Download or read book Phylogenetic Relationships and Evolution of Bufonid Frogs Based on Molecular and Morphological Characters written by Anna Graybeal and published by . This book was released on 1995 with total page 530 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Phylogenomic Analysis of Evolutionary Relationships in Ranitomeya Poison Frogs Amphibia Dendrobatidae Using Ultraconserved Elements written by Morgan R. Muell and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 114 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Knowledge of phylogenetic relationships among organisms is essential for anchoring evolutionary studies. Phylogenomic studies use large amounts of genetic data in analyses, which is particularly important for highly phenotypically variable taxa that are difficult to distinguish from one another without the use of genetic data, due to the abundance of homoplasy in morphological characters typically used in morphological classification. Use of genome-scale molecular data has thus become the gold standard for identifying these phylogenetic relationships, specifically in comparison to past studies based on fewer genes. Greater quantities of genetic data, in addition to finer taxon sampling, may lead to different conclusions about phylogenetic relationships among organisms compared to previous studies, necessitating new analyses on organisms when new discoveries of populations and new sources of genetic data arise. Ranitomeya poison frogs (Amphibia: Dendrobatidae) are an Amazonian lineage of dendrobatid frogs consisting of 16 species possessing remarkable diversity in color pattern, range size, and parental care behavior. I present the first phylogeny based on genomic data for all species in Ranitomeya, using maximum likelihood and multi-species coalescent methods. I used ultraconserved elements (UCEs), a genome-scale nuclear marker, as my source of molecular data to construct the tree. I also present divergence time estimations using the MCMCTree program. My results indicate several differences from previous analyses in terms of interspecific relationships. Notably, I find R. toraro and R. defleri constitute different species groups, and recover R. uakarii as paraphyletic. I also designate former populations of R. fantastica from Isla Pongo, Peru and Tarapoto as R. summersi, and transfer the French Guianan R. amazonica populations to R. variabilis. My study clarifies both interspecific and intraspecific relationships within Ranitomeya, and provides key insights into phylogeny that pave the way for future studies testing hypotheses on color pattern evolution and historical biogeography.

Download or read book Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History written by Joel Asaph Allen and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 382 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Comprises articles on geology, paleontology, mammalogy, ornithology, entomology and anthropology.

Download or read book Brief History of Herpetology in the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology University of California Berkeley with a List of Type Specimens of Recent Amphibians and Reptiles written by Javier A. Rodriguez-Robles and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2003-01-01 with total page 137 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Museum of Vertebrate Zoology (MVZ), located on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, is a leading center of herpetological research in the United States. This monograph offers a brief account of the principal figures associated with the collection and of the most important events in the history of herpetology in the MVZ during its first 93 years, and lists all type specimens of recent amphibians and nonavian reptiles in the collection. Although the MVZ has existed since 1908, until 1945 there was no formal curator for the collection of amphibians and nonavian reptiles. Since that time Robert C. Stebbins, David B. Wake, Harry W. Greene, Javier A. Rodríguez-Robles (in an interim capacity), and Craig Moritz have served in that position. The herpetological collection of the MVZ was begun on March 13, 1909, with a collection of approximately 430 specimens from southern California and as of December 31, 2001, contained 232,254 specimens. Taxonomically, the collection is strongest in salamanders, accounting for 99,176 specimens, followed by "lizards" (squamate reptiles other than snakes and amphisbaenians, 63,439), frogs (40,563), snakes (24,937), turtles (2,643), caecilians (979), amphisbaenians (451), crocodilians (63), and tuataras (3). Whereas the collection's emphasis historically has been on the western United States and on California in particular, representatives of taxa from many other parts of the world are present. The 1,765 type specimens in the MVZ comprise 120 holotypes, three neotypes, three syntypes, and 1,639 paratopotypes and paratypes; 83 of the holotypes were originally described as full species. Of the 196 amphibian and nonavian reptilian taxa represented by type material, most were collected in México (63) and California (USA, 54). The Appendix of the monograph presents a list of curators, graduate and undergraduate students, postdoctoral fellows, research associates, research assistants, curatorial associates, curatorial assistants, and visiting faculty who have conducted research on the biology of amphibians and reptiles while in residence in the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology as of December 31, 2001.

Download or read book Morphology Systematics and Phylogenetic Relationships Among Frogs of the Genus Atelopus Anura Bufonidae written by Luis A. Coloma-Román and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 572 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Amphibian Cytogenetics and Evolution written by David M. Green and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2012-12-02 with total page 475 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book appears at a time when molecular cytogenetics is positioned to make a significant impact upon evolutionary studies, enabling problems of chromosomal structure and change to be critically assessed. It is an up-to-date and comprehensive survey of the cytogenetics of a major class of animals, including all three amphibian orders, with chapters authored by international leaders in the field.Amphibian Cytogenetics and Evolution will be of interest to classical and molecular cytogeneticists, systematicists, evolutionary biologists, herpetologists, and anyone using amphibians in genetic research. Offers the only current and comprehensive survey of amphibian cytogenetics Gives authoritative and in-depth coverage of topics of present interest Reviews general cytogenetic topics Presents new insights into evolutionary changes in chromosome structure and amphibian phylogeny and relationships including: Phylogenetic analysis of chromosome data, Current techniques of cytogenetic analysis, Examination of all three amphibian orders

Download or read book Dissertation Abstracts International written by and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 956 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book New World Direct developing Frogs written by Lucas Santiago Barrientos Correa and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The overarching goal of this dissertation to show some patterns and processes involved in the diversification of the New World direct-developing frogs. Extant biodiversity is the result of the interplay between the historical processes of diversification, dispersal (or range shifts), and extinction, understanding mechanisms that drive these processes is essential in evolutionary biology. The lineage-specific phylogenetic baggage of species impinges particularities or trends that may ultimately affect their survival, extinction, and diversification. Moreover, the most important mechanisms generating and maintaining species diversity vary depending on the taxonomic, spatial and temporal scale over which they are quantified. The spatial mechanism could be understood at regional scales, the variation in the timing and rate of lineage diversification, and ecological factors, including the current and past expanse of suitable habitat. Whereas at local scales, biotic interactions and trait evolution in community assembly appear to be the most influential. Another way to assess the mechanism underlying the diversification process is by recognizing their characteristics, both intrinsic, e.g., body size, morphological adaptations, or genomic features, and extrinsic, e.g., microhabitat, environmental variation, or range size, both factors play a role in the survival or extinction of the lineage members and are required to understand extant diversity, the diversification process and its current distribution. Our aim is to explore the systematics, biogeography, and phlylogeography at different taxonomic levels of one of the most diverse groups of tetrapods: New World direct-developing frogs.

Download or read book Phylogenetic Relationships Among Tree Frogs of the Genera Polypedates and Rhacophorus written by Chantip Inthara and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 318 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cladistic analyses of morphological data support a monophyletic group for Polypedates but do not support a monophyletic group for Rhacophorus. Five groups of Rhacophorus are recognized:(1) Group I: R. appendiculatus; R. verrucosus; R. bisacculus; R. everetti; R. baliogaster and R. cavirostris. DIAGNOSIS: post cloacal region with tubercles and/or papillae; skin on dorsum with glandular warts; tip of fingers and toes round; webbing between fingers III-IV small; dermal ridge running along outer edge of fourth finger crenulated; presence of numerous small papillae on heel; dermal ridge running along outer edge of tarsus crenulated; and webbing on toes medium or large. (2) Group II: R. jarujini; R. lateralis; R. turpes; R. edentulus; R. monticola and R. poecilonotus. DIAGNOSIS: presence of two papillae on heel; inner metatarsal tubercle elongate; and webbing between toe I-II large or complete.(3) Group III: R. hoanglienensis; R. orlovi; R. margaritifer; R. gauni; R. bimaculatus; R. angulirostris; R. baluensis; R. calcaneus and R. pleurostictus. DIAGNOSIS: absence of vomerine ridge; dermal ridge along forearm smooth; absence of dermal ridge or flap running along outer edge of tarsus; webbing between fingers II-III small; and webbing between toe II-III complete.(4) Group IV: R. reinwardtii; R. nigropalmatus; R. malabaricus; R. exechopygus; R. prominanus; R. dulitensis; R. htunwini; R. kio; R. bipunctatus; R. rhodopus; R. annamensis; R. pardalis; R. harrissoni; R. fasciatus; R. rufipes and R. robinsoni. DIAGNOSIS: distance from tip of snout to nostril equal to distance from nostril to eyes; presence of dermal flap along forearm; webbing between fingers II-III almost complete or complete; webbing between fingers III-IV complete; presence of dermal flap running along outer edge of fourth finger; presence of ridge or flap on heel; webbing on toes complete; presence of supra-cloacal fold or flap; post cloacal region with ridge or flap. (5) Group V: R. dennysi; R. feae; R. maximus; R. schlegelii; R. dorsoviridis; R. viridis; R. moltrechti; R. arboreus; R. burmanus; R. arvalis; R. chenfui; R. taipeianus; R. owstoni; R. minimus; R. taronensis; R. duboisi; R. dugritei; and R. omeimontis. DIAGNOSIS: head shape in dorsal view sub-elliptical or semicircular; webbing on hand small or medium; webbing between fingers II-III medium; and snout shape in lateral view round or obtuse.(6) Group VI: Polypedates: P. nasutus; P. eques; P. otilophus; P. megacephalus; P. leucomystax; P. macrotis; P. maculatus; P. zed; P. colletti; P. mutus; and P. cruciger. DIAGNOSIS: presence or absence of co-ossified skin between eyes; webbing between toes I-II long; webbing between fingers III-IV rudimentary; and tympanum shape oval.Genera names available: Group I - Aquixalus; Groups II-V currently are members of genus Rhacophorus but cladistic analysis of morphological data show that groups are different based on several morphological characters; Group III - Leptomantis; Group IV - Rhacophorus.

Download or read book Morphological Evolution in Australian Frogs written by Marta Vidal-Garcia and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The study of morphological diversity and the processes that have driven it is a topic of uppermost importance in evolutionary biology. Frogs and toads offer a study group that is remarkably diverse in body shape and ecology, particularly in Australia, where biome diversity and isolation have provided excellent opportunities for comparative analyses of broad-scale macroevolutionary patterns. My PhD thesis focuses on morphological evolution in Australian frogs. I gathered an extensive dataset based on external morphology and climatic data, for almost all frog species in Australia (97%), including the two extinct gastric-brooding frog species. I collected x-ray micro-CT scans for representative species of each genera of myobatrachid frogs, which provided detailed 3D morphological information of skeletal structures. I also obtained locomotion and jumping performance data for 61 species of Australian frogs, which represents 67% of the clade diversity and includes all four native families, as well as the invasive cane toad Rhinella marina. I employed phylogenetic comparative methods throughout all of my analyses in order to add evolutionary context. Finally, I describe a simple geometric rigid rotation method, which removes the effect of random translation and rotations, enabling consistent morphological analysis of articulated structures in 3D. The main aim of my thesis was to understand body size and shape evolution in Australian frogs, by asking a series of questions concerning morphological adaptation to environmental pressures, convergence, niche opportunities, integrative and modular evolution of body structures, and the association between form and function. I provide evidence for a close association between morphology and environment through and behaviour and performance, which can lead to convergence patterns between distantly-related lineages. I found that frog species from the same ecotype displayed morphological and physiological similarities, which were even more conspicuous in fossorial species, due to adaptations to arid environments. Despite phylogenetic conservatism, adaptation to similar environments can result in morphological diversification and convergence both between and within clades, erasing the signature of ancestral morphotypes. Specifically, I found that most of the overall body shape differences were concentrated on the limbs: morphology of fore- and hind-limbs was highly integrated and shaped by ecology, locomotion, and burrowing behaviour, whereas skull shape was highly phylogenetically constrained and conserved within subfamilies. Locomotor modes and jumping performance were extremely diverse across Australian frog species. Jumping performance had no phylogenetic signal, and was not directly associated with body size or shape. However, there was a strong pattern of convergence in locomotor modes among species from different families in the same ecotypes. Disparity of locomotor type differed among ecotypes, and fossorial species were confined to the smallest region of the morphospace, probably due to their specialised fossorial morphology. I also demonstrated that the invasive cane toad Rhinella marina occupies an empty morphological niche in Australia, despite overlapping in environmental niche with most native species. This undoubtedly contributed to its extreme invasion success, and shows the importance of morphological niches. To conclude, I discuss morphological evolution of Australian frogs in the context of their ecology, locomotion, burrowing behaviour, and phylogenetic relationships.

Download or read book Communications written by and published by . This book was released on 1994 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book University of California Publications in Zoology written by and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 682 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book American Doctoral Dissertations written by and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 816 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Morphology Molecules Evolution and Phylogeny in Polychaeta and Related Taxa written by Universität Osnabrück and published by Springer. This book was released on 2011-10-09 with total page 387 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recently, evidence has been accumulated which shows that some of the groups formerly regarded as independent "phyla" such as Pogonophora (now recognized as Siboglinidae), Echiura, Myzostomida and perhaps Sipuncula, are most probably nothing else than greatly modified Annelida. The extreme morphological diversity found especially in Polychaeta displays the plasticity of a simple segmented organisation that basically is nothing else but a serial repetition of identical units. Thus, annelids are highly important to our understanding of fundamental questions about morphological and adaptive diversity, as well as clarifying evolutionary changes and phylogenetic relationships. The book aims to summarize our knowledge on Polychaetes polychaetes and their allies and gives an overview of recent advances gained by studies that employed conventional and modern methods plus, increasingly and importantly, the use of molecular markers and computer-assisted kinship analyses. It also reflects the state of art in polychaete sciences and presents new questions and controversies. As such it will significantly influence the direction of research on Polychaeta and their related taxa.

Download or read book Phylogenetic Relationships of Extant Pelobatoid Frogs Anura Pelobatoidea written by Anne M. Maglia and published by Forgotten Books. This book was released on 2017-12-20 with total page 26 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from Phylogenetic Relationships of Extant Pelobatoid Frogs (Anura, Pelobatoidea): Evidence From Adult Morphology Fig. 1. Some of the various hypotheses of anuran relationships that include pelobatoid taxa (boldface). About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Download or read book Molecular Systematics Evolution and Ecology of Sri Lankan Shrub frogs Rhacophorinae Pseudophilautus written by Madhava Meegaskumbura and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 263 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sri Lanka is home to a recently discovered, large endemic radiation of shrub frogs. I use a well-resolved molecular phylogeny (constructed using six nuclear and mitochondrial DNA fragments) of Sri Lankan shrub frogs to examine the evolutionary, systematic and biogeographic relationships of the group. My findings demonstrate that: (1) Sri Lanka is a global amphibian diversity hotspot; (2) Despite several ancient terrestrial connections between Sri Lanka and India, there has been little dispersal between the two landmasses, resulting in clade level endemicity in many faunal groups; (3) There are only two Rhacophorid genera in Sri Lanka (as opposed to the previously conceived four genera), one characterized by direct development ( Pseudophilautus) and the other by foam nesting (Polypedates ); (4) Pseudophilautus is highly speciose with nearly 100 species, of which about 85% are new to science (of which I describe eight as new species); (5) Many new species are montane forms that are threatened by impending climate change; (6) Sri Lankan and Indian Pseudophilautus are distinct from Southeast Asian Philautus , the genus in which they were previously placed; (7) A remarkable degree of extinctions of Pseudophilautus species (19 species, of which I describe two as new) has occurred; (8) Phylogenetic relationships among Rhacophorid genera indicate that direct-development has evolved twice within the family; (9) The Sri Lankan Pseudophilautus are characterized by two unique reproductive behaviors: nesting in excavations made in soil, and laying eggs on the underside of leaves; (10) Direct development in Pseudophilautus is similar to Eleutherodactylus in many ways, but also differs, suggesting that direct development can evolve in different ways; (11) The diversification of the major Rhacophorid lineages occurred after the late Cretaceous (KT) mass extinction (65 MYA); (12) The basal Rhacophorids are Southeast Asian in origin, and the extant Rhacophorid fauna of Sri Lanka and India seems to be later arrivals to the sub-continent; (13) The radiation of Pseudophilautus in Sri Lanka shows ecomorphological structure, with strong correlation between morphology, behavior and habitat use; (14) There are many instances of morphological and ecological convergence within the Sri Lankan radiation; (15) Species typically show a pattern of diversification across the three mountain massifs in Sri Lanka; (16) Pseudophilautus of Sri Lanka are highly threatened, and needs immediate conservation intervention to prevent further extinctions.

Download or read book Biogeography and Quaternary History in Tropical America written by Timothy Charles Whitmore and published by . This book was released on 1987 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a critical appraisal of the existing evidence on the history of Amazonia during the past 1.8 million years. Contributions from geology, geomorphology, paleoclimatology, pedology, botany and zoology are reviewed, with special emphasis on neotropical birds, butterflies, and plants. Much new materials is introduced, along with background information and alternative hypotheses. The book will be of value to ecologists, foresters, and planners interested in Amazonian vegetation.