Search results for "EVOLUTION"

The complete mitochondrial genome of the wood tiger moth (Arctia plantaginis) and phylogenetic analyses within Arctiinae

2021

We report the assembly and annotation of the complete mitochondrial genome of the warningly-coloured wood tiger moth (Arctia plantaginis) and investigate its phylogenetic position within Arctiinae. The A.plantaginis mitogenome is 15,479 bp long with 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNAs, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, and an A + T-rich region (D-loop). The phylogenetic analyses based on 13 protein-coding genes showed A.plantaginis clustering within a clade of species with white wings and yellow or red bodies. This result can be useful in understanding the evolution of coloration in Arctiid moths. Peer reviewed

Hieracium umbrosum subsp. abietinum (Asteraceae), a further example of amphi-Adriatic disjunction

2017

So far considered as endemic to Greece, Hieracium umbrosum subsp. abietinum is reported as new for the Italian flora. Its presence has been noted on the Pollino National Park (S Italy). Morphological, ecological and taxonomical notes are given. This discovery increases the list of taxa showing an amphi-Adriatic distribution.

First record of Sphaeralcea bonariensis (Cav.) Griseb. (Malvaceae) as a casual alien species in the Mediterranean area

2022

Sphaeralcea bonariensis (Cav.) Griseb. is here reported for the first time as alien species in Italy and in the Mediterranean area. It is a perennial shrub native to Southern America, where it is often considered a ruderal species frequent in cultivated areas. It was found in a population of a few individuals within Opuntia ficus-indica groves of Rocca Palumba territory (Western Sicily). Actually, due to short-term observational period and the low number of plants, Sphaeralcea bonariensis should be considered as a casual species in Italy. The ecological characteristics of the growing stand and the consistency of the population, as well as the possible causes of its introduction, are briefly…

The Developmental Transcriptome for Lytechinus variegatus Exhibits Temporally Punctuated Gene Expression Changes

2019

AbstractEmbryonic development is arguably the most complex process an organism undergoes during its lifetime, and understanding this complexity is best approached with a systems-level perspective. The sea urchin has become a highly valuable model organism for understanding developmental specification, morphogenesis, and evolution. As a non-chordate deuterostome, the sea urchin occupies an important evolutionary niche between protostomes and vertebrates.Lytechinus variegatus(Lv) is an Atlantic species that has been well studied, and which has provided important insights into signal transduction, patterning, and morphogenetic changes during embryonic and larval development. The Pacific specie…

Regional metacommunities in two coastal systems: spatial structure and drivers of plant assemblages

2014

Aim Biogeographical patterns in metacommunities are still poorly understood, and different processes are expected to occur in different habitats. We analysed the regional plant metacommunities of coastal habitats to test whether (1) the influence of space and climate differs between two habitats differentiated along the seashore–inland gradient, and (2) regional variation in species composition of these habitats can be ascribed to different metacommunity paradigms. Location The entire coast of the Iberian Peninsula, south-western Europe. Methods We collected data on the plant species composition of coastal sites on sand dunes across 3000 km of coastline. The sites were classified into two h…

Influence of vegetated bed material on erosional patterns of meandering rivers: preliminary experimental results

2014

Assessing the conservation priority of freshwater lake sites based on taxonomic, functional and environmental uniqueness

2022

Aim We propose a novel approach that considers taxonomic uniqueness, functional uniqueness and environmental uniqueness and show how it can be used in guiding conservation planning. We illustrate the approach using data for lake biota and environment. Location Lake Puruvesi, Finland. Methods We sampled macrophytes and macroinvertebrates from the same 18 littoral sites. By adapting the original “ecological uniqueness” approach, we used distance-based methods to calculate measures of taxonomic (LCBD–t), functional (LCBD–f) and environmental (LCEH) uniqueness for each site. We also considered the numbers and locations of the sites needed to protect up to 70% of total variation in taxonomic, fu…

Short-term responses of Rana arvalis tadpoles to pH and predator stress: adaptive divergence in behavioural and physiological plasticity?

2022

Environmental stress is a major driver of ecological and evolutionary processes in nature. To cope with stress, organisms can adjust through phenotypic plasticity and/or adapt through genetic change. Here, we compared short-term behavioural (activity) and physiological (corticosterone levels, CORT) responses of Rana arvalis tadpoles from two divergent populations (acid origin, AOP, versus neutral origin, NOP) to acid and predator stress. Tadpoles were initially reared in benign conditions at pH 7 and then exposed to a combination of two pH (acid versus neutral) and two predator cue (predator cue versus no predator cue) treatments. We assessed behavioural activity within the first 15 min, an…

An ancient virus type from extreme environments

2014

Nonlinearities in plant RNA virus fitness

2012

Una de las mayores amenazas tanto para la salud humana y animal, como para la agronomía es la emergencia de nuevas enfermedades infecciosas, la mayoría de las cuales están causadas por los virus de RNA. La emergencia viral es un problema complejo que consista en la adquisición de la variación genética, por mutación o recombinación, dentro de la población viral en el huésped reservorio la cual podría facilitar la capacidad de infectar de manera eficiente nuevos huéspedes. Los virus de RNA presentan a una evolucionabilidad extraordinaria por sus grandes tamaños poblacionales, cortos tiempos de generación y altas tasas de mutación y recombinación. Comprender los mecanismos evolutivos que podrí…