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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Stable Isotopes, Phylogenetics, And Experimental Data Indicate A Unique Nutritional Mode For Rickenella Fibula, A Bryophyte-Associate In The Hymenochaetales, Hailee Brynn Korotkin
Stable Isotopes, Phylogenetics, And Experimental Data Indicate A Unique Nutritional Mode For Rickenella Fibula, A Bryophyte-Associate In The Hymenochaetales, Hailee Brynn Korotkin
Masters Theses
Fungal-bryophyte interactions have been documented in all lineages of bryophytes, however, many of these relationships are poorly understood. The fungus Rickenella fibula is a known associate of various mosses, but results from previous studies have not yielded conclusive evidence of its relationship to mosses or its trophic mode. The Rickenella clade exhibits a wide variety of nutritional modes, including other bryophyte-associated fungi. Here, I combine a broad range of methods, using phylogenetics, stable isotope analyses, PCR assays, in vitro experiments, and genomics to determine the nutritional mode of R. fibula. First, phylogenetic analysis of a supermatrix of 28S rRNA, …
Systematics, Diversification, And Functional Diversity Of Russulaceae (Russulales), Brian Patrick Looney
Systematics, Diversification, And Functional Diversity Of Russulaceae (Russulales), Brian Patrick Looney
Doctoral Dissertations
The family Russulaceae is an iconic family of mushroom-forming Basidiomycetes both because of their importance as edible mushrooms in many parts of the world and their species richness in both temperate and tropical forested biomes. While much mycological research has been focused on this group, recent systematic and ecological research has failed to develop a comprehensive or cohesive organization by which to understand the evolutionary relationships, patterns of diversification, or functional importance of the group. Recently, interest in ectomycorrhizal fungi (EmF), of which Russulaceae is a key lineage, has greatly increased due to the recognition of the importance of EmF …
Using Phylogenetic Comparative Methods To Understand Diversification And Geographic Range Evolution, Kathryn Aurora Massana
Using Phylogenetic Comparative Methods To Understand Diversification And Geographic Range Evolution, Kathryn Aurora Massana
Doctoral Dissertations
Two key processes that have been modeled in a phylogenetic comparative framework are diversification and historical biogeography. Many questions arise on what process have shaped the abundance (or lack) of species we see today and what influences their survival and interconnectedness with other species. Many methods have been developed to answer these questions. Over the past several decades there has been a rise in parametric modeling and development of more adequate frameworks to answer biological questions of interest. However, many models still lack the incorporation of ecological, mainly biotic factors, which influence the evolution and ecology of species, while accounting …
Using Phylogenetics To Understand The Evolutionary Relationships Of Hibiscus Section Furcaria, Whitaker Matthew Hoskins
Using Phylogenetics To Understand The Evolutionary Relationships Of Hibiscus Section Furcaria, Whitaker Matthew Hoskins
Masters Theses
Neopolyploids constitute at least 35% of known species of angiosperms, and because polyploidization is a pertinent process in plant diversification and domestication, it is a thriving field of study. Hibiscus section Furcaria includes several groups of polyploids in addition to ten known diploid species. In previous studies genome groups for Hibiscus section Furcaria were determined through artificial hybridization experiments and patterns of biogeography were elucidated based on the distribution of diploids and polyploids. For instance, the Australian hexaploids contain 3 genomes (designated G, J, and V) and are thought to have developed from a polyploidization event between an African diploid …
A New Adaptive Landscape: Urbanization As A Strong Evolutionary Force, Lauren Christie Breza
A New Adaptive Landscape: Urbanization As A Strong Evolutionary Force, Lauren Christie Breza
Masters Theses
Urbanization is rapidly increasing as human population growth steadily grows, but there is little consensus of the ecological consequence of this population shift and almost no information of the evolutionary consequences for local biodiversity. Nearly two-thirds of the world’s population will live in city centers by 2050 with profound impacts on landscapes that can act as important agents of selection. This study aims to identify 1) the net effect of urbanization on species richness, 2) how phylogenetic diversity varies between urban and rural sites, and 3) the strength of urbanization as a selection pressure. First, a meta-analysis was conducted in …
Adaptive Radiation Along A Benthic/Pelagic Ecological Axis In North America’S Most Diverse, Endemic Clade Of Freshwater Fishes, Phillip Ray Hollingsworth Jr.
Adaptive Radiation Along A Benthic/Pelagic Ecological Axis In North America’S Most Diverse, Endemic Clade Of Freshwater Fishes, Phillip Ray Hollingsworth Jr.
Doctoral Dissertations
Eastern North America is unparalleled throughout the temperate world in terms of freshwater fish biodiversity. A monophyletic group of approximately 250 cyprinid fishes, known as the open posterior myodome (OPM) clade, dominates the fish species richness in the freshwater ecosystems of this region. In this dissertation, I explore the influence of eco-evolutionary divergence along a benthic/pelagic habitat axis on the generation of this hyper-diverse group of fishes. My three chapters work synergistically to address the question: Did a historical shift from benthic to pelagic habitats by OPM cyprinids represent the invasion of an open adaptive zone and result in the …
Molecular Systematics Of The Subfamily Phasiinae (Diptera: Tachinidae), Jeremy Daniel Blaschke
Molecular Systematics Of The Subfamily Phasiinae (Diptera: Tachinidae), Jeremy Daniel Blaschke
Masters Theses
The subfamily Phasiinae (Diptera: Tachinidae) is composed of obligate endoparasitoid flies that attack heteropteran insects, many of which are important agricultural pests. To lay a foundation for future studies in phasiine life history and their potential for use as biological control agents, the phylogenetic relationships within Phasiinae were explored using nucleotide sequences of two genes, CAD and LGL. A total of 63 taxa for CAD and 73 taxa for LGL were included in the analyses, representing 58 genera. Maximum likelihood inference methods were employed to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships in separate analyses of each gene and in a combined dataset. Phylogenetic …
Evolution, Speciation, And Conservation Of Amblyopsid Cavefishes, Matthew Lance Niemiller
Evolution, Speciation, And Conservation Of Amblyopsid Cavefishes, Matthew Lance Niemiller
Doctoral Dissertations
Cave organisms are classic examples of regressive evolution, as many disparate taxa have evolved similar convergent phenotypes in subterranean environments. While recent phylogeographic and population genetic analyses have greatly improved our understanding of the evolutionary and biogeographic history of cave organisms, many questions remain unanswered or poorly investigated. I investigated several evolutionary and biogeographic questions in a model system for regressive evolution and studies of ecological and evolutionary mechanisms, amblyopsid cavefishes. In chapter I, I used recently developed methods to delimit species boundaries and relationships in a widely distributed cavefish, Typhlichthys. I show that species diversity in Typhlichthys is …