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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Phylogenetics, Biogeography, And Patterns Of Diversification Of Geckosacross The Sunda Shelf With An Emphasis On The Genuscnemaspis (Strauch, 1887), Perry Lee Wood
Theses and Dissertations
In my dissertation I investigate two genera of geckos (Cyrtodactylus and Cnemaspis) that are distributed across Southeast Asia with an emphasis on Cnemaspis. In Chapter 1 I use a multilocus dataset, ancestral area analyses, and molecular clock dating to generate a species level time calibrated phylogeny to test the monophyly of Cyrtodactylus and to identify major biogeographical patterns. I identified that Cyrtodactylus is monophyletic only if the the Sri Lankan genus often recognized as Geckoella is included. The results of the Biogeographical analyses reveal a west to east pattern of diversification. Chapter 2 I use a traditional morphological dataset to …
Phylogenetics, Biogeography, And Patterns Of Diversification Of Geckosacross The Sunda Shelf With An Emphasis On The Genuscnemaspis (Strauch, 1887), Perry Lee Wood
Theses and Dissertations
In my dissertation I investigate two genera of geckos (Cyrtodactylus and Cnemaspis) that are distributed across Southeast Asia with an emphasis on Cnemaspis. In Chapter 1 I use a multilocus dataset, ancestral area analyses, and molecular clock dating to generate a species level time calibrated phylogeny to test the monophyly of Cyrtodactylus and to identify major biogeographical patterns. I identified that Cyrtodactylus is monophyletic only if the the Sri Lankan genus often recognized as Geckoella is included. The results of the Biogeographical analyses reveal a west to east pattern of diversification. Chapter 2 I use a traditional morphological dataset to …
The Tettigoniidae (Orthoptera: Ensifera): Phylogeny, Origins, And Leaf-Like Crypsis, Joseph D. Mugleston
The Tettigoniidae (Orthoptera: Ensifera): Phylogeny, Origins, And Leaf-Like Crypsis, Joseph D. Mugleston
Theses and Dissertations
Tettigoniidae (katydids) has more than 7200 species and is the largest family within the insect order Orthoptera. Their unique biology including leaf-like crypsis, acoustic signaling, and courtship rituals garners much of their academic attention. However, the taxonomy of katydids is chaotic and previous to these studies, little work had been done to decipher the phylogenetic relationships within this family. Without a robust phylogenetic framework, questions regarding the evolution of katydid disguises including the leaf-like crypsis cannot be addressed. This dissertation contains three chapters. Chapter 1 provides the first phylogenetic hypothesis focusing on Tettigoniidae. In this chapter we show a character …
Diversification And Speciation Across Sundaland And The Philippines: The Effects Of 30 Million Years Of Eustatic Flux, Luke J. Welton
Diversification And Speciation Across Sundaland And The Philippines: The Effects Of 30 Million Years Of Eustatic Flux, Luke J. Welton
Theses and Dissertations
I highlight two squamate lineages endemic to Southeast Asia, the Asian water monitors (Varanus salvator Complex) and the Angle-headed lizards (Agamidae: Gonocephalus), and elucidate their systematic affinities and historical biogeography. My results represent novel phylogenetic inferences, with biogeographic histories and diversification events corresponding to major climatic fluctuations over the past 30 million years. Additionally, I solidify the taxonomy and systematics of the Varanus salvator Complex, and enumerate more than a dozen Gonocephalus lineages as candidate species in need of taxonomic scrutiny. Lastly, I investigate contemporary and historical patterns of dispersal throughout Sundaland, and between Sundaland and the Philippines.
Evolution And Biogeography Of Mesoamerican Small Mammals: With Focus On The Genus Handleyomys And Related Taxa, Ana Villalba Almendra
Evolution And Biogeography Of Mesoamerican Small Mammals: With Focus On The Genus Handleyomys And Related Taxa, Ana Villalba Almendra
Theses and Dissertations
Mesoamerica is considered a biodiversity hot spot with levels of endemism and species diversity likely underestimated. For mammals, the patterns of diversification of Mesoamerican taxa still are controversial. Reasons for this include the region's complex geologic history, and the relatively recent timing of such geological events. Previous studies, however, support the view that substantial migration between North (NA) and South America (SA) occurred prior or/and during the Great American Biotic Interchange (GABI) ~3.5 Ma. This was followed by repeated periods of isolation during Pleistocene climatic oscillations, which produced most of the diversification in the region. From a North American origin, …
Taxonomy And Applied Biogeography Of Mongolian Stoneflies (Insecta: Plecoptera), Sarah Walker Judson
Taxonomy And Applied Biogeography Of Mongolian Stoneflies (Insecta: Plecoptera), Sarah Walker Judson
Theses and Dissertations
Since the early 1900s, efforts have been made to catalogue the stoneflies of Mongolia. Taxonomic work from 1960 to 1980 greatly expanded basic lists of stoneflies in Mongolia, but no comprehensive survey or synthesis of this dispersed literature has been completed. In conjunction with a modern survey of the aquatic insects of Mongolia, we collected Plecoptera on a series of expeditions to the Selenge (north) and Altai (west) regions of Mongolia. A total of 48 species distributed in 24 genera and 8 families were documented, including 3 of the 5 Mongolian endemics, 2 new species records for Mongolia, and 1 …
Phylogeography Of The Livebearer Xenophallus Umbratilis (Teleostei: Poeciliidae): Glacial Cycles And Sea Level Change Predict Diversification Of A Freshwater Tropical Fish, Carissa Poole Jones
Phylogeography Of The Livebearer Xenophallus Umbratilis (Teleostei: Poeciliidae): Glacial Cycles And Sea Level Change Predict Diversification Of A Freshwater Tropical Fish, Carissa Poole Jones
Theses and Dissertations
The biogeography of Central America is considered a classical case study in understanding the impact of vicariant events on patterns of biotic dispersal. While many biogeographers have focused on community composition and geographic limits of species at broad scales across Central America, much less work has focused on post-colonization diversification patterns at finer scales. The livebearing freshwater fish Xenophallus umbratilis presents an ideal system for determining the impact of recent earth history events on biodiversity in northern Costa Rica. Here, we test the hypothesis that marine inundation of the San Carlos and Northern Limón basins during the Miocene has caused …
The Origins, Evolution, And Phylogeny Of The Praying Mantises (Dictyoptera: Mantodea), Gavin John Svenson
The Origins, Evolution, And Phylogeny Of The Praying Mantises (Dictyoptera: Mantodea), Gavin John Svenson
Theses and Dissertations
The relatively small insect order Mantodea (praying mantises) is comprised of approximately 2,366 described species distributed in 436 genera. Members of the group occupy diverse habitats and are distributed across the globe, though their greatest numbers and diversity are concentrated primarily in the tropics. Though continental endemism is common, many groups have a broad global distribution. An immense diversity of morphology is exhibited across the order with adult mantises ranging in size from 2cm to ~25cm, and appearing like a dead leaf, a piece of quartz rock, or a blade of grass. The diversification and specialization of mantises in ecologically …
Phylogeny And Biogeography Of Ice Crawlers (Insecta: Grylloblattodea): Evidence From Six Molecular Loci, Karl J. Jarvis
Phylogeny And Biogeography Of Ice Crawlers (Insecta: Grylloblattodea): Evidence From Six Molecular Loci, Karl J. Jarvis
Theses and Dissertations
Ice crawlers (Insecta: Grylloblattodea) are rarely encountered insects that consist of five genera representing 26 species from North America and Asia. Asian grylloblattids are the most diverse, but North American ice crawlers (genus Grylloblatta) are known for their adaptation to cold conditions. Phylogenetic relationships among grylloblattid species and genera are not known. Late Pleistocene glaciations had a major effect on the current Grylloblatta distribution, because their specific habitat requirements restrict them to small geographical areas. Six genes were sampled in 37 individuals for 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA, histone 3, 12S rRNA, 16S rRNA, and cytochrome oxidase II (COII) from 27 …