ORCID Profile
0000-0002-6451-3425
Current Organisations
Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung
,
Justus Liebig Universität Gießen
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Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2014
DOI: 10.1016/J.SAPHARM.2013.08.001
Abstract: Compounded progesterone (P₄) is a product that, from a clinical experience-based perspective, effectively relieves a range of symptoms. In contrast, from a conventional evidence-based medicine perspective, P₄ is ineffective. As P₄ is not a product prescribed by conventional medicine, it is unlikely to be prescribed by family doctors, which increases the barriers to utilization. Utilization of medicines is influenced by many contextual and in idual characteristics. The Behavioral Model of Health Services Use provides a multidimensional framework to conceptualize utilization of health services including medicine use. The 4 main components of this model are: contextual characteristics, in idual characteristics, health behaviors and outcomes. This paper reports on the application of The Behavioral Model of Health Services Use to medicines and shows how it can be applied to the use of P₄. The model enables some of the positive reinforcement that contributes to women continuing to use P₄ to be explained. The Behavioral Model of Health Services Use was found to offer the potential to identify and then address issues with access to prescription medicines.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 28-10-2014
DOI: 10.1111/FWB.12489
Publisher: GigaScience Press
Date: 30-06-2022
DOI: 10.46471/GIGABYTE.64
Abstract: Insect silk is a versatile biomaterial. Lepidoptera and Trichoptera display some of the most erse uses of silk, with varying strength, adhesive qualities, and elastic properties. Silk fibroin genes are long ( Kbp), with many repetitive motifs that make them challenging to sequence. Most research thus far has focused on conserved N- and C-terminal regions of fibroin genes because a full comparison of repetitive regions across taxa has not been possible. Using the PacBio Sequel II system and SMRT sequencing, we generated high fidelity (HiFi) long-read genomic and transcriptomic sequences for the Indianmeal moth (Plodia interpunctella) and genomic sequences for the caddisfly Eubasilissa regina. Both genomes were highly contiguous (N50 = 9.7 Mbp/32.4 Mbp, L50 = 13/11) and complete (BUSCO complete = 99.3%/95.2%), with complete and contiguous recovery of silk heavy fibroin gene sequences. We show that HiFi long-read sequencing is helpful for understanding genes with long, repetitive regions.
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Date: 12-2014
DOI: 10.1086/678492
Publisher: Biology Centre, AS CR
Date: 02-04-2015
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 02-07-2016
Publisher: Magnolia Press
Date: 10-01-2011
DOI: 10.11646/ZOOTAXA.4370.2.5
Abstract: In this contribution, we describe Isoperla vjosae sp. nov. from Albania. We characterize males, females, and larvae of the new species collected at the Vjosa River using morphological and molecular approaches. Isoperla vjosae sp.nov. is a member of the I. tripartita group, which is widely distributed in the Balkans. This new endemic species is being threatened by a proposed hydroelectric power dam on the Vjosa River impacting the type locality – a large, shifting gravel, low altitude River – an atypical habitat for larvae of the I. tripartita group. For the first time we use molecular tools to delineate Isoperla species from the Balkans.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 07-06-2019
DOI: 10.1111/SYEN.12367
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 22-09-2023
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 20-12-2012
DOI: 10.1111/MEC.12152
Abstract: Genetic ersity provides the basic substrate for evolution, yet few studies assess the impacts of global climate change (GCC) on intraspecific genetic variation. In this review, we highlight the importance of incorporating neutral and non-neutral genetic ersity when assessing the impacts of GCC, for ex le, in studies that aim to predict the future distribution and fate of a species or ecological community. Specifically, we address the following questions: Why study the effects of GCC on intraspecific genetic ersity? How does GCC affect genetic ersity? How is the effect of GCC on genetic ersity currently studied? Where is potential for future research? For each of these questions, we provide a general background and highlight case studies across the animal, plant and microbial kingdoms. We further discuss how cryptic ersity can affect GCC assessments, how genetic ersity can be integrated into studies that aim to predict species' responses on GCC and how conservation efforts related to GCC can incorporate and profit from inclusion of genetic ersity assessments. We argue that studying the fate of intraspecifc genetic ersity is an indispensable and logical venture if we are to fully understand the consequences of GCC on bio ersity on all levels.
Publisher: Magnolia Press
Date: 12-06-2020
DOI: 10.11646/ZOOTAXA.4790.3.4
Abstract: A new Drusinae species, Drusus katagelastos sp. nov., of the Drusus chapmani Species Complex, is described based on a male and associated larvae. Adult-larval association was achieved through DNA barcoding. The male of the new species differs from that of its congeners in the formation of the intermediate appendages and parameres. Information on the morphology of the larva is given, and important diagnostic features are discussed. In the context of filtering carnivore Drusinae, the larva of the new species can be separated from other filtering carnivore species by the dense cover of long translucent bristles within the frontal cavity surrounded by a circular corona of long bristles. Drusus katagelastos sp. nov. is known from only northwestern Italy (Piemonte).
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 07-05-2023
DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.04.539402
Abstract: Insects are unique in terms of their high species ersity and deliver key ecological functions. Despite this importance, we know little about true species numbers and bio ersity trends for most insect orders. A key limitation is a lack of time, funding and taxonomic expertise needed to identify the huge number of often small species, of which many remain undescribed as “dark taxa”. We here present a holistic, scalable and affordable insect ersity monitoring approach using DNA metabarcoding of the mitochondrial COI gene. Using data from the German Malaise trap program we analyzed 1,815 s les obtained from 2019 and 2020 through 75 traps across Germany. We uncovered 10,803 plausible insect species of which the majority (83.9%) was represented by a single OTU. We estimated another 22,500 potential insect species, which lack reference data or represent undescribed species. The overall number of ,000 insect species reported here is almost as high as the total number of insect species known for Germany (∼35,500). As Malaise traps capture only a certain fraction of insect species, we argue that many species recorded here are unknown from Germany or new to science in general. Our approach uses robotics and replicated analysis with on average 1.4 M sequence reads per s le for less than 50 € including supply, labor and maintenance. Our up-scalable analysis of 141 s les within two weeks with one person provides a blueprint for large-scale insect monitoring in almost real time.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 2022
DOI: 10.1093/GIGASCIENCE/GIAC011
Abstract: Genome size is implicated in the form, function, and ecological success of a species. Two principally different mechanisms are proposed as major drivers of eukaryotic genome evolution and ersity: polyploidy (i.e., whole-genome duplication) or smaller duplication events and bursts in the activity of repetitive elements. Here, we generated de novo genome assemblies of 17 caddisflies covering all major lineages of Trichoptera. Using these and previously sequenced genomes, we use caddisflies as a model for understanding genome size evolution in erse insect lineages. We detect a ∼14-fold variation in genome size across the order Trichoptera. We find strong evidence that repetitive element expansions, particularly those of transposable elements (TEs), are important drivers of large caddisfly genome sizes. Using an innovative method to examine TEs associated with universal single-copy orthologs (i.e., BUSCO genes), we find that TE expansions have a major impact on protein-coding gene regions, with TE-gene associations showing a linear relationship with increasing genome size. Intriguingly, we find that expanded genomes preferentially evolved in caddisfly clades with a higher ecological ersity (i.e., various feeding modes, ersification in variable, less stable environments). Our findings provide a platform to test hypotheses about the potential evolutionary roles of TE activity and TE-gene associations, particularly in groups with high species, ecological, and functional ersities.
Publisher: Magnolia Press
Date: 20-10-2015
DOI: 10.11646/ZOOTAXA.4032.5.5
Abstract: The Balkan Peninsula is one of the most important European hotspots of freshwater bio ersity. The region is, however, to a large extent insufficiently investigated. Here we present data on distribution of caddisflies in one particularly understudied area, the Republic of Kosovo. Our data include the first records of Adicella altandroconia Botosaneanu & Novak and Halesus tessellatus (Rambur) for the Kosovo caddisfly fauna, and a new locality for the recently described Ecclisopteryx keroveci Previšić, Graf, & Vitecek. Further, we describe the new caddisfly species Drusus dardanicus sp. nov. from the Kopaonik Mountains. The new species belongs to the D. discophorus Species Group and differs morphologically from its most similar congeners (D. discophorus Radovanović, D. balcanicus Kumanski, and D. bureschi Kumanski) mainly in exhibiting (1) subtrianglar superior appendages (2) a narrow, dorsal spinate area of tergite VIII and (3) evenly rounded tips of intermediate appendages in caudal view. In phylogenetic analysis, D. dardanicus sp. nov. is well delineated and recovered as a sister taxon to D. osogovicus Kumanski, a species recorded from Bulgaria. The recent discovery of a new species and other rare or microendemic species presents important contributions to the knowledge on the rich freshwater bio ersity in Kosovo. These species face increasing anthropogenic pressure and threats to their conservation.
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 05-09-2016
Abstract: DNA barcoding was intended as a means to provide species-level identifications through associating DNA sequences from unknown specimens to those from curated reference specimens. Although barcodes were not designed for phylogenetics, they can be beneficial to the completion of the Tree of Life. The barcode database for Trichoptera is relatively comprehensive, with data from every family, approximately two-thirds of the genera, and one-third of the described species. Most Trichoptera, as with most of life's species, have never been subjected to any formal phylogenetic analysis. Here, we present a phylogeny with over 16 000 unique haplotypes as a working hypothesis that can be updated as our estimates improve. We suggest a strategy of implementing constrained tree searches, which allow larger datasets to dictate the backbone phylogeny, while the barcode data fill out the tips of the tree. We also discuss how this phylogeny could be used to focus taxonomic attention on ambiguous species boundaries and hidden bio ersity. We suggest that systematists continue to differentiate between ‘Barcode Index Numbers’ (BINs) and ‘species’ that have been formally described. Each has utility, but they are not synonyms. We highlight ex les of integrative taxonomy, using both barcodes and morphology for species description. This article is part of the themed issue ‘From DNA barcodes to biomes’.
Publisher: National Inquiry Services Center (NISC)
Date: 19-07-2019
Publisher: Pensoft Publishers
Date: 26-02-2021
DOI: 10.3897/VZ.71.E60312
Abstract: We revise the frogs of the genus Phrynoglossus from Indochina based on data of external morphology, bioacoustics and molecular genetics. The results of this integrative study provide evidence for the recognition of three distinct species, one of which we describe as new. Phrynoglossus martensii has a vast geographic distribution from central and southern Thailand across southern China to Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Phrynoglossus myanhessei sp. nov. is distributed in central Myanmar whereas Phrynoglossus magnapustulosus is restricted to the Khorat Plateau, Thailand. These three species occur in allopatry and differ in their mating calls, external morphology, and in genetic distances of the 16S gene of 3.8–5.9%. Finally, we discuss and provide evolutionary evidence for the recognition of Phrynoglossus as a genus distinct from Occidozyga . Members of both genera form reciprocal monophyletic groups in our analyses of mtDNA data (16S) and are well differentiated from each other in morphology and ecology. Furthermore, they differ in the lexus mode with Phrynoglossus having an inguinal lexus whereas it is axillary in Occidozyga . We further provide a de novo draft genome of the holotype based on short-read sequencing technology to a coverage of 25-fold. This resource will permanently link the genetic characterization of the species to the name-bearing type specimen.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-11-2012
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 30-12-2016
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 21-05-2018
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 03-08-2016
DOI: 10.3390/W8080327
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Date: 03-2014
DOI: 10.1086/674430
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 13-01-2015
DOI: 10.1002/ECE3.1366
Publisher: Pensoft Publishers
Date: 03-02-2016
Publisher: Pensoft Publishers
Date: 16-07-2015
Publisher: Pensoft Publishers
Date: 12-12-2022
DOI: 10.3897/ARPHAPREPRINTS.E98641
Abstract: While & DNA barcodes& are often provided, the whole mitochondrial and nuclear genome are rarely considered to be included in species descriptions. This is unfortunate because whole genome sequencing of holotypes allows eternal genetic characterization of the most representative specimen for a given species. Thus, de novo genomes are invaluable added resources and important additional diagnostic characters in species descriptions, provided the integrity of the holotype specimens remains intact. Here, we used a minimally invasive method to extract DNA of the type specimen of the recently described caddisfly species Silvatares holzenthali (Trichoptera, Pisuliidae) from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A low-cost next generation sequencing strategy was used to generate the complete mitochondrial and draft nuclear genome of the holotype. The data in its current form is an important extension to the morphological species description and valuable for phylogenomic studies.
Publisher: Pensoft Publishers
Date: 31-07-2013
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-10-2017
DOI: 10.1111/FWB.13037
Publisher: Magnolia Press
Date: 09-08-2016
DOI: 10.11646/ZOOSYMPOSIA.10.1.40
Abstract: This paper summarizes the layout, the three work packages (WP) and the preliminary (November 2014) as well as intended outcomes of the Drusinae project funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF).
Publisher: Pensoft Publishers
Date: 16-04-2015
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 27-11-2019
DOI: 10.1093/GBE/EVZ264
Abstract: Members of the speciose insect order Trichoptera (caddisflies) provide important ecosystem services, for ex le, nutrient cycling through breaking down of organic matter. They are also of industrial interest due to their larval silk secretions. These form the basis for their erse case-making behavior that allows them to exploit a wide range of ecological niches. Only five genomes of this order have been published thus far, with variable qualities regarding contiguity and completeness. A low-cost sequencing strategy, that is, using a single Oxford Nanopore flow cell per in idual along with Illumina sequence reads was successfully used to generate high-quality genomes of two Trichoptera species, Plectrocnemia conspersa and Hydropsyche tenuis. Of the de novo assembly methods compared, assembly of low coverage Nanopore reads (∼18×) and subsequent polishing with long reads followed by Illumina short reads (∼80–170× coverage) yielded the highest genome quality both in terms of contiguity and BUSCO completeness. The presented genomes are the shortest to date and extend our knowledge of genome size across caddisfly families. The genomic region that encodes for light (L)-chain fibroin, a protein component of larval caddisfly silk was identified and compared with existing L-fibroin gene clusters. The new genomic resources presented in this paper are among the highest quality Trichoptera genomes and will increase the knowledge of this important insect order by serving as the basis for phylogenomic and comparative genomic studies.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-10-2016
DOI: 10.1111/FWB.12824
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 10-03-2023
DOI: 10.1111/GEB.13648
Abstract: Aquatic insects comprise 64% of freshwater animal ersity and are widely used as bioindicators to assess water quality impairment and freshwater ecosystem health, as well as to test ecological hypotheses. Despite their importance, a comprehensive, global database of aquatic insect occurrences for mapping freshwater bio ersity in macroecological studies and applied freshwater research is missing. We aim to fill this gap and present the Global EPTO Database , which includes worldwide geo‐referenced aquatic insect occurrence records for four major taxa groups: Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera and Odonata (EPTO). A total of 8,368,467 occurrence records globally, of which 8,319,689 (99%) are publicly available. The records are attributed to the corresponding drainage basin and sub‐catchment based on the Hydrography90m dataset and are accompanied by the elevation value, the freshwater ecoregion and the protection status of their location. The database covers the global extent, with 86% of the observation records having coordinates with at least four decimal digits (11.1 m precision at the equator) in the World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS84) coordinate reference system. S ling years span from 1951 to 2021. Ninety‐nine percent of the records have information on the year of the observation, 95% on the year and month, while 94% have a complete date. In the case of seven sub‐datasets, exact dates can be retrieved upon communication with the data contributors. Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera and Odonata, standardized at the genus taxonomic level. We provide species names for 7,727,980 (93%) records without further taxonomic verification. The entire tab‐separated value (.csv) database can be downloaded and visualized at roject/epto_database/ . Fifty in idual datasets are also available at fred.igb‐berlin.de , while six datasets have restricted access. For the latter, we share metadata and the contact details of the authors.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 25-05-2012
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 22-10-2016
DOI: 10.1111/JBI.12895
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 03-06-2022
DOI: 10.1101/2022.06.01.494423
Abstract: Insect silk is an incredibly versatile biomaterial. Lepidoptera and their sister lineage, Trichoptera, display some of the most erse uses of silk with varying strength, adhesive qualities and elastic properties. It is well known that silk fibroin genes are long ( 20 kb) and have many repetitive motifs. These features make these genes challenging to sequence. Most research thus far has focused on conserved N- and C-terminal regions of fibroin genes because a full comparison of repetitive regions across taxa has not been possible. Using the PacBio Sequel II system and SMRT sequencing, we generated high fidelity (HiFi) long-read genomic and transcriptomic sequences for the Indianmeal moth ( Plodia interpunctella ) and genomic sequences for the caddisfly, Eubasilissa regina . Both genomes were highly contiguous (N50 = 9.7 Mbp/32.4 Mbp, L50 = 13/11) and complete (BUSCO Complete = 99.3%/95.2%), with complete and contiguous recovery of silk heavy fibroin gene sequences. This study demonstrates that HiFi long-read sequencing can significantly help our understanding of genes with highly contiguous, repetitive regions.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 26-09-2023
Publisher: EDP Sciences
Date: 2012
DOI: 10.1051/LIMN/2011054
Publisher: Pensoft Publishers
Date: 07-04-2021
DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.9.E64486
Abstract: The Western Balkans are an important hotspot of caddisfly ersity in Europe, with several microscale endemics, many of which were discovered during the recent years. The genus Potamophylax Wallengren, 1891 likely originated and ersified in Europe, with the Balkan Peninsula being one of the most important ersity hotspots. In this paper, we describe the new species Potamophylax coronavirus sp. n. from Bjeshkët e Nemuna National Park in the Republic of Kosovo. The new species belongs to the Potamophylax winneguthi species group and is morphologically most similar to Potamophylax juliani Kumanski, 1999, currently known only from Bulgaria and Potamophylax winneguthi Klapalek, 1902, known from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. The male of the new species differs from its most similar congeners mainly in exhibiting: (1) elongated subrectangular superior appendages in lateral view (2) hardly acuminate, almost rounded apex of intermediate appendages (3) differently shaped, irregular and higher inferior appendages (4) narrow spinate area, roughly rectangular in dorsal view, slightly wider at the base and (5) different paramere shape and/or spine pattern. The new species also differs by its considerably smaller size and association with open, high altitude eucrenal zones. The uncorrected interspecific pairwise distance between P. coronavirus and other species of the P. winneguthi species group is on par with those amongst other recognised species in the group, as well as with the yet ambiguously identified taxa from the Sharr, Rila and Bajgorë Mountains. The new species is most probably a microendemic of Bjeshkët e Nemuna, thus highlighting further this area as an important hotspot of caddisfly bio ersity in Europe.
Publisher: Pensoft Publishers
Date: 11-07-2022
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 24-08-2017
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 17-11-2020
DOI: 10.1101/2020.11.16.381806
Abstract: Trichoptera (caddisflies) play an essential role in freshwater ecosystems for instance, larvae process organic material from the water and are food for a variety of predators. Knowledge on the genomic ersity of caddisflies can facilitate comparative and phylogenetic studies thereby allowing scientists to better understand the evolutionary history of caddisflies. While Trichoptera are the most erse aquatic insect order, they remain poorly represented in terms of genomic resources. To date, all long-read based genomes have been sequenced from in iduals in the retreat-making suborder, Annulipalpia, leaving ∼275 Ma of evolution without high-quality genomic resources. Here, we report the first long-read based de novo genome assemblies of two tube case-making Trichoptera from the suborder Integripalpia, Agrypnia vestita Walker and Hesperophylax magnus Banks. We find that these tube case-making caddisflies have genome sizes that are at least three-fold larger than those of currently sequenced annulipalpian genomes and that this pattern is at least partly driven by major expansion of repetitive elements. In H. magnus , long interspersed nuclear elements (LINEs) alone exceed the entire genome size of some annulipalpian counterparts suggesting that caddisflies have high potential as a model for understanding genome size evolution in erse insect lineages. There is a lack of genomic resources for aquatic insects. So far, only three high-quality genomes have been assembled, all from in iduals in the retreat-making suborder Annulipalpia. In this article, we report the first high-quality genomes of two case-making species from the suborder Integripalpia, which are essential for studying genomic ersity across this ecologically erse insect order. Our research reveals larger genome sizes in the tube case-makers (suborder Integripalpia, infraorder Phryganides), accompanied by a disproportionate increase of repetitive DNA. This suggests that genome size is at least partly driven by a major expansion of repetitive elements. Our work shows that caddisflies have high potential as a model for understanding how genomic ersity might be linked to functional ersification and forms the basis for detailed studies on genome size evolution in caddisflies. This project has been deposited at NCBI under the Bioproject ID: PRJNA668166
Publisher: Pensoft Publishers
Date: 24-04-2023
DOI: 10.3897/ZOOKEYS.1159.98439
Abstract: While DNA barcodes are increasingly provided in descriptions of new species, the whole mitochondrial and nuclear genomes are still rarely included. This is unfortunate because whole genome sequencing of holotypes allows perpetual genetic characterization of the most representative specimen for a given species. Thus, de novo genomes are invaluable additional diagnostic characters in species descriptions, provided the structural integrity of the holotype specimens remains intact. Here, we used a minimally invasive method to extract DNA of the type specimen of the recently described caddisfly species Silvatares holzenthali Rázuri-Gonzales, Ngera & Pauls, 2022 (Trichoptera: Pisuliidae) from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A low-cost next generation sequencing strategy was used to generate the complete mitochondrial and draft nuclear genome of the holotype. The data in its current form is an important extension to the morphological species description and valuable for phylogenomic studies.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 24-07-2017
Publisher: Pensoft Publishers
Date: 11-07-2022
DOI: 10.3897/ZOOKEYS.1111.85307
Abstract: A new species of caddisfly in the family Pisuliidae from the Democratic Republic of the Congo is described and illustrated herein, Silvatares holzenthali sp. nov. Based on the presence of a pair of spines on the endotheca, this species belongs to the thrymmifer group. Additionally, Silvatares laetae is recorded for the first time from the D.R. Congo.
Publisher: Magnolia Press
Date: 23-02-2202
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 2012
Publisher: Magnolia Press
Date: 09-04-2013
DOI: 10.11646/ZOOTAXA.3637.1.1
Abstract: Water quality monitoring is greatly dependent on identification tools for aquatic and semi-aquatic insects. Species-level identification improves resolution and precision of water quality assessment and requires comprehensive keys. With the aim of increasing the suitability of Drusinae for such applications, this paper gives a description of the hitherto unknown larvae of Drusus franzressli Malicky 1974 and Drusus spelaeus (Ulmer 1920). Information on the morphology of the larvae is given and the most important diagnostic features are illustrated. In the context of already available keys, the larvae of D. franzressli and D. spelaeus key together with Metanoea flavipennis (Pictet 1834), M. rhaetica Schmid 1956, D. improvisus McLachlan 1884, D. nigrescens Meyer-Dür 1875 and Ecclisopteryx malickyi Moretti 1991. These species are easily separated by differences in larval morphology (dorsal outline and sculpturing of pronotum, presence/absence of lateral gills at 2nd and 3rd abdominal segments, start of lateral fringe) and their distribution ranges. Drusus franzressli is endemic to the Hellenic western Balkans whereas D. spelaeus is endemic to the western Alps (Grenoble area). In addition, ecological characteristics are briefly discussed.
Publisher: Annual Reviews
Date: 07-01-2014
DOI: 10.1146/ANNUREV-ENTO-011613-161958
Abstract: Inland waters cover less than 1% of Earth's surface but harbor more than 6% of all insect species: Nearly 100,000 species from 12 orders spend one or more life stages in freshwater. Little is known about how this remarkable ersity arose, although allopatric speciation and ecological adaptation are thought to be primary mechanisms. Freshwater habitats are highly susceptible to environmental change and exhibit marked ecological gradients. Standing waters appear to harbor more dispersive species than running waters, but there is little understanding of how this fundamental ecological difference has affected ersification. In contrast to the lack of evolutionary studies, the ecology and habitat preferences of aquatic insects have been intensively studied, in part because of their widespread use as bioindicators. The combination of phylogenetics with the extensive ecological data provides a promising avenue for future research, making aquatic insects highly suitable models for the study of ecological ersification.
Publisher: Pensoft Publishers
Date: 19-07-2013
Publisher: Magnolia Press
Date: 22-01-2021
DOI: 10.11646/ZOOTAXA.4915.3.1
Abstract: Based on two male and two female in iduals, we describe a new genus and species of mud snake, Myanophis thanlyinensis gen. nov., sp. nov., from the vicinity of the c us of East Yangon University, Yangon, Thanlyin, Myanmar. This species differs from every other homalopsid species by the following combination of characters: (1) dorsal scales smooth, row formula 21–21–19 or 21–21–17 (2) tail short, ratio tail length/SVL 0.185–0.204 in males, 0.160–0.167 in females (3) nasal scales separated (4) 125–126 ventral scales in males, 120–122 in females (5) 38–39 subcaudal scales in males, 32–34 in females and (6) hemipenis bilobed. Its matrilineal genealogy (based on analyses of 16S and cytochrome b sequences), associates Myanophis thanlyinensis gen. nov., sp. nov. most closely with species of the genera Myrrophis and Gyiophis. The new taxon differs from the species of Myrrophis and Gyiophis by having a bilobed hemipenis (vs. unilobed). Myanophis thanlyinensis gen. nov., sp. nov. differs further from the species of Myrrophis by having 125–126 ventral scales in males and 120–122 in females (vs. 137–162 and 137–164, respectively), and 38–39 subcaudal scales in males and 32–34 in females (vs. 39–55 and 37–52, respectively). Myanophis thanlyinensis gen. nov., sp. nov. differs further from the species of Gyiophis by lacking dark blotches along flank (vs. present), and by having 21 dorsal scales rows at midbody (vs. 25). We provide an identification key to the homalopsid species known to occur in Myanmar. As a novelty to the classic holotype description and characterization, the in idual has been genome sequenced by Illumina short-read technology and its genome has been assembled into a draft nuclear genome and a complete, annotated mitochondrial genome. This innovative approach comprehensively and permanently characterizes the genomic variation of the holotype.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2015
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 07-01-0009
DOI: 10.1111/GCB.12107
Publisher: Magnolia Press
Date: 22-09-2015
DOI: 10.11646/ZOOTAXA.4020.2.2
Abstract: This paper describes the hitherto unknown larva of Apatania helvetica Schmid 1954. Sequence data from the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase region were used to associate adult females and larvae. Genetic data confirmed the autochthonous status of this taxon within the parthenogenetic Apatania muliebris Complex ('sous groupe') sensu Schmid 1954. Information on the morphology of the larva is given, and the most important diagnostic features are illustrated. Apatania helvetica is morphologically close to Apatania muliebris McLachlan 1866 and A. fimbriata (Pictet 1834). In the context of Apataniidae, this trio of species can be separated by the presence of long tapering setae with flexible tips at the anterior border of the pronotum, by a central gap within the transverse setal band on the 1st abdominal dorsum, by biometry of the frontoclypeal setation and by their distribution in Europe. With respect to European ecoregions (Graf et al. 2008), Apatania muliebris has been recorded from the Alps, the central plains and highlands, the Baltic countries, Great Britain, Ireland and Scandinavia A. fimbriata is known from the Alps, the western and central highlands, the western plains, the Hungarian lowlands and the Carpathians and A. helvetica is restricted to the Alps and has been recorded only in Switzerland.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 29-08-2012
DOI: 10.1017/S0140525X1200009X
Abstract: Ex les from Chinese, Thai, and Finnish illustrate why researchers cannot always be confident about the precise nature of the word unit. Understanding ambiguities regarding where a word begins and ends, and how to model word recognition when many derivations of a word are possible, is essential for universal theories of reading applied to both developing and expert readers.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 09-07-2022
DOI: 10.1101/2022.07.09.499428
Abstract: The ergence of sister orders, Trichoptera (caddisflies) and Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies), from a silk-spinning ancestor occurred around 290 million years ago. Trichoptera larvae are mainly aquatic and Lepidoptera larvae are almost entirely terrestrial, distinct habitats that required molecular adaptation of their silk for deployment in water versus air. The major protein components of their silks are Heavy chain and Light chain fibroins. In an effort to identify molecular changes in L-fibroins that may have contributed to the ergent use of silk in water versus air, we used the ColabFold implementation of AlphaFold2 to predict three-dimensional structures of L-fibroins from both orders. Comparison of the structures revealed that despite the ancient ergence, profoundly different habitats, and low sequence conservation, a 10-helix core structure was strongly conserved in L-fibroins from both orders. Previously known intra- and intermolecular disulfide linkages were accurately predicted. Structure variations observed outside of the core may represent molecular changes that contributed to the evolution of silks adapted to water or air. The distributions of electrostatic potential, for ex le, are not conserved and present distinct order-specific surfaces for potential interactions with or modulation by external factors. Also, the interactions of L-fibroins with the H-fibroin C-termini are different between the orders lepidopteran L-fibroins have N-terminal insertions, not present in trichopteran L-fibroins, which form an unstructured ribbon in isolation but become part of an intermolecular β-sheet when folded with their corresponding H-fibroin C-termini. The results may serve as another ex le of protein structure prediction from deep sequence data of understudied proteins made possible by AlphaFold2.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 30-05-2015
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 06-06-2017
Publisher: Pensoft Publishers
Date: 09-07-2018
DOI: 10.3897/ZOOKEYS.773.24319
Abstract: Himalopsyche Banks, 1940 (Trichoptera, Rhyacophilidae) is a genus of caddisflies inhabiting mountain and alpine environments in Central and East Asia and the Nearctic. Of 53 known species, only five species have been described previously in the aquatic larval stage. We perform life stage association using three strategies (GMYC, PTP, and reciprocal monophyly) based on fragments of two molecular markers: the nuclear CAD, and the mitochondrial COI gene. A total of 525 in iduals from across the range of Himalopsyche (Himalayas, Hengduan Shan, Tian Shan, South East Asia, Japan, and western North America) was analysed and 32 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in our dataset delimited. Four distinct larval types of Himalopsyche are uncovered, and these are defined as the phryganea type, japonica type, tibetana type, and gigantea type and a comparative morphological characterisation of the larval types is presented. The larval types differ in a number of traits, most prominently in their gill configuration, as well as in other features such as setal configuration of the pronotum and presence/absence of accessory hooks of the anal prolegs.
Publisher: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Date: 24-04-2023
Abstract: Arthropod silk is vital to the evolutionary success of hundreds of thousands of species. The primary proteins in silks are often encoded by long, repetitive gene sequences. Until recently, sequencing and assembling these complex gene sequences has proven intractable given their repetitive structure. Here, using high-quality long-read sequencing, we show that there is extensive variation—both in terms of length and repeat motif order—between alleles of silk genes within in idual arthropods. Further, this variation exists across two deep, independent origins of silk which erged more than 500 Mya: the insect clade containing caddisflies and butterflies and spiders. This remarkable convergence in previously overlooked patterns of allelic variation across multiple origins of silk suggests common mechanisms for the generation and maintenance of structural protein-coding genes. Future genomic efforts to connect genotypes to phenotypes should account for such allelic variation.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 29-08-2018
Abstract: Rapid environmental change in highly bio erse tropical regions demands efficient biomonitoring programmes. While existing metrics of species ersity and community composition rely on encounter-based survey data, eDNA recently emerged as alternative approach. Costs and ecological value of eDNA-based methods have rarely been evaluated in tropical regions, where high species richness is accompanied by high functional ersity (e.g., the use of different microhabitats by different species and life stages). We first tested whether estimation of tropical frogs' community structure derived from eDNA data is compatible with expert field assessments. Next, we evaluated whether eDNA is a financially viable solution for bio ersity monitoring in tropical regions. We applied eDNA metabarcoding to investigate frog species occurrence in five ponds in the Chiquitano dry forest region in Bolivia and compared our data with a simultaneous visual and audio encounter survey (VAES). We found that taxon lists and community structure generated with eDNA and VAES correspond closely, and most deviations are attributable to different species' life histories. Cost efficiency of eDNA surveys was mostly influenced by the richness of local fauna and the number of surveyed sites: VAES may be less costly in low- ersity regions, but eDNA quickly becomes more cost-efficient in high- ersity regions with many sites s led. The results highlight that eDNA is suitable for large-scale bio ersity surveys in high- ersity areas if life history is considered, and certain precautions in s ling, genetic analyses and data interpretation are taken. We anticipate that spatially extensive, standardized eDNA bio ersity surveys will quickly emerge in the future.
No related grants have been discovered for Steffen Pauls.