Publications by authors named "James Alfieri"
Birds display striking variation in chromosome number, defying the traditional view of highly conserved avian karyotypes. However, the evolutionary drivers of this variability remain unclear. To address this, we fit probabilistic models of chromosome number evolution across birds, enabling us to estimate rates of evolution for total chromosome number and the number of microchromosomes and macrochromosomes while simultaneously accounting for the impact of other evolving traits.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFalso known as southern pine beetle (SPB), is the most damaging insect forest pest in the southeastern United States. Genomic data are important to provide information on pest biology and to identify molecular targets to develop improved pest management approaches. Here, we produced a chromosome-level genome assembly of SPB using long-read sequencing data.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe jewel scarab Chrysina gloriosa is one of the most charismatic beetles in the United States and is found from the mountains of West Texas to the Southeastern Arizona sky islands. This species is highly sought by professional and amateur collectors worldwide due to its gleaming metallic coloration. However, the impact of the large-scale collection of this beetle on its populations is unknown, and there is a limited amount of genetic information available to make informed decisions about its conservation.
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- Chromosomal mutations like fusions and fissions are often viewed as harmful, especially in cases where organisms have different chromosome structures (heterozygotes), making them less likely to become prevalent in a population.
- However, in situations where the effective population size (Ne) is small, genetic drift can lead to these mutations becoming fixed despite their potential disadvantages.
- The study finds that certain traits, such as being wingless or exhibiting inbreeding, can increase the rate of chromosomal changes in certain beetle families, suggesting that these chromosome number changes might be maintained through drift, offering insights into chromosomal speciation in small populations.
Background: The red junglefowl, the wild outgroup of domestic chickens, has historically served as a reference for genomic studies of domestic chickens. These studies have provided insight into the etiology of traits of commercial importance. However, the use of a single reference genome does not capture diversity present among modern breeds, many of which have accumulated molecular changes due to drift and selection.
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- Some bird species can hybridize despite being very different from each other, but the reasons for this variation in reproductive isolation are not fully understood.
- This study focused on Galliformes (a group of birds) by analyzing hybridization cases, domestication levels, and factors like divergence time, morphology, habitat, and clutch size that influence reproductive isolation.
- Key findings revealed that divergence time and clutch size significantly impact reproductive isolation, and there is also a notable relationship between domestication and reproductive compatibility, suggesting domesticated birds may have increased reproductive flexibility.
The division of the genome into discrete chromosomes is a fundamental characteristic of eukaryotic life. Insect taxonomists' early adoption of cytogenetics has led to an incredible amount of data describing genome structure across insects. In this article, we synthesize data from thousands of species and use biologically realistic models to infer the tempo and mode of chromosome evolution among insect orders.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe most diverged avian hybrid that has been documented ( × ) was reported in 1957. This identification has yet to be confirmed, and like most contemporary studies of hybridization, the identification was based on phenotype, which can be misleading. In this study, we sequenced the specimen in question and performed analyses to validate the specimen's parentage.
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- - Single-cell sequencing technologies have transformed our understanding of cell diversity, biological connections, and the links between genotype and phenotype.
- - While much of this advancement has focused on model organisms, applying these techniques to non-model organisms could address research questions typically out of reach.
- - The primer outlines a general workflow for single-cell sequencing and emphasizes its potential to uncover the underlying mechanisms of genetic and phenotypic variation in multicellular animals.
Article Synopsis
- * The researchers found that the size of the fish significantly influenced direct life-cycle parasite species, while the urban landscape and its physicochemical properties affected indirect life-cycle parasites at a population level.
- * Key findings highlighted that urbanization impacted the prevalence and intensity of certain indirect parasites differently, with notable correlations to environmental elements like sediment Ni concentrations and marsh size, demonstrating that urbanization can drastically alter parasite dynamics.