over 134 million years. Despite a long research history, some ornithischian clade names have multiple definitions, leading to ambiguity in their application. The recent implementation of the International Code of Phylogenetic Nomenclature offers the opportunity to explore and establish clearer phylogenetic definitions for these dinosaur clades.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kate Mortimer, Kirk Fitzhugh, Ana Claudia dos Brasil, Paulo Lana
Summary: This study provides the first published account of phylogenetic hypotheses within Magelonidae, establishing a formal definition of the family and key features. It is found that Magelona is paraphyletic relative to Octomagelona, resulting in Magelonidae being monotypic. Future descriptions should pay attention to prostomial and palp characteristics, as well as fully illustrating all thoracic chaetigers.
Article
Zoology
David H. Kavanaugh, David R. Maddison, W. Brian Simison, Sean D. Schoville, Joachim Schmidt, Arnaud Faille, Wendy Moore, James M. Pflug, Sophie L. Archambeault, Tinya Hoang, Jei-Ying Chen
Summary: The phylogeny of the carabid beetle supertribe Nebriitae was inferred from DNA sequence data, resulting in a well-resolved tree with most nodes strongly supported. Relationships within Nebriitae were not well resolved, and a revised classification was proposed based on the inferred phylogeny, highlighting some evident vicariance patterns. Expanding DNA sequence data sampling is recommended for a better understanding of relationships within this supertribe.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
James F. Fleming, Kazuharu Arakawa
Summary: Tardigrada is a clade with disputed and complex taxonomy, and a recent molecular study proposed a new classification. Analysis of data under different conditions led to variable conclusions regarding the status of Apotardigrada, cautioning against relying solely on branch length data to determine taxonomic hierarchy.
Article
Ornithology
George Sangster, Edward L. Braun, Ulf S. Johansson, Rebecca T. Kimball, Gerald Mayr, Alexander Suh
Summary: The knowledge of higher-level phylogenetic relationships of birds has significantly increased in the past two decades with the application of genomic data. However, the nomenclature of higher-level taxa remains unstable due to the lack of regulation by the ICZN and the use of rank-based nomenclature. Lack of regulation and instability impede effective communication among systematists. This study reviews support for avian clades using phylogenomic data sets and provides formal definitions of their names based on the rules of the PhyloCode, aiming to stabilize avian higher-level nomenclature.
Article
Biology
Cedric Aria
Summary: The rise of arthropods in different ecosystems has significantly impacted ecological networks. Recent discoveries of well-preserved Palaeozoic fossils have shed light on the appearance of extant arthropods during the Cambrian explosion and the role of plankton and hard integuments in their diversification. The understanding of arthropod evolution has been altered, and important questions have been raised, such as cephalic plasticity and the development of specialized appendages for suspension-feeding.
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Mathematical & Computational Biology
Kirk Fitzhugh
Summary: The aim of scientific inquiry is to acquire causal understanding of effects, and inferences of explanatory hypotheses are abductive in form, involving consideration of rates of sequence evolution should be done prior to abductive reasoning, without epistemic grounds for renaming characters to accommodate rates.
ACTA BIOTHEORETICA
(2021)
Review
Mycology
Sajeewa S. N. Maharachchikumbura, Yanpeng Chen, Hiran A. Ariyawansa, Kevin D. Hyde, Danny Haelewaters, Rekhani H. Perera, Milan C. Samarakoon, Dhanushka N. Wanasinghe, Danilo E. Bustamante, Jian-Kui Liu, Daniel P. Lawrence, Ratchadawan Cheewangkoon, Marc Stadler
Summary: Disturbances caused by human activities result in biodiversity loss and call for more effective ways to discover and delimit species. The paper reviews the main approaches used to delimit species in the phylum Ascomycota, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of each species concept. The advancement in phylogenetic methods has increased the rate of species discovery, but challenges such as gene tree heterogeneity still hinder species delimitation in low-rank phylogenies.
Article
Zoology
Robert W. Sites
Summary: This study presents the first molecular-based phylogeny for a family of the true bug infraorder Nepomorpha, providing insights into the relationships among its constituent taxa. The results reveal Naucoridae to be a monophyletic group, but identify Cheirochelinae, Naucorinae, and certain genera as polyphyletic. Additionally, two distinct subfamily-level clades were recovered from Naucorinae, and the organization of Laccocorinae was revised to include four tribe-level groups.
ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jarod Meecham, T. Heath Ogden
Summary: Coloburiscidae consists of three living genera from Australia, New Zealand, and Chile, and this study presents the first phylogenetic analysis using extensive genomic data to resolve the evolutionary relationships within this family, revealing its monophyly.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Chung-Chi Hwang, Wei-Chuan Zhou, Mang-Jye Ger, Yunhai Guo, Zhou-Xing Qian, Yen-Chieh Wang, Chi-Li Tsai, Shu-Ping Wu
Summary: By utilizing molecular phylogenetic analysis, this study investigated the evolutionary history of the land snail genus Acusta in East Asia, revealing that the recognized species in Acusta are polyphyletic and challenging previous assumptions about the colonization of East Asian islands via land bridges during the Pleistocene glaciations. The genus originated in the late Miocene-Pliocene from an area around North and Northeast China to South China and East Asian islands, leading to three major evolutionary lineages with distinct evolutionary histories.
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Zoology
George Sangster, Gerald Mayr
Summary: Recent genomic studies have clarified higher-level phylogenetic relationships of birds, identifying a clade named 'Feraequornithes' consisting of Procellariiformes, Sphenisciformes, Ciconiiformes, Suliformes, and Pelecaniformes, based on congruent support from eleven phylogenomic studies.
VERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Michael J. Landis, Ignacio Quintero, Martha M. Munoz, Felipe Zapata, Michael J. Donoghue
Summary: Geographical features have an impact on species dispersal, extinction, and speciation. This study uses a Bayesian hierarchical modeling framework to transform regional features into evolutionary rates. The results show that distance between regions affects dispersal rates and speciation rates.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)