Evolution Commons^™

The Island Biogeography Of Mangrove-Dwelling Vertebrates: Isolation, Specialisation, And Extinction, Jian Xiong David Tan

Biology ETDs

Mangroves are highly dynamic ecosystems that are widely distributed across the coastlines of the tropics and subtropics. Despite their low plant diversity, mangroves host a disproportionately high number of terrestrial vertebrate taxa. However, mangrove specialists — taxa that only occur in mangrove habitats — exhibit a global distribution that is incongruous with the broader background distribution patterns of mangrove-associated fauna, exhibiting higher diversity in Australia and Southeast Asia. This dissertation therefore aims to assess how the diversity and distribution of mangrove specialist fauna may have been shaped by the historical biogeography of mangroves, and the effects of mangrove specialisation on …

Species Distribution Modeling With Environmental Time Series Data And Deep Learning, Austin M. Smith

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Species distribution models (SDM) are frequently used to gain ecological understanding and guide conservation decisions. These models are developed with a wide variety of procedures - from regression-based approaches to more modern machine learning algorithms - but a requirement almost all share is the use of predictor variables that strongly simplify the temporal variability of driving factors. These static features are chosen by the user, which can incorporate unnecessary bias into a study. Additionally, current data preparation techniques often remove variables from the process entirely, which inherently removes information that may still be of importance. Conversely, novel architectures of deep …

Data From: Phylogenomic Species Delimitation Of Studfishes (Fundulidae: Fundulus): Evidence For Cryptic Species In Agreement With The Central Highlands Vicariance Hypothesis, Kayla M. Fast, Peter J. Hundt, Zachariah D. Alley, Michael W. Sandel

CFR Publications

The Central Highlands ecoregion of the eastern United States represents a hotspot of freshwater biodiversity, with replicated patterns of vicariant speciation east and west of the Mississippi River. Previous phylogeographic investigation of the studfishes (Fundulus subgenus Fundulus) revealed evidence for vicariant speciation in the Central Highlands, but data were limited to a small number of gene sequences generated with Sanger sequencing. We used double digest restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (ddRADseq) to improve resolution of phylogeographic patterns and better characterize population genetic variation. Our sample design included individuals from the Fundulus catenatus species group (F. catenatus, F. bifax, …

A Case Of Incipient Budding Speciation In The California Floristic Province, Infraspecific Divergence In Abronia Villosa, Eli J. Allen

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Physical barriers to gene flow are the traditional evidence for species divergence. Conversely, there has been increasing acknowledgment of speciation in the face of gene flow as an evolutionary process. Budding speciation involves peripheral populations adapting to local ecological conditions, thereby budding off from a widespread progenitor species. Budding speciation is distinguished by ecological divergence and is generally evidenced by asymmetrical range size and nested phylogenetic relationships of sister species. The narrow endemic Abronia villosa var. aurita is adapted to montane sandy washes adjacent to its widespread sister variety, the desert dwelling var. villosa. Here, I tested the hypothesis …

Evolution Of Freshwater Fishes In The Northern Neotropics, Diego Elias

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The northern Neotropics (NN) represents one of the most geologically-complex regions on the planet, composed of island-like geological blocks that have undergone multiple episodes of isolation and connectivity at various geological times. The riverscapes of the NN harbor a unique assemblage of freshwater fishes. In contrast to the freshwaters systems of South America, which are dominated by ostariophysan lineages, the aquatic systems of the NN are dominated by lineages of two families: Cichlidae (cichlids) and Poeciliidae (livebearers). It has been suggested that the geologically complex nature of the region allowed ancestors of cichlids and livebearers to colonize and radiate within …

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 …

Diversification And Biogeography Of Pantropical Grass Yellow Butterflies (Pieridae: Coliadinae), Jing V. Leong

Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

Multiple Connections Between Amazonia And Atlantic Forest Shaped The T Phylogenetic And Morphological Diversity Of Chiasmocleis Mehely, 1904 (Anura: Microhylidae: Gastrophryninae), Rafael O. De Sá, João Filipe Riva Tonini, Hannah Van Huss, Alex Long, Travis Cuddy, Mauricio C. Forlani, Pedro L.V. Peloso, Hussam Zaher, Célio F.B. Haddad

Biology Faculty Publications

Chiasmocleis is the most species-rich genus of Neotropical microhylids. Herein, we provide the first comprehensive multilocus phylogeny for the genus, including all but 3 of the 34 recognized species and multiple individuals per species. We discuss cryptic speciation, species discovery, patterns of morphological evolution, and provide a historical biogeographic analysis to account for the current distribution of the genus. Diversification of Chiasmocleis from other New World microhylids began during the Eocene, app. 40 mya, in forested areas, and current diversity seems to be a product of recurrent connections between the Atlantic Forest and Amazonia. Small-sized species evolved independently three times …

Determining The Drivers Of Anti-Tropical Distributions Across The Fish Tree Of Life, William Benton Ludt

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Anti-tropical distributions are those where populations of a single species, or multiple closely related taxa, are distributed outside of, and on opposing sides of, the tropics. These latitudinally disjunct distributions have been noted for over a century. Despite this long history of interest, little has been concluded regarding the actual mechanisms that drive this pattern, with several prominent hypotheses competing with one another in the literature. Here I review the proposed drivers of anti-tropicality, and subsequently test them using fishes with a variety of life history and taxonomic differences. This includes (1) a temperately restricted family with anti-tropical distributions – …

Cryptic Diversity In Rhampholeon Boulengeri (Sauria: Chamaeleonidae), A Pygmy Chameleon From The Albertine Rift Biodiversity Hotspot, Daniel Hughes, Krystal Tolley, Mathias Behangana, Wilber Lukwago, Michele Menegon, J. Dehling, Jan Stipala, Colin Tilbury, Arshad Khan, Chifundera Kusamba, Eli Greenbaum

Selected Works Temporary Series

No abstract provided.

Cryptic Diversity In Rhampholeon Boulengeri (Sauria: Chamaeleonidae), A Pygmy Chameleon From The Albertine Rift Biodiversity Hotspot, Hughes, Krystal Tolley, Mathias Behangana, Wilber Lukwago, Michele Menegon, J. Dehling, Jan Stipala, Colin Tilbury, Arshad Khan, Chifundera Kusamba, Eli Greenbaum

Departmental Papers (Biology)

No abstract provided.

Fleas Of The American Pika: Diversity And Biogeography In North America’S Intermountain West, Niyomi Wijewardena

All NMU Master's Theses

American pikas (Ochotona princeps) are small mammals that are widely distributed across North America’s Intermountain West. Previous investigations revealed five geographically distinct mitochondrial lineages within O. princeps associated with different mountain systems of the Intermountain West. In contrast, diversity of endoparasitic helminths of pikas is not structured geographically in the same way. Instead, there are two primary parasite assemblages, one distributed across southwestern pika populations and one found across the northeastern part of the host range. These contrasting patterns suggest that the shared history of pikas and their parasites had different consequences for the evolutionary trajectories of these …

Phylogenetics, Biogeography, And Climate Niche Variation Of South Pacific And Hawaiian Psychotria, Elaine Zhang

Master's Theses

Why do some species have broad geographic distributions, while other species are confined to a narrow distribution? Species age, ecological niche, or dispersal traits may help explain why some insular species are abundant and found on many islands, while others are rare and restricted to one island. In this study, I inferred a robust, time-calibrated phylogeny of the Hawaiian Psychotria, using two nuclear and eight chloroplast loci, sampling 67 individuals. I coupled my phylogenetic hypothesis with climatic data, ecological niche modeling, and morphological dispersal characteristics to explain the variation in number of islands occupied by each species. My inferred phylogeny …

Integrating Phylogenomics, Biogeography And Systematics To Explore The Taxonomy And The Rise Of The Ratsnakes, Xin Chen

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Understanding the evolutionary processes that create the spectacular diversity of organisms, both in species numbers and form, is a primary goal for biologists. Global ratsnakes are a species-rich assemblage with high morphological and ecological diversity and a distribution that encompasses both the Old World (OW) and the New World (NW). To explore the mechanism leading to the divergence of the ratsnakes, I tested the hypotheses regarding the area of origin and global dispersal, and examined the patterns of diversification and trait evolution. Given adaptive radiation via ecological opportunity, a diversity-dependent diversification pattern and an early burst trait evolutionary pattern are …

Platyrrhine Phylogenetics With A Focus On Callitrichine Life History Adaptations, Natalie Mae Jameson

Wayne State University Dissertations

The life history of a species is highly impacted by their reproductive strategy. In my dissertation I address the changing reproductive strategies in callitrichine New World monkeys and their genetic underpinnings using a phylogenetic approach. The necessity for a resolved phylogeny is universal to any comparative genomic study. Here we have constructed a reliable phylogenetic framework from which reproductive strategy could be studied in callitrichines. First, to determine the most recent common ancestor of Anthropoid primates we took a phylogenomic approach, using the publicly available whole genome sequences of 17 mammal species. With high confidence, we determined here that Tarsier …

The Real Alfred Russel Wallace: Essays On An Outside-The-Box Thinker, Charles H. Smith

Faculty/Staff Personal Papers

Alfred Russel Wallace (8 January 1823 – 7 November 1913), English polymath and social critic, ranks high on the list of the most interesting characters in the history of science. Nevertheless, and despite a life filled with achievement, he has often been marginalized in the halls of learning. The truth is, Wallace was something of an “outside–the–box” thinker, and his many forays into the murkier areas of science and social science cost him a lot of potential supporters. Still others, while recognizing his intellectual talents in general, have looked at the full span of his work and interests as a …

Comparative Phylogeography Of Central African Duikers Using Non-Invasive Sampling Methods, Stephan Ntie

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The present study sets out to assess patterns of evolutionary diversification in central African duikers (subfamily Cephalophinae). The sampling strategy consisted of collecting geo-referenced duiker feces across 43 sites and seven countries. However, several challenges related to the use of non-invasive samples needed to be addressed prior to large scale DNA amplification. First, the best storage method for obtaining DNA from fecal samples needed to be established. Our study revealed that while silica is best for nuclear microsatellite analyses, RNAlater is the best storage medium for maximal mitochondrial amplification. Moreover, extracting DNA as early as possible always provided the …

Some Biogeographers, Evolutionists And Ecologists: Chrono-Biographical Sketches, Charles H. Smith, Joshua Woleben, Carubie Rodgers

DLPS Faculty Publications

Each name in the following list of naturalists is linked to a corresponding capsule "chrono-biographical" sketch of that individual prepared by the authors. Coverage extends from approximately 1950 backward in time as far as the eighteenth century; figures from all over the world are included (though there is admittedly a decided Anglo-American bias). The target subject here is biogeography, but this being a broad field there are many persons on the list who are better known as climatologists, zoologists, botanists, ecologists, oceanographers, paleontologists, etc.--in other words, who made their main reputations in cognate disciplines.

This service has been set up …

Historical Diversification Of Montane Herpetofauna Within And Between The Sierras Of Mexico, Robert William Bryson Jr.

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Mexican highlands consist of four major mountain ranges spanning most of mainland Mexico. The evolutionary history of the Mexican highlands has been shaped by various geological and climatic events over the past several million years. The relative impacts of these historical events on diversification in montane taxa, however, remains uncertain. I used mitochondrial DNA data from three widely distributed species complexes of lizards as a model system to exemplify the potential roles of Neogene mountain formation and Quaternary climate change on timing and tempo of diversification across the Mexican highlands. My results suggested strong geographic partitioning of genetic variation …

Phylogeography Of Northern Populations Of The Black-Tailed Rattlesnake (Crotalus Molossus Baird And Girard, 1853) With The Revalidation Of C. Ornatus Hallowell, 1854, Christopher Anderson

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The black-tailed rattlesnake (Crotalus molossus Baird and Girard, 1853) is a wide-ranging species complex with representatives from the southwestern United States through the highlands of central and southern Mexico. The systematics of this group has received little attention and in the past six decades only two taxonomic revisions have been proposed (the transfer of C. basiliscus oaxacus to C. molossus and the elevation of C. m. estebanensis to full species). However, a recent revision of the Neotropical rattlesnakes (C. durissus and C. simus) recovered a polyphyletic C. molossus. Sequenced data were obtained from three mitochondrial genes …

Phylogeography Of Two Closely Related Anurans, The Relict Leopard Frog (Rana Onca) And Lowland Leopard Frog (Rana Yavapaiensis), Viktoria Hemmings

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

I investigate the phylogeography of the relict and lowland leopard frogs (Rana onca; R. yavapaiensis) inhabiting the Mojave and Sonoran deserts. In Chapter 1, I summarize literature describing taxonomy, phylogenetics, and the possible effects of Quaternary climate change on distribution. Examples of phylogeographic patterns from generally co-distributed organisms are provided to develop background for interpreting the structure. In Chapter 2, I investigate the phylogeography of these frogs using mitochondrial DNA data. The analysis supports a previously determined phylogenetic break between taxa however further dividing R. yavapaiensis into two lineages. I estimate a possible Early Pleistocene divergence of R. onca and …

On The Physical Geography Of The Malay Archipelago (1863), Alfred Russel Wallace

Alfred Russel Wallace Classic Writings

No abstract provided.

Alfred Russel Wallace, Geographer, Charles H. Smith

DLPS Faculty Publications

Among the great explorers and thinkers who advanced geography in the nineteenth century and helped it evolve into the subject that exists today is a man who is not always connected with the field, Alfred Russel Wallace (1823–1913). Most commonly recognized as ‘the other man’ in the history of the discovery of the principle of natural selection, Wallace’s commitment to the study of landscape and its physical, biological, and human elements was lifelong, and resulted in a wide range of contributions to biogeography, physical geography, human geography, and ethnography. In this year of the double anniversaries of Charles Darwin’s birth …

Parallel Shifts In Ecology And Natural Selection In An Island Lizard, Ryan Calsbeek, Wolfgang Buermann, Thomas B. Smith

Dartmouth Scholarship

Natural selection is a potent evolutionary force that shapes phenotypic variation to match ecological conditions. However, we know little about the year-to-year consistency of selection, or how inter-annual variation in ecology shapes adaptive landscapes and ultimately adaptive radiations. Here we combine remote sensing data, field experiments, and a four-year study of natural selection to show that changes in vegetation structure associated with a severe drought altered both habitat use and natural selection in the brown anole, Anolis sagrei.

Results: In natural populations, lizards increased their use of vegetation in wet years and this was correlated with selection on limb length …

On The Law Which Has Regulated The Introduction Of New Species (1855), Alfred Russel Wallace

Alfred Russel Wallace Classic Writings

No abstract provided.

Molecular Systematics And Phylogeography Of The Genus Richardsonius, Derek Dee Houston

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The complex geological and climatic events that significantly altered the landscape throughout the Cenozoic Era impacted the diversification of many North American taxa, including freshwater fishes. Here, I employ an array of phylogenetic analyses using a multiple gene tree approach to address several questions regarding the phylogenetic relationships of the North American cyprinid genus Richardsonius and two other closely related genera, Clinostomus and Iotichthys. I also use divergence time estimates generated using fossil calibrations to qualitatively assess the phylogeographic implications of evolution within and among these three genera. Mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences show a sister relationship between Iotichthys and …

The Cynipoid Genus Paramblynotus: Revision, Phylogeny, And Historical Biogeography (Hymenoptera, Liopteridae), Zhiwei Liu, Fredrik Ronquist, Goeran Nordlander

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

The genus Paramblynotus is the most species-rich genus of the so-called macrocynipoids, the large cynipoid parasitoids of wood-boring and cone-boring insect larvae. The species range in size from some of the largest to the smallest macrocynipoids, comparable in size to microcynipoids. Paramblynotus members occur on all continents except Europe and Australia, with most species being tropical or subtropical. The biology is poorly known but a few observations indicate that the species are parasitoids of beetle larvae. In this monographic revision of the genus, we present a species-level cladistic analysis based on qualitative and quantitative features of the external morphology. For …