The phylogeny of the Pantropical genus Arrhipis Bonvouloir (Coleoptera, Eucnemidae)

The phylogeny of the genus Arrhipis Bonvouloir (Coleoptera, Eucnemidae) is clarified with a cladistic analysis based on five molecular markers and morphology. Sixteen species from Africa, America, Asia, and Australia are included in the analysis. Two separate Asian clades are recovered, one of them being the sister group to a clade with the American and African species. With the exception of the continental south-east Asian species, all Gondwanan regions have monophyletic faunas. According to the present data, the continental south-east Asian fauna comprises two monophyletic groups, one of which is the sister group to African and American species. Vicariance seems to be the logical explanation for the distribution of these lignicolous beetles.
© The Willi Hennig Society 2009.     

基于ISSR分子标记技术的稻水象甲遗传多样性研究

稻水象甲Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus Kuschel是一种世界性的水稻害虫,已侵入我国23个省市区,发生面积近千万亩。为弄清我国不同地区稻水象甲的遗传多样性水平、居群间的遗传分化及可能的扩散路线,本研究采用ISSR分子标记技术分析了我国13个省28个地区稻水象甲样本的遗传多样性。利用15条ISSR引物共扩增得到258条带,其中247条为多态性条带。在物种水平上,稻水象甲的多态位点百分率(PPB)为95.73%,Nei's基因多样性(H)为0.3578,Shannon信息多样性指数(I)为0.5330;在居群水平上,以上3项指标的平均值分别为46.28%、0.1768、0.2620。Nei's基因分化系数Gst为0.5059,表明有50.59%的遗传变异存在于居群间,49.41%的遗传变异存在于居群内,居群间表现出较高水平的遗传分化。通过UPGMA聚类可将稻水象甲28个居群分成2大支系:安徽池州、安徽合肥、云南嵩明、云南曲靖、江西南昌、四川盐亭、辽宁盘锦、辽宁东港、山西太原、山东东营、天津蓟县、陕西城固、河北唐山、云南寻甸等14个居群聚成第一个分支;贵州、贵州开阳、贵州龙里、贵州贵阳、贵州修文、四川隆昌、四川泸州、湖北武当山、湖北荆门、湖北利川、湖南宁乡、湖南双峰、湖南邵阳、天津宝坻等聚成第二个分支。     

Life-history and sex allocation in Trypoxylon (syn. Trypargilum) lactitarse (Hymenoptera; Crabronidae)

Hymenopterans have become a model for the study of factors that govern sex allocation. In 1983, Seger proposed a model to study Sphecidae wasps with a strong prediction that sex ratio for univoltine wasps should be 1 : 1 (female : male), and for partially bivoltine species it should be male-biased. The present study investigates if Trypoxylon lactitarse (Saussure, 1867) is a univoltine or a bivoltine species and if Seger's model prediction fits the pattern of sex ratio found in this species. The study was carried out at Parque Municipal das Araucárias, in the municipality of Guarapuava, state of Paraná, southern Brazil, from December 2001 to December 2004. Nests of T. lactitarse were obtained using trap-nests drilled longitudinally to a depth to 80 mm with 7.0, 10.0 and 13.0 mm opening diameter. They were placed in a very heterogeneous site filled with araucaria forests, swamps and grasslands. Trypoxylon lactitarse showed two alternative life histories: either they pupated immediately and emerged as adults later in the same season (direct development), or they entered diapause, overwintering and pupating the following spring (delayed development). Its annual sex ratios were not significantly different from 1 : 1, and both sex ratio of overwintering and sex ratio of direct-developing wasps were also not significantly different from 1 : 1, in all years of this study. By examining these results, it was possible to conclude that although T. lactitarse is a multivoltine species, with four generations per year and two alternative life histories, its sex ratio did not support Seger's model.     

A Review of the Genus Eucnemis Ahrens, 1812 (Coleoptera,Eucnemidae) from Russia

Entomological Review - The genus Eucnemis Ahrens, 1812 of the Russian fauna is revised. A new species, Eu. anachoreta sp. n. is described from Kunashir Island, the Kuril Archipelago. A key to the...     

Genetic architecture of survival and fitness-related traits in two populations of Atlantic salmon

The additive genetic effects of traits can be used to predict evolutionary trajectories, such as responses to selection. Non-additive genetic and maternal environmental effects can also change evolutionary trajectories and influence phenotypes, but these effects have received less attention by researchers. We partitioned the phenotypic variance of survival and fitness-related traits into additive genetic, non-additive genetic and maternal environmental effects using a full-factorial breeding design within two allopatric populations of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Maternal environmental effects were large at early life stages, but decreased during development, with non-additive genetic effects being most significant at later juvenile stages (alevin and fry). Non-additive genetic effects were also, on average, larger than additive genetic effects. The populations, generally, did not differ in the trait values or inferred genetic architecture of the traits. Any differences between the populations for trait values could be explained by maternal environmental effects. We discuss whether the similarities in architectures of these populations is the result of natural selection across a common juvenile environment.     

基于微卫星标记的中国枣食芽象甲地理种群遗传多样性分析

【目的】枣食芽象甲Scythropus yasumatsui是我国北方枣树Zizyphus jujuba上的一种重要的灾害性害虫,在陕西、山西、河北、河南等枣树主产区普遍发生。本研究旨在揭示我国枣食芽象甲不同种群间的遗传分化和基因交流规律。【方法】利用枣食芽象甲转录组测序的SSR序列,使用荧光标记PCR及毛细管电泳分型方法,筛选出8个微卫星位点,对我国5个省份(山西、陕西、宁夏、河北和河南)10个地理种群共308头枣食芽象甲样本进行种群遗传多样性分析。【结果】8个SSR位点均存在无效等位基因且偏离哈迪 温伯格平衡。各位点的有效等位基因数(Ne)为2.113~8.016,多态信息含量(PIC)为0.561~0.908,期望杂合度(He)为0.476~0.865;种群间遗传分化系数(Fst)平均值为0.151;基因流(Nm)平均值为1.594。枣食芽象甲种群间遗传分化系数与地理距离之间显著正相关(r=0.596, P=0.0035),基于Nei’s遗传距离和Cavalli-Sforza & Edwards余弦遗传距离的系统进化树将10个地理种群均聚为3个相同的分支。【结论】结果说明,枣食芽象甲种群遗传多样性较高,不同地理种群间存在高度的遗传分化,且有一定的基因交流;地理隔离是影响枣食芽象甲地理种群遗传分化和基因交流的重要因素。     

Dispersal,fragmentation, and isolation shape the phylogeography of the European lineages of Polyommatus (Agrodiaetus) ripartii (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)

Polyommatus ripartii is a biogeographically and taxonomically poorly understood species of butterfly with a scattered distribution in Europe. Recently, it has been shown that this species includes several European endemic and localized taxa (galloi, exuberans, agenjoi) that were previously considered species and even protected, a result that poses further questions about the processes that led to its current distribution. We analysed mitochondrial DNA and the morphology of P. ripartii specimens to study the phylogeography of European populations. Three genetically differentiated but apparently synmorphic lineages occur in Europe that could be considered evolutionarily significant units for conservation. Their strongly fragmented and counterintuitive distribution seems to be the result of multiple range expansions and contractions along Pleistocene climatic oscillations. Remarkably, based on the 79 specimens studied, these genetic lineages do not seem to extensively coexist in the distributional mosaic, a phenomenon most evident in the Iberian Peninsula. One of the important gaps in the European distribution of P. ripartii is reduced by the discovery of new Croatian populations, which also facilitate a better understanding of the biogeography of the species. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2013, 109 , 817‐829.     

Life-history,exploitation and extinction risk of the data-poor Baraka's whipray (Maculabatis ambigua) in small-scale tropical fisheries

The Baraka's whipray (Maculabatis ambigua) is a major constituent of small-scale fisheries catch in the south-western Indian Ocean. Despite this, little is known of its life-history or exploitation status. We provide the first estimates of crucial life-history parameters and the maximum intrinsic population growth rate r_max , using specimens collected from small-scale fisheries landings in Kenya, Zanzibar and Madagascar (with northern Madagascar representing a range extension for this species). We assess the relative risk of overexploitation by combining r_max with estimates of total Z , fishing F , and natural M mortality, and an estimate of the exploitation ratio E . The data indicate that Baraka's whipray is a medium-sized, fast-growing, early maturing species, with a relatively long lifespan. This results in a high r_max relative to many other elasmobranchs, which when combined with estimates of F suggests that the species is not at imminent risk of extinction. Yet, estimates of exploitation ratio E indicate likely overfishing for the species, with full recruitment to the fishery being post-maturation and exploitation occurring across a broad range of age and size classes. Thus, Baraka's whipray is unlikely to be biologically sustainable in the face of current fisheries pressures. This paper makes an important contribution to filling the gap in available data and is a step towards developing evidence-based fisheries management for this species. Further, it demonstrates a simple and widely applicable framework for assessment of data-poor elasmobranch exploitation status and extinction risk.     

Conservation of rare species with island-like distributions: A case study of Lasthenia conjugens (Asteraceae) using population genetic structure and the distribution of rare markers

Californian vernal pools, a patchy, island-like habitat, are endangered as a result of habitat destruction. Conservation of the remaining vernal pool habitat is essential for the persistence of several endangered species. We present the first study examining DNA-level genetic diversity within and among populations of a vernal pool plant species. We investigated genetic variation across eight populations of the US federally endangered vernal pool endemic Lasthenia conjugens (Asteraceae) using intersimple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers. Genetic diversity within the species was high (Nei's gene diversity estimate was 0.37), with moderate differentiation among populations (Bayesian F _ST analog of 0.124). Using an amova analysis, we found that the majority of the genetic variation (84%) was distributed within populations. There is a significant relationship between geographical distance and pairwise genetic differentiation as measured by the Bayesian estimate θ^B. The alternative hypotheses of historic geological processes within the Central Valley and contemporary gene flow are discussed as explanations of the data. Because of the vulnerability of the populations, we calculated a probability of loss for rare alleles (fragments) in the populations. Calculations show that sampling only one of the eight populations for ex-situ conservation or restoration will capture approximately 54% of the sampled rare fragments. We believe that one of the sampled populations has become extinct since it was sampled. When removing this population from the above-mentioned calculations, sampling one population will capture only 41.3% of the sampled rare fragments. We recommend sampling strategies for future conservation and restoration efforts of L. conjugens.     

Life-history differentiation and the maintenance of monoecy and dioecy in Sagittaria latifolia (Alismataceae)

The existence of monoecious and dioecious populations within plant species is rare. This limits opportunities to investigate the ecological mechanisms responsible for the evolution and maintenance of these contrasting sexual systems. In Sagittaria latifolia, an aquatic flowering plant, monoecious and dioecious populations exist in close geographic proximity but occupy distinct wetland habitats differing in the relative importance of disturbance and competition, respectively. Life-history theory predicts contrasting evolutionary responses to these environmental conditions. We propose that the maintenance of monoecy and dioecy in S. latifolia is governed by ecological selection of divergent life-history strategies in contrasting habitats. Here we evaluate this hypothesis by comparing components of growth and reproduction between monoecious and dioecious populations under four conditions: natural populations, a uniform glasshouse environment, a common garden in which monoecious and dioecious populations and their F1 progeny were compared, and a transplant experiment using shaded and unshaded plots in a freshwater marsh. Plants from dioecious populations were larger in size and produced heavier corms in comparison with monoecious populations. Monoecious populations flowered earlier and produced more flowers, clonal ramets, and corms than dioecious populations. The life-history differences between the sexual systems were shown to have a quantitative genetic basis, with F1 progeny generally exhibiting intermediate trait values. Survival was highest for each sexual system in field plots that most closely resembled the habitats in which monoecious (unshaded) and dioecious (shaded) populations grow. These results demonstrate that monoecious and dioecious populations exhibit contrasting patterns of investment in traits involved with growth and reproduction. Selection for divergent life histories between monoecious and dioecious populations of S. latifolia appears to be the principal mechanism maintaining the integrity of the two sexual systems in areas of geographic overlap.     

Five new microsatellite markers for Northern pike (Esox lucius)

Five new microsatellite markers were isolated from Northern pike (Esox lucius), a freshwater fish widely distributed in both Northern Europe and Northern America. Characterization in 30 individuals from a population from France revealed four to seven alleles and an expected heterozygosity of 0.243–0.642. No departure from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium nor linkage disequilibrium were found. The level of polymorphism was higher than previously reported in the literature for pike populations from Northern America and Northern Europe, but with different microsatellite loci.     

Ecological exchangeability versus neutral molecular markers: the case of the great tit

Neutral genetic markers, such as mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences, are commonly used to discover independently evolving groups of populations in nature. These groups are often considered to be units of conservation because they preserve distinct organismal histories. However, because of the time lag between the isolation of populations and the evolution of diagnostic neutral markers, adaptive traits could be unrepresented by units defined by neutral markers. The concept of ecological exchangeability potentially provides a way to preserve populations possessing local adaptations that lack diagnostic neutral markers. Populations are surveyed for differences in fitness traits, either directly, or by examining morphological or genetic traits that could indirectly serve as proxies for them. The purpose of this paper is to compare the nature of units of conservation defined by neutral gene surveys and ecological exchangeability, using data recently available for the great tit Parus major , a wide-ranging Palearctic species. mtDNA surveys reveal a lack of differentiation across thousands of kilometer. In contrast, studies of body size and clutch size show locally adapted differences between populations separated by a few kilometer, meaning that these populations could be classified as ecologically in exchangeable. These two types of markers have dramatically different consequences for the geographic and evolutionary scale of conservation units. The concept of ecological exchangeability might be an inappropriate way to diagnose units of conservation in birds owing to the time required to document local adaptations and their potential ubiquity. Neutral genetic markers continue to provide a theoretically sound way of identifying units of conservation, and these units ought to be integrated into conservation plans without delay.     

Mitochondrial markers reveal deep population subdivision in the European protected spider <Emphasis Type="Italic">Macrothele calpeiana</Emphasis> (Walckenaer, 1805) (Araneae,Hexathelidae)

The funnel-web spider genus Macrothele is the only representative of the mygalomorph family Hexathelidae not found in Australia or New Zealand. Its 26 species occur in Central Africa and the Oriental region. Two Macrothele species are found in Europe: M. cretica Kulczynski, 1903 from Crete, and M. calpeiana (Walckenaer, 1805) type species of the genus and the largest European spider, whose distribution extends across the south-eastern Iberian Peninsula, and in two localities of North Africa. Macrothele calpeiana is the only spider protected under European legislation. The fragmentation and destruction of the cork oak forest, with which M. calpeiana was thought to be closely associated, prompted the inclusion of this species in the Bern Convention. Some authors, however, have challenged this view and consider M. calpeiana to be neither a cork oak forest bioindicator nor an endangered species. By contrast, other observations suggest that the distribution of the species is extremely fragmented and that most local populations should be considered as threatened. In this paper, we examine aspects of the conservation status of M. calpeiana in the light of molecular phylogenetic analyses based on mitochondrial markers of sample specimens from major populations. Our data confirm the fragmented distribution of M. calpeiana and reveal high levels of genetic differentiation across its populations. Local population growth cannot be ruled out, though the lineage as a whole has apparently not undergone population growth. Lineage age estimates suggest that M. calpeiana colonized the Iberian Peninsula during the Messinian salinity crisis and that the current population fragmentation originates from the Pliocene and Pleistocene. We argue that the fragmentation and deep genetic divergence across populations, along with evolutionary singularity and endemicity in one of Europe’s main biodiversity hotspots, support the preservation of its legally protected status.