Parallel evolution in Marquesan partulid land snails

Partulid land snails of the genus Samoana inhabiting the Marquesas Islands of French Polynesia exist as two distinct types, the 'thick-shelled' and 'thin-shelled' species. The two types differ in size, shell-thickness, pigmentation of the shell and mantle, stickiness of the mucus, and length of the tentacles. A study of variation in allozymes indicates that the species form a monophyletic group, within which the differences between the two types have twice evolved independendy, once in the northern islands and at least once in the south. In the Society Islands the two suites of characters are found in both Partula and Samoana , where there is evidence of at least four other independent derivations of the two types. The thin-shelled species consistendy tend to occur at the higher altitudes (above 200 m). These cases of parallel evolution argue strongly that the complexes of associated characters have arisen through natural selection.     

Oceanic barriers as indicated by scombrid fishes and their parasites

Four genera of scombrid fishes (26 species) and their copepod (32 species) and monogenean ectoparasites (25 species) were used to test the hypothesis that the East Pacific Barrier is responsible for the most pronounced break in the circum-tropical warm water fauna of the continental shelves, and not the New World Barrier. Analysis at the species level showed that there is a primary centre of diversity in the West Pacific, and a secondary centre in the West Atlantic. The former, almost entirely, shares its species of the largely coastal Scomberomorus and Grammatorcynus and their parasites with seas located to the west. Only four parasites (all copepods) are shared by the East and West Pacific, and they are circum-tropical. In contrast, the West Pacific shares species of the more pelagic Scomber and their parasites with seas both to the east and west, although at the genus level, only two circum-tropical monogenean genera are shared by the E and W Pacific. We conclude that the East Pacific Barrier has been a 100% or almost 100% effective barrier to dispersal of species of Scomberomorus, Grammatorcynus and their parasites, whereas for species of Scomber and their parasites, the East Pacific has been a less effective barrier.     

Extinction or survival: partulid tree snails in American Samoa

Four partulid tree snail species are known from American Samoa. In 1998, we surveyed the recently established National Park (units on three islands: Tutuila, Tau, Ofu) and neighboring areas for partulids. On Tutuila, Samoana abbreviata, previously considered probably extinct, was extremely rare (15 snails seen); Samoana conica was more common (288 snails) but still rare; Eua zebrina was the most common (1102 snails), at one locality perhaps near its natural abundance. The species have similar distributions within the Park. All three have declined dramatically since the 1920s. Before 1980, when the predatory snail Euglandina rosea was introduced, habitat destruction, and perhaps rat predation and shell collecting, probably caused the decline. The Park provides protection to the Tutuila partulids by protecting habitat, although development is still a potential problem. But predation by E. rosea may yet cause their extinction. On Ofu (only outside the Park), 12 live Samoana thurstoni were found; 31 have now been recorded by western science. Also, an apparently robust population of E. zebrina, previously considered a Tutuila endemic, was found. Euglandina rosea is not on Ofu, so these populations are important remnants of the fauna. No partulids were found on Tau; none has ever been recorded there.     

Tahitian tree snail mitochondrial clades survived recent mass extirpation

Oceanic islands frequently support endemic faunal radiations that are highly vulnerable to introduced predators [1]. This vulnerability is epitomized by the rapid extinction in the wild of all but five of 61 described Society Islands partulid tree snails [2], following the deliberate introduction of an alien biological control agent: the carnivorous snail Euglandina rosea[3]. Tahiti's tree snail populations have been almost completely extirpated and three of the island's eight endemic Partula species are officially extinct, a fourth persisting only in captivity [2]. We report a molecular phylogenetic estimate of Tahitian Partula mitochondrial lineage survival calibrated with a 1970 reference museum collection that pre-dates the predator's 1974 introduction to the island [4]. Although severe winnowing of lineage diversity has occurred, none of the five primary Tahitian Partula clades present in the museum samples is extinct. Targeted conservation measures, especially of montane refuge populations, may yet preserve a representative sub-sample of Tahiti's endemic tree snail genetic diversity in the wild.     

A Comparative Floristic Study on the Seed Plants of the East Side and the West Side of the Northern Gaoligong Mts . in Northwestern Yunnan,China

The differences in rainfall and temperature between the east and west sides of the northern GaoligongMts. leads to distinct differences in the plant diversity and floristic characteristics between the two sides . Recorded taxa on the east side include 1 475 native species and 192 varieties (or subspecies) belonging to 580 genera in 152 families and for the west side include 1 804 native species and 186 varieties ( or subspecies) belonging to 659 genera in 162 families . Based on the statistics and analysis of families, genera, and species, a comparative floristic study on the seed plants for the east side and the west side of the northern Gaoligong Mts. was carried out. The results are as follows: 1) The present flora on the east and west sides of the northern Gaoligong Mts . have the same floristic origins, but the relative contribution from these different sources has changed through time . The result is that the floristic similarity of families, genera, and species between the east side and the west side has decreased through time; 2) The floristic characteristic of seed plants for the west side has become more greatly influenced by tropical floristic elements than has that of the east side, and the influence by the temperate floristic elements has become less influenced on the west side but greater on the east side; 3) The flora of the west side is more closely linked with that of the eastern Himalayans than is the flora of the east side, and the flora of the east side is more closely linked with the other floras farther to the east. Owing to the obstruct of the Gaoligong Mts. ridge itself, it is seemingly difficult for the species interchange between the two sides of the northern Gaoligong Mts. ; 4) The ecological-geographical environment has made it more conducive to species conservation and the speciation on the west side than on the east side, so the west side is not only a refuge for some ancient floristic elements but also as a cradle of some new species.     

Prehistoric inter-archipelago trading of Polynesian tree snails leaves a conservation legacy

Inter-archipelago exchange networks were an important aspect of prehistoric Polynesian societies. We report here a novel genetic characterization of a prehistoric exchange network involving an endemic Pacific island tree snail, Partula hyalina. It occurs in the Society (Tahiti only), Austral and Southern Cook Islands. Our genetic data, based on museum, captive and wild-caught samples, establish Tahiti as the source island. The source lineage is polymorphic in shell coloration and contains a second nominal species, the dark-shelled Partula clara, in addition to the white-shelled P. hyalina. Prehistoric inter-island introductions were non-random: they involved white-shelled snails only and were exclusively inter-archipelago in scope. Partulid shells were commonly used in regional Polynesian jewellery, and we propose that the white-shelled P. hyalina, originally restricted to Tahiti, had aesthetic value throughout these archipelagoes. Demand within the Society Islands could be best met by trading dead shells, but a low rate of inter-archipelago exchange may have prompted the establishment of multiple founder populations in the Australs and Southern Cooks. The alien carnivorous land snail Euglandina rosea has recently devastated populations of all 61 endemic species of Society Island partulid snails. Southern Cooks and Australs P. hyalina now represent the only unscathed wild populations remaining of this once spectacular land snail radiation.     

MODULATION OF VERY-LONG CHAIN (C28) HIGHLY UNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS IN PROROCENTRUM MININUM (DINOPHYCEAE) BY SELENIUM

Sargassum is one of the most species-rich genera in the brown algae with over 400 described species worldwide. The bulk of these species occurs in Pacific-Indian ocean waters with only a small portion found on the Atlantic side of the Isthmus of Panama. Sargassum also has one of the most subdivided and complex taxonomic systems used within the algae. Systematic distinctions within the genus are further complicated by high rates of phenotypic variability in several key morphological characters. Molecular analyses in such systems should allow testing of systematic concepts while providing insights into speciation and evolutionary patterns. Global molecular phylogenetic analyses using both conserved and variable regions of the Rubisco operon ( rbc L and rbc L-IGS-rbcS) were performed with species from the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, and Pacific basin. Results confirm earlier analyses based on rbc L-IGS- rbc S from Pacific species at the subgeneric and sectional level while providing additional insights into the systematics and phylogenetics on a global scale. For example, species east of the Isthmus of Panama form a distinct well-resolved clade within the tropical subgenus. This result in sharp contrast to traditional systematic treatments but provides a window into the evolutionary history of this genus in the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean basins and a possible means to time speciation events.     

Rapid radiation and cryptic speciation in squat lobsters of the genus Munida (Crustacea, Decapoda) and related genera in the South West Pacific: molecular and morphological evidence

Squat lobsters (genus Munida and related genera) are among the most diverse taxa of western Pacific crustaceans, though several features of their biology and phylogenetic relationships are unknown. This paper reports an extensive phylogenetic analysis based on mitochondrial DNA sequences (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and 16S rRNA) and the morphology of 72 species of 12 genera of western Pacific squat lobsters. Our phylogenetic reconstruction using molecular data supports the recent taxonomic splitting of the genus Munida into several genera. Excluding one species (M. callista), the monophyly of the genus Munida was supported by Bayesian analysis of the molecular data. Three moderately diverse genera (Onconida, Paramunida, and Raymunida) also appeared monophyletic, both according to morphological and molecular data, always with high support. However, other genera (Crosnierita and Agononida) seem to be para- or polyphyletic. Three new cryptic species were identified in the course of this study. It would appear that the evolution of this group was marked by rapid speciation and stasis, or certain constraints, in its morphological evolution.     

Prehistoric anthropogenic introduction of partulid tree snails in Papua New Guinean archipelagos

Aim Members of the tropical tree snail family Partulidae are endemic to Pacific high oceanic islands and typically have single‐island ranges. Two nominal Papua New Guinean species, Partula carteriensis and Partula similaris, deviate from familial norms by having extensive multi‐island ranges that include low islands. We hypothesized that undocumented anthropogenic introductions may underlie this regional biogeographical anomaly and evaluated this hypothesis with novel field distributional and genotypic data. Location Papua New Guinean archipelagos between 1.4 and 11.4° S and 146.5 and 154.2° E. Methods Ethanol‐preserved museum lots of P. carteriensis (from New Britain, Bismarck Archipelago) and P. similaris (from Woodlark, Boiaboiawaga and Goodenough islands) were genotyped for a standard mitochondrial marker, cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI), and the resulting haplotypes were subjected to phylogeographical analyses. Results All four genotyped populations showed very little genetic or conchological differentiation, irrespective of nominal taxonomic status, the archipelago sampled or whether the island was low, high, oceanic or continental. Partula carteriensis and P. similaris exhibit atypical distributions on larger high islands, being restricted to coastal villages and absent from native forest. Main conclusions Our results strongly indicate that P. carteriensis and P. similaris are conspecific, although a formal taxonomic revision is beyond the scope of this present study. They collectively exhibit the most heterogeneous geographical range known among partulids and their explicitly synanthropic association with high island coastal villages strongly implicates human introduction as the regional dispersal mechanism. We currently lack insights into the timeframe (apart from regional prehistory) and cultural context of these translocations. We also lack a convincing source population, and it may be necessary to survey the partulid fauna of the neighbouring Solomon Islands to identify one. Partulids are critically endangered throughout much of their range and the discovery of populations that apparently thrive in human‐altered landscapes is noteworthy. Their study may provide clues of broad relevance to partulid conservation.     

Patterns of genetic variation in Pacific island land snails: the distribution of cytochrome b lineages among Society Island Partula

The radiation of Partula land snails has produced a large array of distinct morphological, ecological and behavioural types occupying many tropical volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean. Within the Society Islands of French Polynesia, the mode of evolution is thought to have involved a single colonization event on each island, with later speciation occurring largely in situ. The present study examines genetic variation in the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene among taxa within the Society Island archipelago. Levels of intraspecific variation are found to be high, but variation among species is sometimes small. Mitochondrial variants do not always cluster according to island and some species are found to be polyphyletic in the cytochrome b tree, despite other morphological and molecular evidence that strongly supports their monophyly. A possible explanation for the polyphyly of species is that different variants are derived from ancestral mitochondrial polymorphisms that have been retained despite speciation events. Although it is possible that there has been some gene flow among islands, the distribution of mitochondrial lineages across islands strongly indicates that their origins predate the colonization of the islands in the study, and that they are very unlikely to have evolved entirely in situ.     

Biogeography of Old World emballonurine bats (Chiroptera: Emballonuridae) inferred with mitochondrial and nuclear DNA

Extant bats of the genus Emballonura have a trans-Indian Ocean distribution, with two endemic species restricted to Madagascar, and eight species occurring in mainland southeast Asia and islands in the western Pacific Ocean. Ancestral Emballonura may have been more widespread on continental areas, but no fossil identified to this genus is known from the Old World. Emballonura belongs to the subfamily Emballonurinae, which occurs in the New and Old World. Relationships of all Old World genera of this subfamily, including Emballonura and members of the genera Coleura from Africa and western Indian Ocean islands and Mosia nigrescens from the western Pacific region, are previously unresolved. Using 1833 bp of nuclear and mitochondrial genes, we reconstructed the phylogenetic history of Old World emballonurine bats. We estimated that these lineages diverged around 30 million years ago into two monophyletic sister groups, one represented by the two taxa of Malagasy Emballonura, Coleura and possibly Mosia, and the other by a radiation of Indo-Pacific Emballonura, hence, rendering the genus Emballonura paraphyletic. The fossil record combined with these phylogenetic relationships suggest at least one long-distance dispersal event across the Indian Ocean, presumably of African origin, giving rise to all Indo-Pacific Emballonura species (and possibly Mosia). Cladogenesis of the extant Malagasy taxa took place during the Quaternary giving rise to two vicariant species, E. atrata in the humid east and E. tiavato in the dry west.     

Unveiling of novel radiations within Trichodesmium cluster by hetR gene sequence analysis

The filamentous nonheterocystous cyanobacterial genus Katagnymene is a common diazotrophic component of tropical and subtropical oceans. To assess the phylogenetic affiliation of this taxon, two partial 16S rRNA gene sequences and 25 partial hetR gene sequences originating from the genera Katagnymene and Trichodesmium collected from open, surface waters of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans were compared. Single trichomes or colonies were identified morphologically by using light microscopy and then used directly as templates in hetR PCR analyses. In addition, three cultured strains, identified as Katagnymene pelagica, Katagnymene spiralis, and Trichodesmium sp., were examined. The data show that the genus Katagnymene is in the Trichodesmium cluster and that K. pelagica Lemmermann and K. spiralis Lemmermann are most likely one species, despite their different morphologies. Phylogenetic analyses also unveiled four distinct clusters in the Trichodesmium cluster, including one novel cluster. Our findings emphasize the conclusion that known morphological traits used to differentiate marine nonheterocystous cyanobacteria at the genus and species levels correlate poorly with genetic data, and a revision is therefore suggested.     

喜马拉雅地区藤本植物多样性及其地理格局

喜马拉雅山地是生物地理学研究的热点地区之一。本文对喜马拉雅地区的藤本植物多样性及其与毗邻地区的联系进行了统计分析, 并对该地区与印度河-恒河平原地区藤本植物多样性的地理格局及其成因进行了研究。结果显示: (1)喜马拉雅地区总计有1,083种藤本植物, 分属72科309属; 其中木质藤本725种, 草质藤本358种; 攀援方式主要为缠绕攀援(51.3%)。(2)该区域的藤本植物组成受相邻区域植物区系的显著影响, 其1,083种藤本植物中有74.1% (802种)在东南亚地区有分布, 50.6% (548种)在南亚有分布, 48.9% (530种)在中国西南地区有分布。本区藤本植物缺乏特有性, 仅125种(11.5%)为本区所特有, 没有特有含藤属。(3)藤本植物多样性及其在植物区系中的比例均自东向西逐渐降低; 木质藤本比例和缠绕攀援藤本比例均自东向西略呈上升趋势; 大多数含藤属的藤本多样性由东往西递减, 仅极少数含藤属由东往西逐渐增加, 如野豌豆属(Vicia)和菟丝子属(Cuscuta)。(4)藤本植物多样性在喜马拉雅和印度河-恒河平原地区呈现出自东向西递减的相似格局, 由东往西方向上含藤属递减率分别为8.4属/100 km和6.3属/100 km, 但喜马拉雅地区藤本植物多样性更高。喜马拉雅和印度河-恒河平原地区均有分布的272个含藤属中有196属在中亚及伊朗高原不再有分布, 其中31.1% (61属)在喜马拉雅地区的分布显著更偏西, 仅4.1% (8属)在印度河-恒河平原的分布显著更偏西。综合分析表明, 喜马拉雅地区藤本植物的多样性及其地理格局的特点与其特殊的地理位置、气候条件和生境的梯度变化以及毗邻地区植物区系的多元化有关; 水分条件的东西向梯度变化可能是藤本植物在喜马拉雅和印度河-恒河平原地区形成相似格局的主要原因。     

Land barriers and open oceans: effects on gene diversity and population structure in Avicennia germinans L. (Avicenniaceae)

Avicennia germinans L. is a widespread mangrove species occupying the west coast of Africa and the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the Americas from the Bahamas to Brazil and Baja California to Peru. An amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) molecular analysis was carried out to assess genetic architecture within this species and to evaluate the effects of the Atlantic Ocean and the Central American Isthmus (CAI) on population and regional genetic diversity and differentiation. In total, 349 polymorphic AFLP fragments were identified among 144 individuals from 14 populations from the east Atlantic, west Atlantic and east Pacific. Levels of genetic diversity varied considerably among populations, but were generally higher in populations from the east Atlantic. Regional differentiation between the Pacific coast and Atlantic populations was greater than between east and west Atlantic populations, suggesting that the CAI has had an important influence on population genetic structure in this species. The lower level of divergence of east Atlantic from west Atlantic populations suggests some dispersal across the Atlantic Ocean, although migration rates are probably low; Nm from GST equal to 0.41 and accumulation of private and rare alleles in the east Atlantic. Population differentiation did not appear to follow an isolation by distance model and has probably resulted from complex patterns of population bottlenecks, and founder events due to landscape changes during the Pleistocene, particularly in the west Atlantic. The molecular data provide no support for the treatment of east Atlantic populations as a separate species A. africana.     

GLOBAL SYSTEMATIC AND PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS OF SARGASSUM IN THE GULF OF MEXICO,CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC BASIN

Sargassum is one of the most species‐rich genera in the brown algae with over 400 described species worldwide. The bulk of these species occurs in Pacific‐Indian ocean waters with only a small portion found on the Atlantic side of the Isthmus of Panama. Sargassum also has one of the most subdivided and complex taxonomic systems used within the algae. Systematic distinctions within the genus are further complicated by high rates of phenotypic variability in several key morphological characters. Molecular analyses in such systems should allow testing of systematic concepts while providing insights into speciation and evolutionary patterns. Global molecular phylogenetic analyses using both conserved and variable regions of the Rubisco operon (rbcL and rbcL‐IGS‐rbcS) were performed with species from the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, and Pacific basin. Results confirm earlier analyses based on rbcL‐IGS‐rbcS from Pacific species at the subgeneric and sectional level while providing additional insights into the systematics and phylogenetics on a global scale. For example, species east of the Isthmus of Panama form a distinct well‐resolved clade within the tropical subgenus. This result in sharp contrast to traditional systematic treatments but provides a window into the evolutionary history of this genus in the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean basins and a possible means to time speciation events.     

Morphology and ecology of Pacific sturgeons

The six North Pacific members of the genus Acipenser have generally similar environmental requirements and share several specific morphological features. This Pacific group consists of green sturgeon, Acipenser medirostris, Sakhalin sturgeon, A. mikadoi, white sturgeon, A. transmontanus, Chinese sturgeon, A. sinensis, Dabry’s sturgeon, A. dabryanus and Amur sturgeon, A. schrenkii. A qualitative morphological examination of these species revealed synapomorphic characters that suggest close phyolgenetic relationships resulting from common ancestry of eastern and western species within the Pacific Rim. An evolutionary taxonomic approach, considering a reduction of characters from east to west, would suggest an Asian ancestry for all Pacific sturgeons. In contrast however, a phylogenetic approach using derived character states suggests a North American ancestry. Besides a common ancestry for Chinese and American sturgeons, the taxonomic status of A. mikadoi is discussed.     

Two new species of nudibranchiate molluscs from the west coast of North America, with a revision of the family Cuthonidae

Two species of nudibranch molluscs are described from the northeastern Pacific Ocean on the west coast of North America. These are: a new aeolid species of Cuthona Alder & Hancock, 1855 (family Cuthonidae) from the Oregonian marine zoogeographical province and a new dorid species of Acanthodoris Gray, 1850 (family Onchidorididae) from the Panamic province in the Gulf of California. The internal anatomy and external features of each species are compared with related species. Differences in structure of the radula, reproductive system and other morphological aspects are described. A revision of the family Cuthonidae is included. Evidence is presented to include the genera Trinchesia Ihering, 1879, and Precuthona Odhner, 1929, within the genus Cuthona. Cuthona alpha Baba & Hamatani, 1963, is synonymized with Catriona columbiana (O'Donoghue, 1922). We consider the New World Cuthonidae to be composed of the following five genera: Catriona Winckworth, 1941; Cuthona Alder & Hancock, 1855; Embletonia Alder & Hancock, 1851; Tenellia Costa, 1877; and Tergipes Cuvier, 1805.     

What can morphology and isozymes tell us about the history of the Dryas integrifolia–octopetala complex?

An earlier study of the morphological variation in the circumpolar genus Dryas in Greenland revealed that populations in east Greenland are highly variable and this variation was interpreted as a hybrid zone between D. octopetala and D. integrifolia. It was proposed that populations of Dryas in east Greenland immigrated postglacially from Svalbard. The purpose of our study was to investigate the population structure of the Dryas integrifolia-octopetala complex using a combination of morphological and genetic characters. Populations of Dryas were sampled in Greenland, Svalbard, Iceland and north Scandinavia (Sweden). The morphological traits clearly separated west Greenland from Svalbard, Iceland and north Scandinavia. A large number of individuals from east Greenland and some from north Greenland could be interpreted as hybrids between the morphs. The genetic pattern was, however, partly different as the greatest amount of differentiation among regions was found between west and north Greenland (FRT = 0.65). The highest degree of genetic variation appeared within east Greenland. This was in accordance with the putative hybrid origin of the populations, as concluded based on the morphological results. The total amount of genetic differentiation found among the six regions (FRT = 0.61) was larger than between the two species (FRT = 0.44). The genetic pattern matched the proposed postglacial migration routes.