Is species selection dependent upon emergent characters?

The architects of punctuated equilibrium and species selection as well as more recent workers (Vrba) have narrowed the original formulation of species selection and made it dependent upon so-called emergent characters. One criticism of this narrow version is the dearth of emergent characters with a consequent diminution in the robustness of species selection as an important evolutionary process. We argue that monomorphic species characters may at times be the focus of selection and that under these circumstances selection at the organism level is by-passed due to the absence of critical variance. Selection therefore shifts to the species level where variability reemerges in a clade. The absence of critical variance among organisms prevents effect macroevolution from operating. If species-wide properties are important in macroevolutionary processes, as we contend, systematists should pay more attention to their elucidation.     

THE SYNANGIATE NATURE OF DOLEROTHECA

Transverse sections through the distal region of a Dolerotheca specimen in a coal ball from the Calhoun coal of Illinois show the double rows of sporangia where they are free from one another. This leads to the conclusion that the sporangial rows should be regarded as extending inward from the campanulum cover rather than radiating outward from the center. This observation suggests that Dolerotheca is a synangium composed of many sporangial units of different lengths.     

Molecular and Morphological Phylogenies of Mammals: Congruence with Stratigraphic Data

Tests of a sample of 206 cladograms of mammals show that morphological data seem to predict phylogenies that match the known fossil record better than molecular trees. Three metrics that assess the rank order of branching points, the stratigraphic consistency of those nodes, and the ratio of ghost range to known range show a considerable diversity of values. Some published trees show excellent matching with fossil-record data; others show almost no correspondence whatsoever. Morphological trees are nearly twice as good as molecular trees in terms of matching of the rank orders of nodes and oldest fossils, while morphological trees are 10% better than molecular in terms of stratigraphic consistency of the nodes. The ratios of ghost range to known range are lower for molecular trees. Among the molecular trees, those based on gene data are considerably better than those based on protein sequences, at least in terms of the rank order of nodes and the stratigraphic consistency of nodes. Protein trees, however, were best of all in terms of minimizing the proportion of ghost range. These findings probably indicate real phenomena, but the match of molecular trees to the expectations of stratigraphy may improve as the study of molecular phylogeny matures.     

Comparative large-scale propagation of retroviruses from old world (mason-pfizer monkey virus) and new world (squirrel monkey virus) primates

Summary A cell culture method is described for the large-scale (50 to 150 1) production of Mason-Pfizer monkey virus and squirrel monkey virus, two primate retroviruses. Virus production was achieved with suspension cultures of chronically infected A204 human rhabdomyosarcoma cells harvested and clarified in the logarithmic stages of cell culture growth. Methods for the subsequent purification and concentration of virus material utilizing zonal centrifugation also are described. Applications of these methodologies resulted in products that afforded biochemical comparisons of these agents in a manner such that host cell-derived variations were minimized. These data indicated that high levels of production and efficient recovery and purification of virus material were achieved. This work was supported by Contract NO1-CO-25423 with the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health.     

New developments at BIONET

BIONET has made considerable progress in developing communication links among molecular biologists and biochemists worldwide. We describe these efforts and also note the many new enhancements to the BIONET system itself.     

Congruence between phylogenetic and stratigraphic data on the history of life

The quality of the fossil record and the accuracy of reconstructed phylogenies have been debated recently, and doubt has been cast on how far current knowledge actually reflects what happened in the past. A survey of 384 published cladograms of a variety of animals (echinoderms, fishes, tetrapods) shows that there is good agreement between phylogenetic (character) data and stratigraphic (age) data, based on a variety of comparative metrics. This congruence of conclusions from two essentially independent sources of data confirms that the majority of cladograms are broadly accurate and that the fossil record, incomplete as it is, gives a reasonably faithful documentation of the sequence of occurrence of organisms through time.     

Genome sequence of the fish pathogen Flavobacterium columnare ATCC 49512

Flavobacterium columnare is a Gram-negative, rod-shaped, motile, and highly prevalent fish pathogen causing columnaris disease in freshwater fish worldwide. Here, we present the complete genome sequence of F. columnare strain ATCC 49512.     

Impact of dispersal on population growth: the role of inter-patch distance

Dispersal can play a key role in the dynamics of patchy populations through patch colonization, and generally this leads to distance-dependent colonization. Less recognised are the roles of dispersal and inter-patch distance on the growth of a population after colonization. We use a laboratory mite model system in which both juveniles and adults can disperse to explore the impact of dispersal, and particularly inter-patch distance, on population dynamics. We examine the dynamics of patches after colonization by manipulating the presence of a dispersal corridor to a source patch at two inter-patch distances. Consistent with many field studies, the results show colonization was slower in more distant patches. Following colonization, the effect of the dispersal corridor on dynamics was dependent on inter-patch distance. In patches near the source, the number of adults tended to increase at a faster rate, and juveniles at a slower rate when connected with a dispersal corridor. In contrast, adult numbers grew slower and juveniles tended to grow faster when connected with a corridor in more distant patches. In the long-term, equilibrium adult numbers were lower in patches connected to the source patch at both distances. These results are likely to be driven by the effects of inter-patch distance on dispersal mortality, and the effects of dispersal on patch abundance and within-patch competition. These results confirm that distance is important for patch colonization and also show that distance can affect population density after colonization. The effects of dispersal and distance on local dynamics could be important in the dynamics of patchy populations in increasingly fragmented landscapes.     

Advancing science and technology via 3D culture on basement membrane matrix

Many cells in tissues are in contact with a highly specialized extracellular matrix, termed the basement membrane. Basement membranes have certain common components, including collagen IV, laminins, heparan sulfate proteoglycans, and growth factors which have a wide variety of biological activities. Extracts of basement membrane‐rich tissue have yielded material suitable for studying cell–basement membrane interactions. Cells cultured in a 3D basement membrane matrix allow the in vitro modeling of cell behavior, including differentiation, apoptosis, steps in capillary formation, cancer growth, invasion, etc. It has also led to the development of widely used assays for invasion and angiogenesis and more recently for tumor cell dormancy. Importantly, stem cell culture in 3D basement membrane matrices has provided important advances that allow for expansion of these cells in feeder layer‐free cultures and for studying their differentiation. 3D basement membrane culture has allowed the molecular dissection of pathways and genes important in differentiation, aided in the identification of progenitor cells, and led to the development of tissue constructs which may be models for regenerative medicine. This review will outline how this technology has led to important research assays and findings that have advanced our understanding of tissue development and disease and aided in the preclinical development of various therapeutics. J. Cell. Physiol. 221: 18–25. Published 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Reef-associated fishes have more maneuverable body shapes at a macroevolutionary scale

Marine habitats vary widely in structure, from incredibly complex coral reefs to simpler deep water and open ocean habitats. Hydromechanical models of swimming kinematics and microevolutionary studies suggest that these habitats select for different body shape characteristics. Fishes living in simple habitats are predicted to experience selection for energy-efficient sustained swimming, which can be achieved by fusiform body shapes. In contrast, fishes living in complex habitats are predicted to be under selection for maneuverability, which can be enhanced by deep-bodied and laterally compressed forms. To look for a signature of these processes at a broad macroevolutionary scale, we quantified the body shapes of 3322 species of marine teleostean fishes using a series of linear measurements. We scored each species for whether they were reef-associated or not and tested for morphological differences using a phylogenetic framework. Our results confirmed significant overall shape differences between reef-associated teleosts and those occupying structurally simpler marine habitats. Reef-associated species have, on average, deeper bodies and higher depth-to-width ratios, while non-reef species are more streamlined with narrower and shallower caudal peduncles. Despite the numerous evolutionary forces that may influence body shapes on a broad macroevolutionary scale, our results reveal differences in body shapes between reef-associated and non-reef species that are consistent with hydromechanical models of swimming kinematics as well as with microevolutionary patterns.