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Articles 1 - 14 of 14
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Effects Of Riverine Barriers On Avian Evolution In The Amazon Basin, Andre Eugene Moncrieff
Effects Of Riverine Barriers On Avian Evolution In The Amazon Basin, Andre Eugene Moncrieff
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
The high biodiversity found in the Amazon Basin has long captivated the attention of naturalists and evolutionary biologists seeking to explain its origins. Early observations by Alfred Wallace highlighted the role of rivers in delimiting the geographic ranges of many species; furthermore, where rivers narrow towards their headwaters, he noted that some species cross rivers freely. A major goal of this dissertation is to investigate how these and other observations about riverine barriers might inform our understanding of how speciation unfolds in Amazonia. My approach involved generating genomic data with dense geographic sampling for manakins in the genus Lepidothrix, …
Taxonomic Discoveries Enabled By Genomic Analysis Of Butterflies, Jing Zhang, Qing Cong, Jinhui Shen, Leina Song, Riley J. Gott, Pierre Boyer, Crispin S. Guppy, Steve Kohler, Gerardo Lamas, Paul A. Opler, Nick V. Grishin
Taxonomic Discoveries Enabled By Genomic Analysis Of Butterflies, Jing Zhang, Qing Cong, Jinhui Shen, Leina Song, Riley J. Gott, Pierre Boyer, Crispin S. Guppy, Steve Kohler, Gerardo Lamas, Paul A. Opler, Nick V. Grishin
The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey
The comparative genomics of butterflies yields additional insights into their phylogeny and classification that are compiled here. As a result, 3 genera, 5 subgenera, 5 species, and 3 subspecies are proposed as new, that is, in Hesperiidae: Antina Grishin, gen. n. (type species Antigonus minor O. Mielke, 1980), Pompe Grishin and Lamas, gen. n. (type species Lerema postpuncta Draudt, 1923), and Curva Grishin, gen. n. (type species Moeris hyagnis Godman, 1900); in Lycaenidae: Fussia Grishin, subgen. n. (type species Polyommatus standfussi Grum-Grshimailo, 1891) and Pava Grishin, subgen. n. (type species Thecla panava Westwood, 1852); in Hesperiidae: Monoca Grishin, subgen. n. …
Riverscape Community Genomics Of Ozark Fishes: A Comparative Framework To Infer Ecological And Evolutionary Determinants Of Genetic Diversity, Zachery D. Zbinden
Riverscape Community Genomics Of Ozark Fishes: A Comparative Framework To Infer Ecological And Evolutionary Determinants Of Genetic Diversity, Zachery D. Zbinden
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Genetic variation is a crucial component of biodiversity and represents the variability and spatial structure of alleles within and among organisms. Evolution modulates this variability over time through mutation, selection, gene flow, and genetic drift. However, our capacity to test foundational theories of population genetics has always been at the mercy of molecular approaches available to quantify patterns of genetic diversity. Initially, techniques for empirical DNA studies were in their infancy and limited by technologies and the price per unit of genetic information. Because of these constraints, our pursuits have generally been limited to investigations of one or a few …
Development Of Graphical Models And Statistical Physics Motivated Approaches To Genomic Investigations, Yashwanth Lagisetty
Development Of Graphical Models And Statistical Physics Motivated Approaches To Genomic Investigations, Yashwanth Lagisetty
Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)
Identifying genes involved in disease pathology has been a goal of genomic research since the early days of the field. However, as technology improves and the body of research grows, we are faced with more questions than answers. Among these is the pressing matter of our incomplete understanding of the genetic underpinnings of complex diseases. Many hypotheses offer explanations as to why direct and independent analyses of variants, as done in genome-wide association studies (GWAS), may not fully elucidate disease genetics. These range from pointing out flaws in statistical testing to invoking the complex dynamics of epigenetic processes. In the …
Halodash: The Deep And Shallow History Of Aquatic Life's Passages Between Marine And Freshwater Habitats, Eric T. Schultz, Lisa Park Boush
Halodash: The Deep And Shallow History Of Aquatic Life's Passages Between Marine And Freshwater Habitats, Eric T. Schultz, Lisa Park Boush
EEB Articles
This series of papers highlights research into how biological exchanges between salty and freshwater habitats have transformed the biosphere. Life in the ocean and in freshwaters have long been intertwined; multiple major branches of the tree of life originated in the oceans and then adapted to and diversified in freshwaters. Similar exchanges continue to this day, including some species that continually migrate between marine and fresh waters. The series addresses key themes of transitions, transformations, and current threats with a series of questions: When did major colonizations of fresh waters happen? What physiographic changes facilitated transitions? What organismal characteristics facilitate …
Repeated Targets Of Natural Selection During Ecological Transitions Of Fish Across Salinity Boundaries, Jonathan P. Velotta, Stephen D. Mccormick, Andrew Whitehead, Catherine S. Durso, Eric T. Schultz
Repeated Targets Of Natural Selection During Ecological Transitions Of Fish Across Salinity Boundaries, Jonathan P. Velotta, Stephen D. Mccormick, Andrew Whitehead, Catherine S. Durso, Eric T. Schultz
EEB Articles
Ecological transitions across salinity boundaries have led to some of the most important diversification events in the animal kingdom, especially among fishes. Adaptations accompanying such transitions include changes in morphology, diet, whole-organism performance, and osmoregulatory function, which may be particularly prominent since divergent salinity regimes make opposing demands on systems that maintain ion and water balance. Research in the last decade has focused on the genetic targets underlying such adaptations, most notably by comparing populations of species that are distributed across salinity boundaries. Here, we synthesize research on the targets of natural selection using whole-genome approaches, with a particular emphasis …
Checking The Checkered Taxonomy Of Plötz's Checkered Skippers (Hesperiidae: Pyrgini), Jing Zhang, Qing Cong, John M. Burns, Nick V. Grishin
Checking The Checkered Taxonomy Of Plötz's Checkered Skippers (Hesperiidae: Pyrgini), Jing Zhang, Qing Cong, John M. Burns, Nick V. Grishin
The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey
We present an analysis of the names proposed by Carl Plötz in 1884 for the New World species in the genus Pyrgus Hübner, [1819] facilitated by the genomic sequencing of extant primary type specimens comparatively with a larger sample of more recently collected specimens of these species and their relatives. The changes to nomenclature suggested here are only caused by the identity of primary type specimens as revealed by their phenotypes or though genomic sequencing. All neotypes are designated to stabilize nomenclature in agreement with the current usage of these names, which in unison agrees best with the information available …
Genomic Dna Sequencing Reveals Two New North American Species Of Staphylus (Hesperiidae: Pyrginae: Carcharodini), Jing Zhang
The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey
Two new skipper butterfly (Hesperiidae) species are described from the United States: Staphylus floridus Grishin, sp. n. (type locality in Florida, Volusia County) and Staphylus ecos Grishin, sp. n. (type locality in Texas, Brewster County). They are cryptic and hence escaped recognition. They differ from their sister species by the relative size and morphology of genitalia and by genotype—including and beyond the COI barcode—thus, suggesting genetic isolation that argues for their species-level status. A lectotype is designated for Helias ascalaphus Staudinger, 1876. Staphylus opites (Godman & Salvin, 1896), stat. rest. is a species-level taxon and not a synonym of Staphylus …
The Influence Of Climate Change On The Ecology Of The Arctic Ground Squirrel In Denali National Park, Ak., Nigel A. Golden
The Influence Of Climate Change On The Ecology Of The Arctic Ground Squirrel In Denali National Park, Ak., Nigel A. Golden
Doctoral Dissertations
This dissertation research focuses on the ecology of the Arctic ground squirrel (Urocitellus parryii) in Denali National Park and Preserve, AK. The Arctic ground squirrels is a species of interest for monitoring efforts under the National Park Services’ Vital Signs Monitoring Program under the Vital Signs Monitoring program. The focus of this program is to monitor what is considered to be the most significant indicators of ecological conditions of the specific park resources that are of the greatest concern. The CAKN designated the Arctic ground squirrel (Urocitellus parryii) as one indicator species of park ecosystems. Despite being easy to observe …
Taxonomic Changes Suggested By The Genomic Analysis Of Hesperiidae (Lepidoptera), Jing Zhang, Qian Cong, Jinhui Shen, Nick V. Grishin
Taxonomic Changes Suggested By The Genomic Analysis Of Hesperiidae (Lepidoptera), Jing Zhang, Qian Cong, Jinhui Shen, Nick V. Grishin
Insecta Mundi
Our expanded efforts in genomic sequencing to cover additional skipper butterfly (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) species and populations, including primary type specimens, call for taxonomic changes to restore monophyly and correct misidentifications by moving taxa between genera and proposing new names. Reconciliation between phenotypic characters and genomic trees suggests three new tribes, two new subtribes, 23 new genera, 17 new subgenera and 10 new species that are proposed here: Psolosini Grishin, new tribe (type genus Psolos Staudinger, 1889), Ismini Grishin, new tribe (type genus Isma Distant, 1886), Eetionini Grishin, new tribe (type genus Eetion de Nicéville, 1895), Orphina Grishin, new subtribe (type …
Editorial: Ecology, Metabolism And Evolution Of Archaea-Perspectives From Proceedings Of The International Workshop On Geo-Omics Of Archaea, Brian P. Hedlund, Chuanlun Zhang, Fengping Wang, Christian Rinke, William F. Martin
Editorial: Ecology, Metabolism And Evolution Of Archaea-Perspectives From Proceedings Of The International Workshop On Geo-Omics Of Archaea, Brian P. Hedlund, Chuanlun Zhang, Fengping Wang, Christian Rinke, William F. Martin
Life Sciences Faculty Research
To facilitate global efforts in addressing fundamental questions related to the biology of archaea, an international consortium of experts organized the International Workshop on Geo-Omics of Archaea (IWGOA), with the overarching themes of Ecology/Biogeochemistry, Metabolism, and Evolution. The IWGOA was held in Shenzhen, China, from October 25th to 27th, 2019. The meeting was attended by more than 200 attendees from China, Japan, USA, Australia, Germany, and France. Some of the most exciting oral and poster presentations made at the IWGOA are celebrated in this Research Topic Figure 1. The 21 manuscripts herein span different aspects of archaeal biology in both …
Quantifying Contributions Of Climate, Geography, And Gene Flow To Divergence: A Case Study For Three North American Pines, Constance E. Bolte
Quantifying Contributions Of Climate, Geography, And Gene Flow To Divergence: A Case Study For Three North American Pines, Constance E. Bolte
Theses and Dissertations
Long-lived species of trees, especially conifers, often display weak patterns of reproductive isolation, but clear patterns of local adaptation and phenotypic divergence. Discovering the evolutionary history of these patterns is paramount to a generalized understanding of speciation and the processes that confer population persistence versus those that compromise adaptive potential under rapidly changing environments. Forest trees have long generation times and low migratory potential making them especially vulnerable to population fragmentation and reductions of genetic diversity due to insufficient tracking of niche optima and adaptational lags. Within clades of the genus Pinus, evolutionary histories appear to be riddled with hybridization …
Population Genomics Of Redbreast Sunfish (Lepomis Auritus): Exploring Gene Flow And Local Adaptation In A Widely Distributed Freshwater Fish, Garret J. Strickland
Population Genomics Of Redbreast Sunfish (Lepomis Auritus): Exploring Gene Flow And Local Adaptation In A Widely Distributed Freshwater Fish, Garret J. Strickland
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Little information is available concerning the distribution of genetic diversity in non-salmonid, non-imperiled, freshwater fish. In order to fill in this knowledge gap, I conducted a population genomics survey in Redbreast Sunfish (Lepomis auritus; RBS), a widespread, generalist species distributed along the Atlantic slope rivers of eastern North America. I sampled four basins (ACF, Savannah, Roanoke, and James) at eight sites each with a factorial experimental design. Sites were distributed among coastal plain, Piedmont, or mountain ecoregions in order to capture the greatest range of environmental states experienced by RBS, with the intention of finding evidence for local adaptation to …
Applying Conservation Genomic Techniques To Guide Management Of The Reticulated Flatwoods Salamander (Ambystoma Bishopi), Miranda Gaupp
Applying Conservation Genomic Techniques To Guide Management Of The Reticulated Flatwoods Salamander (Ambystoma Bishopi), Miranda Gaupp
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The Reticulated flatwoods salamander (Ambystoma bishopi) is a federally endangered amphibian endemic to the longleaf-pine ecosystem of the southeastern U.S. This study used analyses of single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data, collected from 2,255 unique individuals across 5 breeding seasons, spread across the known extant range of A. bishopi, to characterize the genetic diversity and demographics of populations, genetic relationships among populations, and patterns and spatial extents of gene flow, and to evaluate potential effects of management on A. bishopi’s resiliency. Population structure was strongly hierarchical, with individual breeding ponds (n = 38) acting as semi-connected subpopulations …