Search results for "Evolution"
showing 10 items of 11096 documents
Ancient DNA reveals the Arctic origin of Viking Age cod from Haithabu, Germany
2017
Knowledge of the range and chronology of historic trade and long-distance transport of natural resources is essential for determining the impacts of past human activities on marine environments. However, the specific biological sources of imported fauna are often difficult to identify, in particular if species have a wide spatial distribution and lack clear osteological or isotopic differentiation between populations. Here, we report that ancient fish-bone remains, despite being porous, brittle, and light, provide an excellent source of endogenous DNA (15-46%) of sufficient quality for whole-genome reconstruction. By comparing ancient sequence data to that of modern specimens, we determine …
Notulae to the Italian alien vascular flora: 5
2018
In this contribution, new data concerning the distribution of vascular flora alien to Italy are presented. It includes new records, and confirmations for Italy or for Italian administrative regions of taxa in the genera Albizia, Anredera, Bougainvillea, Cardamine, Cenchrus, Cephalaria, Ceratochloa, Cytisus, Datura, Delosperma, Euonymus, Freesia, Hylotelephium, Lantana, Musa, Physalis, Rotala, Styphnolobium, Trachycarpus, and Tradescantia. Nomenclature and distribution updates, published elsewhere, and corrections are provided as supplementary material.
Notulae to the Italian flora of algae, bryophytes, fungi and lichens: 4
2017
In this contribution, new data concerning bryophytes, fungi and lichens of the Italian flora are presented. It includes new records and confirmations for the bryophyte generaCampylopus,Paludella,Tortula, andConocephalum, the fungal generaAgonimia,Buelliella,Entorrhiza,Filicupula,Poronia, andSporisorium, the lichen generaCladonia,Dibaeis,Lasallia, andRhizocarpon.
Notulae to the Italian flora of algae, bryophytes, fungi and lichens: 7
2019
In this contribution, new data concerning algae, bryophytes, fungi, and lichens of the Italian flora are presented. It includes new records and confirmations for the algae genusChara, the bryophyte generaCephalozia,Conardia,Conocephalum,Didymodon,Sphagnum,Tetraplodon, andTortula, the fungal generaEndophyllum,Gymnosporangium,Microbotryum,Phragmidium, andPluteus, and the lichen generaCandelariella,Cladonia,Flavoplaca,Lichenothelia,Peltigera,Placolecis,Rinodina,Scytinium, andSolenopsora.
Notulae to the Italian native vascular flora: 1
2016
In this contribution, new data concerning the Italian distribution of native vascular flora are presented. It includes new records, exclusions, and confirmations pertaining to the Italian administrative regions for taxa in the genera Arundo, Bromopsis, Cistus, Crocus, Festuca, Galeopsis, Genista, Lamium, Leucanthemum, Nerium, Orobanche, Peucedanum, Pilosella, Polycnemum, Stipa and Viola.
Notulae to the Italian flora of algae, bryophytes, fungi and lichens: 3
2017
In this contribution, new data concerning bryophytes, fungi and lichens and of the Italian flora are presented. It includes new records and confirmations for the bryophyte generaDicranodontium,Fontinalis,LophocoleaandRiccia, the fungal genusDiplolaeviopsis, the lichen generaAgonimia,Cladonia,Protoparmelia,Rhizocarpon, andScytinium.
Opposite trends in the genus Monsonia (Geraniaceae): Specialization in the African deserts and range expansions throughout eastern Africa
2017
The African Austroerate Flora stands out by its important species richness. A distinctive element of this flora is Monsonia (Geraniaceae), mostly found in the Namib-Karoo but also in the Natal-Drakensberg, the Somalian Zambezian and the Saharo-Arabian regions. Here, we reconstruct the evolution and biogeographic history of Monsonia based on nuclear and plastid markers, and examine the role of morphological and niche evolution in its diversification using species distribution modeling and macroevolutionary models. Our results indicate that Monsonia first diversified in the Early Miocene c.21 Ma, coinciding with the start of desertification in southwestern Africa. An important diversification…
Conjugation is necessary for a bacterial plasmid to survive under protozoan predation
2016
Horizontal gene transfer by conjugative plasmids plays a critical role in the evolution of antibiotic resistance. Interactions between bacteria and other organisms can affect the persistence and spread of conjugative plasmids. Here we show that protozoan predation increased the persistence and spread of the antibiotic resistance plasmid RP4 in populations of the opportunist bacterial pathogenSerratia marcescens. A conjugation-defective mutant plasmid was unable to survive under predation, suggesting that conjugative transfer is required for plasmid persistence under the realistic condition of predation. These results indicate that multi-trophic interactions can affect the maintenance of con…
Investment in multiple defences protects a nematode-bacterium symbiosis from predation
2017
The act of predation often comprises multiple sequential steps whereby prey can employ defences at all or some of these stages to deter predation. However, investment in defences is costly unless they are outweighed by conferring some benefit to the bearer. One system that employs multiple defences is that of the entomopathogenic nematode Heterorhabditis bacteriophora and its symbiotic bacterium Photorhabdus luminescens. This nematodeebacterium complex infects and kills soil-dwelling insect larvae, in which they then reproduce and juveniles emerge 2 weeks later. Predation of the infected host cadaver at any point during infection is fatal for the parasitic colony inside. Infected individual…
Tandem‐running and scouting behaviour are characterized by up‐regulation of learning and memory formation genes within the ant brain
2018
Tandem-running is a recruitment behaviour in ants that has been described as a form of teaching, where spatial information possessed by a leader is conveyed to following nestmates. Within Temnothorax ants, tandem-running is used within a variety of contexts, from foraging and nest relocation to-in the case of slavemaking species-slave raiding. Here, we elucidate the transcriptomic basis of scouting, tandem-leading and tandem-following behaviours across two species with divergent lifestyles: the slavemaking Temnothorax americanus and its primary, nonparasitic host T. longispinosus. Analysis of gene expression data from brains revealed that only a small number of unique differentially express…