Evolutionary Reversal Research Articles

An overview of floral and vegetative evolution in the Asian clade of Bulbophyllum (Orchidaceae)

Background and aims – Bulbophyllum, the largest genus in Orchidaceae, exhibits a diverse morphology in both reproductive and vegetative characters. While trait diversity and evolution has been extensively studied in Malagasy species and within the Cirrhopetalum alliance clade, the evolution of reproductive and vegetative characters at the whole level of the Asian clade remains largely unexplored. Material and methods – We reconstructed the phylogeny of approximately 11% of all Asian Bulbophyllum species using Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood estimation based on nuclear (ITS) and chloroplast (matK, psbA-trnH) DNA sequence data. This phylogenetic framework allowed us to examine the evolution of two vegetative and four floral characters through ancestral state reconstruction. Key results and conclusion – The ancestral character states of the Asian clade of Bulbophyllum include a single leaf, distinct pseudobulbs, multiple-flowered inflorescences, and lateral and dorsal sepals similar in length. One-leaved pseudobulbs evolved into two-leaved pseudobulbs multiple times. Distinct pseudobulbs gave rise to indistinct pseudobulbs twice. Multiple-flowered inflorescences shifted to solitary flowers and 2–3-flowered inflorescences multiple times, with some instances of evolutionary reversal. Lateral sepal elongation also presents a convergent evolutionary scenario.

Albaillellarian (radiolaria) assemblages across the Guadalupian–Lopingian boundary (Permian) and their environmental implications

It remains unclear how radiolarian lineages adapted to the changing environments through the Guadalupian–Lopingian boundary (G-LB) interval. In this study, a well-preserved radiolarian fauna was obtained from silty cherts and siltstones deposited throughout the G-LB of the Sanpaoling, Yutouling, and Xiaqianling sections, located in Qinzhou City, Guangxi, China. Two genera of Albaillellaria, including ten species of Albaillella and two Neoalbaillella species/morphotypes, are presented in this study. This assemblage is correlated with the Albaillella cavitata Interval Zone. Based on the material obtained near the G-LB, the taxonomic value of pores on the test of Albaillella species is here evaluated. This research documents a relatively significant morphological variation of the Albaillellarian lineages and an evolutionary reversal in Albaillella through the G-LB. Based on the combination of the faunal and evolutionary response in the studied area, we suggest that the G-LB witnessed rapidly changing environmental conditions, imposing adaptive pressure on radiolarians, at least on the deep-dwelling Albaillellarians.

Evolutionary reversal of physical dormancy to nondormancy: evidence from comparative seed morphoanatomy of Argyreia species (Convolvulaceae).

Argyreia is the most recently evolved genus in the Convolvulaceae, and available information suggests that most species in this family produce seeds with physical dormancy (PY). Our aim was to understand the evolution of seed dormancy in this family via an investigation of dormancy, storage behaviour, morphology and anatomy of seeds of five Argyreia species from Sri Lanka. Imbibition, germination and dye tracking of fresh intact and manually scarified seeds were studied. Scanning electron micrographs and hand sections of the hilar area and the seed coat away from the hilar area were compared. Scarified and intact seeds of A. kleiniana, A. hirsuta and A. zeylanica imbibed water and germinated to a high percentage, but only scarified seeds of A. nervosa and A. osyrensis did so. Thus, seeds of the three former species are non-dormant (ND), while those of the latter two have physical dormancy (PY); this result was confirmed by dye-tracking experiments. Since >90% of A. kleiniana, A. hirsuta and A. zeylanica seeds survived desiccation to 10% moisture content (MC) and >90% of A. nervosa and A. osyrensis seeds with a dispersal MC of ~12% were viable, seeds of the five species were desiccation-tolerant. A. nervosa and A. osyrensis have a wide geographical distribution and PY, while A. kleiniana, A. hirsuta and A. zeylanica have a restricted distribution and ND. Although seeds of A. kleiniana are ND, their seed coat anatomy is similar to that of A. osyrensis with PY. These observations suggest that the ND of A. kleiniana, A. hirsuta and A. zeylanica seeds is the result of an evolutionary reversal from PY and that ND may be an adaptation of these species to the environmental conditions of their wet aseasonal habitats.

An Internet of Things-Based Production Scheduling for Distributed Two-Stage Assembly Manufacturing with Mold Sharing

In digital product and ion scheduling centers, order–factory allocation, factory–mold allocation, and mold routing can be performed centrally and efficiently to maximize the utilization of manufacturing resources (molds). Therefore, in this paper, a manufacturing resource (molds)-sharing mechanism based on the Internet of Things (IoT) and a cyber-physical production system (CPPS) is designed to realize the coordinated allocation of molds and production scheduling. A mixed-integer mathematical model is developed to optimize the cost structure and obtain a reasonable profit solution. A heuristic algorithm based on evolutionary reversal is used to solve the problem. The numerical results show that based on the digital coordinated production scheduling method, distributed two-stage assembly manufacturing with shared molds can effectively reduce the order delay time and increase potential benefits for distributed production enterprises.

Diversification of the terrestrial frog genus Anomaloglossus (Anura, Aromobatidae) in the Guiana Shield proceeded from highlands to lowlands, with successive loss and reacquisition of endotrophy

Two main landscapes emerge from the Guiana Shield: the highlands to the west called the Pantepui region and the Amazonian lowlands to the east, both harbouring numerous endemic species. With 32 currently recognized species, the genus Anomaloglossus stands out among Neotropical frogs as one that diversified only within the Guiana Shield both in the highlands and the lowlands. We present a time-calibrated phylogeny obtained by using combined mitogenomic and nuclear DNA, which suggests that the genus originates from Pantepui where extant lineages started diversifying around 21 Ma, and subsequently (ca. 17 Ma) dispersed during the Miocene Climatic Optimum to the lowlands of the eastern Guiana Shield where the ability to produce endotrophic tadpoles evolved. Further diversification within the lowlands in the A. stepheni group notably led to an evolutionary reversal toward exotrophy in one species group during the late Miocene, followed by reacquisition of endotrophy during the Pleistocene. These successive shifts of reproductive mode seem to have accompanied climatic oscillations. Long dry periods might have triggered evolution of exotrophy, whereas wetter climates favoured endotrophic forms, enabling colonization of terrestrial habitats distant from water. Acquisition, loss, and reacquisition of endotrophy makes Anomaloglossus unique among frogs and may largely explain the current species diversity. The micro evolutionary processes involved in these rapid shifts of reproductive mode remain to be revealed.

A comprehensive phylogenomic study unveils evolutionary patterns and challenges in the mitochondrial genomes of Carcharhiniformes: A focus on Triakidae

The complex evolutionary patterns in the mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of the most species-rich shark order, the Carcharhiniformes (ground sharks) has led to challenges in the phylogenomic reconstruction of the families and genera belonging to the order, particularly the family Triakidae (houndsharks). The current state of Triakidae phylogeny remains controversial, with arguments for both monophyly and paraphyly within the family. We hypothesize that this variability is triggered by the selection of different a priori partitioning schemes to account for site and gene heterogeneity within the mitogenome. Here we used an extensive statistical framework to select the a priori partitioning scheme for inference of the mitochondrial phylogenomic relationships within Carcharhiniformes, tested site heterogeneous CAT + GTR + G4 models and incorporated the multi-species coalescent model (MSCM) into our analyses to account for the influence of gene tree discordance on species tree inference. We included five newly assembled houndshark mitogenomes to increase resolution of Triakidae. During the assembly procedure, we uncovered a 714 bp-duplication in the mitogenome of Galeorhinus galeus. Phylogenetic reconstruction confirmed monophyly within Triakidae and the existence of two distinct clades of the expanded Mustelus genus. The latter alludes to potential evolutionary reversal of reproductive mode from placental to aplacental, suggesting that reproductive mode has played a role in the trajectory of adaptive divergence. These new sequences have the potential to contribute to population genomic investigations, species phylogeography delineation, environmental DNA metabarcoding databases and, ultimately, improved conservation strategies for these ecologically and economically important species.

Narration of Evolutionary Theory and Educational Thought

Darwin's theory of evolution not only challenged the omnipotence of the Western Christian God but also eroded anthropocentrism, causing identity anxiety and crises of belonging among Christian believers in Britain. This influence extended to literature, where Victorian children's literature authors like Kingsley, Carroll, and Kipling engaged in a dialogue with evolutionary theory. They explored the fantasy nature of children's literature and the proximity of children to animals to address the anxieties and confusion arising from evolution. Embracing Darwin's ideas, these authors argued that anatomy, morphology, and even language could not distinguish humans from animals; only morality, emotions, imagination, and creativity facilitated human evolution. They warned against moral decline leading to evolutionary reversal and emphasized the need for education to focus on these qualities rather than rote memorization.

Evolutionary reversion in tumorigenesis.

Cells forming malignant tumors are distinguished from those forming normal tissues based on several features: accelerated/dysregulated cell division, disruption of physiologic apoptosis, maturation/differentiation arrest, loss of polarity, and invasive potential. Among them, accelerated cell division and differentiation arrest make tumor cells similar to stem/progenitor cells, and this is why tumorigenesis is often regarded as developmental reversion. Here, in addition to developmental reversion, we propose another insight into tumorigenesis from a phylogeny viewpoint. Based on the finding that tumor cells also share some features with unicellular organisms, we propose that tumorigenesis can be regarded as "evolutionary reversion". Recent advances in sequencing technologies and the ability to identify gene homologous have made it possible to perform comprehensive cross-species transcriptome comparisons and, in our recent study, we found that leukemic cells resulting from a polycomb dysfunction transcriptionally resemble unicellular organisms. Analyzing tumorigenesis from the viewpoint of phylogeny should reveal new aspects of tumorigenesis in the near future, and contribute to overcoming malignant tumors by developing new therapies.

Evolution of the floral nectaries in the Primulaceae sensus lato (Ericales)

Abstract The Primuloid clade or Primulaceae sensus lato is well supported and contains several pollination syndromes, including wind pollination and insect pollination with pollen, nectar, or oil as a reward. Previous studies have recognized two types of nectaries (floral and extrafloral) with different distributions (e.g. ovary, stigma, style, pedicel). This study aimed to reassess the diversity of nectary types, and their distribution and evolution within the clade. Flowers were selected to represent the four subfamilies Maesoideae, Theophrastoideae, Primuloideae, and Myrsinoideae. The flowers were investigated for nectary tissue with electron microscopy, light microscopy, and sugar tests. Nectar is mainly exuded by gynoecial nectarostomata (in Maeseoideae, Theophrastoideae, Primuloideae, and a few basal Myrsinoideae, such as Stimpsonia and Coris) distributed at the base, middle, and top part of the ovary. Myrsinoideae is the exception with an absence of a nectary linked to buzz-pollination, or presenting nectariferous or oil-producing trichomes on the perianth and stamens. The evolution of nectaries is variable in the Primuloid clade, with Primuloideae apparently the starting point of an evolutionary reversal in terms of nectary evolution within this clade, and a high diversity of nectaries within the Myrsinoideae representing various trends that are currently under-investigated. The evolution of floral nectaries in Primulaceae presents an exciting shift from nectar-producing flowers towards a loss of nectaries, and an evolutionary reversal with a shift to the co-option of either oil-producing trichomes or nectar-producing trichomes.

Future Home of the Living God

Future Home of the Living God Michelle Johnson, Managing & Culture Editor Louise Erdrich Future Home of the Living God HarperCollins The first thing that happens at the end of the world is that we don't know what is happening. I LIVE IN Oklahoma, one of the reddest states in these United States. When an antiabortion activist scaled the fifty-story Devon skyscraper in downtown Oklahoma City, I wondered less why someone would take such an outlandish risk and more why someone would think to come to this state, of all states, to make his statement. It was June 14, 2022, and we were already living post-Roe, in a state that had weeks earlier earned the NPR headline "Oklahoma Governor Signs the Strictest Abortion Ban." In August, while browsing secondhand books, I picked up Louise Erdrich's Future Home of the Living God (2017), a novel I had skipped, despite my love of her work. The reviews five years ago were mixed, but I wondered what it would be like to read this story of the capture and confinement of pregnant women now—post-Roe. Cedar is a pregnant twenty-six-year-old woman living in Minneapolis near both her white adoptive parents and her Ojibwe birth mother. She's writing to her future child, and the reader knows only what Cedar knows, which is very little since the community soon suffers a news blackout and can only exchange rumors. There is a looming apocalypse, and it may include evolutionary reversal. Cedar, whose pregnancy is now showing, is confined to her house because pregnant women are being seized by officers right off the streets under an extension of the Patriot Act. It is now a crime to harbor or help a pregnant woman. Those turning in a pregnant woman (tip line: Unborn Protection Society) receive an award; those who refuse to provide information are tortured. We follow Cedar through her capture, institutional confinement, and escape and pick up fragments of what's happening—using a credit card risks being tracked; prisons are now for pregnant women; Womb Volunteers are now forced to gestate "liberated" embryos; street names have been changed to Bible verses—all this while watching Cedar negotiate her relationships with both families. And despite the absence of a fully realized dystopian world, with all plot points neatly tied off, Erdrich delivers the engrossing plot development and well-developed characters found throughout her body of work. Reading this while watching our rights rolled back, the book's references to evolutionary reversal read less sci-fi and more metaphor. What is this event that's leading to further incursions on a woman's right to bodily autonomy? We don't really know, but in 2022 it's even easier to imagine the possibilities. [End Page 9] Copyright © 2022 World Literature Today and the Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma

Evolutionary patterns in chemical composition and biomechanics of articulated coralline algae.

Seaweeds inhabiting wave-battered coastlines are generally flexible, bending with the waves to adopt more streamlined shapes and reduce drag. Coralline algae, however, are firmly calcified, existing largely as crusts that avoid drag altogether or as upright branched forms with uncalcified joints (genicula) that confer flexibility to otherwise rigid thalli. Upright corallines have evolved from crustose ancestors independently multiple times, and the repeated evolution of genicula has contributed to the ecological success of articulated corallines worldwide. Structure and development of genicula are significantly different across evolutionary lineages, and yet biomechanical performance is broadly similar. Because chemical composition plays a central role in both calcification and biomechanics, we explored evolutionary trends in cell wall chemistry across crustose and articulated taxa. We compared the carbohydrate content of genicula across convergently-evolved articulated species, as well as the carbohydrate content of calcified tissues from articulated and crustose species, to search for phylogenetic trends in cell wall chemistry during the repeated evolution of articulated taxa. We also analysed the carbohydrate content of one crustose coralline species that evolved from articulated ancestors, allowing us to examine trends in chemistry during this evolutionary reversal and loss of genicula. We found several key differences in carbohydrate content between calcified and uncalcified coralline tissues, though the significance of these differences in relation to the calcification process requires more investigation. Comparisons across a range of articulated and crustose species indicated that carbohydrate chemistry of calcified tissues was generally similar, regardless of morphology or phylogeny; conversely, chemical composition of genicular tissues was different across articulated lineages, suggesting that significantly different biochemical trajectories have led to remarkably similar biomechanical innovations.

Early evolution of diurnal habits in owls (Aves, Strigiformes) documented by a new and exquisitely preserved Miocene owl fossil from China

SignificanceOwls, with their largely nocturnal habits, contrast strikingly with the vast majority of diurnal birds. A new spectacular late Miocene owl skeleton from China unexpectedly preserves the oldest evidence for daytime behavior in owls. The extinct owl is a member of the clade Surniini, which contains most living diurnal owl species. Analysis of the preserved eye bones documents them as consistent with diurnal birds, and phylogenetically constrained character mapping coincides with a reconstruction of an early evolutionary reversal away from nocturnal habits in this owl group. These results support a potential Miocene origin of nonnocturnal habits in a globally distributed owl group, which may be linked to steppe habitat expansion and climatic cooling in the late Miocene.

Phylogeny of a new ciliate family Clampidae fam. nov. (Protista: Ciliophora), with notes on morphology and morphogenesis

Abstract Hypotrichs comprise a highly differentiated and diversified group of ciliates with an evolutionary history characterized by an exceptional number of convergences and reversions. A new hypotrich ciliate from a freshwater fishpond is investigated based on morphological, morphogenetic and molecular data. The phylogenetic analyses reveal that the new species is closely related to Simplicitergida despite the absence of zigzag-patterned midventral cirral pairs, a common feature of simplicitergids. The phylogenetic position of this atypical simplicitergid species is strongly supported by the conserved features of dorsal ciliature and nuclear apparatus, which are probably more informative than cirral patterns for higher-rank classification. The close phylogenetic relationships among those Simplicitergida with varied cirral patterns could be explained by evolutionary convergences and reversions. The new species is recognized mainly by three frontoventral rows, several short midventral rows, two long midventral rows and the absence of zigzag-patterned midventral cirral pairs. Based on comprehensive phylogenetic analyses, together with detailed morphological and morphogenetic comparisons, a new family, Clampidae fam. nov., is proposed for the new genus and species, Clampia sinica gen. et sp. nov. In addition, an emended diagnosis of the morphologically similar family Epiclintidae is provided.

Roars, groans and moans: Anatomical correlates of vocal diversity in polygynous deer.

Eurasian deer are characterized by the extraordinary diversity of their vocal repertoires. Male sexual calls range from roars with relatively low fundamental frequency (hereafter f o) in red deer Cervus elaphus, to moans with extremely high f o in sika deer Cervus nippon, and almost infrasonic groans with exceptionally low f o in fallow deer Dama dama. Moreover, while both red and fallow males are capable of lowering their formant frequencies during their calls, sika males appear to lack this ability. Female contact calls are also characterized by relatively less pronounced, yet strong interspecific differences. The aim of this study is to examine the anatomical bases of these inter‐specific and inter‐sexual differences by identifying if the acoustic variation is reflected in corresponding anatomical variation. To do this, we investigated the vocal anatomy of male and female specimens of each of these three species. Across species and sexes, we find that the observed acoustic variability is indeed related to expected corresponding anatomical differences, based on the source‐filter theory of vocal production. At the source level, low f o is associated with larger vocal folds, whereas high f o is associated with smaller vocal folds: sika deer have the smallest vocal folds and male fallow deer the largest. Red and sika deer vocal folds do not appear to be sexually dimorphic, while fallow deer exhibit strong sexual dimorphism (after correcting for body size differences). At the filter level, the variability in formants is related to the configuration of the vocal tract: in fallow and red deer, both sexes have evolved a permanently descended larynx (with a resting position of the larynx much lower in males than in females). Both sexes also have the potential for momentary, call‐synchronous vocal tract elongation, again more pronounced in males than in females. In contrast, the resting position of the larynx is high in both sexes of sika deer and the potential for further active vocal tract elongation is virtually absent in both sexes. Anatomical evidence suggests an evolutionary reversal in larynx position within sika deer, that is, a secondary larynx ascent. Together, our observations confirm that the observed diversity of vocal behaviour in polygynous deer is supported by strong anatomical differences, highlighting the importance of anatomical specializations in shaping mammalian vocal repertoires. Sexual selection is discussed as a potential evolutionary driver of the observed vocal diversity and sexual dimorphisms.

An Improved genetic algorithm for solving TSP

An improved genetic algorithm is proposed to solve the traveling salesman problem. On the basis of traditional genetic algorithm, greedy algorithm is introduced to initialize the population. The genetic parameters are adjusted adaptively from two aspects of genetic evolution algebra and individual fitness function value, which can speed up the optimization speed and prevent the optimization from falling into local optimum. In mutation operation, adaptive algorithm is used to select mutation operator to improve the quality of variation and search effect of the algorithm; after individual evolution, one-way evolutionary reversal operation is introduced to improve the chance of inheriting parent and parent genes, and improve the ability of algorithm to search for optimal solution.

Craniofacial development illuminates the evolution of nightbirds (Strisores).

Evolutionary variation in ontogeny played a central role in the origin of the avian skull. However, its influence in subsequent bird evolution is largely unexplored. We assess the links between ontogenetic and evolutionary variation of skull morphology in Strisores (nightbirds). Nightbirds span an exceptional range of ecologies, sizes, life-history traits and craniofacial morphologies constituting an ideal test for evo-devo hypotheses of avian craniofacial evolution. These morphologies include superficially ‘juvenile-like’ broad, flat skulls with short rostra and large orbits in swifts, nightjars and allied lineages, and the elongate, narrow rostra and globular skulls of hummingbirds. Here, we show that nightbird skulls undergo large ontogenetic shape changes that differ strongly from widespread avian patterns. While the superficially juvenile-like skull morphology of many adult nightbirds results from convergent evolution, rather than paedomorphosis, the divergent cranial morphology of hummingbirds originates from an evolutionary reversal to a more typical avian ontogenetic trajectory combined with accelerated ontogenetic shape change. Our findings underscore the evolutionary lability of cranial growth and development in birds, and the underappreciated role of this aspect of phenotypic variability in the macroevolutionary diversification of the amniote skull.

Phylogeny and the evolutionary origins of myrmecophytism in the Neonauclea clade (Rubiaceae) revisited, with particular emphasis on the Philippine lineages

The Australasian Neonauclea is the largest genus of the tribe Naucleeae (subfamily Cinchonoideae, Rubiaceae) and is well known for its extensive radiation of myrmecophytic species. The genus is paraphyletic with respect to the genera Ludekia and Myrmeconauclea, and these three genera constitute the Neonauclea clade sensu Lofstrand et al. The Philippines is a center of species diversity of Neonauclea; however, its members have yet to be included in any molecular studies. We produced a phylogeny of the Neonauclea clade based on sequence data from nuclear (ETS and ITS) and plastid (rbcL and trnT-F) markers and including a large sampling of Neonauclea species from the Philippines. The resulting phylogeny was used to assess the phylogenetic positions and relationships of the Philippine Neonauclea species within the Neonauclea clade. We also reassessed the origins of myrmecophytism in the Neonauclea clade using ancestral state reconstructions. The sampled Philippine Neonauclea were resolved in five morphologically and geographically distinct clades. Our ancestral state reconstructions inferred a non-myrmecophytic ancestor for the Neonauclea clade, as shown by Razafimandimbison et al., and suggested at least two independent origins of myrmecophytism, one in myrmecophytic Myrmeconauclea and another in the myrmecophytic Neonauclea species from core Neonauclea. Losses of myrmedomes through multiple evolutionary reversals back to the non-myrmedome condition were inferred within core Neonauclea. Unlike the Bornean myrmecophytic lineages, our results favored a single origin of the Philippine endemic myrmecophytic Neonauclea.

When a Crop Goes Back to the Wild: Feralization

Feral plants have been known since the inception of modern agriculture, but the genetic changes during what seemed to be a simple reversion of a domesticated form are poorly understood. Recent studies, revealing the changes occurring in weedy rice, show an unexpected degree of differentiation in these feral escapes.

Locomotion and palaeoclimate explain the re-evolution of quadrupedal body form in Brachymeles lizards.

Evolutionary reversals, including re-evolution of lost structures, are commonly found in phylogenetic studies. However, we lack an understanding of how these reversals happen mechanistically. A snake-like body form has evolved many times in vertebrates, and occasionally a quadrupedal form has re-evolved, including in Brachymeles lizards. We use body form and locomotion data for species ranging from snake-like to quadrupedal to address how a quadrupedal form could re-evolve. We show that large, quadrupedal species are faster at burying and surface locomotion than snake-like species, indicating a lack of expected performance trade-off between these modes of locomotion. Species with limbs use them while burying, suggesting that limbs are useful for burying in wet, packed substrates. Palaeoclimatological data suggest that Brachymeles originally evolved a snake-like form under a drier climate probably with looser soil in which it was easier to dig. The quadrupedal clade evolved as the climate became humid, where limbs and large size facilitated fossorial locomotion in packed soils.

Body forms in sharks (Chondrichthyes: Elasmobranchii) and their functional, ecological, and evolutionary implications

Sharks are among the oldest vertebrate lineages in which their success has been attributed to their diversity in body shape and locomotor design. In this study, we investigated the diversity of body forms in extant sharks using landmark-based geometric morphometric analyses on nearly all the known (ca. 470) extant sharks. We ran three different analyses: the ‘full body,' ‘precaudal body,’ and ‘caudal fin' analyses. Our study suggests that there are two basic body forms in sharks, a ‘shallow-bodied’ form (Group A) and ‘deep-bodied’ form (Group B), where all sharks essentially have one basic caudal fin design of a heterocercal tail despite some specializations. We found that swimming modes in sharks are highly correlated with body forms where Group A sharks are predominantly anguilliform swimmers and Group B sharks are represented by carangiform and thunniform swimmers. The majority of Group A sharks are found to be benthic whereas pelagic forms are relatively common among Group B sharks. Each of the two superorders of sharks, Squalomorphii and Galeomorphii, must have gone through complex evolutionary history where each superorder contains both Group A sharks and Group B sharks, possibly involving parallel evolution from one group to the other or at least one episode of evolutionary reversal.