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Berv JS, Singhal S, Field DJ, Walker-Hale N, McHugh SW, Shipley JR, Miller ET, Kimball RT, Braun EL, Dornburg A, Parins-Fukuchi CT, Prum RO, Winger BM, Friedman M, Smith SA. Genome and life-history evolution link bird diversification to the end-Cretaceous mass extinction. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadp0114. [PMID: 39083615 PMCID: PMC11290531 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adp0114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2024] [Accepted: 06/28/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024]
Abstract
Complex patterns of genome evolution associated with the end-Cretaceous [Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg)] mass extinction limit our understanding of the early evolutionary history of modern birds. Here, we analyzed patterns of avian molecular evolution and identified distinct macroevolutionary regimes across exons, introns, untranslated regions, and mitochondrial genomes. Bird clades originating near the K-Pg boundary exhibited numerous shifts in the mode of molecular evolution, suggesting a burst of genomic heterogeneity at this point in Earth's history. These inferred shifts in substitution patterns were closely related to evolutionary shifts in developmental mode, adult body mass, and patterns of metabolic scaling. Our results suggest that the end-Cretaceous mass extinction triggered integrated patterns of evolution across avian genomes, physiology, and life history near the dawn of the modern bird radiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob S. Berv
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, 1105 North University Avenue, Biological Sciences Building, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan, 1105 North University Avenue, Biological Sciences Building, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, 1105 North University Avenue, Biological Sciences Building, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Sonal Singhal
- Department of Biology, California State University, Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA 90747, USA
| | - Daniel J. Field
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, UK
- Museum of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Nathanael Walker-Hale
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EA, UK
| | - Sean W. McHugh
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Population Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - J. Ryan Shipley
- Department of Forest Dynamics, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow, and Landscape Research WSL, Zürcherstrasse 111 8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Eliot T. Miller
- Center for Avian Population Studies, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
| | - Rebecca T. Kimball
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Edward L. Braun
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Alex Dornburg
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
| | - C. Tomomi Parins-Fukuchi
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3B2, Canada
| | - Richard O. Prum
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Benjamin M. Winger
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, 1105 North University Avenue, Biological Sciences Building, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, 1105 North University Avenue, Biological Sciences Building, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Matt Friedman
- Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan, 1105 North University Avenue, Biological Sciences Building, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan, 1100 North University Avenue, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Stephen A. Smith
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, 1105 North University Avenue, Biological Sciences Building, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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Morales P, Gajardo F, Valdivieso C, Valladares MA, Di Genova A, Orellana A, Gutiérrez RA, González M, Montecino M, Maass A, Méndez MA, Allende ML. Genomes of the Orestias pupfish from the Andean Altiplano shed light on their evolutionary history and phylogenetic relationships within Cyprinodontiformes. BMC Genomics 2024; 25:614. [PMID: 38890559 PMCID: PMC11184842 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-024-10416-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND To unravel the evolutionary history of a complex group, a comprehensive reconstruction of its phylogenetic relationships is crucial. This requires meticulous taxon sampling and careful consideration of multiple characters to ensure a complete and accurate reconstruction. The phylogenetic position of the Orestias genus has been estimated partly on unavailable or incomplete information. As a consequence, it was assigned to the family Cyprindontidae, relating this Andean fish to other geographically distant genera distributed in the Mediterranean, Middle East and North and Central America. In this study, using complete genome sequencing, we aim to clarify the phylogenetic position of Orestias within the Cyprinodontiformes order. RESULTS We sequenced the genome of three Orestias species from the Andean Altiplano. Our analysis revealed that the small genome size in this genus (~ 0.7 Gb) was caused by a contraction in transposable element (TE) content, particularly in DNA elements and short interspersed nuclear elements (SINEs). Using predicted gene sequences, we generated a phylogenetic tree of Cyprinodontiformes using 902 orthologs extracted from all 32 available genomes as well as three outgroup species. We complemented this analysis with a phylogenetic reconstruction and time calibration considering 12 molecular markers (eight nuclear and four mitochondrial genes) and a stratified taxon sampling to consider 198 species of nearly all families and genera of this order. Overall, our results show that phylogenetic closeness is directly related to geographical distance. Importantly, we found that Orestias is not part of the Cyprinodontidae family, and that it is more closely related to the South American fish fauna, being the Fluviphylacidae the closest sister group. CONCLUSIONS The evolutionary history of the Orestias genus is linked to the South American ichthyofauna and it should no longer be considered a member of the Cyprinodontidae family. Instead, we submit that Orestias belongs to the Orestiidae family, as suggested by Freyhof et al. (2017), and that it is the sister group of the Fluviphylacidae family, distributed in the Amazonian and Orinoco basins. These two groups likely diverged during the Late Eocene concomitant with hydrogeological changes in the South American landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pamela Morales
- Millennium Institute Center for Genome Regulation, Santiago, Chile.
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
- Departamento de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago, Chile.
| | - Felipe Gajardo
- Millennium Institute Center for Genome Regulation, Santiago, Chile
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Camilo Valdivieso
- Millennium Institute Center for Genome Regulation, Santiago, Chile
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Moisés A Valladares
- Laboratorio de Biología Evolutiva, Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Grupo de Biodiversidad y Cambio Global (GBCG), Departamento de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad del Bío-Bío, Chillán, Chile
| | - Alex Di Genova
- Millennium Institute Center for Genome Regulation, Santiago, Chile
- DiGenoma-Lab, Instituto de Ciencias de la Ingeniería, Universidad de O'Higgins, Rancagua, Chile
- Centro de Modelamiento Matemático UMI-CNRS 2807, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Ariel Orellana
- Millennium Institute Center for Genome Regulation, Santiago, Chile
- Centro de Biotecnología Vegetal, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago, Chile
| | - Rodrigo A Gutiérrez
- Millennium Institute Center for Genome Regulation, Santiago, Chile
- ANID Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBio), Santiago, Chile
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Av Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins 340, Santiago, Chile
- Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB), Las Palmeras 3425, Ñuñoa, Santiago, Chile
| | - Mauricio González
- Millennium Institute Center for Genome Regulation, Santiago, Chile
- Bioinformatic and Gene Expression Laboratory, INTA-Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Martin Montecino
- Millennium Institute Center for Genome Regulation, Santiago, Chile
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Life Sciences, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago, 837001, Chile
| | - Alejandro Maass
- Millennium Institute Center for Genome Regulation, Santiago, Chile
- Centro de Modelamiento Matemático IRL 2807 CNRS, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Departamento de Ingeniería Matemática, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Marco A Méndez
- Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB), Las Palmeras 3425, Ñuñoa, Santiago, Chile
- Laboratorio de Genética y Evolución, Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Centro de Ecología Aplicada y Sustentabilidad (CAPES), Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Cape Horn International Center (CHIC), Parque Etnobotánico Omora, Universidad de Magallanes, Puerto Williams, Chile
| | - Miguel L Allende
- Millennium Institute Center for Genome Regulation, Santiago, Chile
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
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Chiarenza AA, Cantalapiedra JL, Jones LA, Gamboa S, Galván S, Farnsworth AJ, Valdes PJ, Sotelo G, Varela S. Early Jurassic origin of avian endothermy and thermophysiological diversity in dinosaurs. Curr Biol 2024; 34:2517-2527.e4. [PMID: 38754424 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.04.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2024] [Revised: 03/25/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
A fundamental question in dinosaur evolution is how they adapted to long-term climatic shifts during the Mesozoic and when they developed environmentally independent, avian-style acclimatization, becoming endothermic.1,2 The ability of warm-blooded dinosaurs to flourish in harsher environments, including cold, high-latitude regions,3,4 raises intriguing questions about the origins of key innovations shared with modern birds,5,6 indicating that the development of homeothermy (keeping constant body temperature) and endothermy (generating body heat) played a crucial role in their ecological diversification.7 Despite substantial evidence across scientific disciplines (anatomy,8 reproduction,9 energetics,10 biomechanics,10 osteohistology,11 palaeobiogeography,12 geochemistry,13,14 and soft tissues15,16,17), a consensus on dinosaur thermophysiology remains elusive.1,12,15,17,18,19 Differential thermophysiological strategies among terrestrial tetrapods allow endotherms (birds and mammals) to expand their latitudinal range (from the tropics to polar regions), owing to their reduced reliance on environmental temperature.20 By contrast, most reptilian lineages (squamates, turtles, and crocodilians) and amphibians are predominantly constrained by temperature in regions closer to the tropics.21 Determining when this macroecological pattern emerged in the avian lineage relies heavily on identifying the origin of these key physiological traits. Combining fossils with macroevolutionary and palaeoclimatic models, we unveil distinct evolutionary pathways in the main dinosaur lineages: ornithischians and theropods diversified across broader climatic landscapes, trending toward cooler niches. An Early Jurassic shift to colder climates in Theropoda suggests an early adoption of endothermy. Conversely, sauropodomorphs exhibited prolonged climatic conservatism associated with higher thermal conditions, emphasizing temperature, rather than plant productivity, as the primary driver of this pattern, suggesting poikilothermy with a stronger dependence on higher temperatures in sauropods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfio Alessandro Chiarenza
- Centro de Investigación Mariña, Departamento de Ecoloxía e Bioloxía Animal, Universidade de Vigo, Campus Lagoas-Marcosende, 36310 Vigo, Spain; Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, Gower Place, London WC1E 6BS, UK.
| | - Juan L Cantalapiedra
- Departamento de Paleobiología, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain; GloCEE Global Change Ecology and Evolution Research Group, Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad de Alcalá, 28801 Alcalá de Henares, Spain; Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Invdralidenstraße 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Lewis A Jones
- Centro de Investigación Mariña, Departamento de Ecoloxía e Bioloxía Animal, Universidade de Vigo, Campus Lagoas-Marcosende, 36310 Vigo, Spain
| | - Sara Gamboa
- Centro de Investigación Mariña, Departamento de Ecoloxía e Bioloxía Animal, Universidade de Vigo, Campus Lagoas-Marcosende, 36310 Vigo, Spain; Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Av. Séneca 2, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Sofía Galván
- Centro de Investigación Mariña, Departamento de Ecoloxía e Bioloxía Animal, Universidade de Vigo, Campus Lagoas-Marcosende, 36310 Vigo, Spain
| | - Alexander J Farnsworth
- School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, University Road, Bristol BS8 1SS, UK; State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Paul J Valdes
- School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, University Road, Bristol BS8 1SS, UK; State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Graciela Sotelo
- Centro de Investigación Mariña, Departamento de Ecoloxía e Bioloxía Animal, Universidade de Vigo, Campus Lagoas-Marcosende, 36310 Vigo, Spain
| | - Sara Varela
- Centro de Investigación Mariña, Departamento de Ecoloxía e Bioloxía Animal, Universidade de Vigo, Campus Lagoas-Marcosende, 36310 Vigo, Spain
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Pereira AG, Antonelli A, Silvestro D, Faurby S. Two Major Extinction Events in the Evolutionary History of Turtles: One Caused by an Asteroid, the Other by Hominins. Am Nat 2024; 203:644-654. [PMID: 38781523 DOI: 10.1086/729604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
AbstractWe live in a time of accelerated biological extinctions that has the potential to mirror past mass extinction events. However, the rarity of mass extinctions and the restructuring of diversity they cause complicate direct comparisons between the current extinction crisis and earlier events. Among animals, turtles (Testudinata) are one of few groups that have both a rich fossil record and sufficiently stable ecological and functional roles to enable meaningful comparisons between the end-Cretaceous mass extinction (∼66 Ma) and the ongoing wave of extinctions. Here we analyze the fossil record of the entire turtle clade and identify two peaks in extinction rates over their evolutionary history. The first coincides with the Cretaceous-Paleogene transition, reflecting patterns previously reported for other taxa. The second major extinction event started in the Pliocene and continues until now. This peak is detectable only for terrestrial turtles and started much earlier in Africa and Eurasia than elsewhere. On the basis of the timing, geography, and functional group of this extinction event, we postulate a link to co-occurring hominins rather than climate change as the cause. These results lend further support to the view that negative biodiversity impacts were already incurred by our ancestors and related lineages and demonstrate the severity of this continued impact through human activities.
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Rakotonirina A, Dauga C, Pol M, Hide M, Vuth L, Ballan V, Kilama S, Russet S, Marcombe S, Boyer S, Pocquet N. Speciation patterns of Aedes mosquitoes in the Scutellaris Group: a mitochondrial perspective. Sci Rep 2024; 14:10930. [PMID: 38740928 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-61573-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024] Open
Abstract
The Scutellaris Group of Aedes comprises 47 mosquito species, including Aedes albopictus. While Ae. albopictus is widely distributed, the other species are mostly found in the Asia-Pacific region. Evolutionary history researches of Aedes species within the Scutellaris Group have mainly focused on Ae. albopictus, a species that raises significant public health concerns, neglecting the other species. In this study, we aimed to assess genetic diversity and estimate speciation times of several species within the Scutellaris Group. Mosquitoes were therefore collected from various Asia-Pacific countries. Their mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) and subunit 3 (cox3) sequences were analyzed alongside those of other Scutellaris Group species available in the GenBank database. To estimate the divergence time, we analyzed 1849 cox1 gene sequences from 21 species, using three species (Aedes aegypti, Aedes notoscriptus and Aedes vigilax) as outgroups. We found that most of the speciation dates occurred during the Paleogene and the Neogene periods. A separation between the Scutellaris Subgroup and the Albopictus Subgroup occurred approximately 64-61 million years ago (MYA). We also identified a split between species found in Asia/Micronesia and those collected in Melanesia/Polynesia approximately 36-35 MYA. Our findings suggest that the speciation of Aedes species within the Scutellaris Group may be driven by diversity in mammalian hosts, climate and environmental changes, and geological dynamics rather than human migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antsa Rakotonirina
- Medical and Veterinary Entomology Unit, Institut Pasteur du Cambodge, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
- Unité de Recherche et d'Expertise en Entomologie Médicale, Institut Pasteur de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Nouméa, Nouvelle-Calédonie.
| | - Catherine Dauga
- Arboriruses and Insect Vectors Laboratory, Institut Pasteur Paris, Paris, France
| | - Morgane Pol
- Unité de Recherche et d'Expertise en Entomologie Médicale, Institut Pasteur de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Nouméa, Nouvelle-Calédonie
| | - Mallorie Hide
- Maladies Infectieuses et Vecteurs: écologie, génétique, évolution et contrôle (MIVEGEC), Université de Montpellier, IRD, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Linavin Vuth
- Medical and Veterinary Entomology Unit, Institut Pasteur du Cambodge, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - Valentine Ballan
- Unité de Recherche et d'Expertise en Entomologie Médicale, Institut Pasteur de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Nouméa, Nouvelle-Calédonie
| | - Sosiasi Kilama
- Unité de Recherche et d'Expertise en Entomologie Médicale, Institut Pasteur de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Nouméa, Nouvelle-Calédonie
| | - Sylvie Russet
- Unité de Recherche et d'Expertise en Entomologie Médicale, Institut Pasteur de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Nouméa, Nouvelle-Calédonie
| | - Sébastien Marcombe
- Vector Borne Disease Laboratory, Institut Pasteur du Laos, Vientiane, Laos
- Vector Control Consulting-South East Asia SOLE CO., LTD., Vientiane, Lao PDR
| | - Sébastien Boyer
- Medical and Veterinary Entomology Unit, Institut Pasteur du Cambodge, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
- Ecology and Emergence of Arthropod-Borne Pathogens Unit, Department of Global Health, Institut Pasteur, CNRS UMR2000, Paris, France
| | - Nicolas Pocquet
- Unité de Recherche et d'Expertise en Entomologie Médicale, Institut Pasteur de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Nouméa, Nouvelle-Calédonie
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Kaiho K. Role of volcanism and impact heating in mass extinction climate shifts. Sci Rep 2024; 14:9946. [PMID: 38688982 PMCID: PMC11061309 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-60467-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024] Open
Abstract
This study investigates the mechanisms underlying the varied climate changes witnessed during mass extinctions in the Phanerozoic Eon. Climate shifts during mass extinctions have manifested as either predominant global cooling or predominant warming, yet the causes behind these occurrences remain unclear. We emphasize the significance of sedimentary rock temperature in comprehending these climate shifts. Our research reveals that low-temperature heating of sulfide leads to global cooling through the release of sulfur dioxide (SO2), while intermediate-temperature heating of hydrocarbons and carbonates releases substantial carbon dioxide (CO2), contributing to global warming. High-temperature heating additionally generates SO2 from sulfate, further contributing to global cooling. Different degrees of contact heating of the host rock can lead to different dominant volatile gas emissions, crucially driving either warming or cooling. Moreover, medium to high-temperature shock-heating resulting from asteroid impacts produces soot from hydrocarbons, also contributing to global cooling. Large-scale volcanic activity and asteroid impacts are both events that heat rocks, emitting the same gases and particles, causing climate changes. The findings elucidate the critical role of heating temperature and heating time in understanding major climate changes during mass extinctions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kunio Kaiho
- Department of Earth Science, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8578, Japan.
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7
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Jouault C, Condamine FL, Legendre F, Perrichot V. The Angiosperm Terrestrial Revolution buffered ants against extinction. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2317795121. [PMID: 38466878 PMCID: PMC10990090 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2317795121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
With ~14,000 extant species, ants are ubiquitous and of tremendous ecological importance. They have undergone remarkable diversification throughout their evolutionary history. However, the drivers of their diversity dynamics are not well quantified or understood. Previous phylogenetic analyses have suggested patterns of diversity dynamics associated with the Angiosperm Terrestrial Revolution (ATR), but these studies have overlooked valuable information from the fossil record. To address this gap, we conducted a comprehensive analysis using a large dataset that includes both the ant fossil record (~24,000 individual occurrences) and neontological data (~14,000 occurrences), and tested four hypotheses proposed for ant diversification: co-diversification, competitive extinction, hyper-specialization, and buffered extinction. Taking into account biases in the fossil record, we found three distinct diversification periods (the latest Cretaceous, Eocene, and Oligo-Miocene) and one extinction period (Late Cretaceous). The competitive extinction hypothesis between stem and crown ants is not supported. Instead, we found support for the co-diversification, buffered extinction, and hyper-specialization hypotheses. The environmental changes of the ATR, mediated by the angiosperm radiation, likely played a critical role in buffering ants against extinction and favoring their diversification by providing new ecological niches, such as forest litter and arboreal nesting sites, and additional resources. We also hypothesize that the decline and extinction of stem ants during the Late Cretaceous was due to their hyper-specialized morphology, which limited their ability to expand their dietary niche in changing environments. This study highlights the importance of a holistic approach when studying the interplay between past environments and the evolutionary trajectories of organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corentin Jouault
- Institut de Systématique Évolution, Biodiversité, UMR 7205, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE-PSL, Université des Antilles, Paris75005, France
- Institut des Sciences de l’Évolution de Montpellier, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier34095, France
- Géosciences Rennes, UMR 6118, Univ. Rennes, CNRS, Rennes35000, France
| | - Fabien L. Condamine
- Institut des Sciences de l’Évolution de Montpellier, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier34095, France
| | - Frédéric Legendre
- Institut de Systématique Évolution, Biodiversité, UMR 7205, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE-PSL, Université des Antilles, Paris75005, France
| | - Vincent Perrichot
- Géosciences Rennes, UMR 6118, Univ. Rennes, CNRS, Rennes35000, France
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8
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Wildner M. Die Dinosaurier und das Weltklima. DAS GESUNDHEITSWESEN 2024; 86:99-102. [PMID: 38378012 PMCID: PMC10883000 DOI: 10.1055/a-2220-7799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
Der Einschlag des im Durchmesser 14 km messenden Asteroiden vor 66 Millionen Jahren
auf unserem Planeten kam urplötzlich – und hatte gravierende Folgen
1. Geologisch hinterließ er im
Durchmesser den 180 km messenden Chicxulub-Krater auf der mexikanischen Halbinsel
Yukatan, biologisch war er der Anfang vom Ende der Dinosaurier. Von diesen
„schrecklichen Echsen“ (griechisch: „deinos sauros“)
stammen die beindruckend großen Fossilien, welche heute in Naturkundemuseen
weltweit zu bestaunen sind. Das mit diesem Ereignis verbundene Sterben von drei
Vierteln aller Arten – nicht nur bei den Sauriern – als Folge eines
globalen Winters und einer anschließenden anhaltenden Abkühlung
erstreckte sich vermutlich über Tausende von Jahren. Es markierte den
Übergang von der Kreidezeit in ein neues Erdzeitalter, welches insbesondere
den Säugetieren neue ökologische Nischen zur weiteren erfolgreichen
Entfaltung bot. Es war das fünfte massenhafte Artensterben innerhalb der
letzten 500 Millionen Jahre gewesen. Deren Auslöser waren neben dem
beschriebenen Asteroideneinschlag (Ereignis fünf) eine rasche alternierende
Abfolge von Kalt- und Warmzeiten (Ereignis eins), eine globale Kaltzeit infolge der
Besiedlung des Landes durch Pflanzen (Ereignis zwei), intensive vulkanische
Aktivitäten mit Übersäuerung durch Kohlendioxid und
Schwefelwasserstoffe zu Lande und zu Wasser (Ereignis drei) sowie tiefseeische
Vulkanausbrüche mit globaler Erwärmung und chemischen
Veränderungen in den Ozeanen (Ereignis vier) 2.
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Spicher GE, Lyson TR, Evers SW. Updated cranial and mandibular description of the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) baenid turtle Saxochelys gilberti based on micro-computed tomography scans and new information on the holotype-shell association. SWISS JOURNAL OF PALAEONTOLOGY 2024; 143:2. [PMID: 38274637 PMCID: PMC10805913 DOI: 10.1186/s13358-023-00301-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
Saxochelys gilberti is a baenid turtle from the Late Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation of the United States of America known from cranial, shell, and other postcranial material. Baenid turtles are taxonomically diverse and common fossil elements within Late Cretaceous through Eocene faunas. Detailed anatomical knowledge is critical to understanding the systematics and morphological evolution of the group. This is particularly important as baenids represent an important group of continental vertebrates that survived the mass extinction event associated with the Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary. High-resolution micro-computed tomography scanning of the holotype skull reveals additional anatomical details for the already well-known Saxochelys gilberti. This includes the revision of some anatomical statements from the original description, but also detailed knowledge on internal anatomical features of the braincase and the description of a well-preserved axis (cervical vertebra 2). Our new detailed description and previous work on the shell and postcrania make Saxochelys one of the best-described, nearly complete baenid turtles, which are often only known from either isolated shell or cranial material. A revised phylogenetic analysis confirms the position of Saxochelys gilberti as a derived baenid (Eubaeninae) more closely related to Baena arenosa than to Eubaena cephalica. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13358-023-00301-6.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaël E. Spicher
- Departement of Geosciences, University of Fribourg, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
- Institute of Geosciences, Section Paleontology, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Nussallee 8, 53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Tyler R. Lyson
- Department of Earth Sciences, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Denver, CO USA
| | - Serjoscha W. Evers
- Departement of Geosciences, University of Fribourg, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
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10
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Callegaro S, Baker DR, Renne PR, Melluso L, Geraki K, Whitehouse MJ, De Min A, Marzoli A. Recurring volcanic winters during the latest Cretaceous: Sulfur and fluorine budgets of Deccan Traps lavas. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadg8284. [PMID: 37792933 PMCID: PMC10550224 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adg8284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023]
Abstract
Two events share the stage as main drivers of the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction-Deccan Traps volcanism, and an asteroid impact recorded by the Chicxulub crater. We contribute to refining knowledge of the volcanic stressor by providing sulfur and fluorine budgets of Deccan lavas from the Western Ghats (India), which straddle the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary. Volcanic fluorine budgets were variable (400 to 3000 parts per million) and probably sufficient to affect the environment, albeit only regionally. The highest sulfur budgets (up to 1800 parts per million) are recorded in Deccan lavas emplaced just prior (within 0.1 million years) to the extinction interval, whereas later basalts are generally sulfur-poor (up to 750 parts per million). Independent evidence suggests the Deccan flood basalts erupted in high-flux pulses. Our data suggest that volcanic sulfur degassing from such activity could have caused repeated short-lived global drops in temperature, stressing the ecosystems long before the bolide impact delivered its final blow at the end of the Cretaceous.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Callegaro
- Centre for Earth Evolution and Dynamics, University of Oslo, Sem Sælands vei 2A, 0371 Oslo, Norway
- Centre for Planetary Habitability, University of Oslo, Sem Sælands vei 2A, 0371 Oslo, Norway
| | - Don R. Baker
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, McGill University, 3450 University St., Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Paul R. Renne
- Berkeley Geochronology Center, 2455 Ridge Road, Berkeley, CA 94709, USA
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Leone Melluso
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Ambiente e Risorse, University of Napoli Federico II, via Cintia 21, 80126 Napoli, Italy
| | - Kalotina Geraki
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot OX11 0DE, UK
| | | | - Angelo De Min
- Department of Mathematics and Geoscience, University of Trieste, via Weiss 2, 34128 Trieste, Italy
| | - Andrea Marzoli
- Dipartimento Territorio e Sistemi Agro-Forestali, University of Padova, 35020 Legnaro, Italy
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11
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Cox AA, Keller CB. A Bayesian inversion for emissions and export productivity across the end-Cretaceous boundary. Science 2023; 381:1446-1451. [PMID: 37769089 DOI: 10.1126/science.adh3875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023]
Abstract
The end-Cretaceous mass extinction was marked by both the Chicxulub impact and the ongoing emplacement of the Deccan Traps flood basalt province. To understand the mechanism of extinction, we must disentangle the timing, duration, and intensity of volcanic and meteoritic environmental forcings. In this study, we used a parallel Markov chain Monte Carlo approach to invert for carbon dioxide (CO2) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions, export productivity, and remineralization from 67 to 65 million years ago using the LOSCAR (Long-term Ocean-atmosphere-Sediment CArbon cycle Reservoir) model. Our results closely match observed and proxy data and suggest decoupled CO2 and SO2 emissions, a two-step decline in export productivity with a protracted recovery, and no clear volatile impulse at the boundary. More broadly, our methods provide a potential path forward for efficient parallel inversion of complex Earth system models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander A Cox
- Department of Earth Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - C Brenhin Keller
- Department of Earth Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
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12
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Boyd M, Wilson N. Island refuges for surviving nuclear winter and other abrupt sunlight-reducing catastrophes. RISK ANALYSIS : AN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE SOCIETY FOR RISK ANALYSIS 2023; 43:1824-1842. [PMID: 36464495 DOI: 10.1111/risa.14072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Some island nations in the Southern Hemisphere might survive a severe sun-reducing catastrophe such as nuclear winter and be well placed to help reboot-collapsed human civilization. Such islands must be resilient to the cascading effects abrupt sunlight reduction scenarios (ASRS) would impose beyond the impacts on agricultural systems. We aimed to identify island nations whose societies are most likely to survive nuclear winter or other ASRS. We also aimed to conduct a case study of one island nation to consider how it might enhance its resilience and therefore its chance of aiding a global reboot of complex technological society. We performed a threshold analysis on food self-sufficiency under severe nuclear winter conditions to identify islands. We then profiled each island across global macroindices representing resilience factors reported in the literature. We undertook a case study of the island nation of New Zealand. The island nations of Australia, New Zealand, Iceland, the Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu appear most resilient to ASRS. However, our case-study island nation of New Zealand is threatened in scenarios of no/low trade, has precarious aspects of its energy supply, and shortcomings in manufacturing of essential components. Therefore, inadequate preparations and critical failures in these systems could see rapid societal breakdown. Despite some islands' favorable baseline conditions and apparent food security even in a severe ASRS, cascading impacts through other socioecological systems threaten complex functioning. We identified specific resilience measures, many with cobenefits, which may protect island nodes of sustained complexity in ASRS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matt Boyd
- Adapt Research Ltd, Reefton, New Zealand
| | - Nick Wilson
- University of Otago Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
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13
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Reddin CJ, Aberhan M, Dimitrijević D, Dowding EM, Kocsis ÁT, Mathes G, Nätscher PS, Patzkowsky ME, Kiessling W. Oversimplification risks too much: a response to 'How predictable are mass extinction events?'. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:230400. [PMID: 37621666 PMCID: PMC10445011 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Carl J. Reddin
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin, Germany
- GeoZentrum Nordbayern, Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Martin Aberhan
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin, Germany
| | | | | | - Ádám T. Kocsis
- GeoZentrum Nordbayern, Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Gregor Mathes
- Paleontological Institute and Museum, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Mark E. Patzkowsky
- Department of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
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14
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Wilson N, Payne B, Boyd M. Mathematical optimization of frost resistant crop production to ensure food supply during a nuclear winter catastrophe. Sci Rep 2023; 13:8254. [PMID: 37217644 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35354-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to estimate the optimal mix of frost resistant crops and land area needed to provide basic nutrition during various nuclear winter scenarios for New Zealand (NZ), a temperate island nation. It used linear programming to minimize land area required for cropping while producing enough food to achieve dietary energy and protein requirements for the whole population. The potential agricultural impacts of three nuclear winter scenarios on NZ, were sourced from the literature. The optimized combinations of frost resistant crops that were found to feed the entire population were, in descending order: wheat and carrots; sugar beet; oats; onions and carrots; cabbage and barley; canola and cabbage; linseed and parsnip; rye and lupins; swede and field beans; and cauliflower. But in terms of current production levels of these frost resistant crops in NZ, there would be a 26% shortfall for the "war without a nuclear winter" scenario and a 71% shortfall for the severe nuclear winter scenario (150 Tg of soot in the stratosphere with a 61% decline in crop yields). In conclusion, at current production levels, frost resistant food crops could not feed all NZ citizens following a nuclear war. There is a need for the NZ Government to conduct a detailed pre-war analysis on how these shortfalls are best addressed. For example, by: increased pre-war production of these crops and/or post-war scalability; growing enough frost sensitive crops (i.e., in greenhouses or the warmest parts of the country); and/or ensuring continuing production of food derived from livestock fed on frost resistant grasses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nick Wilson
- University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand.
| | - Ben Payne
- Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Matt Boyd
- Adapt Research Ltd, Reefton, New Zealand
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15
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Wilson N, Valler V, Cassidy M, Boyd M, Mani L, Brönnimann S. Impact of the Tambora volcanic eruption of 1815 on islands and relevance to future sunlight-blocking catastrophes. Sci Rep 2023; 13:3649. [PMID: 36871039 PMCID: PMC9985606 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-30729-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Island nations may have potential long-term survival value for humanity in global catastrophes such as sun-blocking catastrophes from nuclear winter and large magnitude volcanic eruptions. One way to explore this issue further is to understand the impact on islands after the largest historically observed volcanic eruption: that of Mt Tambora in 1815. For each of the 31 large, populated islands selected, we conducted literature searches for relevant historical and palaeoclimate studies. We also analysed results from a reconstruction (EKF400v2), which uses atmospheric-only general circulation model simulations with assimilated observational and proxy data. From the literature review, there was widespread evidence for weather/climate anomalies in 1815-1817 for these islands (29/29 for those with data). But missing data was an issue for other dimensions such as impaired food production (seen in 8 islands out of only 12 with data). Based on the EKF400v2 reconstruction for temperature anomalies (compared to the relatively "non-volcanic" reference period of 1779 to 1808), the islands had lower temperature anomalies in the 1815-1818 period than latitudinally equivalent continental sites (at 100 km and 1000 km inland). This was statistically significant for the great majority of the comparisons for group analyses by hemisphere, oceans, and temperate/tropical zone. When considering just the islands, all but four showed statistically anomalous temperature reductions in the 1816-1817 period (for most p < 0.00001). In the peak impact year of 1816, the lowest anomalies were seen for islands in the Southern Hemisphere (p < 0.0001), the Indian Ocean (p < 0.0001), and in the tropics and subtropics of the Southern Hemisphere (p = 0.0057). In conclusion, the findings of both the literature review and reconstruction simulations suggest climatic impacts of the Tambora eruption for nearly all these 31 large islands, albeit less than for continental sites. Islands with the smallest temperature anomalies were in the Southern Hemisphere, in particular the Indian Ocean and the tropics and subtropics of the Southern Hemisphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nick Wilson
- Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand.
| | - Veronika Valler
- Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Michael Cassidy
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Science, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Matt Boyd
- Adapt Research Ltd, Reefton, New Zealand
| | - Lara Mani
- Centre for the Study of Existential Risk, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Stefan Brönnimann
- Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Institute of Geography, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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16
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Foster WJ, Allen BJ, Kitzmann NH, Münchmeyer J, Rettelbach T, Witts JD, Whittle RJ, Larina E, Clapham ME, Dunhill AM. How predictable are mass extinction events? ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:221507. [PMID: 36938535 PMCID: PMC10014245 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.221507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Many modern extinction drivers are shared with past mass extinction events, such as rapid climate warming, habitat loss, pollution and invasive species. This commonality presents a key question: can the extinction risk of species during past mass extinction events inform our predictions for a modern biodiversity crisis? To investigate if it is possible to establish which species were more likely to go extinct during mass extinctions, we applied a functional trait-based model of extinction risk using a machine learning algorithm to datasets of marine fossils for the end-Permian, end-Triassic and end-Cretaceous mass extinctions. Extinction selectivity was inferred across each individual mass extinction event, before testing whether the selectivity patterns obtained could be used to 'predict' the extinction selectivity exhibited during the other mass extinctions. Our analyses show that, despite some similarities in extinction selectivity patterns between ancient crises, the selectivity of mass extinction events is inconsistent, which leads to a poor predictive performance. This lack of predictability is attributed to evolution in marine ecosystems, particularly during the Mesozoic Marine Revolution, associated with shifts in community structure alongside coincident Earth system changes. Our results suggest that past extinctions are unlikely to be informative for predicting extinction risk during a projected mass extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bethany J. Allen
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zürich, Basel, Switzerland
- Computational Evolution Group, Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Niklas H. Kitzmann
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK)—Member of the Leibniz Association, Potsdam, Germany
- Institute of Physics and Astronomy, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Jannes Münchmeyer
- GFZ German Research Centre for Geoscience, Potsdam, Germany
- Department of Computer Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Tabea Rettelbach
- Institute of Physics and Astronomy, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
- Institute of Geosciences, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
- Department of Computer Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Permafrost Research Section, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Potsdam, Germany
| | - James D. Witts
- Bristol Palaeobiology Research Group, School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | | | - Ekaterina Larina
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Matthew E. Clapham
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
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17
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Abstract
Living systems are built from a small subset of the atomic elements, including the bulk macronutrients (C,H,N,O,P,S) and ions (Mg,K,Na,Ca) together with a small but variable set of trace elements (micronutrients). Here, we provide a global survey of how chemical elements contribute to life. We define five classes of elements: those that are (i) essential for all life, (ii) essential for many organisms in all three domains of life, (iii) essential or beneficial for many organisms in at least one domain, (iv) beneficial to at least some species, and (v) of no known beneficial use. The ability of cells to sustain life when individual elements are absent or limiting relies on complex physiological and evolutionary mechanisms (elemental economy). This survey of elemental use across the tree of life is encapsulated in a web-based, interactive periodic table that summarizes the roles chemical elements in biology and highlights corresponding mechanisms of elemental economy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaleigh A Remick
- Department of Microbiology, Cornell University, New York, NY, United States
| | - John D Helmann
- Department of Microbiology, Cornell University, New York, NY, United States.
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18
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100 million years of turtle paleoniche dynamics enable the prediction of latitudinal range shifts in a warming world. Curr Biol 2023; 33:109-121.e3. [PMID: 36549298 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.11.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2022] [Revised: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Past responses to environmental change provide vital baseline data for estimating the potential resilience of extant taxa to future change. Here, we investigate the latitudinal range contraction that terrestrial and freshwater turtles (Testudinata) experienced from the Late Cretaceous to the Paleogene (100.5-23.03 mya) in response to major climatic changes. We apply ecological niche modeling (ENM) to reconstruct turtle niches, using ancient and modern distribution data, paleogeographic reconstructions, and the HadCM3L climate model to quantify their range shifts in the Cretaceous and late Eocene. We then use the insights provided by these models to infer their probable ecological responses to future climate scenarios at different representative concentration pathways (RCPs 4.5 and 8.5 for 2100), which project globally increased temperatures and spreading arid biomes at lower to mid-latitudes. We show that turtle ranges are predicted to expand poleward in the Northern Hemisphere, with decreased habitat suitability at lower latitudes, inverting a trend of latitudinal range contraction that has been prevalent since the Eocene. Trionychids and freshwater turtles can more easily track their niches than Testudinidae and other terrestrial groups. However, habitat destruction and fragmentation at higher latitudes will probably reduce the capability of turtles and tortoises to cope with future climate changes.
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19
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Zecca G, Panzeri D, Grassi F. Detecting signals of adaptive evolution in grape plastomes with a focus on the Cretaceous-Palaeogene (K/Pg) transition. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2022; 130:965-980. [PMID: 36282948 PMCID: PMC9851337 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcac128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Although plastid genes are widely used in phylogenetic studies, signals of positive selection have been scarcely investigated in the grape family. The plastomes from 91 accessions of Vitaceae were examined to understand the extent to which positive selection is present and to identify which genes are involved. Moreover, the changes through time of genes under episodic positive selection were investigated and the hypothesis of an adaptive process following the Cretaceous-Palaeogene (K/Pg) transition about 66 million years ago was tested. METHODS Different codon-substitution models were used to assess pervasive and episodic positive selection events on 70 candidate plastid genes. Divergence times between lineages were estimated and stochastic character mapping analysis was used to simulate variation over time of the genes found to be under episodic positive selection. KEY RESULTS A total of 20 plastid genes (29 %) showed positive selection. Among them, 14 genes showed pervasive signatures of positive selection and nine genes showed episodic signatures of positive selection. In particular, four of the nine genes (psbK, rpl20, rpoB, rps11) exhibited a similar pattern showing an increase in the rate of variation close to the K/Pg transition. CONCLUSION Multiple analyses have shown that the grape family has experienced ancient and recent positive selection events and that the targeted genes are involved in essential functions such as photosynthesis, self-replication and metabolism. Our results are consistent with the idea that the K/Pg transition has favoured an increased rate of change in some genes. Intense environmental perturbations have influenced the rapid diversification of certain lineages, and new mutations arising on some plastid genes may have been fixed by natural selection over the course of many generations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Zecca
- University of Milan-Bicocca, Department of Biotechnology and Bioscience, Piazza della Scienza 2, 20126, Milano, Italy
| | - Davide Panzeri
- University of Milan-Bicocca, Department of Biotechnology and Bioscience, Piazza della Scienza 2, 20126, Milano, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Grassi
- University of Milan-Bicocca, Department of Biotechnology and Bioscience, Piazza della Scienza 2, 20126, Milano, Italy
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo 90133, Italy
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20
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García-Girón J, Chiarenza AA, Alahuhta J, DeMar DG, Heino J, Mannion PD, Williamson TE, Wilson Mantilla GP, Brusatte SL. Shifts in food webs and niche stability shaped survivorship and extinction at the end-Cretaceous. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eadd5040. [PMID: 36475805 PMCID: PMC9728968 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.add5040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
It has long been debated why groups such as non-avian dinosaurs became extinct whereas mammals and other lineages survived the Cretaceous/Paleogene mass extinction 66 million years ago. We used Markov networks, ecological niche partitioning, and Earth System models to reconstruct North American food webs and simulate ecospace occupancy before and after the extinction event. We find a shift in latest Cretaceous dinosaur faunas, as medium-sized species counterbalanced a loss of megaherbivores, but dinosaur niches were otherwise stable and static, potentially contributing to their demise. Smaller vertebrates, including mammals, followed a consistent trajectory of increasing trophic impact and relaxation of niche limits beginning in the latest Cretaceous and continuing after the mass extinction. Mammals did not simply proliferate after the extinction event; rather, their earlier ecological diversification might have helped them survive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge García-Girón
- Geography Research Unit, University of Oulu, PO Box 3000, FI-90014 Oulu, Finland
- Department of Biodiversity and Environmental Management, University of León, Campus de Vegazana, 24007 León, Spain
| | - Alfio Alessandro Chiarenza
- Departamento de Ecoloxía e Bioloxía Animal, Grupo de Ecología Animal, Centro de Investigacion Mariña, Universidade de Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain
| | - Janne Alahuhta
- Geography Research Unit, University of Oulu, PO Box 3000, FI-90014 Oulu, Finland
| | - David G. DeMar
- Department of Biology, University of Washington and the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, Seattle, WA 98105, USA
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560, USA
| | - Jani Heino
- Geography Research Unit, University of Oulu, PO Box 3000, FI-90014 Oulu, Finland
| | - Philip D. Mannion
- Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, Gower Street, WC1E 6BT London, UK
| | | | - Gregory P. Wilson Mantilla
- Department of Biology, University of Washington and the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, Seattle, WA 98105, USA
| | - Stephen L. Brusatte
- School of GeoSciences, Grant Institute, University of Edinburgh, James Hutton Road, EH9 3FE Edinburgh, UK
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21
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Low dinosaur biodiversity in central China 2 million years prior to the end-Cretaceous mass extinction. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2211234119. [PMID: 36122246 PMCID: PMC9522366 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2211234119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Whether or not nonavian dinosaur biodiversity declined prior to the end-Cretaceous mass extinction remains controversial as the result of sampling biases in the fossil record, differences in the analytical approaches used, and the rarity of high-precision geochronological dating of dinosaur fossils. Using magnetostratigraphy, cyclostratigraphy, and biostratigraphy, we establish a high-resolution geochronological framework for the fossil-rich Late Cretaceous sedimentary sequence in the Shanyang Basin of central China. We have found only three dinosaurian eggshell taxa (Macroolithus yaotunensis, Elongatoolithus elongatus, and Stromatoolithus pinglingensis) representing two clades (Oviraptoridae and Hadrosauridae) in sediments deposited between ∼68.2 and ∼66.4 million y ago, indicating sustained low dinosaur biodiversity, and that assessment is consistent with the known skeletal remains in the Shanyang and surrounding basins of central China. Along with the dinosaur eggshell records from eastern and southern China, we find a decline in dinosaur biodiversity from the Campanian to the Maastrichtian. Our results support a long-term decline in global dinosaur biodiversity prior to 66 million y ago, which likely set the stage for the end-Cretaceous nonavian dinosaur mass extinction.
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22
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Continental flood basalts drive Phanerozoic extinctions. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2120441119. [PMID: 36095185 PMCID: PMC9499591 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2120441119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Refinements of the geological timescale driven by the increasing precision and accuracy of radiometric dating have revealed an apparent correlation between large igneous provinces (LIPs) and intervals of Phanerozoic faunal turnover that has been much discussed at a qualitative level. However, the extent to which such correlations are likely to occur by chance has yet to be quantitatively tested, and other kill mechanisms have been suggested for many mass extinctions. Here, we show that the degree of temporal correlation between continental LIPs and faunal turnover in the Phanerozoic is unlikely to occur by chance, suggesting a causal relationship linking extinctions and continental flood basalts. The relationship is stronger for LIPs with higher estimated eruptive rates and for stage boundaries with higher extinction magnitudes. This suggests LIP magma degassing as a primary kill mechanism for mass extinctions and other intervals of faunal turnover, which may be related to [Formula: see text], Cl, and F release. Our results suggest continental LIPs as a major, direct driver of extinctions throughout the Phanerozoic.
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Cantalice KM, Alvarado-Ortega J, Bellwood DR, Siqueira AC. Rising from the Ashes: The Biogeographic Origins of Modern Coral Reef Fishes. Bioscience 2022; 72:769-777. [PMID: 35923187 PMCID: PMC9343231 DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biac045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
During the excavation of Mayan tombs, little did the archaeologists know that the fossils they discovered in the tomb stones would fundamentally alter our understanding of the earliest origins of coral reef fishes. Located just 500 kilometers from the point where an asteroid impact reconfigured the world's biological systems 66 million years ago, we find the earliest origins of three typical reef fish groups. Their presence in Mexico just 3 million years after this impact finally reconciles the conflict between the fossil and phylogenetic evidence for the earliest origins of reef fishes. The incorporation of these fossils into a global reconstruction of fish evolutionary history reveals a new picture of the early biogeography of reef fishes, with strong Atlantic links. From locations associated with biological destruction and societal collapse, we see evidence of the origins of one of the world's most diverse and spectacular marine ecosystems: coral reefs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kleyton M Cantalice
- Departamento de Paleontología and with the Instituto de Geología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México , Ciudad de México, México
| | - Jesús Alvarado-Ortega
- Departamento de Paleontología and with the Instituto de Geología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México , Ciudad de México, México
| | - David R Bellwood
- Research Hub for Coral Reef Ecosystem Functions, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, and the College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University , Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | - Alexandre C Siqueira
- Research Hub for Coral Reef Ecosystem Functions, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, and the College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University , Townsville, Queensland, Australia
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24
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Internet of Spacecraft for Multi-Planetary Defense and Prosperity. SIGNALS 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/signals3030026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent years have seen unprecedentedly fast-growing prosperity in the commercial space industry. Several privately funded aerospace manufacturers, such as Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) and Blue Origin have transformed what we used to know about this capital-intense industry and gradually reshaped the future of human civilization. As private spaceflight and multi-planetary immigration gradually become realities from science fiction (sci-fi) and theory, both opportunities and challenges will be presented. In this article, we first review the progress in space exploration and the underlying space technologies. Next, we revisit the K-Pg extinction event and the Chelyabinsk event and predict extra-terrestrialization, terraformation, and planetary defense, including the emerging near-Earth object (NEO) observation and NEO impact avoidance technologies and strategies. Furthermore, a framework for the Solar Communication and Defense Networks (SCADN) with advanced algorithms and high efficacy is proposed to enable an Internet of distributed deep-space sensing, communications, and defense to cope with disastrous incidents such as asteroid/comet impacts. Furthermore, perspectives on the legislation, management, and supervision of founding the proposed SCADN are also discussed in depth.
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25
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Brownstein CD, Lyson TR. Giant gar from directly above the Cretaceous-Palaeogene boundary suggests healthy freshwater ecosystems existed within thousands of years of the asteroid impact. Biol Lett 2022; 18:20220118. [PMID: 35702983 PMCID: PMC9198771 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2022.0118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The Cretaceous-Palaeogene (K-Pg) mass extinction was responsible for the destruction of global ecosystems and loss of approximately three-quarters of species diversity 66 million years ago. Large-bodied land vertebrates suffered high extinction rates, whereas small-bodied vertebrates living in freshwater ecosystems were buffered from the worst effects. Here, we report a new species of large-bodied (1.4-1.5 m) gar based on a complete skeleton from the Williston Basin of North America. The new species was recovered 18 cm above the K-Pg boundary, making it one of the oldest articulated vertebrate fossils from the Cenozoic. The presence of this freshwater macropredator approximately 1.5-2.5 thousand years after the asteroid impact suggests the rapid recovery and reassembly of North American freshwater food webs and ecosystems after the mass extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chase Doran Brownstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Stamford Museum and Nature Center, Stamford, CT, USA
| | - Tyler R. Lyson
- Department of Earth Sciences, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Denver, CO, USA
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26
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Quintero I, Suchard MA, Jetz W. Macroevolutionary dynamics of climatic niche space. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220091. [PMID: 35611527 PMCID: PMC9130784 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
How and why lineages evolve along with niche space as they diversify and adapt to different environments is fundamental to evolution. Progress has been hampered by the difficulties of linking a robust empirical characterization of species niches with flexible evolutionary models that describe their evolution. Consequently, the relative influence of abiotic and biotic factors remains poorly understood. Here, we characterize species' two-dimensional temperature and precipitation niche space occupied (i.e. species niche envelope) as complex geometries and assess their evolution across all Aves using a model that captures heterogeneous evolutionary rates on time-calibrated phylogenies. We find that extant birds coevolved from warm, mesic climatic niches into colder and drier environments and responded to the Cretaceous-Palaeogene (K-Pg) boundary with a dramatic increase in disparity. Contrary to expectations of subsiding rates of niche evolution, our results show that overall rates have increased steadily, with some lineages experiencing exceptionally high evolutionary rates, associated with the colonization of novel niche spaces, and others showing niche stasis. Both competition- and environmental change-driven niche evolution transpire and result in highly heterogeneous rates near the present. Our findings highlight the growing ecological and conservation insights arising from the model-based integration of comprehensive environmental and phylogenetic information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ignacio Quintero
- Institut de Biologie de l'ENS (IBENS), Département de Biologie, École Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, Université PSL, 75005 Paris, France,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Marc A. Suchard
- Department of Human Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, 695 Charles E. Young Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA,Department of Biostatistics, University of California, Los Angeles, 695 Charles E. Young Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Walter Jetz
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA,Center for Biodiversity and Global Change, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
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27
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Cheng A, Mohd Hanafiah N, Harikrishna JA, Eem LP, Baisakh N, Mispan MS. A Reappraisal of Polyploidy Events in Grasses (Poaceae) in a Rapidly Changing World. BIOLOGY 2022; 11:biology11050636. [PMID: 35625365 PMCID: PMC9138248 DOI: 10.3390/biology11050636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Revised: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Around 80% of megaflora species became extinct at the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) boundary. Subsequent polyploidy events drove the survival of thousands of plant species and played a significant historical role in the development of the most successful modern cereal crops. However, current and rapid global temperature change poses an urgent threat to food crops worldwide, including the world’s big three cereals: rice, wheat, and maize, which are members of the grass family, Poaceae. Some minor cereals from the same family (such as teff) have grown in popularity in recent years, but there are important knowledge gaps regarding the similarities and differences between major and minor crops, including how polyploidy affects their biological processes under natural and (a)biotic stress conditions and thus the potential to harness polyploidization attributes for improving crop climate resilience. This review focuses on the impact of polyploidy events on the Poaceae family, which includes the world’s most important food sources, and discusses the past, present, and future of polyploidy research for major and minor crops. The increasing accessibility to genomes of grasses and their wild progenitors together with new tools and interdisciplinary research on polyploidy can support crop improvement for global food security in the face of climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Acga Cheng
- Faculty of Science, Institute of Biological Sciences, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia; (A.C.); (N.M.H.); (J.A.H.)
| | - Noraikim Mohd Hanafiah
- Faculty of Science, Institute of Biological Sciences, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia; (A.C.); (N.M.H.); (J.A.H.)
| | - Jennifer Ann Harikrishna
- Faculty of Science, Institute of Biological Sciences, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia; (A.C.); (N.M.H.); (J.A.H.)
- Centre for Research in Biotechnology for Agriculture (CEBAR), Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
| | - Lim Phaik Eem
- Institute of Ocean and Earth Science, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia;
| | - Niranjan Baisakh
- School of Plant, Environmental, and Soil Science, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
- Correspondence: (N.B.); (M.S.M.)
| | - Muhamad Shakirin Mispan
- Faculty of Science, Institute of Biological Sciences, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia; (A.C.); (N.M.H.); (J.A.H.)
- Centre for Research in Biotechnology for Agriculture (CEBAR), Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
- Correspondence: (N.B.); (M.S.M.)
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28
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Knowledge Gaps and Missing Links in Understanding Mass Extinctions: Can Mathematical Modeling Help? Phys Life Rev 2022; 41:22-57. [DOI: 10.1016/j.plrev.2022.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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29
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30
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Kaas JH, Qi HX, Stepniewska I. Escaping the nocturnal bottleneck, and the evolution of the dorsal and ventral streams of visual processing in primates. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210293. [PMID: 34957843 PMCID: PMC8710890 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Early mammals were small and nocturnal. Their visual systems had regressed and they had poor vision. After the extinction of the dinosaurs 66 mya, some but not all escaped the 'nocturnal bottleneck' by recovering high-acuity vision. By contrast, early primates escaped the bottleneck within the age of dinosaurs by having large forward-facing eyes and acute vision while remaining nocturnal. We propose that these primates differed from other mammals by changing the balance between two sources of visual information to cortex. Thus, cortical processing became less dependent on a relay of information from the superior colliculus (SC) to temporal cortex and more dependent on information distributed from primary visual cortex (V1). In addition, the two major classes of visual information from the retina became highly segregated into magnocellular (M cell) projections from V1 to the primate-specific temporal visual area (MT), and parvocellular-dominated projections to the dorsolateral visual area (DL or V4). The greatly expanded P cell inputs from V1 informed the ventral stream of cortical processing involving temporal and frontal cortex. The M cell pathways from V1 and the SC informed the dorsal stream of cortical processing involving MT, surrounding temporal cortex, and parietal-frontal sensorimotor domains. This article is part of the theme issue 'Systems neuroscience through the lens of evolutionary theory'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jon H. Kaas
- Department of Pshycology, Vanderbilt University, 301 Wilson Hall, 111 21st Ave. S., Nashville, TN 37240, USA
| | - Hui-Xin Qi
- Department of Pshycology, Vanderbilt University, 301 Wilson Hall, 111 21st Ave. S., Nashville, TN 37240, USA
| | - Iwona Stepniewska
- Department of Pshycology, Vanderbilt University, 301 Wilson Hall, 111 21st Ave. S., Nashville, TN 37240, USA
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31
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David A, Gautam A. Cenozoic Era. ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ANIMAL COGNITION AND BEHAVIOR 2022:1133-1147. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-55065-7_1954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/27/2023]
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32
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Martinelli LA, Augusto FG. The co-evolution of life and biogeochemical cycles in our planet. BIOTA NEOTROPICA 2022. [DOI: 10.1590/1676-0611-bn-2022-1402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Abstract The Earth has undergone numerous geological and biological changes over billions of years. The evolution of plants and animals had a direct relationship with the elements’ changes in the atmosphere and the development of the biogeochemical cycles on Earth. The Anthropocene is the age of the Homo sapiens leaves its geological signature on the planet. Human domination and/or interference in the biogeochemical cycles results in an environmental change that affects not only ecosystems, in general, but also the biota and global biodiversity. In this way, we are creating another mass extinction event, the “sixth extinction wave” as well as transforming the ecosystems’ functions and services.
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33
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Chiarenza AA, Mannion PD, Farnsworth A, Carrano MT, Varela S. Climatic constraints on the biogeographic history of Mesozoic dinosaurs. Curr Biol 2021; 32:570-585.e3. [PMID: 34921764 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.11.061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Revised: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Dinosaurs dominated Mesozoic terrestrial ecosystems globally. However, whereas a pole-to-pole geographic distribution characterized ornithischians and theropods, sauropods were restricted to lower latitudes. Here, we evaluate the role of climate in shaping these biogeographic patterns through the Jurassic-Cretaceous (201-66 mya), combining dinosaur fossil occurrences, past climate data from Earth System models, and habitat suitability modeling. Results show that, uniquely among dinosaurs, sauropods occupied climatic niches characterized by high temperatures and strongly bounded by minimum cold temperatures. This constrained the distribution and dispersal pathways of sauropods to tropical areas, excluding them from latitudinal extremes, especially in the Northern Hemisphere. The greater availability of suitable habitat in the southern continents, particularly in the Late Cretaceous, might be key to explaining the high diversity of sauropods there, relative to northern landmasses. Given that ornithischians and theropods show a flattened or bimodal latitudinal biodiversity gradient, with peaks at higher latitudes, the closer correspondence of sauropods to a subtropical concentration could hint at fundamental thermophysiological differences to the other two clades.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfio Alessandro Chiarenza
- Grupo de Ecología Animal, Centro de Investigacion Mariña, Universidade de Vigo, Campus Lagoas-Marcosende, Vigo 36310, Spain; Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2BP, UK; Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
| | - Philip D Mannion
- Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
| | - Alex Farnsworth
- School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, University Road, Bristol BS8 1RL, UK; State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Resources and Environment (TPESRE), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Matthew T Carrano
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 121, Washington, DC 20013-7012, USA.
| | - Sara Varela
- Grupo de Ecología Animal, Centro de Investigacion Mariña, Universidade de Vigo, Campus Lagoas-Marcosende, Vigo 36310, Spain
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34
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DePalma RA, Oleinik AA, Gurche LP, Burnham DA, Klingler JJ, McKinney CJ, Cichocki FP, Larson PL, Egerton VM, Wogelius RA, Edwards NP, Bergmann U, Manning PL. Seasonal calibration of the end-cretaceous Chicxulub impact event. Sci Rep 2021; 11:23704. [PMID: 34880389 PMCID: PMC8655067 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-03232-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The end-Cretaceous Chicxulub impact triggered Earth's last mass-extinction, extinguishing ~ 75% of species diversity and facilitating a global ecological shift to mammal-dominated biomes. Temporal details of the impact event on a fine scale (hour-to-day), important to understanding the early trajectory of mass-extinction, have largely eluded previous studies. This study employs histological and histo-isotopic analyses of fossil fish that were coeval with a unique impact-triggered mass-death assemblage from the Cretaceous-Paleogene (KPg) boundary in North Dakota (USA). Patterns of growth history, including periodicity of ẟ18O and ẟ13C and growth band morphology, plus corroborating data from fish ontogeny and seasonal insect behavior, reveal that the impact occurred during boreal Spring/Summer, shortly after the spawning season for fish and most continental taxa. The severity and taxonomic symmetry of response to global natural hazards are influenced by the season during which they occur, suggesting that post-impact perturbations could have exerted a selective force that was exacerbated by seasonal timing. Data from this study can also provide vital hindsight into patterns of extant biotic response to global-scale hazards that are relevant to both current and future biomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert A. DePalma
- grid.5379.80000000121662407Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL UK ,grid.255951.fDepartment of Geosciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431 USA
| | - Anton A. Oleinik
- grid.255951.fDepartment of Geosciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431 USA
| | - Loren P. Gurche
- grid.266515.30000 0001 2106 0692Biodiversity Institute, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045 USA
| | - David A. Burnham
- grid.266515.30000 0001 2106 0692Biodiversity Institute, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045 USA
| | - Jeremy J. Klingler
- grid.263922.e0000 0001 0012 3578Department of Biological Sciences, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Weatherford, OK 73096 USA
| | - Curtis J. McKinney
- grid.421336.10000 0000 8565 4433Department of Geology, Miami-Dade College, Miami, FL 33132 USA
| | - Frederick P. Cichocki
- grid.447043.00000 0001 2152 8144Adjunct Curator of Vertebrates, Maine State Museum, Augusta, ME 04330 USA
| | - Peter L. Larson
- Black Hills Institute of Geological Research, Hill City, SD 57745 USA
| | - Victoria M. Egerton
- grid.5379.80000000121662407Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL UK
| | - Roy A. Wogelius
- grid.5379.80000000121662407Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL UK
| | - Nicholas P. Edwards
- grid.445003.60000 0001 0725 7771Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA USA
| | - Uwe Bergmann
- grid.445003.60000 0001 0725 7771Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA USA ,grid.14003.360000 0001 2167 3675Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin- Madison, 2320 Chamberlin Hall, 1150 University Avenue, Madison, WI USA
| | - Phillip L. Manning
- grid.5379.80000000121662407Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL UK
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35
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Zhang H, Zhang F, Chen JB, Erwin DH, Syverson DD, Ni P, Rampino M, Chi Z, Cai YF, Xiang L, Li WQ, Liu SA, Wang RC, Wang XD, Feng Z, Li HM, Zhang T, Cai HM, Zheng W, Cui Y, Zhu XK, Hou ZQ, Wu FY, Xu YG, Planavsky N, Shen SZ. Felsic volcanism as a factor driving the end-Permian mass extinction. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabh1390. [PMID: 34788084 PMCID: PMC8597993 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abh1390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The Siberian Traps large igneous province (STLIP) is commonly invoked as the primary driver of global environmental changes that triggered the end-Permian mass extinction (EPME). Here, we explore the contributions of coeval felsic volcanism to end-Permian environmental changes. We report evidence of extreme Cu enrichment in the EPME interval in South China. The enrichment is associated with an increase in the light Cu isotope, melt inclusions rich in copper and sulfides, and Hg concentration spikes. The Cu and Hg elemental and isotopic signatures can be linked to S-rich vapor produced by felsic volcanism. We use these previously unknown geochemical data to estimate volcanic SO2 injections and argue that this volcanism would have produced several degrees of rapid cooling before or coincident with the more protracted global warming. Large-scale eruptions near the South China block synchronous with the EPME strengthen the case that the STLIP may not have been the sole trigger.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hua Zhang
- LPS, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Feifei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering and Environment and Frontiers Science Center for Critical Earth Material Cycling, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Jiu-bin Chen
- Institute of Surface-Earth System Science, Tianjin University, 92 Weijin Road, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Douglas H. Erwin
- Department of Paleobiology, MRC-121 National Museum of Natural History, P.O. Box 37012, Washington, DC 20013-7012, USA
- Santa Fe Institute, 1399 Hyde Park Road, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA
| | - Drew D. Syverson
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Pei Ni
- State Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering and Environment and Frontiers Science Center for Critical Earth Material Cycling, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Michael Rampino
- Departments of Biology and Environmental Studies, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Zhe Chi
- State Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering and Environment and Frontiers Science Center for Critical Earth Material Cycling, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Yao-feng Cai
- LPS, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Lei Xiang
- LPS, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Wei-qiang Li
- State Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering and Environment and Frontiers Science Center for Critical Earth Material Cycling, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Sheng-Ao Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Ru-cheng Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering and Environment and Frontiers Science Center for Critical Earth Material Cycling, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Xiang-dong Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering and Environment and Frontiers Science Center for Critical Earth Material Cycling, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Zhuo Feng
- Institute of Deep Time Terrestrial Ecology and Institute of Palaeontology, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Hou-min Li
- Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100037, China
| | - Ting Zhang
- Institute of Surface-Earth System Science, Tianjin University, 92 Weijin Road, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Hong-ming Cai
- Institute of Surface-Earth System Science, Tianjin University, 92 Weijin Road, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Wang Zheng
- Institute of Surface-Earth System Science, Tianjin University, 92 Weijin Road, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Ying Cui
- Department of Earth and Environmental Studies, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ 07043, USA
| | - Xiang-kun Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Zeng-qian Hou
- Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100037, China
| | - Fu-yuan Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Yi-gang Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Isotope Geochemistry and Center of Excellence in Deep Earth Science, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Noah Planavsky
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Shu-zhong Shen
- State Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering and Environment and Frontiers Science Center for Critical Earth Material Cycling, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
- State Key Laboratory of Isotope Geochemistry and Center of Excellence in Deep Earth Science, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China
- Key Laboratory of Continental Collision and Plateau Uplift, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research and Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
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36
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Calvete JJ, Pla D, Els J, Carranza S, Damm M, Hempel BF, John EBO, Petras D, Heiss P, Nalbantsoy A, Göçmen B, Süssmuth RD, Calderón-Celis F, Nosti AJ, Encinar JR. Combined Molecular and Elemental Mass Spectrometry Approaches for Absolute Quantification of Proteomes: Application to the Venomics Characterization of the Two Species of Desert Black Cobras, Walterinnesia aegyptia and Walterinnesia morgani. J Proteome Res 2021; 20:5064-5078. [PMID: 34606723 PMCID: PMC8576837 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.1c00608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
![]()
We report a novel hybrid, molecular
and elemental mass spectrometry
(MS) setup for the absolute quantification of snake venom proteomes
shown here for two desert black cobra species within the genus Walterinnesia, Walterinnesia aegyptia and Walterinnesia morgani. The experimental
design includes the decomplexation of the venom samples by reverse-phase
chromatography independently coupled to four mass spectrometry systems:
the combined bottom-up and top-down molecular MS for protein identification
and a parallel reverse-phase microbore high-performance liquid chromatograph
(RP-μHPLC) on-line to inductively coupled plasma (ICP-MS/MS)
elemental mass spectrometry and electrospray ionization quadrupole
time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ESI-QToF MS). This allows to continuously
record the absolute sulfur concentration throughout the chromatogram
and assign it to the parent venom proteins separated in the RP-μHPLC-ESI-QToF
parallel run via mass profiling. The results provide a locus-resolved
and quantitative insight into the three desert black cobra venom proteome
samples. They also validate the units of measure of our snake venomics
strategy for the relative quantification of snake venom proteomes
as % of total venom peptide bonds as a proxy for the % by weight of
the venom toxins/toxin families. In a more general context, our work
may pave the way for broader applications of hybrid elemental/molecular
MS setups in diverse areas of proteomics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan J Calvete
- Laboratorio de Venómica Evolutiva y Traslational, Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Jaume Roig 11, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - Davinia Pla
- Laboratorio de Venómica Evolutiva y Traslational, Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Jaume Roig 11, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - Johannes Els
- Environment and Protected Areas Authority, 82828 Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Salvador Carranza
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maik Damm
- Department of Chemistry, Technische Universität Berlin, 10623 Berlin, Germany
| | - Benjamin-Florian Hempel
- Department of Chemistry, Technische Universität Berlin, 10623 Berlin, Germany.,BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies BCRT, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany
| | - Elisa B O John
- Center of Biotechnology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, CEP 91501-970 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Daniel Petras
- CMFI Cluster of Excellence, Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Medicine, University of Túbingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Paul Heiss
- Department of Chemistry, Technische Universität Berlin, 10623 Berlin, Germany
| | - Ayse Nalbantsoy
- Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Ege University, 35100 Bornova, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Bayram Göçmen
- Zoology Section, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ege University, 35100 Bornova, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Roderich D Süssmuth
- Department of Chemistry, Technische Universität Berlin, 10623 Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Alicia Jiménez Nosti
- Department of Physical and Analytical Chemistry, University of Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Spain
| | - Jorge Ruiz Encinar
- Department of Physical and Analytical Chemistry, University of Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Spain
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Abstract
Extinction of species has been a recurrent phenomenon in the history of our planet, but it was generally outweighed in the course of quite a long geological time by the appearance of new species, except, especially, for the five geologically short times when the so-called “Big Five” mass extinctions occurred. Could the current decline in biodiversity be considered as a signal of an ongoing, human-driven sixth mass extinction? This note briefly examines some issues related to: (i) The hypothesized current extinction rate and the magnitude of contemporary global biodiversity loss; (ii) the challenges of comparing them to the background extinction rate and the magnitude of the past Big Five mass extinction events; (iii) briefly considering the effects of the main anthropogenic stressors on ecosystems, including the risk of the emergence of pandemic diseases. A comparison between the Pleistocene fauna dynamics with the present defaunation process and the cascading effects of recent anthropogenic actions on ecosystem structure and functioning suggests that habitat degradation, ecosystem fragmentation, and alien species introduction are important stressors increasing the negative impact on biodiversity exerted by anthropogenic-driven climate changes and their connected effects. In addition, anthropogenic ecological stressors such as urbanization, landscapes, and wildlife trade, creating new opportunities for virus transmission by augmenting human contact with wild species, are among the main factors triggering pandemic diseases.
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38
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Bazzi M, Campione NE, Ahlberg PE, Blom H, Kear BP. Tooth morphology elucidates shark evolution across the end-Cretaceous mass extinction. PLoS Biol 2021; 19:e3001108. [PMID: 34375335 PMCID: PMC8354442 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Sharks (Selachimorpha) are iconic marine predators that have survived multiple mass extinctions over geologic time. Their prolific fossil record is represented mainly by isolated shed teeth, which provide the basis for reconstructing deep time diversity changes affecting different selachimorph clades. By contrast, corresponding shifts in shark ecology, as measured through morphological disparity, have received comparatively limited analytical attention. Here, we use a geometric morphometric approach to comprehensively examine tooth morphologies in multiple shark lineages traversing the catastrophic end-Cretaceous mass extinction-this event terminated the Mesozoic Era 66 million years ago. Our results show that selachimorphs maintained virtually static levels of dental disparity in most of their constituent clades across the Cretaceous-Paleogene interval. Nevertheless, selective extinctions did impact apex predator species characterized by triangular blade-like teeth. This is particularly evident among lamniforms, which included the dominant Cretaceous anacoracids. Conversely, other groups, such as carcharhiniforms and orectolobiforms, experienced disparity modifications, while heterodontiforms, hexanchiforms, squaliforms, squatiniforms, and †synechodontiforms were not overtly affected. Finally, while some lamniform lineages disappeared, others underwent postextinction disparity increases, especially odontaspidids, which are typified by narrow-cusped teeth adapted for feeding on fishes. Notably, this increase coincides with the early Paleogene radiation of teleosts as a possible prey source, and the geographic relocation of disparity sampling "hotspots," perhaps indicating a regionally disjunct extinction recovery. Ultimately, our study reveals a complex morphological response to the end-Cretaceous mass extinction and highlights an event that influenced the evolution of modern sharks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamad Bazzi
- Subdepartment of Evolution and Development, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Nicolás E. Campione
- Palaeoscience Research Centre, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Per E. Ahlberg
- Subdepartment of Evolution and Development, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Henning Blom
- Subdepartment of Evolution and Development, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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39
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Fingerprinting the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary impact with Zn isotopes. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4128. [PMID: 34226532 PMCID: PMC8257607 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24419-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Numerous geochemical anomalies exist at the K-Pg boundary that indicate the addition of extraterrestrial materials; however, none fingerprint volatilization, a key process that occurs during large bolide impacts. Stable Zn isotopes are an exceptional indicator of volatility-related processes, where partial vaporization of Zn leaves the residuum enriched in its heavy isotopes. Here, we present Zn isotope data for sedimentary rock layers of the K-Pg boundary, which display heavier Zn isotope compositions and lower Zn concentrations relative to surrounding sedimentary rocks, the carbonate platform at the impact site, and most carbonaceous chondrites. Neither volcanic events nor secondary alteration during weathering and diagenesis can explain the Zn concentration and isotope signatures present. The systematically higher Zn isotope values within the boundary layer sediments provide an isotopic fingerprint of partially evaporated material within the K-Pg boundary layer, thus earmarking Zn volatilization during impact and subsequent ejecta transport associated with an impact at the K-Pg.
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40
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Condamine FL, Guinot G, Benton MJ, Currie PJ. Dinosaur biodiversity declined well before the asteroid impact, influenced by ecological and environmental pressures. Nat Commun 2021; 12:3833. [PMID: 34188028 PMCID: PMC8242047 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23754-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2019] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The question why non-avian dinosaurs went extinct 66 million years ago (Ma) remains unresolved because of the coarseness of the fossil record. A sudden extinction caused by an asteroid is the most accepted hypothesis but it is debated whether dinosaurs were in decline or not before the impact. We analyse the speciation-extinction dynamics for six key dinosaur families, and find a decline across dinosaurs, where diversification shifted to a declining-diversity pattern ~76 Ma. We investigate the influence of ecological and physical factors, and find that the decline of dinosaurs was likely driven by global climate cooling and herbivorous diversity drop. The latter is likely due to hadrosaurs outcompeting other herbivores. We also estimate that extinction risk is related to species age during the decline, suggesting a lack of evolutionary novelty or adaptation to changing environments. These results support an environmentally driven decline of non-avian dinosaurs well before the asteroid impact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabien L Condamine
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (Université de Montpellier | CNRS|IRD|EPHE), Montpellier, France.
| | - Guillaume Guinot
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (Université de Montpellier | CNRS|IRD|EPHE), Montpellier, France
| | - Michael J Benton
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Philip J Currie
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
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41
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The Tetrapod Fossil Record from the Uppermost Maastrichtian of the Ibero-Armorican Island: An Integrative Review Based on the Outcrops of the Western Tremp Syncline (Aragón, Huesca Province, NE Spain). GEOSCIENCES 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/geosciences11040162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The South-Pyrenean Basin (northeastern Spain) has yielded a rich and diverse record of Upper Cretaceous (uppermost Campanian−uppermost Maastrichtian) vertebrate fossils, including the remains of some of the last European dinosaurs prior to the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) extinction event. In this work, we update and characterize the vertebrate fossil record of the Arén Sandstone and Tremp formations in the Western Tremp Syncline, which is located in the Aragonese area of the Southern Pyrenees. The transitional and continental successions of these sedimentary units are dated to the late Maastrichtian, and exploration of their outcrops has led to the discovery of numerous fossil remains (bones, eggshells, and tracks) of dinosaurs, including hadrosauroids, sauropods, and theropods, along with other tetrapods such as crocodylomorphs, testudines, pterosaurs, squamates, and amphibians. In particular, this fossil record contains some of the youngest lambeosaurine hadrosaurids (Arenysaurus and Blasisaurus) and Mesozoic crocodylomorphs (Arenysuchus and Agaresuchus subjuniperus) in Europe, complementing the lower Maastrichtian fossil sites of the Eastern Tremp Syncline. In addition, faunal comparison with the fossil record of Hațeg island reveals the great change in the dinosaur assemblages resulting from the arrival of lambeosaurine hadrosaurids on the Ibero-Armorican island, whereas those on Haţeg remained stable. In the light of its paleontological richness, its stratigraphic continuity, and its calibration within the last few hundred thousand years of the Cretaceous, the Western Tremp Syncline is one of the best places in Europe to study the latest vertebrate assemblages of the European Archipelago before the end-Cretaceous mass extinction.
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42
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Carcinogenesis as Side Effects of Iron and Oxygen Utilization: From the Unveiled Truth toward Ultimate Bioengineering. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12113320. [PMID: 33182727 PMCID: PMC7698037 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12113320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Revised: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Cancer is a major cause of human mortality worldwide. No life on earth can live without iron. Persistent oxidative stress resulting from continuous use of iron and oxygen may be a fundamental cause of carcinogenesis. Many animal models demonstrated that excess iron may lead to carcinogenesis. This is supported by a variety of human epidemiological data on cancer risk and prognosis. Cancer is basically a disease of the genome with persistently activated oncogenes and inactivated tumor suppressor genes through which iron addiction with ferroptosis-resistance is established. We predict that fine use of nanomaterials and non-thermal plasma may be able to reverse this situation. Abstract Evolution from the first life on earth to humans took ~3.8 billion years. During the time there have been countless struggles among the species. Mycobacterium tuberculosis was the last major uncontrollable species against the human public health worldwide. After the victory with antibiotics, cancer has become the leading cause of death since 1981 in Japan. Considering that life inevitably depends on ceaseless electron transfers through iron and oxygen, we believe that carcinogenesis is intrinsically unavoidable side effects of using iron and oxygen. Many animal models unequivocally revealed that excess iron is a risk for carcinogenesis. This is supported by a variety of human epidemiological data on cancer risk and prognosis. Cancer is basically a disease of the genome with persistently activated oncogenes and inactivated tumor suppressor genes through which iron addiction with ferroptosis-resistance is maintained. Engineering has made a great advance in the past 50 years. In particular, nanotechnology is distinct in that the size of the engineered molecules is similar to that of our biomolecules. While some nano-molecules are found carcinogenic, there are principles to avoid such carcinogenicity with a smart possibility to use nano-molecules to specifically kill cancer cells. Non-thermal plasma is another modality to fight against cancer.
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43
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Hunter P. The rise of the mammals. EMBO Rep 2020; 21:e51617. [DOI: 10.15252/embr.202051617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
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44
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Bonsor JA, Barrett PM, Raven TJ, Cooper N. Dinosaur diversification rates were not in decline prior to the K-Pg boundary. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2020; 7:201195. [PMID: 33391800 PMCID: PMC7735361 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.201195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 10/29/2020] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Determining the tempo and mode of non-avian dinosaur extinction is one of the most contentious issues in palaeobiology. Extensive disagreements remain over whether their extinction was catastrophic and geologically instantaneous or the culmination of long-term evolutionary trends. These conflicts have arisen due to numerous hierarchical sampling biases in the fossil record and differences in analytical methodology, with some studies identifying long-term declines in dinosaur richness prior to the Cretaceous-Palaeogene (K-Pg) boundary and others proposing continued diversification. Here, we use Bayesian phylogenetic generalized linear mixed models to assess the fit of 12 dinosaur phylogenies to three speciation models (null, slowdown to asymptote, downturn). We do not find strong support for the downturn model in our analyses, which suggests that dinosaur speciation rates were not in terminal decline prior to the K-Pg boundary and that the clade was still capable of generating new taxa. Nevertheless, we advocate caution in interpreting the results of such models, as they may not accurately reflect the complexities of the underlying data. Indeed, current phylogenetic methods may not provide the best test for hypotheses of dinosaur extinction; the collection of more dinosaur occurrence data will be essential to test these ideas further.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph A. Bonsor
- Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
| | - Paul M. Barrett
- Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Thomas J. Raven
- Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
- School of Environment and Technology, University of Brighton, Lewes Road, Brighton BN2 4GA, UK
| | - Natalie Cooper
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
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45
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Organic matter from the Chicxulub crater exacerbated the K-Pg impact winter. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:25327-25334. [PMID: 32989138 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2004596117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
An asteroid impact in the Yucatán Peninsula set off a sequence of events that led to the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction of 76% species, including the nonavian dinosaurs. The impact hit a carbonate platform and released sulfate aerosols and dust into Earth's upper atmosphere, which cooled and darkened the planet-a scenario known as an impact winter. Organic burn markers are observed in K-Pg boundary records globally, but their source is debated. If some were derived from sedimentary carbon, and not solely wildfires, it implies soot from the target rock also contributed to the impact winter. Characteristics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the Chicxulub crater sediments and at two deep ocean sites indicate a fossil carbon source that experienced rapid heating, consistent with organic matter ejected during the formation of the crater. Furthermore, PAH size distributions proximal and distal to the crater indicate the ejected carbon was dispersed globally by atmospheric processes. Molecular and charcoal evidence indicates wildfires were also present but more delayed and protracted and likely played a less acute role in biotic extinctions than previously suggested. Based on stratigraphy near the crater, between 7.5 × 1014 and 2.5 × 1015 g of black carbon was released from the target and ejected into the atmosphere, where it circulated the globe within a few hours. This carbon, together with sulfate aerosols and dust, initiated an impact winter and global darkening that curtailed photosynthesis and is widely considered to have caused the K-Pg mass extinction.
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