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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
A Comprehensive Phylogeny Of Stick And Leaf Insects (Insecta: Phasmatodea) Reveals Widespread Taxonomic Incongruence, Jackson B. Linde
A Comprehensive Phylogeny Of Stick And Leaf Insects (Insecta: Phasmatodea) Reveals Widespread Taxonomic Incongruence, Jackson B. Linde
Theses and Dissertations
Stick and leaf insects (Insecta: Phasmatodea) are a mesodiverse order of insects distributed across the world. These masters of masquerade crypsis are riddled with analogous morphological characters and lack a robust taxonomic framework. It seems that convergent evolution and the re-evolution of complex traits like wings and ocelli is perhaps the rule rather than the exception in stick insects. To investigate the re-acquisition of traits in this unique study system, a robust phylogenetic framework is essential. Our analyses combine traditional Sanger data with a transcriptomic backbone to provide the most corroborated phylogenetic analyses to date. To accomplish this, we employ …
Applications Of And Algorithms For Genome Assembly And Genomic Analyses With An Emphasis On Marine Teleosts, Brandon D. Pickett
Applications Of And Algorithms For Genome Assembly And Genomic Analyses With An Emphasis On Marine Teleosts, Brandon D. Pickett
Theses and Dissertations
The burgeoning frequency of genome sequencing in recent years is a testament to both the improvements in sequencing technologies and the utility of genomic analyses for biological discovery. The rapid proliferation in technological advancements and availability of complementary data types and techniques has obfuscated the optimal process of genome assembly and raised the barrier to entry to unprecedented levels. In this dissertation, we describe the genome assemblies performed for several marine teleosts and discuss the algorithms and applications required for genome assembly, including some of our specific contributions to the genome assembly and annotation space. In Chapter 1 and Chapter …
Investigating Species Boundaries And Taxonomy In The California Pincushion Plants, Theresa Saunders, Leigh Johnson
Investigating Species Boundaries And Taxonomy In The California Pincushion Plants, Theresa Saunders, Leigh Johnson
Journal of Undergraduate Research
Species in the genus Navarretia are annual wildflowers found almost exclusively in California. The Navarretia atractyloides group consists of just two species, N. atractyloides and N. hamata, that are more similar to each other morphologically than to any other Navarretia species. The most recent taxonomic investigation of these two species distinguishes between them based on bract shape, stamen attachment to the corolla, and whether the style is included and anthers included to slightly exserted from the corolla tube versus style exserted and anthers long exserted (Day, 1993). However, we have noticed that some specimens that seem to be …
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 …
Biogeography And Evolution Of Neotropical Small Mammals, With Emphasis On Hystricognath Spiny Rats Of The Genus Proechimys (Family Echimyidae), Rafael Do Nascimento Leite
Biogeography And Evolution Of Neotropical Small Mammals, With Emphasis On Hystricognath Spiny Rats Of The Genus Proechimys (Family Echimyidae), Rafael Do Nascimento Leite
Theses and Dissertations
The Neotropical region is the most biologically diverse region on the planet. The region encompasses a variety of ecosystems and has long been the target of researchers interested in patterns of species diversity and distribution. More recently, molecular data have been incorporated into methods for reconstructing the historical relationships among geographical areas and their biotas. Molecular phylogenetics has provided insights into diversification patterns and the influence of Late Cenozoic events on the evolutionary history of the region. Nevertheless, considering the vast extent and complexity of the region, more studies are needed to fully appreciate the patterns of biogeography and the …
Infrageneric Relationships Within Collomia (Polemoniaceae), Eric Stewart Green
Infrageneric Relationships Within Collomia (Polemoniaceae), Eric Stewart Green
Theses and Dissertations
Traditional evolutionary models depict evolution as a bifurcating pattern with a single ancestor diverging to form two lineages. However, reticulate species resulting from hybridization and recombination have unique histories shared with two independent lineages, not one. Accounting for the genetic histories of reticulate species increases the power and ability to recover biologically meaningful relationships. The genus Collomia (Polemoniaceae) is used to explore issues of reticulation and the importance of accounting for gene histories in a phylogenetic analysis. The issue of reticulation within species trees is discussed with a multilabeled, network approach being explored to better represent the genus's evolutionary history. …
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 …
A Phylogeny Of Belonolaimus Populations In Florida Inferred From Dna Sequences, Byron J. Adams, U. Gozel, K. B. Nguyen, R. N. Inserra, R. M. Giblin-Davis
A Phylogeny Of Belonolaimus Populations In Florida Inferred From Dna Sequences, Byron J. Adams, U. Gozel, K. B. Nguyen, R. N. Inserra, R. M. Giblin-Davis
Faculty Publications
The D2-D3 and ITS regions of rDNA from 33 Florida populations of Belonolaimus spp. were sequenced and subjected to phylogenetic analysis. Our objective was to derive a theoretical evolutionary framework for interpreting phenotypic differences as they relate to the taxonomy of the genus. The most striking aspect of the phylogenetic analysis is that none of the three nominal species (B. longicaudatus, B. euthychilus, and B. gracilis) are monophyletic. Additionally, two taxa appear to have discordant ITS and LSU sequences. Three major clades of B. longicaudatus exhibited discernible, overlapping, geographic foci from east to west across the peninsula. Morphological character states …
A Taxonomic And Ecologic Study Of The Riverbottom Forest On St. Mary River, Lee Creek And Belly River In Southwest Alberta, Canada, Robert Keith Shaw
A Taxonomic And Ecologic Study Of The Riverbottom Forest On St. Mary River, Lee Creek And Belly River In Southwest Alberta, Canada, Robert Keith Shaw
Theses and Dissertations
The riverbottom forest community of St. Mary River, Lee Creek and Belly River in southwest Alberta, Canada is a unique ecological entity characterized by poplar species having their major Alberta distribution along these streams. Stands in the community are dominated by three tree species, six shrub species and nine herb species. Establishment of the community is dependent on climate and substrate; destruction is the result of progressive lateral stream-flow erosion. Soils are sandy loams above gravel, with pH values of 7.7 to 8.0 and soluble salt concentration of 176 to 458 parts per million. Trees in mature stands averaged 23.0 …