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Articles 211 - 240 of 610

Full-Text Articles in Evolution

Anchialine Biodiversity In The Turks And Caicos Islands: New Discoveries And Current Faunal Composition, Brett C. Gonzalez, Alejandro Martínez, Jørgen Olesen, Sarit B. Truskey, Lauren Ballou, Marc Allentoft-Larsen, Joost Daniels, Paul Heinerth, Mark Parrish, Naqqi Manco, Jon Ward, Thomas M. Iliffe, Karen J. Osborn, Katrine Worsaae May 2020

Anchialine Biodiversity In The Turks And Caicos Islands: New Discoveries And Current Faunal Composition, Brett C. Gonzalez, Alejandro Martínez, Jørgen Olesen, Sarit B. Truskey, Lauren Ballou, Marc Allentoft-Larsen, Joost Daniels, Paul Heinerth, Mark Parrish, Naqqi Manco, Jon Ward, Thomas M. Iliffe, Karen J. Osborn, Katrine Worsaae

International Journal of Speleology

Lying at the southernmost point of the Lucayan Archipelago, the Turks and Caicos Islands are amongst the better studied localities for anchialine cave biodiversity. For nearly five decades, novel invertebrate fauna, comprised primarily of crustaceans, have been collected from these tidally influenced pools – but new findings are always on the horizon. Herein we present new records of crustaceans and annelids from anchialine blue holes and horizontal caves of the Turks and Caicos. These findings include two potentially new species of meiofaunal annelids and a new species of remipede collected from a shallow water cave pool. Our 2019 expedition additionally …

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Scorpions Of The Horn Of Africa (Arachnida: Scorpiones). Part Xxiv. Leiurus (Buthidae), With Description Of Leiurus Gubanensis Sp. N., František Kovařík, Graeme Lowe May 2020

Scorpions Of The Horn Of Africa (Arachnida: Scorpiones). Part Xxiv. Leiurus (Buthidae), With Description Of Leiurus Gubanensis Sp. N., František Kovařík, Graeme Lowe

Euscorpius

New data are presented on the distribution of the genus Leiurus Ehrenberg, 1828 in the Horn of Africa, Somaliland, acquired during expeditions in 2011–2019. Leiurus gubanensis sp. n. is described from the Guban area, an extremely warm and dry place. The description is fully complemented with color photographs of live and preserved specimens, as well as of their habitats. This increases the known diversity of the genus to 14 species.

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A Genomic Analysis Of Bobcat Populations In North America With A Comparison To The Canada Lynx: An Assessment Of Local Adaptation To Unique Ecoregions And Phylogeography, Jennifer C. Broderick May 2020

A Genomic Analysis Of Bobcat Populations In North America With A Comparison To The Canada Lynx: An Assessment Of Local Adaptation To Unique Ecoregions And Phylogeography, Jennifer C. Broderick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bobcats (Lynx rufus) are an ecologically and genetically diverse species with a large contiguous range throughout North America. The species not only has a wide array of phenotypic variation compared to other mammals, but shows marked adaptability across ecozones with differing ecological influences. It is these various selective pressures in distinctive parts of the continent that have likely led to localized adaptations within the bobcat metapopulations. The species is also marked by its ability to maintain connectivity and populations in anthropogenically developed areas, an advantage it has over other felids, including its close relative the Canada lynx ( …

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Another New Species Of Euscorpius Thorell, 1876 From The Caves Of Croatia And Bosnia-Herzegovina (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae), With Notes On Biogeography And Cave Ecology, Gioele Tropea, Roman Ozimec May 2020

Another New Species Of Euscorpius Thorell, 1876 From The Caves Of Croatia And Bosnia-Herzegovina (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae), With Notes On Biogeography And Cave Ecology, Gioele Tropea, Roman Ozimec

Euscorpius

Another new, subtroglophile scorpion species is described from Croatia, Euscorpius biokovensis sp. n. It is morphologically and ecologically similar to E. feti Tropea, 2013 but can be distinguished from the latter by a lower number of trichobothria (Pv = 8–9, with mostly 8, and usually et = 6) and pectinal teeth (usually Dp = 7 in males and 6 in females). The new species also has a more northern distribution although in some areas the two species overlap. E. biokovensis sp. n. has been found in more than 20 caves in Croatia, which makes it the most common Euscorpius species …

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Investigating Drivers Of Genetic Structure In Plants: Global, Regional And Local Scales, Diana Gamba-Moreno Apr 2020

Investigating Drivers Of Genetic Structure In Plants: Global, Regional And Local Scales, Diana Gamba-Moreno

Dissertations

Genetic structure within and among plant populations is a critical component of plant biodiversity, informing local adaptation, conservation, and incipient speciation. However, its drivers remain poorly understood, especially across different spatial scales. In my dissertation I examined factors that affect plant population genetic structure at global, regional, and local scales. At the global scale, I performed a literature review of population genetic differentiation (FST) in seed plants based on a 337-species dataset with data on FST and species traits. Using phylogenetic multiple regressions, I found that FST is higher for tropical, mixed-mating, non-woody species pollinated by …

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A Deeper Meaning For Shallow-Level Phylogenomic Studies: Nested Anchored Hybrid Enrichment Offers Great Promise For Resolving The Tiger Moth Tree Of Life (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae), Nicolas J. Dowdy, Shannon Keating, Alan R. Lemmon, Emily M. Lemmon, William E. Conner, Clare H. Scott Chialvo, Susan Weller, Rebecca B. Simmons, Melissa S. Sisson, Jennifer M. Zaspel Apr 2020

A Deeper Meaning For Shallow-Level Phylogenomic Studies: Nested Anchored Hybrid Enrichment Offers Great Promise For Resolving The Tiger Moth Tree Of Life (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae), Nicolas J. Dowdy, Shannon Keating, Alan R. Lemmon, Emily M. Lemmon, William E. Conner, Clare H. Scott Chialvo, Susan Weller, Rebecca B. Simmons, Melissa S. Sisson, Jennifer M. Zaspel

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Anchored hybrid enrichment (AHE) has emerged as a powerful tool for uncovering the evolutionary relationships within many taxonomic groups. AHE probe sets have been developed for a variety of insect groups, though none have yet been shown to be capable of simultaneously resolving deep and very shallow (e.g., intraspecific) divergences. In this study, we present NOC1, a new AHE probe set (730 loci) for Lepidoptera specialized for tiger moths and assess its ability to deliver phylogenetic utility at all taxonomic levels. We test the NOC1 probe set with 142 individuals from 116 species sampled from all the major lineages of …

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Scorpions Of The Horn Of Africa (Arachnida: Scorpiones). Part Xxiii. Buthus (Buthidae), With Description Of Two New Species, František Kovařík, František Šťáhlavský, Hassan S. A. Elmi Apr 2020

Scorpions Of The Horn Of Africa (Arachnida: Scorpiones). Part Xxiii. Buthus (Buthidae), With Description Of Two New Species, František Kovařík, František Šťáhlavský, Hassan S. A. Elmi

Euscorpius

New data are presented on the distribution of the genus Buthus Leach, 1815 in the Horn of Africa, mainly in Somaliland, acquired during expeditions in 2011–2019. Buthus berberensis Pocock, 1900, for which the exact locality was not known, was collected again. B. zeylensis Pocock, 1900 is restored from synonymy and elevated to species rank, based on a study of 75 recently collected specimens. Two new species, B. pococki sp. n. and B. somalilandus sp. n., are described, fully complemented with color photographs of live and preserved specimens, as well as their habitats. In addition to the analyses of external …

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Scorpion Predation In Cuba: New Cases And A Review, Tomás M. Rodríguez-Cabrera,, Rolando Teruel, Ernesto Morell Savall Apr 2020

Scorpion Predation In Cuba: New Cases And A Review, Tomás M. Rodríguez-Cabrera,, Rolando Teruel, Ernesto Morell Savall

Euscorpius

The ecology of Cuban scorpions is very insufficiently studied and the scarce existing information on their natural enemies is dispersed in the literature. However, scorpions in general are well known to play an important role both as predators and prey in natural ecosystems. Herein we present new instances of predation on different species of scorpions in Cuba, and a review on the topic

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Two New Cryptic Species Of Isometrus (Scorpiones: Buthidae) From The Northern Western Ghats, India, Shauri Sulakhe, Nikhil Dandekar, Anand Padhye, Deshabhushan Bastawade Mar 2020

Two New Cryptic Species Of Isometrus (Scorpiones: Buthidae) From The Northern Western Ghats, India, Shauri Sulakhe, Nikhil Dandekar, Anand Padhye, Deshabhushan Bastawade

Euscorpius

Integrated taxonomic approach is used to describe two new cryptic species of the genus Isometrus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) from the northern Western Ghats of India. Isometrus tamhini sp. n. and I. amboli sp. n. are closely related to each other and differ from two other Indian species of the genus, I. thurstoni and I. maculatus, by the morphological features and a raw genetic divergence of over 10%.

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Taxonomy And Systematics Of The New Zealand Pselaphini (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae), Brittany Elin Owens Mar 2020

Taxonomy And Systematics Of The New Zealand Pselaphini (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae), Brittany Elin Owens

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The New Zealand (NZ) Pselaphini was revised at the species level, a phylogenetic analysis was performed using morphological data, and first steps were taken towards the construction of a molecular analysis of the tribe. Eight new genera and 33 new species were discovered from specimens collected from the NZ mainland, offshore islands, Chatham Islands and the Subantarctic Islands. Of the 13 species originally described in the genus Pselaphus by Thomas Broun during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, all were either reassigned to the genera Pselaphaulax and Pselaphogenius, or were placed into new genera. Three names …

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Revision Of The Genus Tityopsis Armas, 1974 (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Part 1. General Updates And Description Of Four New Species, Rolando Teruel, Tomás M. Rodríguez-Cabrera Mar 2020

Revision Of The Genus Tityopsis Armas, 1974 (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Part 1. General Updates And Description Of Four New Species, Rolando Teruel, Tomás M. Rodríguez-Cabrera

Euscorpius

The buthid scorpion genus Tityopsis Armas, 1974, endemic to western Cuba, is herein revised. In total, 428 specimens were examined from 127 localities, including the primary types of the two species currently recognized as valid; this led to realize that several populations actually represent taxa new to science. Four of them are described in the present paper: a presumed troglobite and three others from epigean habitats. A thorough photographic complement and data on natural history are given for each species and for the genus in general, for which known geographical distribution is verified and updated. With this contribution, the scorpion …

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A New Species Of Vaejovis From Mingus Mountain, Northern Arizona (Scorpiones: Vaejovidae), Richard F. Ayrey Mar 2020

A New Species Of Vaejovis From Mingus Mountain, Northern Arizona (Scorpiones: Vaejovidae), Richard F. Ayrey

Euscorpius

A new scorpion species, Vaejovis elii sp. n., is described. This small, dark brown species is found on Mingus Mountain, Yavapai County, northern Arizona, USA. It is geographically closest to V. crumpi Ayrey & Soleglad. We compare it to that species and two other species found in northern Arizona. The pedipalp fixed finger has 6 ID denticles and the movable finger has 7, like in most, but not all, of the other northern Arizona Vaejovis. Carapace of female is longer than metasomal segment V.

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Nine New Species Of Scorpiops Peters, 1861 (Scorpiones: Scorpiopidae) From China, India, Nepal, And Pakistan, František Kovařík Mar 2020

Nine New Species Of Scorpiops Peters, 1861 (Scorpiones: Scorpiopidae) From China, India, Nepal, And Pakistan, František Kovařík

Euscorpius

Nine new species are described: Scorpiops furai sp. n. (India), S. grosseri sp. n. (India), S. harmsi sp. n. (Nepal), S. hofereki sp. n. (Pakistan), S. kejvali sp. n. (India), S. tryznai sp. n. (India), S. wrzecionkoi sp. n. (China), S. yagmuri sp. n. (Pakistan), and S. zubairi sp. n. (Pakistan), fully complemented with color photographs of preserved specimens. New species are distinguished from all other species of the family Scorpiopidae by combinations of eight major characters: position of pedipalp chelal trichobothrium Eb3; number of pedipalp patella ventral trichobothria; shape of pedipalp fingers; number of inner accessory denticles …

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First Record Of Didymocentrus Sanfelipensis (Scorpiones: Diplocentridae) From Turiguanó Island, Ciego De Ávila, Cuba, Luis F. De Armas Mar 2020

First Record Of Didymocentrus Sanfelipensis (Scorpiones: Diplocentridae) From Turiguanó Island, Ciego De Ávila, Cuba, Luis F. De Armas

Euscorpius

The diplocentrid scorpion Didymocentrus sanfelipensis Armas, 1976 is recorded for the first time from Turiguanó Island, Morón municipality, northwest of Ciego de Ávila Province, central region of Cuba. This is the northernmost locality for the species and also the easternmost record for the genus, as well as the first time that this species is found in a non-serpentine soil.

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New Scorpion Taxa (Arachnida: Scorpiones) Described In The Journal “Euscorpius” In 2002–2020, Victor Fet, František Kovařík Mar 2020

New Scorpion Taxa (Arachnida: Scorpiones) Described In The Journal “Euscorpius” In 2002–2020, Victor Fet, František Kovařík

Euscorpius

No abstract provided.

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Vaejovis Lapidicola Stahnke, 1940: Hemispermatophore And Mating Plug From A Topotype Male (Scorpiones: Vaejovidae), Brandon Myers, Richard F. Ayrey Feb 2020

Vaejovis Lapidicola Stahnke, 1940: Hemispermatophore And Mating Plug From A Topotype Male (Scorpiones: Vaejovidae), Brandon Myers, Richard F. Ayrey

Euscorpius

While doing research on an undescribed scorpion species, we needed to examine the hemispermatophore and mating plug of Vaejovis lapidicola Stahnke, 1940. Included are photographs and a description of these structures from a topotype specimen collected in the same “red sandstone quarry” (Flagstaff, Arizona, USA), from which Herbert Stahnke collected the original specimens in 1938.

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Notes On Compsobuthus Vachon, 1949: Redescription Of C. Arabicus Levy Et Al., 1973 From Arabia, And Description Of Two New Species From North Africa (Scorpiones: Buthidae), František Kovařík, Graeme Lowe, Mark Stockmann, František Šťáhlavský Feb 2020

Notes On Compsobuthus Vachon, 1949: Redescription Of C. Arabicus Levy Et Al., 1973 From Arabia, And Description Of Two New Species From North Africa (Scorpiones: Buthidae), František Kovařík, Graeme Lowe, Mark Stockmann, František Šťáhlavský

Euscorpius

Two new species of Compsobuthus Vachon, 1949, are described: C. turieli sp. n. from Western Sahara and Morocco, and C. ullrichi sp. n. from Egypt. The species C. arabicus Levy et al., 1973 is redescribed based on analysis of the holotype plus extensive material from Oman and the United Arab Emirates. These species are compared to others from their respective regions: C. kabateki Kovařík, 2003, C. levyi Kovařík, 2012, and C. polisi Lowe, 2001, for which new illustrations and biometrics are provided based on types and topotypic material. The hemispermatophores of C. arabicus, C. turieli sp. n. and C. …

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A New Species Of Ananteris (Scorpiones: Buthidae) From Panama, Roberto J. Miranda, Luis F. De Armas Feb 2020

A New Species Of Ananteris (Scorpiones: Buthidae) From Panama, Roberto J. Miranda, Luis F. De Armas

Euscorpius

A new buthid species belonging to the genus Ananteris Thorell, 1891 is herein described from Panama Oeste Province, Panama. This is the second Ananteris species known from this Central American country and clearly differs from Ananteris platnicki Lourenço, 1993, distributed in Costa Rica and Panama, by its smaller size and male having a different hemispermatophore and telson similar to that of the female.

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On The Distribution Of Genetic Variation In Ecological Communities, Isaac Overcast Feb 2020

On The Distribution Of Genetic Variation In Ecological Communities, Isaac Overcast

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Biodiversity in ecological communities is structured hierarchically across spatial and temporal scales. Many open questions remain as to how this structure accumulates. For example, what are the relative contributions of dispersal versus in situ speciation? Or, how important are stochastic drift versus deterministic processes? Up to this point, these questions have been investigated by isolated disciplines (e.g. macroecology, comparative phylogeography, macroevolution) using tools and data that tend to focus on only one axis of community scale data (e.g. phylogenies, relative abundances, and/or trait information). Yet we know that there are feedbacks among processes that respond on short, medium, and long …

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Temperate Eurasian Origins Of Hawaiian Chenopodium (Amaranthaceae) Plus Description Of A New Species Endemic To Moloka‘I, Jason T. Cantley, Angela J. Mcdonnell, J Branson, S R. Long, W Garnett, Christopher T. Martine Jan 2020

Temperate Eurasian Origins Of Hawaiian Chenopodium (Amaranthaceae) Plus Description Of A New Species Endemic To Moloka‘I, Jason T. Cantley, Angela J. Mcdonnell, J Branson, S R. Long, W Garnett, Christopher T. Martine

Faculty Journal Articles

Chenopodium taxa of Hawai‘i are tetraploids distinguished from other members of the circumglobally distributed genus by minute morphological characters. Because of these reasons, the geographic origin of Hawaiian Chenopodium has remained unclear. Across the Hawaiian Archipelago, Chenopodium taxa are morphologically variable and grow in highly disparate xeric habitats, especially in terms of precipitation, temperature, wind, salt spray, and solar irradiation. Habitats include dry subalpine shrublands, sandy beach strand of atolls in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands, dry forests, and precipitously tall sea cliffs of northwestern Moloka‘i. From the Moloka‘i sea cliffs, which are battered by high energy winds, salt spray, and …

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Landscape Ecology And Population Genomics Of Two Sympatric Pitviper Species Across A Fragmented Appalachian Landscape, Thomas Maigret Jan 2020

Landscape Ecology And Population Genomics Of Two Sympatric Pitviper Species Across A Fragmented Appalachian Landscape, Thomas Maigret

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

Understanding the link between landscape patterns and ecological and evolutionary processes is an important prerequisite for informed wildlife conservation and management, especially in rapidly changing landscapes. Until recently, the inaccessibility of spatial and genomic data sets of sufficient resolution limited our ability to incorporate the impacts of landscape patterns into predictions of ecological and environmental outcomes. In this dissertation, I utilized several high-resolution spatial and genomic data sets to address ecological questions in a rapidly fragmenting landscape in southeastern Kentucky. Overall, my results indicate that large-scale surface coal mining is causing widespread homogenization of landforms, resulting in a uniquely permanent …

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More Than Meets The Eye: A Taxonomic Revision Of The Nearctic Species In The Eye-Gnat Genus Amiota Loew (Diptera: Drosophilidae), Lance E. Jones Jan 2020

More Than Meets The Eye: A Taxonomic Revision Of The Nearctic Species In The Eye-Gnat Genus Amiota Loew (Diptera: Drosophilidae), Lance E. Jones

Dissertations and Theses

Thorough biotic inventories are still needed even in families as seemingly well-studied as fruit flies (Diptera: Drosophilidae). Drosophilidae have had an outsize effect on the history of biology because of their pivotal role in the study of genetics, development, and evolution. Even with more than a century of intensive study, large gaps remain in our understanding of diversity in this fly family, including well-studied areas such as North America. This thesis presents a taxonomic revision of the Nearctic species of the genus Amiota Loew. Twenty-three species are identified as being new to science for publication at a later date. This …

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Spatial And Temporal Genetic Structure Of Winter-Run Steelhead (Oncorhynchus Mykiss) Returning To The Mad River, California, Steven R. Fong Jan 2020

Spatial And Temporal Genetic Structure Of Winter-Run Steelhead (Oncorhynchus Mykiss) Returning To The Mad River, California, Steven R. Fong

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Distinct populations of steelhead in the wild are in decline. The propagation of steelhead in hatcheries has been used to boost population numbers for recreational fisheries and for use in conservation. However, hatchery breeding practices of steelhead can result in changes in genetic structure. I investigated the genetic structure of winter-run steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) returning to the Mad River, California, where a hatchery has been used enhance production for recreational fisheries since 1971. Genetic variability in Mad River steelhead was evaluated using 96 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) among 4203 individuals, including the Mad River and nearby locations, and …

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Game Theory And Artificial Intelligence In Just Preservation, David L. Dowe, Nader Chmait Jan 2020

Game Theory And Artificial Intelligence In Just Preservation, David L. Dowe, Nader Chmait

Animal Sentience

We humans can show presumption, arrogance and many dubious traits. By virtue of being land-dwelling, dexterous, relatively intelligent, and having good communication hardware and (good) fortune, we have for recent millennia largely had dominion of our planet. Yet humans often do not treat themselves (let alone other species) particularly well. Treves et al.’s idea of a multispecies justice system — not “prioritizing humans” but “finding practical ways to work within human systems” — invites consideration.

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Just Preservation, Trusteeship And Multispecies Justice, Francisco J. Santiago-Ávila, Adrian Treves, William Lynn Jan 2020

Just Preservation, Trusteeship And Multispecies Justice, Francisco J. Santiago-Ávila, Adrian Treves, William Lynn

Animal Sentience

We are grateful to all the commentators who engaged with our target article. Some commentators have offered important insights into our proposed design and methods for legally intervening on behalf of futurity. Others have focused on theoretical considerations central to our proposal for multispecies justice and trusteeship. All have inspired modifications and further elaboration of our initial proposal. In this Response, we engage with the commentaries, integrating their suggestions, striving for convergence and complementarity, but also discussing points of divergence with our proposed framework where necessary. There is substantial overlap in the points of view of the three co-authors, but …

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Review Of Megacormus Karsch, 1881, With Description Of A New Species (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae), František Kovařík Dec 2019

Review Of Megacormus Karsch, 1881, With Description Of A New Species (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae), František Kovařík

Euscorpius

Megacormus franckei sp. n. from Mexico is described and compared with all other species of the genus. Additional information is provided on the morphology, taxonomy and localities of genus Megacormus, mainly through color photographs of live and preserved specimens of all Megacormus species, as well as their habitats. Included is a key for all six known species of the genus Megacormus

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Revision Of The Genus Reddyanus From Southeast Asia, With Description Of Five New Species From Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand And Vietnam (Scorpiones: Buthidae), František Kovařík, František Šťáhlavský Dec 2019

Revision Of The Genus Reddyanus From Southeast Asia, With Description Of Five New Species From Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand And Vietnam (Scorpiones: Buthidae), František Kovařík, František Šťáhlavský

Euscorpius

Five new species are described: Reddyanus furai sp. n. from Vietnam, R. hofereki sp. n. and R. majkusi sp. n. from Malaysia, R. rolciki sp. n. from Vietnam and Cambodia, and R. schwotti sp. n. from Thailand and Cambodia, fully complemented with color photographs of live and preserved specimens, as well as their habitats. New species are compared with all other species from this region. In addition to the analysis of external morphology, we also describe the karyotypes of R. furai sp. n. (2n=14), R. majkusi sp. n. (2n=16), R. rolciki sp. n. (2n=14), and R. schwotti (2n=11). …

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Scorpions Of The Horn Of Africa (Arachnida, Scorpiones). Part Xxii. Two New Species Of Neobuthus From Somaliland (Buthidae), František Kovařík Dec 2019

Scorpions Of The Horn Of Africa (Arachnida, Scorpiones). Part Xxii. Two New Species Of Neobuthus From Somaliland (Buthidae), František Kovařík

Euscorpius

New information about taxonomy and distribution of the genus Neobuthus Hirst, 1911 is presented, based on material recently collected in Somaliland. N. awashensis Kovařík & Lowe, 2012 is reported from Somaliland for the first time. Two new species are described, N. haeckeli sp. n. and N. solegladi sp. n. An updated distribution map of the genus Neobuthus is provided.

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Identity Of The Central American Scorpion Centruroides Mahnerti Lourenço, 1983 (Scorpiones: Buthidae), Luis F. De Armas Nov 2019

Identity Of The Central American Scorpion Centruroides Mahnerti Lourenço, 1983 (Scorpiones: Buthidae), Luis F. De Armas

Euscorpius

The Central American scorpion Centruroides mahnerti Lourenço, 1983, was described on the basis of three female specimens (holotype and paratypes) from Momotombo Volcano, Nicaragua. Almost two decades later, it was synonymized under Centruroides koesteri Kraepelin, 1911 by Armas and Maes, without examination of the type specimen; but Teruel and Stockwell posteriorly argued that description and figures given for C. mahnerti are also similarly referable to juveniles of C. edwardsii (Gervais, 1843). Now, an evaluation of the holotype of C. mahnerti has definitively shown that it is a subadult female of C. koesteri. For the first time, photographs of the …

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Dynamics Of Avian Elevational Ranges Reveal Hidden Evolutionary Forces, Chauncey R. Gadek Nov 2019

Dynamics Of Avian Elevational Ranges Reveal Hidden Evolutionary Forces, Chauncey R. Gadek

Biology ETDs

The distribution of life across the Andes mountains reflects historical elevational-range contraction and expansion. Whereas contraction implies specialization, expansion requires overcoming hidden barriers. Three eco-evolutionary phenomena may drive patterns in rates of elevational range evolution: (1) The Dobzhansky-MacArthur Phenomenon (DMP) predicts lower rates of upward expansion with harsher physical conditions, while downward expansion increases with lower diversity; (2) the evolutionary tendency toward specialization predicts contraction increases when ranges are broad; and (3) natural selection for respiratory performance could suppress expansion across mid-elevations due to gene-environment mismatch. We modeled elevational range shifts of Neotropical landbirds. Contrary to the DMP, upward expansion …

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