scholarly journals A novel approach to study the morphology and chemistry of pollen in a phylogenetic context, applied to the halophytic taxon Nitraria L.(Nitrariaceae)

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e5055 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amber Woutersen ◽  
Phillip E. Jardine ◽  
Raul Giovanni Bogotá-Angel ◽  
Hong-Xiang Zhang ◽  
Daniele Silvestro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Pollen Wall ◽  
Secondary Process ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Plant Family ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
History Of ◽  
Components Analysis

Nitraria is a halophytic taxon (i.e., adapted to saline environments) that belongs to the plant family Nitrariaceae and is distributed from the Mediterranean, across Asia into the south-eastern tip of Australia. This taxon is thought to have originated in Asia during the Paleogene (66–23 Ma), alongside the proto-Paratethys epicontinental sea. The evolutionary history of Nitraria might hold important clues on the links between climatic and biotic evolution but limited taxonomic documentation of this taxon has thus far hindered this line of research. Here we investigate if the pollen morphology and the chemical composition of the pollen wall are informative of the evolutionary history of Nitraria and could explain if origination along the proto-Paratethys and dispersal to the Tibetan Plateau was simultaneous or a secondary process. To answer these questions, we applied a novel approach consisting of a combination of Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), to determine the chemical composition of the pollen wall, and pollen morphological analyses using Light Microscopy (LM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). We analysed our data using ordinations (principal components analysis and non-metric multidimensional scaling), and directly mapped it on the Nitrariaceae phylogeny to produce a phylomorphospace and a phylochemospace. Our LM, SEM and FTIR analyses show clear morphological and chemical differences between the sister groups Peganum and Nitraria. Differences in the morphological and chemical characteristics of highland species (Nitraria schoberi, N. sphaerocarpa, N. sibirica and N. tangutorum) and lowland species (Nitraria billardierei and N. retusa) are very subtle, with phylogenetic history appearing to be a more important control on Nitraria pollen than local environmental conditions. Our approach shows a compelling consistency between the chemical and morphological characteristics of the eight studied Nitrariaceae species, and these traits are in agreement with the phylogenetic tree. Taken together, this demonstrates how novel methods for studying fossil pollen can facilitate the evolutionary investigation of living and extinct taxa, and the environments they represent.

scholarly journals Evolutionary history of zoogeographical regions surrounding the Tibetan Plateau

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiekun He ◽  
Siliang Lin ◽  
Jiatang Li ◽  
Jiehua Yu ◽  
Haisheng Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Change Over Time ◽  
Deep Time ◽  
Terrestrial Vertebrates ◽  
History Of ◽  
Striking Change ◽  
Time Periods ◽  
Over Time

AbstractThe Tibetan Plateau (TP) and surrounding regions have one of the most complex biotas on Earth. However, the evolutionary history of these regions in deep time is poorly understood. Here, we quantify the temporal changes in beta dissimilarities among zoogeographical regions during the Cenozoic using 4,966 extant terrestrial vertebrates and 1,278 extinct mammal genera. We identify ten present-day zoogeographical regions and find that they underwent a striking change over time. Specifically, the fauna on the TP was close to the Oriental realm in deep time but became more similar to the Palearctic realms more recently. The present-day zoogeographical regions generally emerged during the Miocene/Pliocene boundary (ca. 5 Ma). These results indicate that geological events such as the Indo-Asian Collision, the TP uplift, and the aridification of the Asian interior underpinned the evolutionary history of the zoogeographical regions surrounding the TP over different time periods.

scholarly journals Can Palynology be used for Reconstructing the Evolutionary History of Maize Agriculture?

2000 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Grant D. Zazula
Keyword(s):  
Pollen Analysis ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Pollen Grains ◽  
Fossil Pollen ◽  
Evolutionary Transition ◽  
Archaeological Evidence ◽  
Maize Agriculture ◽  
History Of ◽  
Pollen Records

The lack of archaeological or macrobotanical evidence that directly links wild teosinte grass with early domesticated maize requires the exploration of alternative methodologies to document this evolutionary transition. The morphological characteristics and measurements for maize, teosinte and Tripsacum pollen are presented to determine if they display sufficient differentiation to be distinguished in fossil pollen records. Analysis of the data reveals a lack of distinguishing morphological characteristics between the pollen grains of these taxa and prevents palynology from be an effective method in documenting the evolutionary history of maize agriculture. Current methods of pollen analysis cannot be employed to document the evolution of teosinte to maize in the Tehuacan Valley of Mexico and pollen is not likely to provide an earlier record of this transition than what is found in the macrobotanical or archaeological evidence.

Elucidating the Evolutionary History of Oenothera Sect. Pachylophus (Onagraceae): A Phylogenomic Approach

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Patsis ◽  
Rick P. Overson ◽  
Krissa A. Skogen ◽  
Norman J. Wickett ◽  
Matthew G. Johnson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Incomplete Lineage Sorting ◽  
Phylogenetic Signal ◽  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Species Trees ◽  
Lineage Sorting ◽  
Complete Understanding ◽  
Protein Coding ◽  
History Of ◽  
Current Species

Oenothera sect. Pachylophus has proven to be a valuable system in which to study plant-insect coevolution and the drivers of variation in floral morphology and scent. Current species circumscriptions based on morphological characteristics suggest that the section consists of five species, one of which is subdivided into five subspecies. Previous attempts to understand species (and subspecies) relationships at amolecular level have been largely unsuccessful due to high levels of incomplete lineage sorting and limited phylogenetic signal from slowly evolving gene regions. In the present study, target enrichment was used to sequence 322 conserved protein-coding nuclear genes from 50 individuals spanning the geographic range of Oenothera sect. Pachylophus, with species trees inferred using concatenation and coalescentbasedmethods. Our findings concur with previous research in suggesting that O. psammophila and O. harringtonii are nested within a paraphyleticOenothera cespitosa. By contrast, our results show clearly that the two annual species (O. cavernae and O. brandegeei) did not arise from the O. cespitosa lineage, but rather from a common ancestor of Oenothera sect. Pachylophus. Budding speciation as a result of edaphic specializationappears to best explain the evolution of the narrow endemic species O. harringtonii and O. psammophila. Complete understanding of possible introgression among subspecies of O. cespitosa will require broader sampling across the full geographical and ecological ranges of these taxa.

scholarly journals Evolutionary history of enigmatic bears in the Tibetan Plateau–Himalaya region and the identity of the yeti

2017 ◽  
Vol 284 (1868) ◽  
pp. 20171804 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tianying Lan ◽  
Stephanie Gill ◽  
Eva Bellemain ◽  
Richard Bischof ◽  
Muhammad Ali Nawaz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Ursus Arctos ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Brown Bear ◽  
Preliminary Finding ◽  
Black Bear ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
History Of

Although anecdotally associated with local bears ( Ursus arctos and U. thibetanus ), the exact identity of ‘hominid’-like creatures important to folklore and mythology in the Tibetan Plateau–Himalaya region is still surrounded by mystery. Recently, two purported yeti samples from the Himalayas showed genetic affinity with an ancient polar bear, suggesting they may be from previously unrecognized, possibly hybrid, bear species, but this preliminary finding has been under question. We conducted a comprehensive genetic survey of field-collected and museum specimens to explore their identity and ultimately infer the evolutionary history of bears in the region. Phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial DNA sequences determined clade affinities of the purported yeti samples in this study, strongly supporting the biological basis of the yeti legend to be local, extant bears. Complete mitochondrial genomes were assembled for Himalayan brown bear ( U. a. isabellinus ) and black bear ( U. t. laniger ) for the first time. Our results demonstrate that the Himalayan brown bear is one of the first-branching clades within the brown bear lineage, while Tibetan brown bears diverged much later. The estimated times of divergence of the Tibetan Plateau and Himalayan bear lineages overlap with Middle to Late Pleistocene glaciation events, suggesting that extant bears in the region are likely descendants of populations that survived in local refugia during the Pleistocene glaciations.

Morphologic and taxonomic history of Paleozoic ammonoids in time and morphospace

Paleobiology ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 128-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. B. Saunders ◽  
Emily Greenfest-Allen ◽  
David M. Work ◽  
S. V. Nikolaeva
Keyword(s):  
Mass Extinction ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Taxonomic Diversity ◽  
Mass Extinctions ◽  
History Of ◽  
Morphologic Variation ◽  
Components Analysis ◽  
Extinction Events ◽  
Mass Extinction Events

Principal components analysis (PCA) of 21 shell parameters (geometry, sculpture, aperture shape, and suture complexity) in 597 L. Devonian to L. Triassic ammonoid genera (spanning ~166 Myr) shows that eight basic morphotypes appeared within ~20 Myr of the first appearance of ammonoids. With one exception, these morphotypes persisted throughout the Paleozoic, occurring in ~75% of the ~5-Myr time bins used in this study. Morphotypes were not exclusive to particular lineages. Their persistence was not just a product of phylogenetic constraints or longevity, and multiple iterations of the same morphotypes occurred at different times and in different groups. Although mass extinction events severely condensed the range of morphologic variation and taxonomic diversity, the effects were short lived and most extinct morphotypes were usually iterated within 5 Myr. The most important effect of mass extinctions on ammonoid evolutionary history seems to have been their role in large scale taxonomic turnovers; they effectively eliminated previously dominant orders at the Frasnian/Famennian (F/F) (Agoniatitida), the Devonian/Mississippian (D/M) (Clymeniida), and the Permian/Triassic (P/T) (Goniatitida and Prolecanitida) extinctions. Survivors varied from two (P/T) to four (D/M) and five genera (F/F). These events generated sharp reductions in morphologic disparity at the D/M (58%) and at the P/T (59%), but there was a net increase at the F/F (38%). There was no obvious survival bias for particular morphotypes, but 64% are interpreted to have beenNautilus-like nektobenthic. The recurrence of particular combinations of morphology and their strong independence of phylogeny are strong arguments for functional constraint. Intervals between mass extinctions seem to have been relatively static in terms of morphotype numbers, in contrast to numbers of genera. Significant decreases in genus diversity (54%) and morphologic disparity (33%) commenced in the mid-Permian (Wordian/Capitanian boundary), well before the final P/T event.

Erythromycin sensitivity across different taxa of marine phytoplankton. A novel approach to sensitivity of microalgae and the evolutionary history of the 23S gene

2018 ◽  
Vol 204 ◽  
pp. 190-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Sendra ◽  
Alejandro Damián-Serrano ◽  
Cristiano V.M. Araújo ◽  
Ignacio Moreno-Garrido ◽  
Julián Blasco
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Marine Phytoplankton ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
History Of

scholarly journals Blepharostoma trichophyllum S.L. (Marchantiophyta): The Complex of Sibling Species and Hybrids

Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 1423
Author(s):  
Vadim A. Bakalin ◽  
Anna A. Vilnet ◽  
Seung Se Choi ◽  
Van Sinh Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Sibling Species ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Taxonomic Diversity ◽  
Distinct Species ◽  
Leaf Segment ◽  
Oil Bodies ◽  
Long Time ◽  
History Of ◽  
Pacific Asia

Blepharostoma trichophyllum was found to be a species collectiva formed by several strongly genetically different species. The taxonomic diversity in the group is the possible result of radiation in early stages; then, these taxa likely survived for a long time in similar environmental conditions, which resulted in stasis. Presently, the existing taxa are similar one to another and may be morphologically distinguished with difficulties. The most taxonomically valuable morphological characteristics include oil bodies and cells in the leaf segment features. The most diverse genotypes (the vast majority of which are treated here as distinct species) were found in amphi-Pacific Asia, which may reflect the evolutionary history of the genus or may be the consequence of more profound sampling in the macro-region in comparison with other parts of the Holarctic.

Early evolutionary history of the flowering plant family Annonaceae: steady diversification and boreotropical geodispersal

2010 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 664-680 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas L. P. Couvreur ◽  
Michael D. Pirie ◽  
Lars W. Chatrou ◽  
Richard M. K. Saunders ◽  
Yvonne C. F. Su ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Flowering Plant ◽  
Plant Family ◽  
History Of

The role of the Southern Hemisphere in the evolutionary history of Apiaceae, a mostly north temperate plant family

2015 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 398-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolina I. Calviño ◽  
Federico E. Teruel ◽  
Stephen R. Downie
Keyword(s):  
Southern Hemisphere ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Plant Family ◽  
History Of
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