Beauty in the beast – Placozoan biodiversity explored through molluscan predator genomics [PDF]
Ecology and EvolutionThe marine animal phylum Placozoa is characterized by a poorly explored cryptic biodiversity combined with very limited knowledge of their ecology.
Michael Eitel +3 more
doaj +3 more sources
Diversity, 2023 Baseline biodiversity data are key for ecological and evolutionary studies and are especially relevant for areas such as the Maldivian Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, which can act as a stepping-stone for the transport of widely distributed marine ...
Tauana J. Cunha +4 more
doaj +3 more sources
Primary Productivity and Habitat Depth Shape Developmental Mode in European Marine Gastropods. [PDF]
Ecol EvolThorson's rule suggests that marine gastropods in colder, high‐latitude regions tend to have non‐pelagic (non‐drifting) larval development. However, this study on 94 European gastropod species found that the rule disappears when examined at finer spatial scales, with temperature and phylogeny having little influence.
Weidberg N +3 more
europepmc +2 more sources
Demographic Models and Behavioral Assessments Uncover Distinct Species Histories in the Pseudocryptic Nudibranch Genus <i>Hermissenda</i>. [PDF]
Ecol EvolWe reconstructed the speciation history of the recently split pseudocryptic nudibranch genus Hermissenda, finding divergence times in the Pleistocene (1.29–0.55 mya). Demographic modeling and behavioral experiments show no gene flow and assortative mating between sympatric species H. crassicornis (s.s.) and H.
Dennis MT +6 more
europepmc +2 more sources
Diel activity correlates with colour pattern morphology of heterobranch sea slugs. [PDF]
J Anim EcolThe authors show that daytime activity fundamentally shapes the appearance of prey animals to potential predators and that colour pattern phenotypes likely associated with visual signalling are predominantly found in diurnal species of sea slugs. This study showcases novel methodology combining comparative phylogenetic analyses, animal vision modelling,
van den Berg CP +5 more
europepmc +2 more sources
Evaluating Probe Design for Phylogenomics Across Taxonomic Scales: First Steps for Applying Ultraconserved Elements in an Understudied Class (Mollusca: Polyplacophora). [PDF]
Mol Ecol ResourABSTRACT Ultraconserved elements (UCEs) have become a powerful tool for phylogenomics, but probe sets optimized for one lineage often perform inconsistently when applied in others. Here, we designed and tested new UCE probe sets derived from both genome and transcriptome data of an understudied molluscan class, Polyplacophora (chitons).
Chen Z, Vončina K, Sigwart JD.
europepmc +2 more sources
Diversity, 2022 The Mediterranean Sea diversity is still far from being fully disclosed. Marine Heterobranchia are one of the most paradigmatic species-rich groups, with many recent systematic studies revealing the high density of new, cryptic, and endemic species ...
Giulia Furfaro +6 more
doaj +1 more source
Pyrosomes, Pyrosoma atlanticum: Highlighting plankton as an important food source for coral reefs in Timor-Leste. [PDF]
EcologyEcology, Volume 106, Issue 6, June 2025.
Kim CJS, Kelley R.
europepmc +2 more sources
Assessment of mitochondrial genomes for heterobranch gastropod phylogenetics
BMC Ecology and Evolution, 2021 Background Heterobranchia is a diverse clade of marine, freshwater, and terrestrial gastropod molluscs. It includes such disparate taxa as nudibranchs, sea hares, bubble snails, pulmonate land snails and slugs, and a number of (mostly small-bodied ...
Rebecca M. Varney +5 more
doaj +1 more source
Natural History Sciences, 2023 The present note documents the finding of two species of marine heterobranch seaslugs along the central-eastern coast of Sicily (Italy, central Mediterranean): the sacoglossan Calliopaea bellula and the nudibranch Tayuva lilacina. These two species show
Andrea Lombardo, Giuliana Marletta
doaj +1 more source