scholarly journals The evolution of scarab beetles tracks the sequential rise of angiosperms and mammals

2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1791) ◽  
pp. 20141470 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dirk Ahrens ◽  
Julia Schwarzer ◽  
Alfried P. Vogler
Keyword(s):  
Dna Markers ◽  
Time Lag ◽  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Crown Group ◽  
Evolutionary Mechanisms ◽  
Fossil Calibration ◽  
Multiple Origins ◽  
Pollen Feeding ◽  
Evolutionary Success ◽  
Terrestrial Biodiversity

Extant terrestrial biodiversity arguably is driven by the evolutionary success of angiosperm plants, but the evolutionary mechanisms and timescales of angiosperm-dependent radiations remain poorly understood. The Scarabaeoidea is a diverse lineage of predominantly plant- and dung-feeding beetles. Here, we present a phylogenetic analysis of Scarabaeoidea based on four DNA markers for a taxonomically comprehensive set of specimens and link it to recently described fossil evidence. The phylogeny strongly supports multiple origins of coprophagy, phytophagy and anthophagy. The ingroup-based fossil calibration of the tree widely confirmed a Jurassic origin of the Scarabaeoidea crown group. The crown groups of phytophagous lineages began to radiate first (Pleurostict scarabs: 108 Ma; Glaphyridae between 101 Ma), followed by the later diversification of coprophagous lineages (crown-group age Scarabaeinae: 76 Ma; Aphodiinae: 50 Ma). Pollen feeding arose even later, at maximally 62 Ma in the oldest anthophagous lineage. The clear time lag between the origins of herbivores and coprophages suggests an evolutionary path driven by the angiosperms that first favoured the herbivore fauna (mammals and insects) followed by the secondary radiation of the dung feeders. This finding makes it less likely that extant dung beetle lineages initially fed on dinosaur excrements, as often hypothesized.

Molecular paleobiology of early-branching animals: integrating DNA and fossils elucidates the evolutionary history of hexactinellid sponges

Paleobiology ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Dohrmann ◽  
Sergio Vargas ◽  
Dorte Janussen ◽  
Allen G. Collins ◽  
Gert Wörheide
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Record ◽  
Classification Systems ◽  
Great Promise ◽  
Crown Group ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Fossil Calibration ◽  
Molecular Phylogenetic ◽  
Temporal Succession ◽  
History Of ◽  
Glass Sponges

Reconciliation of paleontological and molecular phylogenetic evidence holds great promise for a better understanding of the temporal succession of cladogenesis and character evolution, especially for taxa with a fragmentary fossil record and uncertain classification. In zoology, studies of this kind have largely been restricted to Bilateria. Hexactinellids (glass sponges) readily lend themselves to test such an approach for early-branching (non-bilaterian) animals: they have a long and rich fossil record, but for certain taxa paleontological evidence is still scarce or ambiguous. Furthermore, there is a lack of consensus for taxonomic interpretations, and discrepancies exist between neontological and paleontological classification systems. Using conservative fossil calibration constraints and the largest molecular phylogenetic data set assembled for this group, we infer divergence times of crown-group Hexactinellida in a Bayesian relaxed molecular clock framework. With some notable exceptions, our results are largely congruent with interpretations of the hexactinellid fossil record, but also indicate long periods of undocumented evolution for several groups. This study illustrates the potential of an integrated molecular/paleobiological approach to reconstructing the evolution of challenging groups of organisms.

scholarly journals A preliminary phylogeny of cave trechine beetles from China (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Trechini)

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sunbin Huang ◽  
Mingyi Tian ◽  
Arnaud Faille
Keyword(s):  
Sequence Data ◽  
Southern China ◽  
Systematic Position ◽  
Monophyletic Clade ◽  
Evolutionary Mechanisms ◽  
Molecular Sequence Data ◽  
Molecular Sequence ◽  
Mitochondrial Markers ◽  
The World ◽  
Evolutionary Success

Coleoptera is one of the most successful groups among the subterranean fauna. Within Carabidae, 25 tribes have been reported in subterranean habitats, including the first representative of the tribe Patrobini, just described from Southern China. Amongst them, Trechini is the most diverse and cave-specialized group, and the numerous lineages of this group which have diversified underground make it an excellent model for the study of evolutionary mechanisms. In China, 152 species within 52 genera of Trechini have been described so far. In order to unveil the relationships and origin of this remarkable biodiversity and to understand the evolutionary success of this group, we infer the first phylogeny of the group by using molecular sequence data from four genes (two mitochondrial markers: cox1 and 16S; plus two nuclear: 18S and 28S). We found that the Chinese cave Trechini do not form a monophyletic clade and we identified three main independent subterranean clades. To define the systematic position of the main clades on a worldwide scale, we gathered other Trechini sequence data from different lineages and part of the world. The preliminary results will be presented in this talk.

Accounting for Uncertainty in the Evolutionary Timescale of Green Plants Through Clock-Partitioning and Fossil Calibration Strategies

2019 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuan Nie ◽  
Charles S P Foster ◽  
Tianqi Zhu ◽  
Ru Yao ◽  
David A Duchêne ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Global Climate ◽  
Divergence Time ◽  
Tree Topology ◽  
Molecular Dating ◽  
Crown Group ◽  
Green Plants ◽  
Fossil Calibration ◽  
Divergence Time Estimates ◽  
Time Estimates ◽  
Chloroplast Genomes

Abstract Establishing an accurate evolutionary timescale for green plants (Viridiplantae) is essential to understanding their interaction and coevolution with the Earth’s climate and the many organisms that rely on green plants. Despite being the focus of numerous studies, the timing of the origin of green plants and the divergence of major clades within this group remain highly controversial. Here, we infer the evolutionary timescale of green plants by analyzing 81 protein-coding genes from 99 chloroplast genomes, using a core set of 21 fossil calibrations. We test the sensitivity of our divergence-time estimates to various components of Bayesian molecular dating, including the tree topology, clock models, clock-partitioning schemes, rate priors, and fossil calibrations. We find that the choice of clock model affects date estimation and that the independent-rates model provides a better fit to the data than the autocorrelated-rates model. Varying the rate prior and tree topology had little impact on age estimates, with far greater differences observed among calibration choices and clock-partitioning schemes. Our analyses yield date estimates ranging from the Paleoproterozoic to Mesoproterozoic for crown-group green plants, and from the Ediacaran to Middle Ordovician for crown-group land plants. We present divergence-time estimates of the major groups of green plants that take into account various sources of uncertainty. Our proposed timeline lays the foundation for further investigations into how green plants shaped the global climate and ecosystems, and how embryophytes became dominant in terrestrial environments.

New fossil Odonata from the Upper Jurassic of Bavaria with a new fossil calibration point for Zygoptera

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (6) ◽  
pp. 618-632 ◽  
Author(s):  
GÜNTER BECHLY
Keyword(s):  
New Taxa ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Upper Jurassic ◽  
New Taxon ◽  
Calibration Point ◽  
Crown Group ◽  
Fossil Calibration ◽  
Solnhofen Limestone

Three new taxa of odonates are described from the Upper Jurassic Solnhofen limestone from Eichstätt and Painten in Bavaria (Germany), including the first two genuine Zygoptera (Andrephlebia buergeri gen. et sp. nov. in fam. inc. sed. and Jurahemiphlebia haeckeli gen. et sp. nov. in Hemiphlebiidae) and a new taxon of Stenophlebioptera (Reschiostenophlebia koschnyi gen. et sp. nov. in Stenophlebiidae). With an age of about 152 million years, the holotype of Jurahemiphlebia from the Painten locality represents the oldest fossil record and thus a new calibration point for crown group Zygoptera, Lestoidea, and Hemiphlebiidae, and the oldest record for any living odonate family. Furthermore, the first relatively complete specimen of the dragonfly Prohemeroscopus kuehnapfeli (Prohemeroscopidae) is described, which was previously known only from a pair of isolated hind wings. A revised diagnosis is provided for the species and genus.

Venomics: integrative venom proteomics and beyond*

2017 ◽  
Vol 474 (5) ◽  
pp. 611-634 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan J. Calvete
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Ecology ◽  
Phenotypic Trait ◽  
Ecological Constraints ◽  
Evolutionary Mechanisms ◽  
The Road ◽  
Road Map ◽  
Chance Events ◽  
History Of ◽  
Evolutionary Success ◽  
Animal Venoms

Venoms are integrated phenotypes that evolved independently in, and are used for predatory and defensive purposes by, a wide phylogenetic range of organisms. The same principles that contribute to the evolutionary success of venoms, contribute to making the study of venoms of great interest in such diverse fields as evolutionary ecology and biotechnology. Evolution is profoundly contingent, and nature also reinvents itself continuosly. Changes in a complex phenotypic trait, such as venom, reflect the influences of prior evolutionary history, chance events, and selection. Reconstructing the natural history of venoms, particularly those of snakes, which will be dealt with in more detail in this review, requires the integration of different levels of knowledge into a meaningful and comprehensive evolutionary framework for separating stochastic changes from adaptive evolution. The application of omics technologies and other disciplines have contributed to a qualitative and quantitative advance in the road map towards this goal. In this review we will make a foray into the world of animal venoms, discuss synergies and complementarities of the different approaches used in their study, and identify current bottlenecks that prevent inferring the evolutionary mechanisms and ecological constraints that molded snake venoms to their present-day variability landscape.

scholarly journals A molecular palaeobiological exploration of arthropod terrestrialization

2016 ◽  
Vol 371 (1699) ◽  
pp. 20150133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesus Lozano-Fernandez ◽  
Robert Carton ◽  
Alastair R. Tanner ◽  
Mark N. Puttick ◽  
Mark Blaxter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Divergence Times ◽  
Crown Group ◽  
Terrestrial Arthropods ◽  
Biological Adaptation ◽  
Fossil Evidence ◽  
History Of ◽  
Terrestrial Fungi ◽  
Terrestrial Biodiversity ◽  
Body Fossil ◽  
Colonization Of Land

Understanding animal terrestrialization, the process through which animals colonized the land, is crucial to clarify extant biodiversity and biological adaptation. Arthropoda (insects, spiders, centipedes and their allies) represent the largest majority of terrestrial biodiversity. Here we implemented a molecular palaeobiological approach, merging molecular and fossil evidence, to elucidate the deepest history of the terrestrial arthropods. We focused on the three independent, Palaeozoic arthropod terrestrialization events (those of Myriapoda, Hexapoda and Arachnida) and showed that a marine route to the colonization of land is the most likely scenario. Molecular clock analyses confirmed an origin for the three terrestrial lineages bracketed between the Cambrian and the Silurian. While molecular divergence times for Arachnida are consistent with the fossil record, Myriapoda are inferred to have colonized land earlier, substantially predating trace or body fossil evidence. An estimated origin of myriapods by the Early Cambrian precedes the appearance of embryophytes and perhaps even terrestrial fungi, raising the possibility that terrestrialization had independent origins in crown-group myriapod lineages, consistent with morphological arguments for convergence in tracheal systems. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Dating species divergences using rocks and clocks’.

scholarly journals No evidence for the radiation time lag model after whole genome duplications in Teleostei

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sacha Laurent ◽  
Nicolas Salamin ◽  
Marc Robinson-Rechavi
Keyword(s):  
Time Lag ◽  
Land Plant ◽  
Plant Evolution ◽  
Whole Genome ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Whole Genome Duplications ◽  
Genome Duplications ◽  
Lag Model ◽  
Evolutionary Success ◽  
Radiation Time

AbstractThe short and long term effects of polyploidization on the evolutionary fate of lineages is still unclear despite much interest. First recognized in land plants, it has become clear that polyploidization is widespread in eukaryotes, notably at the origin of vertebrates and teleost fishes. Many hypotheses have been proposed to link the evolutionary success of lineages and whole genome duplications. For instance, the radiation time lag model suggests that paleopolyploidy would favour the apparition of key innovations, although the evolutionary success would not become apparent until a later dispersion event. Some results indicate that this model may be observed during land plant evolution. In this work, we test predictions of the radiation time lag model using both fossil data and molecular phylogenies in ancient and more recent teleost whole genome duplications. We fail to find any evidence of delayed evolutionary success after any of these events and conclude that paleopolyploidization still remains to be unambiguously linked to evolutionary success in fishes.

scholarly journals Multiple origins and a narrow genepool characterise the African tea germplasm: concordant patterns revealed by nuclear and plastid DNA markers

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Moses Cheloti Wambulwa ◽  
Muditha Kasun Meegahakumbura ◽  
Samson Kamunya ◽  
Alice Muchugi ◽  
Michael Möller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Markers ◽  
Plastid Dna ◽  
Multiple Origins

scholarly journals Long-distance dispersal shaped the diversity of tribe Dorstenieae (Moraceae)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qian Zhang ◽  
Elliot Gardner ◽  
Nyree Zerega ◽  
Hervé Sauquet
Keyword(s):  
Long Distance Dispersal ◽  
Crown Group ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Origin And Evolution ◽  
Biogeographic History ◽  
Joint Area ◽  
Model Clade ◽  
Terrestrial Biodiversity ◽  
Bayesian Relaxed Clock

AbstractAimThe Neotropics have the highest terrestrial biodiversity on earth. Investigating the relationships between the floras of the Neotropics and other tropical areas is critical to understanding the origin and evolution of this mega-diverse region. Tribe Dorstenieae (Moraceae) has a pantropical distribution and almost equal number of species on both sides of the Atlantic. In this study, we investigate the relationship between the African and Neotropical floras using Dorstenieae (15 genera, 156 species, Moraceae) as a model clade.Locationthe Neotropics and Africa.MethodsWe used a targeted enrichment strategy with herbarium samples and a nuclear bait set to assemble a data set of 102 genes sampled from 83 (53%) species and fifteen genera (100%) of Dorstenieae, and five outgroup species. Phylogenetic relationships were reconstructed with maximum likelihood and coalescent approaches. This phylogeny was dated with a Bayesian relaxed clock model and four fossil calibrations. The biogeographic history of the group was then reconstructed with several dispersal-extinction-cladogenesis models (incl. DEC and DEC+J).ResultsThe crown-group ages of Dorstenieae and Dorstenia were estimated in the Cretaceous (65.8-79.8 Ma) and the Paleocene (50.8-67.3 Ma), respectively. Tribe Dorstenieae as a whole appears to have originated in the joint area of continental Africa, Madagascar and Asia-Oceania area. The Neotropical species of Dorstenia diversified in the Eocene (29.8-44.7 Ma) and formed a clade nested within the African lineages in the genus. Brosimum s.l., with a crown-group age at the period of the Oligocene and Miocene (14.9-31.1 Ma), represents another Neotropical clade in Dorstenieae.Main conclusionsTribe Dorstenieae originated in the joint area of continental Africa, Madagascar and Asia-Oceania area in the Cretaceous and then dispersed into Neotropics twice. Neotropical diversification after long-distance dispersal across the Atlantic is the most plausible explanation for the extant distribution pattern of Dorstenieae.

scholarly journals Timing and ecological priority shaped the diversification of sedges in the Himalayas

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e6792 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uzma ◽  
Pedro Jiménez-Mejías ◽  
Rabia Amir ◽  
Muhammad Qasim Hayat ◽  
Andrew L. Hipp
Keyword(s):  
Maximum Likelihood ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Nuclear Ribosomal Dna ◽  
Climatic Data ◽  
Historical Contingency ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Fossil Calibration ◽  
Ecological Diversification ◽  
Himalayan Orogeny ◽  
Multiple Origins

Background Diversification patterns in the Himalayas have been important to our understanding of global biodiversity. Despite recent broad-scale studies, the most diverse angiosperm genus of the temperate zone—Carex L. (Cyperaceae), with ca. 2100 species worldwide—has not yet been studied in the Himalayas, which contains 189 Carex species. Here the timing and phylogenetic pattern of lineage and ecological diversification were inferred in this ecologically significant genus. We particularly investigated whether priority, adaptation to ecological conditions, or both explain the highly successful radiation of the Kobresia clade (ca. 60 species, of which around 40 are present in the Himalayas) of Himalayan Carex. Methods Phylogenetic relationships were inferred using maximum likelihood analysis of two nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) regions (ITS and ETS) and one plastid gene (matK); the resulting tree was time-calibrated using penalized likelihood and a fossil calibration at the root of the tree. Biogeographical reconstruction for estimation of historical events and ancestral ranges was performed using the dispersal-extinction-cladogenesis (DEC) model, and reciprocal effects between biogeography and diversification were inferred using the geographic state speciation and extinction (GeoSSE) model. Climatic envelopes for all species for which mapped specimen data available were estimated using climatic data from WORLDCLIM, and climatic niche evolution was inferred using a combination of Ornstein-Uhlenbeck models of shifting adaptive optima and maximum likelihood inference of ancestral character states under a Brownian motion model. Results The Himalayan Carex flora represents three of the five major Carex clades, each represented by multiple origins within the Himalayas. The oldest Carex radiation in the region, dating to ca. 20 Ma, near the time of Himalayan orogeny, gave rise to the now abundant Kobresia clade via long-distance dispersal from the Nearctic. The Himalayan Carex flora comprises a heterogeneous sample of diversifications drawn from throughout the cosmopolitan, but mostly temperate, Carex radiation. Most radiations are relatively recent, but the widespread and diverse Himalayan Kobresia radiation arose at the early Miocene. The timing and predominance of Kobresia in high-elevation Himalayan meadows suggests that Kobresia may have excluded other Carex lineages: the success of Kobresia in the Himalayas, in other words, appears to be a consequence largely of priority, competitive exclusion and historical contingency.

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