Abstract. Army ants are a charismatic group of organisms characterized by a suite of morphological and behavioral adaptations that includes obligate collective

Premise The genus Antennaria has a complex evolutionary history due to dioecism, excessive polyploidy, and the evolution of polyploid agamic complexes. We developed microsatellite markers from A. corymbosa to investigate genetic diversity and population genetic structure in Antennaria species. Methods and Results Twenty-four novel microsatellite markers (16 nuclear and eight chloroplast) were developed from A. corymbosa using an enriched genomic library. Ten polymorphic nuclear markers were used to characterize genetic variation in five populations of A. corymbosa. One to four alleles were found per locus, and the expected heterozygosity and fixation index ranged from 0.00 to 0.675 and −0.033 to 0.610, respectively. We were also able to successfully amplify these markers in five additional Antennaria species. Conclusions These markers are promising tools to study the population genetics of sexual Antennaria species and to investigate interspecific gene flow, clonal diversity, and parentage of Antennaria polyploid agamic complexes.

Cyrtandra (Gesneriaceae) is a genus of flowering plants with over 800 species distributed throughout Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. On the Hawaiian Islands, 60 named species and over 89 putative hybrids exist, most of which are identified on the basis of morphology. Despite many previous studies on the Hawaiian Cyrtandra lineage, questions regarding the reconciliation of morphology and genetics remain, many of which can be attributed to the relatively young age and evidence of hybridization between species. We utilized targeted enrichment, high-throughput sequencing, and modern phylogenomics tools to test 31 Hawaiian Cyrtandra samples (22 species, two putative hybrids, four species with two samples each, one species with four samples) and two outgroups for species relationships and hybridization in the presence of incomplete lineage sorting (ILS). Both concatenated and species-tree methods were used to reconstruct species relationships, and network analyses were conducted to test for hybridization. We expected to see high levels of ILS and putative hybrids intermediate to their parent species. Phylogenies reconstructed from the concatenated and species-tree methods were highly incongruent, most likely due to high levels of incomplete lineage sorting. Network analyses inferred gene flow within this lineage, but not always between taxa that we expected. Multiple hybridizations were inferred, but many were on deeper branches of the island lineages suggesting a long history of hybridization. We demonstrated the utility of high-throughput sequencing and a phylogenomic approach using 569 loci to understanding species relationships and gene flow in the presence of ILS. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Infectious agents such as the bacteria Vibrio aestuarianus or Ostreid herpesvirus 1 (OsHV-1) have been repeatedly associated with dramatic disease outbreaks of Crassostrea gigas beds in Europe. Beside roles played by these pathogens microbial infections in C. gigas may derive from the contribution of a larger number of microorganisms than previously thought, according to an emerging view supporting the polymicrobial nature of bivalve disease. In this study, the microbial communities associated with a large number of C. gigas samples collected during recurrent mortality episodes at different European sites were investigated by real-time PCR and 16SrRNA gene-based microbial profiling. A new target enrichment next-generation sequencing protocol for selective capturing of 884 phylogenetic and virulence markers of the potential microbial pathogenic community in oyster tissue was developed allowing high taxonomic resolution analysis of the bivalve pathobiota. Comparative analysis of contrasting C. gigas samples conducted using these methods revealed that oyster experiencing mortality outbreaks displayed signs of microbiota disruption associated with the presence of previously undetected potential pathogenic microbial species mostly belonging to genus Vibrio and Arcobacter. The role of these species and their consortia should be targeted by future studies aiming to shed light on mechanisms underlying polymicrobial infections in C.gigas. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Abstract. The typical owl family (Strigidae) comprises 194 species in 28 genera, 14 of which are monotypic. Relationships within and among genera in the typica

Objectives In the 14th century AD, medieval Europe was severely affected by the Great European Famine as well as repeated bouts of disease, including the Black Death, causing major demographic shifts. This high volatility led to increased mobility and migration due to new labor and economic opportunities, as evidenced by documentary and stable isotope data. This study uses ancient DNA (aDNA) isolated from skeletal remains to examine whether evidence for large-scale population movement can be gleaned from the complete mitochondrial genomes of 264 medieval individuals from England (London) and Denmark. Materials and Methods Using a novel library-conserving approach to targeted capture, we recovered 264 full mitochondrial genomes from the petrous portion of the temporal bones and teeth and compared genetic diversity across the medieval period within and between English (London) and Danish populations and with contemporary populations through population pairwise ΦST analysis. Results We find no evidence of significant differences in genetic diversity spatially or temporally in our dataset, yet there is a high degree of haplotype diversity in our medieval samples with little exact sequence sharing. Discussion The mitochondrial genomes of both medieval Londoners and medieval Danes suggest high mitochondrial diversity before, during and after the Black Death. While our mitochondrial genomic data lack geographically correlated signals, these data could be the result of high, continual female migration before and after the Black Death or may simply indicate a large female effective population size unaffected by the upheaval of the medieval period. Either scenario suggests a genetic resiliency in areas of northwestern medieval Europe.

Purpose: Newborn screening (NBS) programs are important for appropriate management of susceptible neonates to prevent serious clinical problems. Neonates admitted to neonatal intensive care units (NICU) are at a potentially high risk of false-positive results, and repetitive NBS after total parenteral nutrition is completely off results in delayed diagnosis. Here, we present the usefulness of a targeted next-generation sequencing (TNGS) panel to complement NBS for early diagnosis in high-risk neonates. Materials and Methods: The TNGS panel covered 198 genes associated with actionable genetic and metabolic diseases that are typically included in NBS programs in Korea using tandem mass spectrometry. The panel was applied to 48 infants admitted to the NICU of Severance Children’s Hospital between May 2017 and September 2017. The infants were not selected for suspected metabolic disorders. Results: A total of 13 variants classified as likely pathogenic or pathogenic were detected in 11 (22.9%) neonates, including six genes (DHCR7, PCBD1, GAA, ALDOB, ATP7B, and GBA) associated with metabolic diseases not covered in NBS. One of the 48 infants was diagnosed with an isobutyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency, and false positive results of tandem mass screening were confirmed in two infants using the TNGS panel. Conclusion: The implementation of TNGS in conjunction with conventional NBS can allow for better management of and earlier diagnosis in susceptible infants, thus preventing the development of critical conditions in these sick infants.

Abstract. Understanding why some groups of organisms are more diverse than others is a central goal in macroevolution. Evolvability, or the intrinsic capacity

Aim The Lesser Sunda Islands are situated between the Sunda and Sahul Shelves, with a linear arrangement that has functioned as a two-way filter for taxa dispersing between the Asian and Australo-Papuan biogeographical realms. Distributional patterns of many terrestrial vertebrates suggest a stepping-stone model of island colonization. Here we investigate the timing and sequence of island colonization in Asian-origin fanged frogs from the volcanic Sunda Arc islands with the goal of testing the stepping-stone model of island colonization. Location The Indonesian islands of Java, Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores and Lembata. Taxon Limnonectes dammermani and L. kadarsani (Family: Dicroglossidae) Methods Mitochondrial DNA was sequenced from 153 frogs to identify major lineages and to select samples for an exon-capture experiment. We designed probes to capture sequence data from 974 exonic loci (1,235,981 bp) from 48 frogs including the outgroup species, L. microdiscus. The resulting data were analysed using phylogenetic, population genetic and biogeographical model testing methods. Results The mtDNA phylogeny finds L. kadarsani paraphyletic with respect to L. dammermani, with a pectinate topology consistent with the stepping-stone model. Phylogenomic analyses of 974 exons recovered the two species as monophyletic sister taxa that diverged 7.6 Ma with no detectable contemporary gene flow, suggesting introgression of the L. dammermani mitochondrion into L. kadarsani on Lombok resulting from an isolated ancient hybridization event 4 Ma. Within L. kadarsani, the Lombok lineage diverged first while the Sumbawa and Lembata lineages are nested within a Flores assemblage composed of two parapatrically distributed lineages meeting in central Flores. Biogeographical model comparison found strict stepping-stone dispersal to be less likely than models involving leap-frog dispersal events. Main conclusions These results suggest that the currently accepted stepping-stone model of island colonization might not best explain the current patterns of diversity in the archipelago. The high degree of genetic structure, large divergence times, and absent or low levels of migration between lineages suggests that L. kadarsani represents five distinct species.