Biology Commons^™

Winter Dynamics Of Storm Water Management Ponds And Winter Tolerance In Three Aquatic Plant Species, Patrick Strzalkowski

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The vast majority of the research into the performance of stormwater management ponds (SWMPs) has been performed in warm regions or during the warmer seasons in temperate regions. It is presumed that SWMPs are inactive in the winter as any potential stormwater is trapped in snow and ice. The main goal of this thesis was to test this presumption and to study the dynamics and performance of three SWMPs during the winter. Remote water level loggers were installed into the three SWMPs and daily grab samples from the influents and effluents were taken and analyzed for total phosphorus (TP), chloride, …

Updated Virophage Taxonomy And Distinction From Polinton-Like Viruses, Simon Roux, Matthias G. Fischer, Thomas Hackl, Laura A. Katz, Frederik Schulz, Natalya Yutin

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Virophages are small dsDNA viruses that hijack the machinery of giant viruses during the co-infection of a protist (i.e., microeukaryotic) host and represent an exceptional case of “hyperparasitism” in the viral world. While only a handful of virophages have been isolated, a vast diversity of virophage-like sequences have been uncovered from diverse metagenomes. Their wide ecological distribution, idiosyncratic infection and replication strategy, ability to integrate into protist and giant virus genomes and potential role in antiviral defense have made virophages a topic of broad interest. However, one limitation for further studies is the lack of clarity regarding the nomenclature and …

Endogenous Antioxidant Response And Lipid Peroxidation Levels In Muscle Tissue Of The Cownose Ray (Rhinoptera Bonasus), Bailey Berry

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Oxidative stress is the result of an imbalance between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidant response within cells. ROS generation is a natural consequence of ETC activity within the mitochondria and is associated with aerobic metabolism. Oxidative stress data on elasmobranch muscle is limited, with previous studies primarily focusing on mammalian and teleost muscle. Elasmobranch skeletal muscle is generally composed of large proportions of white muscle fibers (anaerobic), low proportions of red muscle fibers (aerobic), and low proportions of pink muscle fibers (anaerobic). The cownose ray, a benthopelagic batoid species, presents an interesting model of study because it contains relatively …

Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta Caretta) Nesting Experience, Seasonal Variation, And Hatching Success On A Georgia Barrier Island, Luke Sundquist

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Loggerhead sea turtles nest commonly on the Georgia barrier islands and serve critical roles in human cultures, coastal economies, and multiple ecosystems. However, their global populations are declining and dependent on conservation efforts and informed management of natural and anthropogenic threats. Nesting offers a unique opportunity to research and protect this valuable marine species in terrestrial habitats. Microsatellite DNA sampling from eggshells can consistently identify nesting females from eggshells, allowing tracking of nesting behaviors for large populations over multiple years. Using this novel technology, we compared maternal investment and nest site-selection between first-time nesting neophytes and experienced remigrants. We sampled …

Sustainability Practices In Aquaculture: Using Algae Turf Scrubber Biomass To Raise Black Soldier Flies As An Alternative Feed In Blue Tilapia, Oreochromis Aureus, Culture, Michelle C. Lowery

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Since the 1980s, non-algal aquaculture has grown to encompass 49% of all seafood production in response to a growing human population and increased seafood demand (FAO, 2022). Hurdles exist to aquaculture sustainability, including dependence on wild sourced fishmeal (FM) and the impacts wastewater discharge. It takes 4-5 tons of wild forage fish to produce one ton of dry FM (Miles and Chapman, 2006) and as aquaculture is primarily conducted in earthen ponds and public open water bodies (FAO, 2022), finfish culture can have a high impact on the surrounding environment by discharging excess nutrients. This study used algae turf scrubber …

Dna Methylation And The Response To Infection In Introduced House Sparrows, Melanie Gibson

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Epigenetics is the study of molecular modification of a genome without changing its base pairs. The most studied type of epigenetic mechanism is DNA methylation, which is capable of turning a gene “on” or “off.” Epigenetic potential is the capacity to which an individual can have methylation on its genome. The more CpGs available, the greater the epigenetic potential. In invasive species, genetic variation has been observed to be paradoxical: not much of it exists on a genomic level, but epigenetically, phenotypic variation can occur. The focus on shift in gene expression in this study is on Toll-Like Receptor 4 …

Environmental Dna Metabarcoding As A Tool For Fish Community Assessment In Wetlands, Eric Ludwig

Masters Theses

"Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is a genetically based method of assessing biodiversity in aquatic environments. While the efficacy of eDNA surveys has been well documented in riverine and marine systems, it has been relatively underemployed in freshwater wetland environments. In this study, we conducted an eDNA metabarcoding survey of fish diversity and its seasonal variation in a wetland along the Mississippi River in the Missouri Bootheel. Samples were collected from both permanent and seasonal water bodies including oxbow lakes, a shallow, man-made lake, a ditch, and a slough. For each of the 28 sites in this study, three water samples …

Otoliths Through Time: A Multidecadal Characterization Of Fish Otoliths In A Changing Climate, Jordan M. Waldron

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is a lack of research describing how widespread environmental changes in marine ecosystems affect wild adult teleost otoliths, limiting our ability to understand the impacts that alterations to otoliths can have on fish physiology and ecology. In this study, morphological and microstructural changes in wild adult fish otoliths were traced over 3 decades among species common in Tampa Bay, Florida – red drum Sciaenops ocellatus and common snook Centropomus undecimalis. Optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used to characterize otolith morphology and microstructure, respectively, to then pair with fluctuations in environmental variables – water temperature, pH, dissolved …

Effects Of Altering Physiologically Relevant Cholesterol Levels And Media Types On Porin Gene Expression In Klebsiella Pneumoniae And The Resulting Impact On Antibiotic Resistance, Megan R. Camden

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Klebsiella pneumoniae is a Gram-negative, non-motile bacterium belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae family. K. pneumoniae is a rising threat in the clinical setting, as there has been a large increase in the presence of antibiotic resistant isolates. While much research is conducted on laboratory and clinical strains of bacteria, not much is known regarding the impact that human physiology can have on bacterial gene expression, and in response, to antibiotic susceptibility. The goal of this study is to determine if physiologically relevant cholesterol levels and media types impact porin gene expression and antibiotic resistance in K. pneumoniae. To accomplish this, …

Confocal Analysis Of Sindbis Virus In Aedes Aegypti Unveils Novel Infection Site At Pyloric Armature, Katie Gillian Peters

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses), such as Sindbis virus (SINV), generate foci of infection within the midgut of viremic blood-fed mosquitoes. Arboviruses can disseminate out of the midgut into the surrounding musculature and hemolymph, eventually making it to the salivary glands where virus can be transmitted by saliva during a subsequent blood-feed. In this study, the virus SINV containing the reporter gene GFP, combined with immunohistochemistry, was imaged using confocal microscopy and used to evaluate the infection within the vector mosquito Aedes aegypti. The spatial distribution of SINV infection revealed two common characteristics of foci generated in the midgut. (1) There …

The Angiogenic Potential Of Ph-Neutral Borophosphate Bioactive Glasses, Bradley A. Bromet, Nathaniel P. Blackwell, Nada Abokefa, Parker Freudenberger, Rebekah L. Blatt, Richard K. Brow, Julie A. Semon

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Borate bioactive glasses have gained attention in recent years due to their therapeutic and regenerative effects in vivo. However, borate bioactive glasses release alkaline ions, increasing the local pH and creating a toxic environment for cell culture studies. A partial compositional substitution of phosphate for borate can create a pH-neutral glass that does not significantly affect the local pH while still releasing therapeutic ions. In the present study, a series of Na-Ca-borophosphate bioactive glasses with different borate-to-phosphate ratios was evaluated in vitro and in vivo for cytotoxicity and angiogenic effects. Compared to more basic borate glasses, the pH-neutral glasses supported …

Edna Metabarcoding Of Avocado Flowers: ‘Hass’ It Got Potential To Survey Arthropods In Food Production Systems?, Joshua H. Kestel, Philip W. Bateman, David L. Field, Nicole E. White, Rose Lines, Paul Nevill

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

In the face of global biodiversity declines, surveys of beneficial and antagonistic arthropod diversity as well as the ecological services that they provide are increasingly important in both natural and agro-ecosystems. Conventional survey methods used to monitor these communities often require extensive taxonomic expertise and are time-intensive, potentially limiting their application in industries such as agriculture, where arthropods often play a critical role in productivity (e.g. pollinators, pests and predators). Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding of a novel substrate, crop flowers, may offer an accurate and high throughput alternative to aid in the detection of these managed and unmanaged taxa. Here, …

Lipidomic Features Of Honey Bee And Colony Health During Limited Supplementary Feeding, Clara E. Castaños, Mary C. Boyce, Tiffane Bates, A. Harvey Millar, Gavin Flematti, Nathan G. Lawler, Julia Grassl

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Honey bee nutritional health depends on nectar and pollen, which provide the main source of carbohydrates, proteins and lipids to individual bees. During malnutrition, insect metabolism accesses fat body reserves. However, this process in bees and its repercussions at the colony level are poorly understood. Using untargeted lipidomics and gene expression analysis, we examined the effects of different feeding treatments (starvation, sugar feeding and sugar + pollen feeding) on bees and correlated them with colony health indicators. We found that nutritional stress led to an increase in unsaturated triacylglycerols and diacylglycerols, as well as a decrease in free fatty acids …

Microscale Pollen Release And Dispersal Patterns In Flowering Grass Populations, Carl A. Frisk, Godfrey P. Apangu, Geoffrey M. Petch, Simon Creer, Mary Hanson, Beverley Adams-Groom, Carsten A. Skjøth

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Characterizing pollen release and dispersion processes is fundamental for knowledge advancement in ecological, agricultural and public health disciplines. Understanding pollen dispersion from grass communities is especially relevant due to their high species-specific allergenicity and heterogeneously distributed source areas. Here, we aimed to address questions concerning fine level heterogeneity in grass pollen release and dispersion processes, with a focus on characterizing the taxonomic composition of airborne grass pollen over the grass flowering season using eDNA and molecular ecology methods. High resolution grass pollen concentrations were compared between three microscale sites ( < 300 m apart) in a rural area in Worcestershire, UK. The grass pollen was modelled with local meteorology in a MANOVA (Multivariate ANOVA) approach to investigate factors relevant to pollen release and dispersion. Simultaneously, airborne pollen was sequenced using Illumina MySeq for metabarcoding, analysed against a reference database with all UK grasses using the R packages DADA2 and phyloseq to calculate Shannon's Diversity Index ( -diversity). The flowering phenology of a local Festuca rubra population was observed. We found that grass pollen concentrations varied on a microscale level, likely attributed to local topography and the dispersion distance of pollen from flowering grasses in local source areas. Six genera (Agrostis, Alopecurus, Arrhenatherum, Holcus, Lolium and Poa) dominated the pollen season, comprising on average 77 % of the relative abundance of grass species reads. Temperature, solar radiation, relative humidity, turbulence and wind speeds were found to be relevant for grass pollen release and dispersion processes. An isolated flowering Festuca rubra population contributed almost 40 % of the relative pollen abundance adjacent to the nearby sampler, but only contributed 1 % to samplers situated 300 m away. This suggests that most emitted grass pollen has limited dispersion distance and our results show substantial variation in airborne grass species composition over short geographical scales.

Experiencing Short Heat Waves Early In Development Changes Thermal Responsiveness Of Turtle Embryos To Later Heat Waves, Anthony Breitenbach, Rosario A. Marroquín-Flores, Ryan T. Paitz, Rachel M. Bowden

Faculty Publications – Biological Sciences

Although physiological responses to the thermal environment are most frequently investigated using constant temperatures, the incorporation of thermal variability can allow for a more accurate prediction of how thermally sensitive species respond to a rapidly changing climate. In species with temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD), developmental responses to incubation temperature are mediated by several genes involved in gonadal differentiation. Kdm6b and Dmrt1 respond to cool incubation temperatures and are associated with testis development, while Foxl2 and Cyp19A1 respond to warm incubation temperatures and are associated with ovary development. Using fluctuating incubation temperatures, we designed two studies, one investigating how conflicting thermal …

A Dnak Chaperone System Connects Type Iv Pilus Activity To Polysaccharide Secretion In The Cyanobacterium Nostoc Punctiforme, Heather J. Mcdonald

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Type IV pili (T4P) systems are widely utilized among bacteria to power and direct surface motility. The production and secretion of a viscous polysaccharide to provide friction and resistance to the extended pilus structure is seen in several species of cyanobacteria including Nostoc punctiforme. The complex coregulation of polysaccharide secretion and T4P motor activity is not fully understood, although studies indicate a consistent relationship between functional motility and intact pathways of polysaccharide secretion and pilus extension in cyanobacteria. Using a combination of protein-protein interaction analysis, cytological studies, and comparative genomics this study proposes a theoretical mechanism for T4P motor influenced …

Molecular And Enzymatic Resistance Of Culex Tarsalis To Pyrethroid And Organophosphate Insecticides, William Mortola

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Culex tarsalis, a vector for diseases like West Nile virus, is evolving resistance to pyrethroid and organophosphate insecticides used for agriculture and vector control in Northern California. Common mechanisms of resistance in other Culex species include the target-site mutations kdr and ace-1 and increased levels of detoxification enzymes (esterases, GSTs, and oxidases). This study contained two parts: Pyrethroid Individual study and an Organophosphate Preliminary study. For the Pyrethroid Individual study, the goal was to compare the prevalence of kdr mutations and detoxification enzymes between pyrethroid susceptible and resistant Cx. tarsalis individuals in Northern California. For the Organophosphate Preliminary study, the …

Use Of Foreign Edna Tracers To Resolve Site- And Time-Specific Edna Distributions In Natural Streams, Braden A. Herman

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Substantial uncertainty in how to interpret eDNA observations motivates a need for a technique to effectively and efficiently measure of system- and time-specific eDNA distributions. Using a technique to robustly calibrate eDNA dynamics in a given system would improve established eDNA methods such as presence and absence and has the potential to refine estimates of organism abundance using eDNA concentration that are less well understood. Particles of eDNA are present in a wide variety of size and type resulting in varying transport dynamics, persistence, decay, among others. This variation likely makes eDNA transport more complex than that of conservative tracers …

Macrolichen Inventory Of The Horse Mountain Botanical Area, Six Rivers National Forest, California, Usa, Sarah Norvell Conway

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Macrolichen diversity and community composition was determined for an area of high botanical interest in the Coast Ranges of Northern California – the Horse Mountain Botanical Area (HMBA) in Six Rivers National Forest. The Coast Ranges have been suggested to have high epiphytic macrolichen diversity, yet detailed site-specific macrolichen surveys are lacking for the area. Here we present comprehensive data on macrolichens of the HMBA integrated with environmental metadata at the landscape level. Twenty 0.4 ha sampling plots were positioned across the varying habitats of the HMBA and macrolichens were intensively sampled from all substrata. Out of 888 total collections, …

“Revisiting The Past”: A Redescription Of Physaloptera Retusa (Nemata, Physalopteridae) From Material Deposited In Museums And New Material From Amazon Lizards = “Revisitando O Passado”: Uma Redescrição De Physaloptera Retusa (Nemata, Physalopteridae) A Partir De Material Depositado Em Museus E Novo Material De Lagartos Amazônicos, Lílian Cristina Macedo, Yuri Willkens, Leandro Maurício Oliveira Da Silva, Scott Lyell Gardner, Francisco Tiago De Vasconcelos Melo, Jeannie Nascimento Dos Santos

Scott L. Gardner Publications

Abstract

Physaloptera Rudolphi, 1819 is a genus of nematodes that includes approximately 100 species parasitic in vertebrates around the world. From these, approximately 30 occur in the Neotropical region, with nine reported from neotropical reptiles. Physaloptera spp. are recognized by their distinct morphology of the apical end and characters of the reproductive system. However, despite the fact that the morphological characters for species diagnosis have been firmly established, we frequently find identification problems regarding poorly detailed descriptions and poorly preserved specimens. These may lead to taxonomic incongruencies. Physaloptera retusa (Rudolphi, 1819) is the most common species of the genus and …

Helminth And Protozoan Parasites Of Subterranean Rodents (Chordata, Mammalia, Rodentia) Of The World, Altangerel Tsogtsaikhan Dursahinhan, Daniel A. Kenkel, Scott Lyell Gardner

Scott L. Gardner Publications

Published studies and ten new unpublished records included herein reveal that approximately 174 species of endoparasites (helminths and protozoans) are known from 65 of 163 species of rodents that occupy the subterranean ecotope globally. Of those, 94 endoparasite species were originally described from these rodents. A total of 282 host-parasite associations are summarized from four major zoogeographic regions including Ethiopian, Palearctic/Oriental, Nearctic, and Neotropical. Thirty-four parasite records from the literature have been identified to only the level of the genus. In this summary, ten new records have been added, and the most current taxonomic status of each parasite species is …

Filling The Gap In Distribution Ranges And Conservation Status In Ctenomys (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae), Diego A. Caraballo, Sabrina Laura Lopez, Sebastian Botero-Cañola, Scott Lyell Gardner

Scott L. Gardner Publications

South American subterranean rodents of the genus Ctenomys (Rodentia, Ctenomyidae, tuco-tuco) are one of the most diverse genera among mammals. Recently described species, new taxonomic revisions, and new distribution range delimitation made the revision of distribution areas and conservation status of these mammals mandatory. Implementing the first part of the DAMA protocol (document, assess, monitor, act), here we compile updated sets of species distribution range maps and use these and the number of collection localities to assess the conservation status of ctenomyids. We integrate potential for conservation in protected areas, and levels of habitat transformation to revise previous conservation status …

Tapping Into Natural History Collections To Assess Latitudinal Gradients Of Parasite Diversity, Sebastian Botero-Cañola, Scott Lyell Gardner

Scott L. Gardner Publications

Parasites are key components of the biosphere not only due to their huge diversity, but also because they exert important influences on ecological processes. Nevertheless, we lack an understanding of the biogeographical patterns of parasite diversity. Here, we tap into the potential of biodiversity collections for understanding parasite biogeography. We assess species richness of supracommunities of helminth parasites infecting mammal assemblages in the Nearctic, and describe its relation to latitude, climate, host diversity, and land area. We compiled data from parasitology collections and assessed parasite diversity in Nearctic ecoregions for the entire parasite supracommunity of mammals in each ecoregion, as …

A New Species Of Mathevotaenia (Cestoda: Anoplocephalidae) From The Andean Tuco-Tuco, Ctenomys Opimus (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae), On The Altiplano Of Bolivia, Scott Lyell Gardner, Bennett A. Grappone, Alex Lai

Scott L. Gardner Publications

A new species of Mathevotaenia Akumyan, 1946 (Cestoda: Anoplocephalidae) is described from the Andean tuco-tuco, Ctenomys opimus Wagner 1848 (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae), collected in 1984 on the Altiplano of Bolivia. This is the second species of anoplocephalid cestode recorded from rodents of the genus Ctenomys, the first being Monoecocestus torresi Olsen 1976 from the Maule tuco-tuco, Ctenomys maulinus Philippi 1872, documented in southwestern Argentina. The new species of Mathevotaenia described here has more testes per segment than any other described species of the same genus from South America. The description of a new species from a decades-old specimen highlights the …

Tcga Expression Analyses Of 10 Carcinoma Types Reveal Clinically Significant Racial Differences, Brian Lei, Xinyin Jiang, Anjana Saxena

Publications and Research

Epidemiological studies reveal disparities in cancer incidence and outcome rates between racial groups in the United States. In our study, we investigated molecular differences between racial groups in 10 carcinoma types. We used publicly available data from The Cancer Genome Atlas to identify patterns of differential gene expression in tumor samples obtained from 4112 White, Black/African American, and Asian patients. We identified race-dependent expression of numerous genes whose mRNA transcript levels were significantly correlated with patients’ survival. Only a small subset of these genes was differentially expressed in multiple carcinomas, including genes involved in cell cycle progression such as CCNB1 …

The Molecular Circadian Clock Of Phox2b-Expressing Cells Drives Daily Variation Of The Hypoxic But Not Hypercapnic Ventilatory Response In Mice, Aaron A. Jones, Gabriella M. Marino, Allison R. Spears, Deanna M. Arble

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

While the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) controls 24-h rhythms in breathing, including minute ventilation (V_E), the mechanisms by which the SCN drives these daily changes are not well understood. Moreover, the extent to which the circadian clock regulates hypercapnic and hypoxic ventilatory chemoreflexes is unknown. We hypothesized that the SCN regulates daily breathing and chemoreflex rhythms by synchronizing the molecular circadian clock of cells. We used whole-body plethysmography to assess ventilatory function in transgenic BMAL1 knockout (KO) mice to determine the role of the molecular clock in regulating daily rhythms in ventilation and chemoreflex. Unlike their wild-type littermates, BMAL1 …

Peripheral Clock Disruption And Metabolic Disease: Moving Beyond The Anatomy To A Functional Approach, Gabriella M. Marino, Deanna M. Arble

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Sleep and circadian disruption are associated with an increased risk of metabolic disease, including obesity and diabetes. Mounting evidence indicates that misaligned and/or non-functional clock proteins in peripheral tissues critically contribute to the presentation of metabolic disease. Many of the foundational studies which led to this conclusion have focused on specific tissues such as the adipose, pancreas, muscle, and liver. While these studies have greatly advanced the field, the use of anatomical markers to manipulate tissue-specific molecular clocks may not be representative of the circadian disruption that occurs within the clinical population. In this manuscript, we argue that investigators can …

In Light Of Breathing: Environmental Light Is An Important Modulator Of Breathing With Clinical Implications, Aaron A. Jones, Deanna M. Arble

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

In vertebrate animals, the automatic, rhythmic pattern of breathing is a highly regulated process that can be modulated by various behavioral and physiological factors such as metabolism, sleep–wake state, activity level, and endocrine signaling. Environmental light influences many of these modulating factors both indirectly by organizing daily and seasonal rhythms of behavior and directly through acute changes in neural signaling. While several observations from rodent and human studies suggest that environmental light affects breathing, few have systematically evaluated the underlying mechanisms and clinical relevance of environmental light on the regulation of respiratory behavior. Here, we provide new evidence and discuss …

Tyramine And Its Amtyr1 Receptor Modulate Attention In Honey Bees (Apis Mellifera), Joseph S. Latshaw, Reece E. Mazade, Mary Peterson, Julie A. Mustard, Irina Sinakevitch, Lothar Wissler, Xiaojiao Guo, Chelsea N. Cook, Hong Lei, Jürgen Gadau, Brian Smith

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Animals must learn to ignore stimuli that are irrelevant to survival and attend to ones that enhance survival. When a stimulus regularly fails to be associated with an important consequence, subsequent excitatory learning about that stimulus can be delayed, which is a form of nonassociative conditioning called ‘latent inhibition’. Honey bees show latent inhibition toward an odor they have experienced without association with food reinforcement. Moreover, individual honey bees from the same colony differ in the degree to which they show latent inhibition, and these individual differences have a genetic basis. To investigate the mechanisms that underly individual differences in …

Reappraising The Evolutionary History Of The Largest Known Gecko, The Presumably Extinct Hoplodactylus Delcourti, Via High-Throughput Sequencing Of Archival Dna, Matthew P. Heinicke, Stuart V. Nielsen, Aaron M. Bauer, Ryan Kelly, Anthony J. Geneva, Juan D. Daza, Shannon E. Keating, Tony Gamble

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Hoplodactylus delcourti is a presumably extinct species of diplodactylid gecko known only from a single specimen of unknown provenance. It is by far the largest known gekkotan, approximately 50% longer than the next largest-known species. It has been considered a member of the New Zealand endemic genus Hoplodactylus based on external morphological features including shared toe pad structure. We obtained DNA from a bone sample of the only known specimen to generate high-throughput sequence data suitable for phylogenetic analysis of its evolutionary history. Complementary sequence data were obtained from a broad sample of diplodactylid geckos. Our results indicate that the …