Publications by authors named "R Boisseau"
Article Synopsis
- Convergent evolution in similar environments supports the idea of natural selection but often shows imperfect similarities due to differing environmental factors and genetic variations.
- The study of 212 species of stick and leaf insects revealed that lineages independently adapted to similar habitats, demonstrating parallel morphological changes, though with variations in magnitude and direction.
- Findings indicate that environmental similarity drives closer morphological traits among lineages, while genetic divergence over time also plays a significant, predictable role in the extent of convergence.
The diversity of insect eggs is astounding but still largely unexplained. Here, we apply phylogenetic analyses to 208 species of stick and leaf insects, coupled with physiological measurements of metabolic rate and water loss on five species, to evaluate classes of factors that may drive egg morphological diversification: life history constraints, material costs, mechanical constraints, and ecological circumstances. We show support for all three classes, but egg size is primarily influenced by female body size and strongly trades off with egg number.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Immunotherapy using immune checkpoint inhibitors is not devoid of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) including rheumatological conditions.
Case Report: We report a rare case of a 47-year-old woman with metastatic melanoma who developed systemic scleroderma after initiating nivolumab. The patient displayed inflammatory arthralgias, morning stiffness, and classical cutaneous manifestations of the disease.
Article Synopsis
- - The size of extreme structures in nature, like beetle horns, is limited by a mechanical tradeoff: as horn length increases, horn strength decreases, leading to a "paradox of the weakening combatant."
- - In many species, males with longer horns are also stronger because natural selection has led to evolutionary changes that help counteract the strength loss associated with longer weapons.
- - By studying rhinoceros beetles' evolutionary history, researchers found that increases in horn length were linked to decreased lifting strength, which were later compensated for by either shorter horns or increased head height in some populations.