Herbertz, Marlena Dalla, Safaa Wagschal, Vera Turjalei, Rohin Heiser, Marlies Dobler, Susanne
Published in
Molecular ecology
Cardiac glycosides are chemical defence toxins known to fatally inhibit the Na,K-ATPase (NKA) throughout the animal kingdom. Several animals, however, have evolved target-site insensitivity through substitutions in the otherwise highly conserved cardiac glycoside binding pocket of the NKA. The large milkweed bug, Oncopeltus fasciatus, shares a long...
Bodawatta, Kasun H Hu, Haofu Schalk, Felix Daniel, Jan-Martin Maiah, Gibson Koane, Bonny Iova, Bulisa Beemelmanns, Christine Poulsen, Michael Jønsson, Knud A
...
Published in
Molecular ecology
Toxicity has evolved multiple times across the tree of life and serves important functions related to hunting, defence and parasite deterrence. Toxins are produced either in situ by the toxic organism itself or associated symbionts, or acquired through diet. The ability to exploit toxins from external sources requires adaptations that prevent toxic...
Segura-García, Iris Olson, Julie B Gochfeld, Deborah J Brandt, Marilyn E Chaves-Fonnegra, Andia
Published in
Molecular ecology
Upright branching sponges, such as Aplysina cauliformis, provide critical three-dimensional habitat for other organisms and assist in stabilizing coral reef substrata, but are highly susceptible to breakage during storms. Breakage can increase sponge fragmentation, contributing to population clonality and inbreeding. Conversely, storms could provid...
Gottscho, Andrew D Mulcahy, Daniel G Leaché, Adam D de Queiroz, Kevin Lovich, Robert E
Published in
Molecular ecology
Phrynosoma mcallii (flat-tailed horned lizards) is a species of conservation concern in the Colorado Desert of the United States and Mexico. We analysed ddRADseq data from 45 lizards to estimate population structure, infer phylogeny, identify migration barriers, map genetic diversity hotspots, and model demography. We identified the Colorado River ...
Caizergues, Aude E Santangelo, James S Ness, Rob W Angeoletto, Fabio Anstett, Daniel N Anstett, Julia Baena-Diaz, Fernanda Carlen, Elizabeth J Chaves, Jaime A Comerford, Mattheau S
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Published in
Molecular ecology
Urbanisation is occurring globally, leading to dramatic environmental changes that are altering the ecology and evolution of species. In particular, the expansion of human infrastructure and the loss and fragmentation of natural habitats in cities is predicted to increase genetic drift and reduce gene flow by reducing the size and connectivity of p...
Recknagel, H Zakšek, V Delić, T Gorički, Š Trontelj, P
Published in
Molecular ecology
In comparison to biodiversity on Earth's surface, subterranean biodiversity has largely remained concealed. The olm (Proteus anguinus) is one of the most enigmatic extant cave inhabitants, and until now little was known regarding its genetic structure and evolutionary history. Olms inhabit subterranean waters throughout the Dinaric Karst of the wes...
Mistrick, Janine Kipp, Evan J Weinberg, Sarah I Adams, Collin C Larsen, Peter A Craft, Meggan E
Published in
Molecular ecology
Rodents are key reservoirs of zoonotic pathogens and play an important role in disease transmission to humans. Importantly, anthropogenic land-use change has been found to increase the abundance of rodents that thrive in human-built environments (synanthropic rodents), particularly rodent reservoirs of zoonotic disease. Anthropogenic environments a...
Arellano, Aldo A Young, Erica B Coon, Kerri L
Published in
Molecular ecology
Understanding microbial roles in ecosystem function requires integrating microscopic processes into food webs. The carnivorous pitcher plant, Sarracenia purpurea, offers a tractable study system where diverse food webs of macroinvertebrates and microbes facilitate digestion of captured insect prey, releasing nutrients supporting the food web and ho...
Molina-Montenegro, Marco A Egas, Claudia Ballesteros, Gabriel Acuña-Rodríguez, Ian S San Martín, Filoromo Gianoli, Ernesto
Published in
Molecular ecology
Solar activity has a significant influence on Earth's climate and may drive many biological processes. Here, we measured growth in 11 tree species distributed along an ≈600-km latitudinal gradient in South-Central Chile, recording the width of their growth-rings among periods of maximum (highest number of sunspots) and minimum (lowest number of sun...
Springer, Amy L Gompert, Zachariah
Published in
Molecular ecology
Understanding the processes that underlie the development of population genetic structure is central to the study of evolution. Patterns of genetic structure, in turn, can reveal signatures of isolation by distance (IBD), barriers to gene flow, or even the genesis of speciation. However, it is unclear how severe range restriction might impact the p...
