The phylogeny of Aphroditiformia, benthic polychaetes carrying dorsal elytra, is assessed from nuclear 18S rDNA, mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI), and 31 morphological characters. Two non-elytrabearing taxa, Palmyra and... more
The phylogeny of Aphroditiformia, benthic polychaetes carrying dorsal elytra, is assessed from nuclear 18S rDNA, mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI), and 31 morphological characters. Two non-elytrabearing taxa, Palmyra and Pisione, are included to assess their relationship to the elytrabearers. The data are analysed both separately and combined, with parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses. In total, 19 terminal taxa are examined, including 12 elytrabearing taxa from all scale-worm groups, Palmyra, Pisione, and five outgroup taxa. The results show that Palmyra and Pisione are nested within Aphroditiformia. Palmyra is sister to Aphrodita, and both Pisione and Pholoe are positioned within Sigalionidae, suggesting that both family names Pisionidae and Pholoidae should be treated as junior synonyms of Sigalionidae.
Research Interests: Evolutionary Biology, Genetics, Zoology, Phylogenetics, Biology, and 14 moreMorphology, Mitochondria, Medicine, Phylogeny, Mitochondrial DNA, Maximum Likelihood, Polychaeta, Animals, Cytochrome c oxidase, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, Morphological Characters, Cell nucleus, Ribosomal DNA, and Taxon
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We assess phylogenetic relationships within the polychaete family Hesionidae from morphological data combined with nucleotide data from 18S rDNA, 28S rDNA, 16S rDNA and COI. Parsimony and Bayesian analyses were performed on two data sets;... more
We assess phylogenetic relationships within the polychaete family Hesionidae from morphological data combined with nucleotide data from 18S rDNA, 28S rDNA, 16S rDNA and COI. Parsimony and Bayesian analyses were performed on two data sets; the first was based on a more restricted set of terminals with both morphological and molecular data (17 ingroup terminals), while the second included additional taxa with morphological data only (25 ingroup terminals). The different sets of terminals yielded fully congruent results, as did the parsimony and the Bayesian analyses. Our results indicate high levels of homoplasy in traditionally used morphological characters in the group, and that Hesioninae, Gyptini and Gyptis are nonmonophyletic. Hesionini (mainly Hesione and Leocrates), Psamathini (mainly Hesiospina, Micropodarke, Nereimyra, Psamathe and Syllidia), Ophiodrominae (Gyptini and Ophiodromini) and Ophiodromini (mainly Heteropodarke, Ophiodromus and Podarkeopsis) are monophyletic and agree with previous classifications, and Hesionini is probably the sister to all other hesionids. The placements of the small hesionids capricornia and Lizardia, the hydrothermal vent taxa Hesiodeira and Hesiolyra, and the newly described Hesiobranchia, remain uncertain.
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Research Interests: Evolutionary Biology, Genetics, Molecular Evolution, Biology, Medicine, and 15 moreMolecular, Liver, Animals, Gene, Gene Duplication, Enzyme, Guinea Pig, Convergent Evolution, Boidae, Amino Acid Sequence, Base Sequence, Gene Family, Organic Compound, Biochemistry and cell biology, and Bayesian approach
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The phylogeny of all species and nearly all subspecies of Seicercus and representatives of all subgenera in Phylloscopus was estimated based on two mitochondrial genes. According to the gene tree, and supported by non‐molecular data,... more
The phylogeny of all species and nearly all subspecies of Seicercus and representatives of all subgenera in Phylloscopus was estimated based on two mitochondrial genes. According to the gene tree, and supported by non‐molecular data, Seicercus belongs in three separate clades. Two of these include only taxa currently classified as Seicercus, while the third comprises S. xanthoschistos and P. occipitalis. These results suggest that both Seicercus and Phylloscopus are paraphyletic. The gene tree suggests two more cases of non‐monophyly: (1) the ‘S. burkii complex’ is separated into two different clades, one of which also includes S. affinis and S. poliogenys; (2) two populations of S. affinis intermedius are more closely related to S. affinis ocularis than to a third population of intermedius. A recent proposal to split the ‘S. burkii complex’ into six species is corroborated, as is the recognition of the taxon cognitus as a colour morph of S. affinis intermedius. Our study also revealed unexpectedly large genetic divergences between three different populations of the monotypic S. poliogenys, indicating the presence of cryptic species. Our results underscore the importance of dense sampling at the specific and infraspecific levels in intrageneric phylogenetic studies.
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Research Interests: Evolutionary Biology, Genetics, Zoology, Biology, Morphology, and 14 moreMedicine, Biological Sciences, Phylogeny, Maximum Likelihood, Polychaeta, Animals, Paraphyly, Morphological Analysis, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, Natural Sciences, Support Group, Monophyly, Molecular Sequence Data, and Taxon
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Research Interests: Evolutionary Biology, Genetics, Zoology, Biology, Medicine, and 15 morePhylogeny, Plumage, Animals, Parallel Evolution, Old World, New World, Molecular phylogenetics, Genetic Divergence, Monophyly, Cytochrome B Gene, Subspecies, Passeriformes, Bayes Theorem, Relative Position, and Ornithine decarboxylase
Taxon names should be founded on phylogenetic relationships. and the names defined on the basis of common ancestry. Definitions based on evolutionary relationships relate the names to a phylogeny, and while the inclusiveness of the name... more
Taxon names should be founded on phylogenetic relationships. and the names defined on the basis of common ancestry. Definitions based on evolutionary relationships relate the names to a phylogeny, and while the inclusiveness of the name may change with changing hypotheses of monophyly, the actual name remains unaltered. The limits of the name arc fixed by pointing to a monophyletic clade, where group membership is determined by the relationship to this clade. and not to subjective decisions of taxon delineations. Since phylogenetic definitions unambiguously connect the name to a specified clade, and not to a type, the conventional type concept becomes superfluous. We furthermore consider the Linnean categories poorly suited to convey the information in evolutionary trees, and suggest that these categories are abandoned.
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Research Interests: Evolutionary Biology, Genetics, Systematics (Taxonomy), Zoology, Ornithology, and 15 morePhylogenetics, Taxonomy, Biology, Medicine, Phylogeny, Animals, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, Molecular phylogenetics, Introns, Myoglobin, Cytochrome B, Cytochrome B Gene, Phylogenetic Tree, Sparrows, and Taxon
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We investigated the use of eDNA metabarcoding for supplementing traditional diver-based monitoring of biodiversity of marine boulder reefs within the photic zone. The applied sampling design made it possible to evaluate the usefulness of... more
We investigated the use of eDNA metabarcoding for supplementing traditional diver-based monitoring of biodiversity of marine boulder reefs within the photic zone. The applied sampling design made it possible to evaluate the usefulness of eDNA monitoring as a supplement for traditional monitoring. Specifically, this study aimed to (1) assess the local influence of boulder reefs on biodiversity across the North Sea to Baltic Sea transition zone and (2) investigate the importance of environmental gradients for patterns in community structure. On samples collected during August 2020, we compared the composition and abundance of species associated with nine reefs, representing an environmental gradient of salinity (16–33 psu), water temperature (16–21°C) and water depth (6–29 m). At each reef site, water was sampled near the bottom just above the reef and on average 2.6 km upstream and downstream (location) and sequenced with metabarcoding using COI, 18S and 12S rDNA primers. eDNA identi...
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<p>ENc were plotted against GC content at the third codon position. The expected ENc from GC3 are shown as a standard curve.</p
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Marine hard-bottom communities are undergoing severe change under the influence of multiple drivers, notably climate change, extraction of natural resources, pollution and eutrophication, habitat degradation, and invasive species.... more
Marine hard-bottom communities are undergoing severe change under the influence of multiple drivers, notably climate change, extraction of natural resources, pollution and eutrophication, habitat degradation, and invasive species. Monitoring marine biodiversity in such habitats is, however, challenging as it typically involves expensive, non-standardized, and often destructive sampling methods that limit its scalability. Differences in monitoring approaches furthermore hinders inter-comparison among monitoring programs. Here, we announce a Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) consisting of Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) with the aim to assess the status and changes in benthic fauna with genomic-based methods, notably DNA metabarcoding, in combination with image-based identifications. This article presents the results of a 30-month pilot phase in which we established an operational and geographically expansive ARMS-MBON. The network currently consists of 20 ob...
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The order Chiroptera contains about 1200 extant species which are arranged in 19 families (Fenton 2010), but there are few species that have complete mitochondrial genome sequences. In this study, we sequenced the complete mitochondrial... more
The order Chiroptera contains about 1200 extant species which are arranged in 19 families (Fenton 2010), but there are few species that have complete mitochondrial genome sequences. In this study, we sequenced the complete mitochondrial genome of Rhinolophus luctus and Hipposideros armiger. And the sequences are deposited in GenBank under the following accession numbers: JN980966 and JN986580, respectively. The individuals were captured in Sichuan province in China. The initial three segments of the mitochondrial genome of R. luctus and H. armiger were amplified using primers, which were designed based on conserved domains, respectively. Then the rest of the mitochondrial genome of H. armiger and R. luctus were amplified using the new primers, which were designed based on the initial attained short-range segments in H. armiger and R. luctus, respectively. The amplification was carried out in 50ml reaction volumes with 5ml of 10 £ LA PCR Buffer II (Mg2 þ Free), 8ml dNTP Mixture (2.5 mM each), 5ml MgCl (25 mM), 1ml of each primer (10mM), 0.5 ml TaKaRa LA Taq (5 U/ml) and approximately 200 ng total genomic DNA as the template. PCR conditions were an initial predenaturation for 5 min at 958C, followed by 35 cycles of 60-s denaturations at 948C, 50-s annealing at 50–588C, 1–6-min extensions at 728C and a final extension at 728C for 10 min. PCR products were purified using gel extraction kits (TIANgel Midi Purification Kit, China) and then sequenced directly using the ABI DNA sequencer. Their organization and gene order were similar to those of other Chiroptera mitochondrial genomes. The nucleotide sequence data of 12 heavy-strand protein-coding genes of R. luctus and H. armiger and other 10 Chiroptera species were used for the phylogenetic analysis. Bayesian inference (BI) and maximum parsimony (MP) frameworks were used to examine the phylogenetic position of R. luctus and H. armiger. The best-fit GTR þ I þ G model of DNA substitution was obtained using MrModeltest 2.2 (Nylander 2004) under the Akaike Information Criterion (Akaike 1974). BI analysis was carried out with MrBayes 3.1.2 (Ronquist and Huelsenbeck 2003). In the case of the Bayesian analyses, two independent runs with four Markov Chain Monte Carlo chains were performed. Each run was processed 2,000,000 generations and sampled every 100 generations. Then the 20% of the trees were discarded and the remaining trees were used to construct a 50% majority rule consensus tree. MP phylogenetic analysis was conducted using PAUP* 4.0b10 (Swofford 2002). In the MP method, a consensus tree was made for the equally weighted MP analysis using the majority of rule. The reliability of clades was assessed in phylogenetic trees by bootstrap probabilities, which were computed using 2000 replicates with random additional sequencing replicates for each bootstrap replicate. Both optimality criteria yielded the same topology; the tree is shown in Figure 1. In 1998, living bats were arranged in two suborders, Megachiroptera that only contains Pteropodidae and Microchiroptera, but since 2006 the two suborders are revised as Yinpterochiroptera that includes Pteropodidae, Rhinolophidae, Hipposideridae,
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This study contributes to knowledge about pupils’ conceptions of species. There is no unique and unequivocal definition of the species concept and this is a matter of discussion among biology researchers. This complexity is not... more
This study contributes to knowledge about pupils’ conceptions of species. There is no unique and unequivocal definition of the species concept and this is a matter of discussion among biology researchers. This complexity is not communicated when the species concept is presented in Swedish Biology textbooks used in grades 6/7–9. Diverse conceptualizations of science concepts among pupils have, however, been analyzed in previous educational studies. This study analyses pupils’ expressions concerning species and the species concept and how these correspond to the presentations of them in Biology textbooks. The findings are based on results from content analyses of seven textbooks as well as a questionnaire answered by 12–15-year-old pupils. The results demonstrate that pupils essentially base their perception of the species concept on morphological similarities; hence the pupils’ perceptions deviate from textbook presentations. This is an issue which teachers, textbook authors and prod...
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Developments in nemertean research over the last 35+ years are reviewed from a systematist's perspective. Nemertean systematics and classification, until fairly recently, was not based on explicit phylogenetic hypotheses, but rather... more
Developments in nemertean research over the last 35+ years are reviewed from a systematist's perspective. Nemertean systematics and classification, until fairly recently, was not based on explicit phylogenetic hypotheses, but rather on subjective assessment of "important characters". The first cladistic analyses appeared in the 1980s and were criticized at the time by leading researchers in nemertean systematics for not taking into account convergent evolution in ribbon worm morphology. The first molecular study involving the phylum Nemertea appeared in 1992, followed by reports later in the 1990s and early 2000s. Molecular information is now commonplace in nemertean research, and has changed our understanding of evolutionary relationships within the phylum, as well as our view on species and intraspecific variation. Challenges in nemertean systematics and taxonomy are discussed, with special emphasis on future species descriptions, and how to deal with a number of spe...
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Three species of marine nemerteans described and illustrated from Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, include one new genus and two new species: these are the monostiliferous hoplonemerteans Thallasionemertes leucocephala... more
Three species of marine nemerteans described and illustrated from Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, include one new genus and two new species: these are the monostiliferous hoplonemerteans Thallasionemertes leucocephala gen. et sp. nov. and Correanemertes polyophthalma sp. nov. A new colour variety of the heteronemertean Micrura callima is also reported, this species previously only being known from Rottnest Island, Western Australia. A key for the field identification of the marine nemerteans recorded from coastal Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef is provided.
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ABSTRACT Taxon names should be founded on phylogenetic relationships. and the names defined on the basis of common ancestry. Definitions based on evolutionary relationships relate the names to a phylogeny, and while the inclusiveness of... more
ABSTRACT Taxon names should be founded on phylogenetic relationships. and the names defined on the basis of common ancestry. Definitions based on evolutionary relationships relate the names to a phylogeny, and while the inclusiveness of the name may change with changing hypotheses of monophyly, the actual name remains unaltered. The limits of the name arc fixed by pointing to a monophyletic clade, where group membership is determined by the relationship to this clade. and not to subjective decisions of taxon delineations. Since phylogenetic definitions unambiguously connect the name to a specified clade, and not to a type, the conventional type concept becomes superfluous. We furthermore consider the Linnean categories poorly suited to convey the information in evolutionary trees, and suggest that these categories are abandoned.
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The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to produce species-specific DNA markers (RAPDs) from two sibling cockle species and five other co-occurring intertidal bivalves. Amplification reactions with one single primer readily... more
The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to produce species-specific DNA markers (RAPDs) from two sibling cockle species and five other co-occurring intertidal bivalves. Amplification reactions with one single primer readily distinguished larvae and adults of Cerastoderma edule from larvae and adults of C. lamarcki, and from adults of Mya arenaria, Macoma balthica, Scrobicularia plana, Venerupis pulastra and Mytilus edulis. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) is suggested as a simple and quick method to determine species identity in taxa that are difficult to identify on the basis of morphological characters alone, such as marine bivalve larvae.
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We test previous claims that the bacteria Vibrio alginolyticus produces tetrodotoxin (TTX) when living in symbiosis with the nemertean Lineus longissimus by a setup with bacteria cultivation for TTX production. Toxicity experiments on the... more
We test previous claims that the bacteria Vibrio alginolyticus produces tetrodotoxin (TTX) when living in symbiosis with the nemertean Lineus longissimus by a setup with bacteria cultivation for TTX production. Toxicity experiments on the shore crab, Carcinus maenas, demonstrated the presence of a paralytic toxin, but evidence from LC-MS and electrophysiological measurements of voltage-gated sodium channel-dependent nerve conductance in male Wistar rat tissue showed conclusively that this effect did not originate from TTX. However, a compound of similar molecular weight was found, albeit apparently non-toxic, and with different LC retention time and MS/MS fragmentation pattern than those of TTX. We conclude that C. maenas paralysis and death likely emanate from a compound <5 kDa, and via a different mechanism of action than that of TTX. The similarity in mass between TTX and the Vibrio-produced low-molecular-weight, non-toxic compound invokes that thorough analysis is required wh...
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Heteronemerteans, such as Lineus ruber, L. viridis, Ramphogordius sanguineus, R. lacteus, Riseriellus occultus, and Micrura varicolor, share many similar external characters. Although several internal characters useful for distinguishing... more
Heteronemerteans, such as Lineus ruber, L. viridis, Ramphogordius sanguineus, R. lacteus, Riseriellus occultus, and Micrura varicolor, share many similar external characters. Although several internal characters useful for distinguishing these nemertean species have been documented, their identification is based mostly on coloration, the shape of the head, and how they contract, which may not be always reliable. We sequenced the mitochondrial COI gene for 160 specimens recently collected from 27 locations around the world (provisionally identified as the above species, according to external characters and contraction patterns, with most of them as R. sanguineus). Based on these specimens, together with sequences of 16 specimens from GenBank, we conducted a DNA-based species delimitation/identification by means of statistical parsimony and phylogenetic analyses. Our results show that the analyzed specimens may contain nine species, which can be separated by large genetic gaps; heteronemerteans with an external appearance similar to R. sanguineus/Lineus ruber/L. viridis have high species diversity in European waters from where eight species can be discriminated. Our 42 individuals from Vancouver Island (Canada) are revealed to be R. sanguineus, which supports an earlier argument that nemerteans reported as L. ruber or L. viridis from the Pacific Northwest may refer to this species. We report R. sanguineus from Chile, southern China, and the species is also distributed on the Atlantic coast of South America (Argentina). In addition, present analyses reveal the occurrence of L. viridis in Qingdao, which is the first record of the species from Chinese waters.
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... Vipera xanthina (Gray) has hitherto been regarded as consisting of three subspecies: V. x. xanthina, V. x. palaestinae Werner and V. x. raddei Boettger (Mertens, 1952; Eiselt & Baran, 1970;Baran, 1976). ... Values given as mean,... more
... Vipera xanthina (Gray) has hitherto been regarded as consisting of three subspecies: V. x. xanthina, V. x. palaestinae Werner and V. x. raddei Boettger (Mertens, 1952; Eiselt & Baran, 1970;Baran, 1976). ... Values given as mean, range and coefficient of variation (CV). ...