The systematics of the family Dendrodorididae, with only three valid genera, is a challenge for integrative taxonomists. Its members lack hard structures for morphological comparisons and their mitochondrial and nuclear markers provide contradictory phylogenetic signals, making phylogenetic reconstructions difficult. This molecular discordance has been hypothesized to be the result of nuclear pseudogenes or exogenous contamination.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe spider genus Dysdera has undergone a remarkable diversification in the oceanic archipelago of the Canary Islands, with ~60 endemic species having originated during the 20 million years since the origin of the archipelago. This evolutionary radiation has been accompanied by substantial dietary shifts, often characterised by phenotypic modifications encompassing morphological, metabolic and behavioural changes. Hence, these endemic spiders represent an excellent model for understanding the evolutionary drivers and to pinpoint the genomic determinants underlying adaptive radiations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFComparable data is essential to understand biodiversity patterns. While assemblage or community inventorying requires comprehensive sampling, monitoring focuses on as few components as possible to detect changes. Quantifying species, their evolutionary history, and the way they interact requires studying changes in taxonomic (TD), phylogenetic (PD) and functional diversity (FD).
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