scholarly journals Endoparasitic plants and fungi show evolutionary convergence across phylogenetic divisions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris J. Thorogood ◽  
Luiza Teixeira‐Costa ◽  
Gregório Ceccantini ◽  
Charles Davis ◽  
Simon J. Hiscock
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Convergence

scholarly journals Evolutionary Convergence of Cell-Specific Gene Expression in Independent Lineages of C4 Grasses

2014 ◽  
Vol 165 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher R. John ◽  
Richard D. Smith-Unna ◽  
Helen Woodfield ◽  
Sarah Covshoff ◽  
Julian M. Hibberd
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Specific Gene ◽  
C4 Grasses ◽  
Specific Gene Expression ◽  
Evolutionary Convergence

scholarly journals The influence of cactus spine surface structure on puncture performance and anchoring ability is tuned for ecology

2018 ◽  
Vol 285 (1891) ◽  
pp. 20182280 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. B. Crofts ◽  
P. S. L. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Surface Structure ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Biological Materials ◽  
Morphological Features ◽  
Ecological Functions ◽  
Defensive Mechanisms ◽  
Evolutionary Convergence ◽  
Almost All

Spines are common morphological features found in almost all major biological groups offering an opportunity to explore large-scale evolutionary convergence across disparate clades. As an example, opuntioid cacti have spines with barbed ornamentation that is remarkably similar in form and scale to that found on porcupine quills, suggesting specific biomechanical convergence across the animal and plant kingdoms. While the mechanics of porcupine quills as defensive mechanisms has been previously tested, the mechanics of cactus spines (which have evolved to fill a number of functions including defence, climbing and dispersal) has not been characterized. Here we study the puncturing and anchoring ability of six species of cactus, including both barbed and non-barbed spines. We found that barbed spines require less work to puncture a variety of targets than non-barbed spines. Barbed spines also require more work than non-barbed spines to withdraw from biological materials, owing to their barbs engaging with tissue fibres. These results closely match those found previously for barbed versus non-barbed porcupine quills, implying biomechanical convergence. The variation in performance of barbed versus non-barbed spines, as well as between barbed spines from different species, is probably tied to the diversity of ecological functions of cactus spines.

scholarly journals Strong evolutionary convergence of receptor-binding protein spike between COVID-19 and SARS-related coronaviruses

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yonghua Wu
Keyword(s):  
Receptor Binding ◽  
Molecular Basis ◽  
Acid Sites ◽  
Spike Protein ◽  
Receptor Binding Domain ◽  
Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 ◽  
Partner Protein ◽  
Evolutionary Convergence ◽  
Genome Level ◽  
Phenotypic Convergence

AbstractCoronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-related coronaviruses (e.g., 2019-nCoV and SARS-CoV) are phylogenetically distantly related, but both are capable of infecting human hosts via the same receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, and cause similar clinical and pathological features, suggesting their phenotypic convergence. Yet, the molecular basis that underlies their phenotypic convergence remains unknown. Here, we used a recently developed molecular phyloecological approach to examine the molecular basis leading to their phenotypic convergence. Our genome-level analyses show that the spike protein, which is responsible for receptor binding, has undergone significant Darwinian selection along the branches related to 2019-nCoV and SARS-CoV. Further examination shows an unusually high proportion of evolutionary convergent amino acid sites in the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein between COVID-19 and SARS-related CoV clades, leading to the phylogenetic uniting of their RBD protein sequences. In addition to the spike protein, we also find the evolutionary convergence of its partner protein, ORF3a, suggesting their possible co-evolutionary convergence. Our results demonstrate a strong adaptive evolutionary convergence between COVID-19 and SARS-related CoV, possibly facilitating their adaptation to similar or identical receptors. Finally, it should be noted that many observed bat SARS-like CoVs that have an evolutionary convergent RBD sequence with 2019-nCoV and SARS-CoV may be pre-adapted to human host receptor ACE2, and hence would be potential new coronavirus sources to infect humans in the future.

scholarly journals Complex multicellularity in fungi: evolutionary convergence, single origin, or both?

2018 ◽  
Vol 93 (4) ◽  
pp. 1778-1794 ◽  
Author(s):  
László G. Nagy ◽  
Gábor M. Kovács ◽  
Krisztina Krizsán
Keyword(s):  
Single Origin ◽  
Evolutionary Convergence

Toward a monophyletic Notholaena (Pteridaceae): resolving patterns of evolutionary convergence in xeric-adapted ferns

Taxon ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 712-724 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl J. Rothfels ◽  
Michael D. Windham ◽  
Amanda L. Grusz ◽  
Gerald J. Gastony ◽  
Kathleen M. Pryer
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Convergence

scholarly journals First Steps Towards Defining Galactic Niches

2004 ◽  
Vol 213 ◽  
pp. 255-258
Author(s):  
Simon Conway Morris
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Convergence

Terrestrial evolution encompasses many levels, from proteins to societies. Potentially any level can be encompassed by a multidimensional “habitation box”, of which only a minute fraction is occupied. on the basis of evidence from evolutionary convergence it is argued that life elsewhere will not only be similarly constrained, but also strangely similar.

The evolutionary convergence of hearing in a parasitoid fly and its cricket host

Science ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 258 (5085) ◽  
pp. 1135-1137 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Robert ◽  
J Amoroso ◽  
R. Hoy
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Convergence
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