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Life Sciences

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City University of New York (CUNY)

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Theses/Dissertations

2015

Evolution

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Population Genomic Inference Of Ecology, Conservation, Evolution, And Demographic History Of Atlantic Seahorses And Pipefishes (Syngnathidae), Joel Thomas Boehm Feb 2015

Population Genomic Inference Of Ecology, Conservation, Evolution, And Demographic History Of Atlantic Seahorses And Pipefishes (Syngnathidae), Joel Thomas Boehm

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In the Atlantic Ocean powerful directional ocean currents can play a significant role in the formation and persistence of marine species. Syngnathidae fishes have a sparse fossil record, high morphological plasticity, and many of these species are difficult to observe in the wild, therefore they frequently lack life history information and the status of regional lineages and species designations are often obscure. In this dissertation I explore the ecology, evolution, and conservation of primarily Atlantic seahorses (Hippocampus) and pipefish (Syngnathus) in four core chapters, using differing genetic datasets ranging from mitochondrial DNA to genome-wide RAD sequences. Most Synganthids have the …


Systematics And Biogeography Of Orthaea Kloztsch (Ericaceae: Vaccinieae), Nelson Salinas Feb 2015

Systematics And Biogeography Of Orthaea Kloztsch (Ericaceae: Vaccinieae), Nelson Salinas

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In the first chapter a study of the distribution patterns of the neotropical Vaccinieae (Ericaceae) is presented. Five areas of endemism were recovered: Central America, northern Chocó, southern Chocó, eastern Ecuador, and Yungas. Divergence times estimations indicate that the Andean clade of Vaccinieae migrated to South America during the Late Oligocene or Early Miocene (28.9-17.84 MA), and most of the subsequent diversification took place during the Tertiary. The Yungas was the first Andean area to be colonized, and several dispersals towards the north expanded their distribution range. Both areas of endemism and dispersal events were influenced by geological processes, such …