Find research datasets worth reusing

Figure 2 in Parallel evolution in molar outline of murine rodents: the case of the extinct Malpaisomys insularis (Eastern Canary Islands)

Figure 2. Schematic representation of the modern and fossil murine rodents compared to Malpaisomys. Top, molecular phylogeny after Chevret (1994) and Chevret et al. (2001). A calibration of the time of divergence between taxa is given by reference to the divergence of the Rattus rattus lineage, estimated as having occurred 12 Mya (Chevret et al., 2001). The grey box includes the arvicanthine rodents, characterized by a herbivorous diet. Bottom, fossil lineages with investigated localities. Thick grey lines indicate taxa with stephanodont characteristics, thick black lines, complete stephanodonty. Crosses indicate extinct taxa.

opencc-by-4.0Apr 2024View details →

Data and scripts for: Island geography drives evolution of rattan palms in tropical Asian rainforests

This repository contains data and scripts for the research paper "Island geography drives evolution of rattan palms in tropical Asian rainforests". Authors: Benedikt G. Kuhnhäuser, Christopher D. Bates, John Dransfield, Connie Geri, Andrew Henderson, Sang Julia, Jun Ying Lim, Robert J. Morley, Himmah Rustiami, Rowan J. Schley, Sidonie Bellot, Guillaume Chomicki, Wolf L. Eiserhardt, Simon J. Hiscock, William J. Baker Corresponding authors: <a href="mailto:b.kuhnhaeuser@kew.org">b.kuhnhaeuser@kew.org</a>, <a href="mailto:w.baker@kew.org">w.baker@kew.org</a> <h3> </h3> The repository contains the following data, scripts, supplementary figures, and supplementary tables: 1. Phylogenomic analyses - Alignments - Gene trees - Species trees - README file 2. Divergence time estimation - .xml files (containing both sequence data and analysis parameters) - dated trees - README file 3. Ancestral range estimation - input data - scripts - input data, intermediate data and scripts for the best model - README file 4. Downstream biogeographic analyses - input data - script - README file 5. Supplementary Figures 6. Supplementary Tables

Figure 11 in Speciation in Darwin's darklings: taxonomy and evolution of Stomion beetles in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador (Insecta: Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

Figure 11. Consensus tree of the three equally parsimonious trees with DELTRAN optimization, all characters of equal weight and unordered. Closed symbols indicate apomorphies, and open symbols indicate probable homoplasy. Numbers above each symbol indicate the character and numbers below the symbol indicate its state. Tree length 66; consistency index 48; retention index 48. A and B indicate the two basal clades of species.

Figure 9 in Speciation in Darwin's darklings: taxonomy and evolution of Stomion beetles in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador (Insecta: Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

Figure 9. Principal islands of the Galápagos Archipelago (numbers on contour lines indicate elevation in hundreds of metres). Not all satellite islets with Stomion are indicated by name.

Figures 24–29 in Speciation in Darwin's darklings: taxonomy and evolution of Stomion beetles in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador (Insecta: Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

Figures 24–29. Scanning electron micrographs of the head and pronotum (18 ¥), with inset of pronotal disc (300¥) and the elytral disc (100¥). Figs 24, 25. S. obesum; Figs 26, 27. S. genovesa; Figs 28, 29. S. longulum.

Figures 1–8 in Speciation in Darwin's darklings: taxonomy and evolution of Stomion beetles in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador (Insecta: Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

Figures 1–8. Habitus figures of eight species of Stomion. Fig. 1. S. galapagoensis. Fig. 2. S. helopoides. Fig. 3. S. cribicollis. Fig. 4. S. longulum. Fig. 5. S. laevigatum. Fig. 6. S. linelli. Fig. 7. S. longicornis. Fig. 8. S. rugosum. From Van Dyke (1953), with permission of California Academy of Sciences. Scale bar = 5 mm.

Figures 12–17 in Speciation in Darwin's darklings: taxonomy and evolution of Stomion beetles in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador (Insecta: Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

Figures 12–17. Scanning electron micrographs of the head and pronotum (18 ¥) with inset of pronotal disc (300¥) and the elytral disc (100¥). Figs 12, 13. S. longicornis; Figs 14, 15. S. helopoides; Figs 16, 17. S. galapagoensis.

Figures 18–23 in Speciation in Darwin's darklings: taxonomy and evolution of Stomion beetles in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador (Insecta: Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

Figures 18–23. Scanning electron micrographs of the head and pronotum (18¥), with inset of pronotal disc (300¥) and the elytral disc (100¥). Figs 18, 19. S. punctipennis; Figs 20, 21. S. cribricollis; Figs 22, 23. S. rugosum.

Figures 30–35 in Speciation in Darwin's darklings: taxonomy and evolution of Stomion beetles in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador (Insecta: Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

Figures 30–35. Scanning electron micrographs of the head and pronotum (18¥), with inset of pronotal disc (300¥) and the elytral disc (100¥). Figs 30, 31. S. laevigatum; Figs 32, 33. S. linelli linelli; Figs 34, 35. S. linelli leleupi.

Figure 4 in Parallel evolution in molar outline of murine rodents: the case of the extinct Malpaisomys insularis (Eastern Canary Islands)

Figure 4. Cluster analysis of the shape of the upper molar. Euclidean distances between group means were calculated based on Fourier coefficients up to the ninth harmonic (CF9). Clustering method was UPGMA (unweighted pair-group method, arithmetic average). Symbols as per Fig. 3. For locality and sample abbreviations see Table 1.

Figure 7 in Parallel evolution in molar outline of murine rodents: the case of the extinct Malpaisomys insularis (Eastern Canary Islands)

Figure 7. Relationship between time interval and morphological evolution regarding size (A, C) and shape (B, D) of the first upper molars. Size distance is estimated as differences in A0, shape distance as the Euclidean distance calculated based on the Fourier coefficients of the first nine harmonics. (A, B) Log-log relationship between evolutionary rates and time interval. (C, D) Relationship between time interval and morphological distance. Lines correspond to a linear regression on the Occitanomys/Stephanomys lineage (black line), the Paraethomys lineage (light grey line), and modern taxa (dark grey line). Dotted lines P <0.05; solid line P <0.001. (A) pair including Malpaisomys; (Δ) corresponds to the distance between a pair of Malpaisomys samples, Costa Calma and CVA4. Locality or sample abbreviations per Table 1.

Figure 5 in Parallel evolution in molar outline of murine rodents: the case of the extinct Malpaisomys insularis (Eastern Canary Islands)

Figure 5. Morphological differentiation within Malpaisomys. Size of the first upper (A) and lower (B) molars. Shape of the first upper (C) and lower (D) molars, estimated by the scores on the first and second canonical axes of the analysis of Malpaisomys. The dotted ellipses indicate the 95% confidence interval for each sample.

opencc-by-4.0Mar 2023View details →

Early Evolution of the Stratospheric Aerosol Plume Following the 2022 Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai Eruption: Lidar Observations from Reunion Island (21°S, 55°E)

Lidar dataset of the first week of measurements of the Hunga Tonda volcanic plume recorded above Reunion Island.

opencc-zeroAug 2020View details →

Character displacement in the midst of background evolution in island populations of Anolis lizards: a spatiotemporal perspective

Negative interactions between species can generate divergent selection that causes character displacement. However, other processes cause similar divergence. We use spatial and temporal replication of island populations of Anolis lizards to assess the importance of negative interactions in driving trait shifts. Previous work showed that the establishment of Anolis sagrei drove resident Anolis carolinensis to perch higher and evolve larger toepads. To further test the interaction's causality and predictability, we resurveyed a subset of islands nine years later. Anolis sagrei had established on one island between surveys. We found that A. carolinensis on this island now perch higher and have larger toepads. However, toepad morphology change on this island was not distinct from shifts on six other islands whose Anolis community composition had not changed. Thus, the presence of A. sagrei only partly explains A. carolinensis trait variation across space and time. We also find that A. carolinensis on islands with previously established A. sagrei now perch higher than a decade ago, and that current A. carolinensis perch height is correlated with A. sagrei density. Our results suggest that character displacement likely interacts with other evolutionary processes in this system, and that temporal data are key to detecting such interactions.

opencc-zeroJan 2020View details →

Data from: The ecology and evolution of seed predation by Darwin's finches on Tribulus cistoides on the Galápagos Islands

Predator-prey interactions play a key role in the evolution of species traits through antagonistic coevolutionary arms-races. The evolution of beak morphology in the Darwin's finches in response to competition for seed resources is a classic example of evolution by natural selection. The seeds of Tribulus cistoides are an important food source for the largest ground finch species (Geospiza fortis, G. magnirostris, and G. conirostris) in dry months, and the hard spiny morphology of the fruits are a potent agent of selection that drives contemporary evolutionary change in finch beak morphology. Although the effects of these interaction on finches are well known, how seed predation affects the ecology and evolution of the plants is poorly understood. Here we examine whether seed predation by Darwin's finches affects the ecology and evolution of T. cistoides. We ask whether the intensity of seed predation and the strength of natural selection by finches on fruit defense traits varies among populations, islands, years, or with varying finch community composition (i.e., the presence/absence of the largest beaked species, which feed on T. cistoides most easily). We then further test whether T. cistoides fruit defenses have diverged among islands in response to spatial variation in finch communities. We addressed these questions by examining seed predation by finches in 30 populations of T. cistoides over three years. Our study reveals three key results. First, Darwin's finches strongly influence T. cistoides seed survival, whereby seed predation varies with differences in finch community composition among islands and in response to inter-annual fluctuations in precipitation. Second, finches impose phenotypic selection on T. cistoides fruit morphology, whereby smaller and harder fruits with longer or more spines exhibited higher seed survival. Variation in finch community composition and precipitation also explains variation in phenotypic selection on fruit defense traits. Third, variation in the number of spines on fruits among islands is consistent with divergent phenotypic selection imposed by variation in finch community composition among islands. These results suggest that Darwin's finches and T. cistoides are experiencing an ongoing coevolutionary arms-race, and that the strength of this coevolution varies in space and time.

opencc-zeroOct 2020View details →

Data from: Cranial evolution in the extinct Rodrigues Island owl Otus murivorus (Strigidae), associated with unexpected ecological adaptations

Island birds that were victim of anthropic extinctions were often more specialist species, having evolved their most distinctive features in isolation. Here we studied a fossil cranium of the 'giant' extinct scops owl Otus murivorus from Rodrigues Island (Mascarene Islands, southwestern Indian Ocean), to determine any potential unique characters. The fossil and extant strigids were imaged through x-ray microtomography, providing 3D views of external and internal (endocast, inner ear) cranial structures. Geometric morphometrics and analyses of traditional measurements yielded new information about the Rodrigues owl's evolution and ecology. Otus murivorus exhibits a 2-tier "lag behind" phenomenon for cranium and brain evolution, both being proportionately small relative to increased body size. It also had a much more developed olfactory bulb than congeners, indicating an unexpectedly developed olfactory sense, suggesting a partial food scavenging habit. In addition, O. murivorus had the eyes placed more laterally than O. sunia, the species from which it was derived, probably a side effect of a small brain; rather terrestrial habits; probably relatively fearless behavior; and a less vertical posture (head less upright) than other owls (this in part an allometric effect of size increase). These evolutionary features, added to gigantism and wing reduction, make the extinct Rodrigues owl's evolution remarkable, and with multiple causes.

opencc-zeroOct 2023View details →

Adaptive and non-adaptive convergent evolution in feather reflectance of Channel Islands songbirds

Convergent evolution is widely regarded as a signature of adaptation. But testing the adaptive consequences of convergent phenotypes is challenging, making it difficult to exclude non-adaptive explanations for convergence. Here, we combined feather reflectance spectra and phenotypic trajectory analyses with visual and thermoregulatory modeling to test the adaptive significance of dark plumage in songbirds of the California Channel Islands. By evolving dark dorsal plumage, island birds are generally less conspicuous to visual-hunting raptors in the island environment than mainland birds. Dark dorsal plumage also reduces the energetic demands associated with maintaining homeothermy in the cool island climate. We also found an unexpected pattern of convergence, wherein the most divergent island populations evolved greater reflectance of near-infrared radiation. However, our heat flux models indicate that elevated near-infrared reflectance is not adaptive. Analysis of feather microstructure suggests that island-mainland differences are related to coloration of feather barbs and barbules rather than their structure. Our results indicate that adaptive and non-adaptive mechanisms interact to drive plumage evolution in this system. This study sheds light on the mechanisms driving the association between dark color and wet, cold environments across the tree of life, especially in island birds.

opencc-zeroOct 2023View details →

Data from: Genetic depletion does not prevent rapid evolution in island-introduced lizards

Experimental introductions of species have provided some of the most tractable examples of rapid phenotypic changes, which may reflect plasticity, the impact of stochastic processes, or the action of natural selection. Yet to date, very few studies have investigated the neutral and potentially adaptive genetic impacts of experimental introductions. We dissect the role of these processes in shaping the population differentiation of wall lizards in three Croatian islands (Sušac, Pod Kopište, Pod Mrčaru), including the islet of Pod Mrčaru where experimentally introduced lizards underwent rapid (~30 generations) phenotypic changes associated to a shift from an insectivorous to a plant-based diet. Using a genomic approach (~82,000 ddRAD loci), we confirmed a founder effect during introduction, and very low neutral genetic differentiation between the introduced population and its source. However, genetic depletion did not prevent rapid population growth, as the introduced lizards exhibited population genetic signals of expansion and are known to have reached a high density. Our genome-scan analysis identified just a handful of loci showing large allelic shifts between ecologically divergent populations. This low overall signal of selection suggests that the extreme phenotypic differences observed among populations are determined by a small number of large-effect loci, and/or that phenotypic plasticity plays a major role in phenotypic changes. Nonetheless, functional annotation of the outlier loci revealed some candidate genes relevant to diet-induced adaptation, in agreement with the hypothesis of directional selection. Our study provides important insights on the evolutionary potential of bottlenecked populations in response to new selective pressures on short ecological timescales.