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Article Reference Mites of the genus Paracoroptes Lavoipierre, 1955 Acariformes: Psoroptidae - skin parasites of the Afircan monkeys of the family Cercopithecidae (Primates)
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference Mitochondrial cluster-specific genome size variability among sexual and asexual lineages of the ostracod Eucypris virens species group
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference Mitochondrial DNA diversity and evolution of the Pleistocene cave bear complex
Cave bears are among the most well known extinct Pleistocene mammals. Their biogeography and taxonomy, along with the factors that led to their extinction, have been subject to long-standing controversy. Here, we reconstruct the phylogeography as well as the temporal and spatial population dynamics of cave bears across their range using mitochondrial DNA control region sequences from 77 published as well as 65 new cave bear samples, Our analyses reveal a dramatic loss of genetic diversity in cave bear populations after 30,000 years before present and provide evidence for a range decline from east to west towards the onset of the last glacial maximum. Our results also suggest that the three major haplogroups within cave bears, which may correspond to distinct species, were previously more widespread, with relict populations in remote and alpine areas still harbouring haplotypes that have disappeared from most of their previous range. Applying a phylogenetic dating approach, we estimated the age of the oldest of our samples, originating from the Yana River region in north-eastern Siberia, to be around 178,000 years, which confirms a previous estimate of a Middle Pleistocene age based on its stratigraphic position. Our results extend our knowledge about the evolutionary history of cave bears, but they also show that to unravel the complexities of cave bear evolution future ancient DNA studies on this Pleistocene species will need to go beyond short mitochondrial DNA fragments, including full mitochondrial genomes as well as nuclear DNA sequences.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference Mitochondrial DNA hyperdiversity and its potential causes in the marine periwinkle Melarhaphe neritoides (Mollusca: Gastropoda)
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2016
Article Reference Mitochondrial DNA sequence from an enigmatic gorilla population (Gorilla gorilla uellensis)
Although today gorillas are found in only two widely separate, discontinuous western and eastern African populations, rumors of the existence of an additional gorilla population in central Africa have inspired recent unsuccessful field expeditions in search of the "mystery ape" termed Gorilla gorilla uellensis. Such a gorilla population would have considerable conservation and scientific interest, and would presumably have descended from a population of gorillas that was thought to exist until the end of the 19th century on the Uele River in the current-day Democratic Republic of Congo. However, the sole evidence for the existence of these gorillas is three skulls and one mandible brought to the Royal Museum for Central Africa (Tervuren, Belgium) in 1898. We determined a mitochondrial DNA sequence from one of these specimens and compared it to sequences from other gorillas. Contrary to expectations, the sequence obtained did not exhibit the phylogenetic distinctiveness typical of a representative of a peripheral isolated population. Rather, the results suggest a scenario in which the museum specimens did not originally derive from the northern Congo, but were brought from the area of current distribution of western gorillas to that location; the subsequent discovery and collection of the specimens there gave rise to the false inference of a local gorilla population.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference Mitogenomic characterization and systematic placement of the Congo blind barb Caecobarbus geertsii (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae)
This study presents the first complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Caecobarbus geertsii, the Congo blind barb, a cave-dwelling, CITES-protected, cyprinid fish endemic to the Lower Congo basin (DRC). The length of the circular mitogenome is 16,565 base pairs. The 13 protein coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes and 22 transfer RNA genes are similar in position and direction to those of other members of the family Cyprinidae. Phylogenetic analyses including 28 complete mitogenomes from representatives of the subfamily Smiliogastrinae (Cyprinidae), showed that Caecobarbus was nested within a clade including representatives of the genus Enteromius. The data presented in this study provide information on the molecular identification and classification of this threatened species. The results further suggest the need for a taxonomic revision of the genus Enteromius.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2020
Article Reference Mitogenomics reveals high synteny and long evolutionary histories of sympatric cryptic nematode species
Species with seemingly identical morphology but with distinct genetic differences are abundant in the marine environment and frequently co-occur in the same habitat. Such cryptic species are typically delineated using a limited number of mitochondrial and/or nuclear marker genes, which do not yield information on gene order and gene content of the genomes under consideration. We used next-generation sequencing to study the composition of the mitochondrial genomes of four sympatrically distributed cryptic species of the Litoditis marina species complex (PmI, PmII, PmIII, and PmIV). The ecology, biology, and natural occurrence of these four species are well known, but the evolutionary processes behind this cryptic speciation remain largely unknown. The gene order of the mitochondrial genomes of the four species was conserved, but differences in genome length, gene length, and codon usage were observed. The atp8 gene was lacking in all four species. Phylogenetic analyses confirm that PmI and PmIV are sister species and that PmIII diverged earliest. The most recent common ancestor of the four cryptic species was estimated to have diverged 16 MYA. Synonymous mutations outnumbered nonsynonymous changes in all protein-encoding genes, with the Complex IV genes (coxI-III) experiencing the strongest purifying selection. Our mitogenomic results show that morphologically similar species can have long evolutionary histories and that PmIII has several differences in genetic makeup compared to the three other species, which may explain why it is better adapted to higher temperatures than the other species.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2016
Article Reference Mixed breeding system in the hermaphroditic land slug Arion intermedius (Stylommatophora, Arionidae)
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference Mobility and origin of camels in the Roman Empire through serial stable carbon and oxygen isotopes variations in tooth enamel
Although camels are not indigenous to Europe, they have been found at several sites from several Roman provinces dating from the beginning of the 1st century AD onwards. It must have been beneficial to bring them there. Based on finds of remains from juvenile individuals (e.g. from Tanais), it has been suggested that the Romans might have systematically bred camels within Europe. For this study, we took serial samples of the enamel of four camels from European sites (Innsbruck-Wilten, Mamer-Bertrange, Tongeren, and Trier) dating to the 2nd - 4th century AD. We measured the relative abundances of carbon and oxygen isotopes of the carbonate fraction from the tooth enamel. The continuous record of oxygen and carbon isotopic composition of the intra-tooth enamel serial samples reflects the climate and habitat in which an individual lived during the time of tooth mineralization. We used these data to make a rough evaluation of the areas of origin consistent with the relative abundances of the isotopes from the enamel of the camels and attempt to reconstruct their life history and mobility behavior based on the different ecological characteristics of the habitats represented in the isotopic data. Furthermore, the data can function as an additional proxy for species determination, due to the different habitats of Camelus bactrianus and Camelus dromedarius. This work also yields interesting insights on the similarities in the mobility pattern of the camels from Mamer-Bertrange and Trier. In combination with archaeological evidence, it was possible to tentatively connect them with specific military units, i.e. the detachments of the Legio VIII Augusta.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2020
Article Reference Mobility of Scandinavian goods in the Middle Ages and modern period: identification of Norwegian whetstones in northern France and Belgium.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2024