Search results for "SYSTEMATICS"

De novo transcriptome assembly and developmental mode specific gene expression of Pygospio elegans

2017

Species with multiple different larval developmental modes are interesting models for the study of mechanisms underlying developmental mode transitions and life history evolution. Pygospio elegans, a small, tube-dwelling polychaete worm commonly found in estuarine and marine habitats around the northern hemisphere, is one species with variable developmental modes. To provide new genomic resources for studying P. elegans and to address the differences in gene expression between individuals producing offspring with different larval developmental modes, we performed whole transcriptome Illumina RNA sequencing of adult worms from two populations and prepared a de novo assembly of the P. elegans…

Vertebrate defense against parasites: Interactions between avoidance, resistance, and tolerance

2017

Hosts can utilize different types of defense against the effects of parasitism, including avoidance, resistance, and tolerance. Typically, there is tremendous heterogeneity among hosts in these defense mechanisms that may be rooted in the costs associated with defense and lead to trade‐offs with other life‐history traits. Trade‐offs may also exist between the defense mechanisms, but the relationships between avoidance, resistance, and tolerance have rarely been studied. Here, we assessed these three defense traits under common garden conditions in a natural host–parasite system, the trematode eye‐fluke Diplostomum pseudospathaceum and its second intermediate fish host. We looked at host ind…

New national and regional bryophyte records, 48

2016

Andreaea rothii has been recorded for the first time in Croatia. It is a boreo-temperate suboceanic species (Hill et al., 2007) relatively rare in SE Europe, since it is known only from Romania (Ellis et al., 2014d), Slovenia and Serbia (Sabovljevic´ et al., 2008 ; Hodgetts, 2015). The species was found in the Papuk Mountains, situated in the mainly lowland area of NE Croatia. In this region Papuk is the largest and highest mountain range, with peaks between 800 and 900 m a.s.l. They are characterized by high geological diversity dominated by metamorphic rocks, such as different types of schists, as well as granites. The climate is temperate, moderately warm without an explicit dry period. …

Ecological plant epigenetics: Evidence from model and non-model species, and the way forward

2017

Growing evidence shows that epigenetic mechanisms contribute to complex traits, with implications across many fields of biology. In plant ecology, recent studies have attempted to merge ecological experiments with epigenetic analyses to elucidate the contribution of epigenetics to plant phenotypes, stress responses, adaptation to habitat, and range distributions. While there has been some progress in revealing the role of epigenetics in ecological processes, studies with non-model species have so far been limited to describing broad patterns based on anonymous markers of DNA methylation. In contrast, studies with model species have benefited from powerful genomic resources, which contribute…

Phylogeography ofSyringa josikaea(Oleaceae): Early Pleistocene divergence from East Asian relatives and survival in small populations in the Carpathi…

2015

Tertiary relict plant species of Europe have had a large distribution range before the Pleistocene but today are confined to small refugial areas. Syringa josikaea of the largely East Asian genus Syringa is a shrub of temperate forests in the Carpathians, restricted to altogether 25 small populations in two disjunct areas, the Apuseni Mountains (Romania) and the Ukrainian Carpathians. Miocene and Pleistocene fossil remains indicate the long-term presence of the species in Central Europe; hence S. josikaea has been considered a Tertiary relict. We aimed at clarifying the historical biogeography of S. josikaea by estimating the divergence time between S. josikaea and its Asian relatives, and …

Further insights in the Tardigrada microbiome: phylogenetic position and prevalence of infection of four new Alphaproteobacteria putative endosymbion…

2019

Abstract Data from a previous study showed that microbiomes of six tardigrade species are species-specific and distinct from associated environmental microbes. We here performed a more in-depth analyses of those data, to identify and characterize new potential symbionts. The most abundant bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs) found in tardigrades are classified, and their prevalence in other environments is assessed using public databases. A subset of OTUs was selected for molecular phylogenetic analyses based on their affiliation with host-associated bacterial families in tardigrades. Almost 22.6% of the most abundant OTUs found do not match any sequence at 99% identity in the IMNGS…

Morphological and genetic analyses reveal a cryptic species complex in the echinoid Echinocardium cordatum and rule out a stabilizing selection expla…

2014

14 pages; International audience; Preliminary analyses revealed the presence of at least five mitochondrial clades within the widespread sea urchin Echinocardium cordatum (Spatangoida). In this study, we analyzed the genetic (two mitochondrial and two nuclear sequence loci) and morphological characteristics (20 indices) from worldwide samples of this taxon to establish the species limits, morphological diversity and differentiation. Co-occurring spatangoid species were also analyzed with mitochondrial DNA. The nuclear sequences confirm that mitochondrial lineages correspond to true genetic entities and reveal that two clades (named A and B1) hybridize in their sympatry area, although a more…

Public discussion on a proposed revision of the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes

2021

The Editorial Board for the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes (ICNP) has compiled proposed revisions of the ICNP. As outlined previously (Oren et al., Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2021;71:004598; https://doi.org/10.1099/ijsem.0.004598) and to comply with Articles 13(b)(4) and 4(d) of the statutes of the International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes, a public discussion of the document will start on 1 July 2021, to last for 6 months. Here, we present the procedure for this discussion.

Digest: Chemical communication and sexual selection in lizards*

2017

Snake richness predicts breeding distribution of short-toed snake eagle in central Italy.

2017

Birds of prey, as top predators, play a key role in ecosystem functioning by regulating prey populations and, by means of cascade effects, promoting biodiversity. This makes them adequate sentinels of ecosystem health. Here we analyse the relationship between the occurrence of breeding short-toed snake eagle (Circaetus gallicus) and both the richness of potential prey species and landscape characteristics by taking into account two different spatial scales (i.e. nest-site scale and landscape scale). The short-toed snake eagle offers an interesting case study for investigating the relationships between top predators, prey diversity, and habitats, because it is an extremely specialised raptor…