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Plesiomorphic Characters (plesiomorphic + character)
Selected AbstractsGeography of morphological differentiation in Asellus aquaticus (Crustacea: Isopoda: Asellidae)JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGICAL SYSTEMATICS AND EVOLUTIONARY RESEARCH, Issue 2 2009S. Prevor Abstract We implemented a detailed morphometry and multivariate statistics to establish a general, large-scale racial differentiation in Asellus aquaticus (L.) sensu Racovitza. We ascertained that in surface populations a set of 11 morphometric characters might equivalently be represented by the pleopod respiratory area size alone. The analyses resulted in a distinct distribution pattern, with the large respiratory area populations disposed mainly along the Dinaric karst between southern Slovenia and western Macedonia and surrounded by the medium respiratory area morph, spatially irregularly substituted by the small area morph. This pattern is in contradiction with the distribution pattern of molecularly defined clades (as shown by Verovnik et al. 2005). We could find no ecological, hydrographical or paleogeographical explanations for such distribution pattern either. The only hypothetical explanation would be a preservation of the large respiratory area as a plesiomorphic character in the comparatively sheltered karst habitats, while throughout the easier accessible parts of the species range it was replaced by the ,modern' smaller area size. While a diminution of the respiratory area functionally means an increased sclerotization , hardening of pleopod IV,V exopodites, endopodites of pleopods III,V remain less sclerotized, probably respiratory and osmoregulatory functional. Zusammenfassung Die globale Rassendifferenzierung von Asellus aquaticus (L.) sensu Racovitza wurde anhand eingehender Morphometrie und multivariater Statistik untersucht. Es stellte sich heraus, dass der gesamte Satz von 11 morphometrischen Merkmalen allein durch das Merkmal ,Flächengröße der Pleopoden-Respirationsfläche' ersetzt werden kann. Die Analysen ergaben ein deutliches Muster, in dem Populationen mit großen Respirationsflächen überwiegend im Dinarischen Karst zwischen Süd-Slowenien und West-Makedonien verbreitet sind, von Morphen mit mittelgroßen Respirationsflächen umgeben werden, welche wiederum räumlich zerstreut von Morphen mit kleinen Respirationsflächen ersetzt werden. Dieses Muster widerspricht der Verbreitung von molekular-systematisch ermittelten Gruppen (Verovnik et al. 2005). Wir konnten keine ökologische, hydrographische oder paläogeographische Erklärung dafür finden. Die einzige hypothetische Erklärung könnte eine Erhaltung der großen Respirationsflächen als eines plesiomorphen Merkmals in vergleichsweise isolierten Karstgebieten sein, während sie in leichter besiedelbaren Gebieten von den ,modernen' kleineren Respirationsflächen ersetzt wurden. Es muss betont werden, dass eine Verkleinerung der Respirations-Area mit der Sklerotisierung der Exopoditen an den Pleopoden IV-V verbunden ist, während die Endopoditen der Pleopoden III-V ihre geringe Sklerotisierung beibehalten und somit wahrscheinlich atmungs- und osmoregulatorisch aktiv bleiben. [source] Bony ponticles of the atlas (C1) over the groove for the vertebral artery in humans and primates: Polymorphism and evolutionary trendsAMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 1 2004Jean-Marie Le Minor Abstract The aim of this study was to ascertain the distribution in primates of the three possible bony ponticles over the groove for the vertebral artery (ventral, lateral, and dorsal ponticles), in order to attempt to understand the variants observed in humans and to ascertain possible evolutionary trends in primates. The material consisted of 393 atlases of extant nonhuman primates representative of 41 genera, and of 500 human atlases (dried bones of adults). For each atlas, we studied the existence and morphology of the ponticles, and the type of association of these three ponticles on a given side, which are theoretically of eight in number (types A,H). The occurrence of these ponticles varied from complete absence to constant presence, according to the genera and taxa of primates. The presence of each of these ponticles in primates can be interpreted as a primitive or plesiomorphic character, and their absence as a derived or apomorphic character. The strepsirhines-platyrrhines-cercopithecines group, presenting a predominant primitive pattern (type A), appeared to be separated from the colobines-hominoids group, presenting predominant derived patterns (type C in colobines, Pongo pygmaeus, and Pan troglodytes, and the more derived type D in Hylobates, Gorilla gorilla, and Homo sapiens). The last derived stage, corresponding to the disappearance of the three atlantal ponticles (type H), was only observed in some individuals in hominoids. A marked intraspecific polymorphism characterized the hominoids. The presence of lateral and dorsal ponticles in humans appeared to correspond to their persistence within the progressive disappearance of the atlantal ponticles, constituting an evolutionary tendency characteristic of primates and particularly of hominoid evolution. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] The evolution of the protonephridial terminal organ across Rotifera with particular emphasis on Dicranophorus forcipatus, Encentrum mucronatum and Erignatha clastopis (Rotifera: Dicranophoridae)ACTA ZOOLOGICA, Issue 2 2010Ole Riemann Abstract Riemann, O. and Ahlrichs, W.H. 2009. The evolution of the protonephridial terminal organ across Rotifera with particular emphasis on Dicranophorus forcipatus, Encentrum mucronatum and Erignatha clastopis (Rotifera: Dicranophoridae). ,Acta Zoologica (Stockholm) 91: 199,211 We report on the ultrastructure of the protonephridial terminal organ in three species of dicranophorid rotifers (Dicranophorus forcipatus, Encentrum mucronatum and Erignatha clastopis). Differences between the three species relate to shape and size, the morphology of the filter region and the number of microvilli and cilia inside the terminal organ. A comparison across Rotifera indicates that the terminal organs in D. forcipatus display a number of plesiomorphic characters, but are modified in E. mucronatum and Er. clastopis. This is in accordance with the results of phylogenetic analyses suggesting a basal position of D. forcipatus compared with the more derived species E. mucronatum and Er. clastopis. Moreover, we survey available data on the terminal organ in Rotifera and discuss its evolutionary transformations. The protonephridial terminal organ in the common ancestor of Rotifera consisted of a cytoplasmic cylinder with cilia united into a vibratile flame and a single circle of circumciliary microvilli. Depending on the topology on which characters are optimized, the site of ultrafiltration was formed by longitudinal cytoplasmic columns spanned by a fine filter diaphragm or by pores in the wall of the terminal organ. In several taxa of Rotifera, the terminal organ , probably independently , lost its circumciliary microvilli. [source] Body musculature of Beauchampiella eudactylota (Gosse, 1886) (Rotifera: Euchlanidae) with additional new data on its trophi and overall morphologyACTA ZOOLOGICA, Issue 3 2009O. Riemann Abstract This study presents the results of confocal laser scanning microscopy and fluorescence-labelled phalloidin used to visualize the system of body musculature in Beauchampiella eudactylota. Moreover, the poorly known trophi of B. eudactylota are described based on scanning electron microscopy. In total, four paired longitudinal muscles (musculi longitudinales I,IV) and three circular muscles (musculi circulares I,III) were identified. Among these are the musculus longitudinalis ventralis, the musculus longitudinalis dorsalis and the musculus circumpedalis as documented in previous studies for other rotifer species. Compared to other species, B. eudactylota is characterized by the low number of lateral longitudinal muscles and the absence of some longitudinal muscles (musculi longitudinales capitum) and circular muscles (corona sphincter, musculus pars coronalis). Moreover, scanning electron microscopic data on the trophi of B. eudactylota reveal a number of striking similarities to the trophi in some species of Epiphanidae. This suggests that either (1) these similarities represent plesiomorphic characters present both in Epiphanidae and B. eudactylota or (2) they are synapomorphic features of B. eudactylota and some species of Epiphanidae, which would question the monophyly of Euchlanidae. [source] Origin of the novel chemoreceptor Aesthetasc "Y" in Ostracoda: morphogenetical thresholds and evolutionary innovationEVOLUTION AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 2 2008Tomonari Kaji SUMMARY The morphology and developmental processes of the two types of ostracod chemoreceptors, the Aesthetasc "Y" and the "Grouped setae," were compared. Cypridoidea and Pontocypridoidea, belonging to Cypridocopina, have a large baseball bat-like seta as an autapomorphic character on the second antenna, whereas most ostracod taxa with plesiomorphic characters bear "Grouped setae" consisting of multiple setae on the second antenna. Their budding positions, morphology, and ontogenetic changes were compared, and our deduction is that the Aesthetasc "Y" originated from "Grouped setae-like" organ in the Paleozoic. The morphogenetic processes in the molting period of these chemoreceptors were compared at the cellular level. The observations suggest that the "Grouped setae" are formed by hypodermal cells and share sheath cells corresponding to those of the Aesthetasc "Y" as a common constraint in the molting process of setae. We conclude that modification of the morphogenetic processes in the molting period of the "Grouped setae" gave rise to the Aesthetasc "Y" as a novel organ in the evolutionary pathway of the Ostracoda. [source] MOLECULAR PHYLOGENY OF DISCOSPORANGIUM MESARTHROCARPUM (PHAEOPHYCEAE) WITH A REINSTATEMENT OF THE ORDER DISCOSPORANGIALES,JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY, Issue 1 2007Hiroshi Kawai A molecular phylogenetic analysis of the little-studied filamentous brown alga Discosporangium mesarthrocarpum (Meneghini) Hauck using rbcL and partial 18S rDNA sequences revealed that the species forms a monophyletic clade with Choristocarpus tenellus (Kütz.) Zanardini that is sister to all other brown algae. Although D. mesarthrocarpum has unique disk-shaped plurilocular reproductive organs, D. mesarthrocarpum and C. tenellus share the following basic morphological features, which are considered to be plesiomorphic characters in the brown algae: (1) apical (and diffuse) growth; (2) uniseriate, subdichotomously branched filaments; (3) multiple chloroplasts per cell without pyrenoids; and (4) lack of heterotrichy and of phaeophycean hairs. The rbcL DNA sequence of an Australian D. mesarthrocarpum specimen showed considerable deviation from Mediterranean and Macaronesian specimens. Therefore, the presence of a second species in the genus is suggested; however, the taxonomic treatment of this putative species is not pursued in the present report. Regarding the higher-ranking systematic position of D. mesarthrocarpum, reinstatement of Discosporangiaceae and Discosporangiales is proposed, and the inclusion of Choristocarpaceae in the order is also suggested. Under short-day and long-day culture conditions at 15°C,25°C, Mediterranean D. mesarthrocarpum exhibited a direct type of life history, with a succession of uniseriate filamentous thalli bearing characteristic disk-shaped plurilocular zoidangia, but thalli did not survive at 10°C and below. [source] Historical biogeography of Hexabathynella , a cosmopolitan genus of groundwater Syncarida (Crustacea, Bathynellacea, Parabathynellidae)BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY, Issue 4 2003ANA I. CAMACHO Hexabathynella is the only cosmopolitan genus of the order Bathynellacea (Crustacea). The known species number 18, found in Europe (9), Africa (1), South America (2), North America (3) and Australia and New Zealand (3). Phylogenetic analysis suggests that the least derived species are those from South America and the most derived those from the Iberian Peninsula, North America and Australia. The five species with the most plesiomorphic characters occur in salt or brackish water, which supports a marine origin for the genus. Phylogenetic and biogeographical analyses suggest that the distribution of the genus can be explained by dispersion and a double vicariant biogeographical model based on plate tectonics and the evolution of the Tethys during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic. © 2003 The Linnean Society of London . Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2003, 78 , 457,466. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||