Evolution Commons^™

Patents And Technology Evolution: Altering Innovations And Innovators Via Patent Influences, Richard Gruner

Georgia Journal of Law & Technology

Technologies improve primarily through evolutionary change not rational optimization. New technologies emerge as attempts to solve practical problems, the technologies are tested in marketplaces to determine if they are superior in cost and function to alternatives, and those that fare well in the testing gain widespread adoption.  Widely adopted technologies, and their problems, form the basis for the next round of technology improvements and evolution.  Through these steps, evolutionary processes lacking rational direction can generate changing technologies matched to the desires and problems of present society.

As they operate to advance diverse technologies, evolutionary processes governing technology change are subject …

Compsobuthus Hadeki Sp. N. From Iraq (Scorpiones: Buthidae), František Kovařík, František Šťáhlavský

Euscorpius

A new species, Compsobuthus hadeki sp. n. from Iraq is described and fully complemented with color photographs and compared with morphologically the most similar species, C. matthiesseni (Birula, 1905). The two species can be unequivocally separated by the following morphological features: in C. hadeki sp. n., movable finger of pedipalp bears 9 rows of granules; telson with aculeus shorter than vesicle, and metasoma III with 10 carinae. Cytogenetic analysis was performed, revealing a diploid chromosome count of 22 in C. hadeki sp. n.

Structure And Diversity Of Play Behavior In Juvenile Belding's Ground Squirrels, Paul O'Driscoll Ii

Master's Theses

Play behavior is ubiquitous among juvenile mammals and can promote motor, social, and cognitive development, providing multiple adaptive benefits to young animals in some cases. The structure of play can be linked to the benefits it confers on individuals. I evaluated the structure of play in juvenile Belding’s ground squirrels (Urocitellus beldingi), a species for which multiple adaptive benefits of play have been identified. I compared juvenile play in U. beldingi to adult sexual and aggressive behavior to determine and classify similarities between juvenile play and adult behavior. I evaluated diversity in the behaviors expressed during play interactions and diversity …

Investigating Cryptic Diversity In The Hawaiian Endemic Plant, Psychotria Mariniana (Rubiaceae), Uyen Thi Hoang Nguyen

Master's Theses

Islands, with their isolation and steep environmental gradients, serve as natural laboratories for studying speciation. Molecular phylogenetic and population genetic methods utilizing Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) have revolutionized our ability to document patterns of genetic divergence and diversity. Cryptic diversity, genetically distinct populations that were previously unrecognized as unique, and cryptic speciation, where divergent genetic populations may be deserving of status as unique species, have been observed in many taxa. The Hawaiian Islands provide an ideal setting for studying divergence and speciation due to their extreme isolation, known ages, and volcanic origin. Previous work has investigated the evolutionary relationships of the …

A Reassessment Of “Tityus” Tenuimanus Banks, 1910, As A Misidentified Leiurus Sp. (Scorpiones: Buthidae), Mohamed Mousaid, Ersen A. Yağmur, Zoe Flores, Alana Rivera, Aziza Lansari, Abdellah Bouazza

Euscorpius

This study re-examines the holotype of “Tityus” tenuimanus Banks, 1910, previously synonymized with Buthus atlantis Pocock, 1889 by Lourenço & Francke (1984). Our results indicate that the specimen is a misidentified representative of Leiurus Ehrenberg, 1828, as it exhibits the diagnostic characters of this genus: the central lateral and posterior median carinae of the carapace fused into a lyre-shaped configuration, and tergites I–II bearing five granular carinae (a character absent in the genus Buthus Leach, 1815). Moreover, the holotype lacks one of the most distinctive characters of the genus Tityus Koch, 1836, namely the presence of a subaculear tubercle. The …

Scorpions In Brazilian Caves And Other Subterranean Habitats, Jonas E. Gallão, Bruno D, Lenhare, Misael Oliveira-Neto, Maria E. Bichuette

Euscorpius

Arachnids have successfully colonized subterranean environments. Compared to spiders, harvestmen, and pseudoscorpions, scorpions have a moderate number of subterranean species, including troglophiles and troglobites. Among the four families and 184 species and three subspecies of scorpions found in Brazil, three families and at least 33 species and one subspecies have been documented in subterranean habitats. This study presents a faunistic list of scorpion occurrences in caves and other types of subterranean habitats in Brazil, along with distribution maps and an attempt to classify species based on their use of and dependence on subterranean environments.

The Genus Nebo Simon, 1878 (Scorpiones: Diplocentridae) In Oman, Graeme Lowe

Euscorpius

No abstract provided.

Quantifying Genetic Diversity In Nematode Feeding Rate, Jacob King

Honors Theses

Understanding how populations persist under changing environmental conditions is a central question in ecology and evolutionary biology. Variation in traits related to resource acquisition may play a key role in determining population survival when resources are limited or fluctuate over time. In this study, I investigated how variation in feeding-related traits influences population persistence using a combination of computational modeling and laboratory experiments. I developed a stochastic, individual-based consumer–resource model to simulate population dynamics across varying levels of trait variance and resource regimes. Across 60,000 simulated populations, increased trait variation consistently reduced extinction risk and extended persistence time, although the …

I Lost My Number, Can I Have Yours? Body Image Satisfaction With Sexually Dimorphic Traits Is Associated With Men's Dating Anxiety And Confidence, David A. Frederick, Tania A. Reynolds, Nikoline L. Smart, Justin R. Garcia, David A. Puts

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Evolutionary scientists posit that sexual selection processes caused males to develop sexually dimorphic traits to aid them during intrasexual competition and increase their likelihood of being chosen as mates. Evolutionary social sciences have extensively examined women's preferences for traits such as muscle mass and voice pitch, reasoning that these traits serve as cues of men's ability to provide direct benefits (e.g., resources) and indirect (genetic) benefits passed on to offspring. At the same time, body image researchers have extensively focused on the social causes and consequences of men's dissatisfaction with their muscularity and body fat. We connected these two research …

Polydactyl Precursors: Insights Into Early Tetrapod Locomotion From Polydactyl American Alligators, Trevor P. Brewington

All Theses

Several of the earliest tetrapod lineages exhibited polydactyl limbs, with seven or eight digits per limb rather than the typical five or fewer seen in extant lineages. How these digit configurations might have been used during terrestrial locomotion is unclear, given the lack of living models in which their performance can be studied and limited evidence from fossil trackways. However, polydactyly occasionally appears in natural populations of American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis), animals with body plans that broadly resemble those of early tetrapods. To test how polydactyl limbs similar to those of early tetrapods might have functioned on land, …

Shape Variation In The Mandible Of The Borophagine Canids And Implications For Predatory Behavior, Benjamin Neavear

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The borophagines are an extinct lineage of canids that inhabited North America for more than 20 million years. This group included genera such as Aelurodon, Borophagus, and Epicyon. Borophagines are commonly referred to as “bone-crushing dogs” because their skull morphology converged with that of extant hyenas, predators capable of consuming bone. The purpose of this study was to determine whether convergence was present in the mandible, an anatomical structure strongly correlated with feeding behavior, particularly in the genera Aelurodon and Borophagus. It was hypothesized that most borophagine taxa possessed mandibular shapes similar to those of hyenas. Numerous mandibular characters were …

Morphological Variation Of Lingual Glands In Wild American Alligator (Alligator Mississippiensis) Populations, Benjamin Angalet

Master's Theses

American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) inhabit diverse aquatic ecosystems including freshwater wetlands, swamps, and estuarine rivers. As apex predators, their physiological resilience has implications for ecosystem stability and long-term conservation. With projected sea-level rise and increasing saltwater intrusion into coastal freshwater habitats, understanding the osmoregulatory capacity of alligators is increasingly important. Unlike marine-tolerant crocodilians such as the saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), which possess specialized salt-secreting lingual glands in addition to renal and cloacal mechanisms, the morphology and physiological significance of lingual glands in wild American alligators remain poorly understood. This study examined lingual gland morphology and plasma …

The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Host: Fleas And The History Of Pikas In North America, Josh Pletcher

All NMU Master's Theses

Parasite phylogenetics can offer windows into the cryptic evolutionary history of hosts, often highlighting events that are not recorded by the phylogenetics of the host. Pikas (small lagomorphs) host a diverse parasite community comprising endoparasites (e.g., coccidians, nematodes, and cestodes) and ectoparasites (e.g., fleas and mites). Phylogenetic analysis of pika endoparasites has revealed pikas evolved in Asia and colonized North America in two waves, and that contact between these two pika lineages allowed parasites to be transferred from one lineage to another and to survive the extinction of their original host. To uncover these cryptic histories, understanding the biogeography of …

Ontogeny And The Effects Of Perinatal Stress In The First Immature Skeleton Of Teleoceras Aepysoma (Perissodactyla, Rhinocerotidae), Joe Gajewski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recovery of an immature fossil rhinoceros (Teleoceras aepysoma) skeleton (ETMNH 32999) from the Gray Fossil Site in Tennessee offers the first insights into the ontogeny of the species. ETMNH 32999 is interpreted to be a subadult male in an age class equivalent to ~17-20% of potential lifespan. Comparative analyses support the hypothesis that subadults of related taxa are typically ~91% of average adult size in most dimensions. However, certain cranial dimensions are substantially lower than expected in ETMNH 32999, averaging only ~74% of the average conspecific adult. Such departure from typical growth rates is suggested to be attributable …

Awe As Signpost: An Argument For The Consistency Of Lewis’S “Joy” And Psychological Awe, Audrey Hendricks

Senior Honors Theses

C.S. Lewis’s Surprised by Joy details Lewis’s autobiographical apologetic for the existence of God through his experiences of “Joy,” a technical term invented by Lewis. Upon close study, his experiences of Joy contain many similarities to psychological awe. This investigation compares Lewis’s Joy with psychological awe using the Awe Experience Scale (AWE-S) to determine consistency. Lewis’s Joy was found to be consistent with all six criteria of the AWE-S in addition to other recognized psychological characteristics of awe. In addition to qualitative consistency, this review also argues for the teleological consistency of the two concepts, contending for a Christian teleological …

Sex Or Survival: Does Wounding Elicit A Somatic Reproductive Tradeoff In Narnia Femorata Males?, Lillian E. Burbulis

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

Animals must partition resources into different life history traits resulting in tradeoffs because resources are finite. A tradeoff is the allocation of resources to one trait over another. Theory states that energy is allocated in a hierarchical fashion. For example, somatic maintenance should be a higher priority than reproduction, resulting in more resources being allocated to somatic maintenance compared to reproductive traits. The metabolic investment hypothesis states that energy must follow a hierarchical order prioritizing somatic maintenance over reproduction. Another hypothesis for energy allocation is the terminal investment hypothesis. This hypothesis states that energy will be allocated to reproduction over …

Aggression And Fish Welfare: Challenges And Opportunities, Christine M. Soper, Peter D. Dijkstra

Animal Sentience

Oldfield & Bonano’s (2024) [O&B] target article discusses the wellbeing and sociality of bony fishes. Many fish species, such as cichlids, are not only social but territorial. Aggression is normal, but territorial aggression in a captive environment can have a negative impact on welfare. Aggression-related injuries and deaths are prevalent in pet stores as well as research settings. We discuss the need to develop effective methods to minimize the negative consequences of aggression.

Variation In Infection Prevalence Of Splendidofilaria Pectoralis Across Alaskan Grouse Populations, Anahi Garcia Valdez, Diego Martinez

Create@State

In recent years, rapid climate change has altered species distributions worldwide and influenced parasite transmission dynamics in wildlife systems. Parasite infections play an important role in shaping patterns of disease distribution across species and populations. Understanding variation in infection prevalence across geographic regions and host demographic groups is essential for interpreting these patterns. Splendidofilaria pectoralis is a filarial nematode that infects the connective tissues of grouse (Aves: Tetraonini) in Alaska and has been moving northward as the climate warms. However, relatively little is known about the variation in prevalence of the nematode across geography and demography. This project examines variation …

An Integrative Description Of Euscorpius Diagorasi Sp. N. From Rhodes, Greece (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae), Konstantinos Kalaentzis, Francesco Frigioni, Eliza Kaitetzidou, Alessio Iannucci, Alexandros Triantafyllidis

Euscorpius

The genus Euscorpius Thorell, 1876 comprises a diverse and taxonomically challenging group of scorpions in the Mediterranean, with Greece representing one of its principal centers of diversity. In this study, we provide an integrative description of Euscorpius diagorasi sp. n., a new species from Rhodes Island, Greece. The new species is described on the basis of adult male and female morphology and mitochondrial COI sequence data. It is a small oligotrichous species characterized by a total length of approximately 21–25 mm, pale yellow to light brown coloration with darker reddish-brown pedipalps, pectinal tooth count of 8 in the male …

Not Just Static: Evolutionary Throughlines In The Female Voice, Maria Hand '26

Honor Scholar Theses

Vocal communication is essential for many forms of human interaction and discourse. As such, the human voice has been the subject of extensive scientific research in a variety of contexts, including that of potentially evolved characteristics. Researchers have long studied the various changes that occur in direct relation to hormonal shifts across the ovulatory cycle, but one particularly interesting facet of this research is the voice. There are numerous acoustic parameters that are highly socially salient, and thus an ideal means with which to study potential ovulatory cycle related changes. Studies of this subject additionally provide further insight into the …