Repeated upslope biome shifts in Saxifraga during late-Cenozoic climate cooling.

Mountains are among the most biodiverse places on Earth, and plant lineages that inhabit them have some of the highest speciation rates ever recorded. Plant diversity within the alpine zone - the elevation above which trees cannot grow-contributes significantly to overall diversity within mountain systems, but the origins of alpine plant diversity are poorly understood. Here, we quantify the processes that generate alpine plant diversity and their changing dynamics through time in Saxifraga (Saxifragaceae), an angiosperm genus that occurs predominantly in mountain systems.

The impact of sequencing depth and relatedness of the reference genome in population genomic studies: A case study with two caddisfly species (Trichoptera, Rhyacophilidae, ).

Whole genome sequencing for generating SNP data is increasingly used in population genetic studies. However, obtaining genomes for massive numbers of samples is still not within the budgets of many researchers. It is thus imperative to select an appropriate reference genome and sequencing depth to ensure the accuracy of the results for a specific research question, while balancing cost and feasibility.

Between allopatry and secondary contact: differentiation and hybridization among three sympatric Gentiana species in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Background: Mountains of the world host a significant portion of all terrestrial biodiversity, and the region of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) stands as one of the most remarkable mountain regions on Earth.  Because many explosive radiations occurred there, the QTP is a natural laboratory which is ideal to investigate patterns and processes linked to speciation and diversification. Indeed, understanding how closely related and sympatric species diverged is vital to explore drivers fostering speciation, a topic only rarely investigated in the QTP.

Strong plastid degradation is consistent within section , the most speciose lineage of .

Recovering phylogenetic relationships in lineages experiencing intense diversification has always been a persistent challenge in evolutionary studies, including in section sensu lato (s.l.).

A polygenic architecture with habitat-dependent effects underlies ecological differentiation in Silene.

Ecological differentiation can drive speciation but it is unclear how the genetic architecture of habitat-dependent fitness contributes to lineage divergence. We investigated the genetic architecture of cumulative flowering, a fitness component, in second-generation hybrids between Silene dioica and Silene latifolia transplanted into the natural habitat of each species. We used reduced-representation sequencing and Bayesian sparse linear mixed models (BSLMMs) to analyze the genetic control of cumulative flowering in each habitat.

Gene Flow and Diversification in Species Complex (Trichoptera: Rhyacophilidae) in the Hengduan Mountains.

The Hengduan Mountains are one of the most species-rich mountainous areas in the world. The origin and evolution of such a remarkable biodiversity are likely to be associated with geological or climatic dynamics, as well as taxon-specific biotic processes (e.g.

Lineage-specific plastid degradation in subtribe Gentianinae (Gentianaceae).

The structure and sequence of plastid genomes is highly conserved across most land plants, except for a minority of lineages that show gene loss and genome degradation. Understanding the early stages of plastome degradation may provide crucial insights into the repeatability and predictability of genomic evolutionary trends. We investigated these trends in subtribe Gentianinae of the Gentianaceae, which encompasses ca.

"Into and Out of" the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the Himalayas: Centers of origin and diversification across five clades of Eurasian montane and alpine passerine birds.

Encompassing some of the major hotspots of biodiversity on Earth, large mountain systems have long held the attention of evolutionary biologists. The region of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) is considered a biogeographic source for multiple colonization events into adjacent areas including the northern Palearctic. The faunal exchange between the QTP and adjacent regions could thus represent a one-way street ("out of" the QTP).

Ecological divergence plays an important role in strong but complex reproductive isolation in campions (Silene).

New species arise through the evolution of reproductive barriers between formerly interbreeding lineages. Yet, comprehensive assessments of potential reproductive barriers, which are needed to make inferences on processes driving speciation, are only available for a limited number of systems. In this study, we estimated individual and cumulative strengths of seven prezygotic and six postzygotic reproductive barriers between the recently diverged taxa Silene dioica (L.

Fulfilling the taxonomic consequence after DNA Barcoding: sp. n. (Eupulmonata, Ellobioidea, Carychiidae) from Panama is described using computed tomographic (CT) imaging.

Five years ago, the Panamanian evolutionary lineage (EL) C12 was uncovered along with four other ELs in an integrative phylogenetic investigation of worldwide Carychiidae. Since EL C12 lacked shell material post-molecular analysis to serve as a museum voucher, it remained undescribed. Now, after recent collection efforts of C12 and the congener, Jochum & Weigand, 2017 at their original Panamanian sites, C12 is morphologically described and formally assigned the name, Jochum, In sync with recent taxonomic treatment of the genus, computed tomography (CT) is used in this work to differentiate shells of from geographically-proximal, Caribbean, North and Central American congeners.

Three new species of O.F. Müller, 1773 from the Southeastern USA, Belize and Panama are described using computer tomography (CT) (Eupulmonata, Ellobioidea, Carychiidae).

Three new species of the genus O.F. Müller, 1773, Jochum & Weigand, , Jochum & Weigand, and Jochum & Weigand, are described from the Southeastern United States, Belize and Panama, respectively.

Spatio-temporal evolution of L. in the Qinghai-Tibet-Plateau region: Immigration and radiation.

A plethora of studies investigating the origin and evolution of diverse mountain taxa has assumed a causal link between geological processes (orogenesis) and a biological response (diversification). Yet, a substantial delay (up to 30 Myr) between the start of orogenesis and diversification is often observed. Evolutionary biologists should therefore identify alternative drivers of diversification and maintenance of biodiversity in mountain systems.

Differential adaptation drives ecological speciation in campions (Silene): evidence from a multi-site transplant experiment.

In order to investigate the role of differential adaptation for the evolution of reproductive barriers, we conducted a multi-site transplant experiment with the dioecious sister species Silene dioica and S. latifolia and their hybrids. Crosses within species as well as reciprocal first-generation (F ) and second-generation (F ) interspecific hybrids were transplanted into six sites, three within each species' habitat.

Key innovations and climatic niche divergence as drivers of diversification in subtropical Gentianinae in southeastern and eastern Asia.

Premise Of The Study: Geological and climatic changes associated with the uplift of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) have been suggested as drivers for biological diversification locally and in neighboring regions. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the niche evolution of Tripterospermum (Gentianaceae) and related Asian genera through time.

Methods: We conducted Species Distribution Modeling using Maximum Entropy Modeling (MaxEnt).

Do flower color and floral scent of silene species affect host preference of Hadena bicruris, a seed-eating pollinator, under field conditions?

Specialization in plant-insect interactions is an important driver of evolutionary divergence; yet, plant traits mediating such interactions are poorly understood. In this study, we investigated how flower color and floral scent are related to seed predation by a seed-eating pollinator. We used field-transplanted recombinant F2 hybrids between Silene latifolia and S.

The role of the uplift of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau for the evolution of Tibetan biotas.

Biodiversity is unevenly distributed on Earth and hotspots of biodiversity are often associated with areas that have undergone orogenic activity during recent geological history (i.e. tens of millions of years).

Genetic and ecological differentiation in the hybridizing campions Silene dioica and S. latifolia.

Ecological differentiation is a major contributor to the generation and maintenance of biological diversity. We investigated habitat differentiation between and within sites in the fully cross-fertile and hybridizing Silene dioica and S. latifolia using amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLP) profiles and corresponding vegetation relevés around individual plants.