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Evolutionary And Population Dynamics Of Crustaceans In The Gulf Of Mexico, Laura Timm
Evolutionary And Population Dynamics Of Crustaceans In The Gulf Of Mexico, Laura Timm
FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Evolution occurs and can be conceptualized along a spectrum, bounded on one extreme by the relationships between deep lineages – such as phyla, classes, and orders – and on the other by the molecular dynamics of operational taxonomic units within a species, defined as population genetics. The purpose of this dissertation was to better understand the evolutionary and population dynamics of crustaceans within the Gulf of Mexico. In the second chapter of my dissertation, I provide a guide to best phylogenetic practice while reviewing infraordinal relationships within Decapoda, including the promise held by next-generation sequencing (NGS) approaches such as Anchored …
Using Introduced Species Of Anolis Lizards To Test Adaptive Radiation Theory, James T. Stroud
Using Introduced Species Of Anolis Lizards To Test Adaptive Radiation Theory, James T. Stroud
FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Adaptive radiation – the proliferation of species from a single ancestor and diversification into many ecologically different forms – has long been heralded as an important process in the generation of phenotypic diversity. However, the early stages of adaptive radiation are notoriously elusive to observe and study. In this dissertation, I capitalize on communities of introduced non-native Anolis lizards as analogues of early stage adaptive radiations. In Chapter II, I begin by reviewing the concept of “ecological opportunity” – a classic hypothesis put forward as a potential key to understanding when and how adaptive radiation occurs. In Chapter III, I …