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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Evolution Of Floral Morphology And Symmetry In The Miconieae (Melastomataceae), Maria Gavrutenko
Evolution Of Floral Morphology And Symmetry In The Miconieae (Melastomataceae), Maria Gavrutenko
Dissertations and Theses
Analyses of evolution of floral morphology and symmetry broaden our understanding of the drivers of angiosperm diversification. Integrated within a flower, labile floral characters produce different phenotypes that promote variable interactions with pollinators. Thus, investigation of floral evolution may help infer potential historic transitions in pollinator modes and ecological pressures that generated present diversity. This study aims to explore morphological evolution of flowers in Miconieae, a species-rich Neotropical tribe within family Melastomataceae. Despite a constrained floral plan, Melastomataceae manage to achieve a variety of floral traits appealing to diverse pollinator types, with majority of the species requiring specialized “buzz pollination” …
The Geographic Mosaic Of Wolbachia Infection In Melanitis Leda Butterfly Populations, Brandon E. Latorre
The Geographic Mosaic Of Wolbachia Infection In Melanitis Leda Butterfly Populations, Brandon E. Latorre
Dissertations and Theses
Insects are the most species-rich multicellular taxon on the planet, and it is estimated that more than half of all insect species are infected with the endosymbiont Wolbachia. This bacterium can manipulate the reproduction of its host and potentially affect host evolution. Most surveys investigating patterns of Wolbachia infection in nature sample limited numbers of individuals; population-level investigations into geographic differences in infection status that might affect host evolution are few. To investigate geographic variability among populations of a single species, we assayed 133 Melanitis leda butterflies (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae) for Wolbachia infection collected throughout its range in the …