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The legacy of Luca Cavalli-Sforza on human evolution
Get PDFArchaeology and the branch of population genetics focusing on the human past have historically lived parallel lives, often having complicated encounters when it came to unravelling the origins and evolution of Homo sapiens. These interactions were proven invaluable to obtain a deeper and more complete understanding of our past. At the same time, they sometimes uncovered biases and misinterpretations, with serious consequences for our understanding of data, methods and, most importantly, the history of our species. Cavalli-Sforza pioneered a real multidisciplinary approach, bridging population genetics and statistics with archaeology, human origins, and other fields in the humanities, inspiring researchers from these fields and blazing a trail for today’s successful interactions and collaborations. His legacy showed that these interdisciplinary approaches are possible and of vital importance, and exposed areas that still need significant development today.Copyright: © 2025 by the author(s). This is an Open Access article distributed under the Creative Commons License Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is correctly credited. The attached file is the published version of the article.NHM Repositor
Crystallographic and geochemical responses of giant clams on turbid reefs
No full textMarine calcifying organisms on coral reefs face significant threats from various anthropogenic stressors. To better understand how these organisms will respond to a rapidly changing ocean, it is crucial to investigate their biomineralization across different reef environments. Despite their resilience and potential as conservation hotspots, turbid reefs—projected to expand throughout the 21st century—remain understudied, including a limited knowledge of biomineralization processes within these environments. Herein, for the first time, we assess the crystallographic and geochemical signatures of aragonite giant clam shells Tridacna squamosa from high and low turbid reefs in the Coral Triangle. Shell composition is strongly influenced by turbidity and biominerals formed in a high turbid reef show a more organized crystal orientation and significantly lower element-to-calcium ratios (magnesium/calcium, strontium/calcium). We hypothesize that these variations are driven by physiological changes related to the trophic flexibility of T. squamosa, utilizing both autotrophic and heterotrophic mechanisms. Observed differences may have implications for biomechanical and defense responses of shells, important in their ability to survive future change.Copyright © The Author(s) 2025. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The linked file is the published version of the article.NHM Repositor
Joseph Charles Hippolyte Crosse (1826-1898). 1, Biography, bibliography and new taxa introduced
No full textThe Frenchman Joseph Charles Hippolyte Crosse was educated as lawyer but dedicated his whole life to malacology. He joined the editorial board of the Journal de Conchyliologie in 1861, and was managing director of the journal until his death in 1898. His biography gives details about his childhood, family, and professional life. His bibliography lists 697 publications, among which the Études sur les mollusques terrestres et fluviatiles du Mexique et du Guatemala. This magnum opus by P. Fischer and Crosse appeared in 17 parts of which we give a collation. Crosse described 987 taxa, of which 14 as available names at family or higher level, 102 at genus level, 850 at species level; of these 262 were introduced as varieties. These taxa comprise Mollusca from all major groups from around the world, as well as some Brachiopoda. Type specimens have been traced as far as possible, or the original figure(s) are presented when available. Twenty-five taxa remained originally unfigured and are now figured with type material. Indices are given to unlock the data on taxa and persons.Copyright © Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences and the authors. The attached file is the published version of the book. This document is password protected. Password: Crosse2022NHM Repositor
Redefining the Evolutionary History of the Rock Dove, Columba livia, Using Whole Genome Sequences
Get PDFThe domestic pigeon's exceptional phenotypic diversity was key in developing Darwin's Theory of Evolution and establishing the concept of artificial selection. However, unlike its domestic counterpart, its wild progenitor, the rock dove Columba livia has received considerably less attention. Therefore, questions regarding its domestication, evolution, taxonomy, and conservation status remain unresolved. We generated whole-genome sequencing data from 65 historical rock doves that represent all currently recognized subspecies and span the species’ original geographic distribution. Our dataset includes 3 specimens from Darwin's collection, and the type specimens of 5 different taxa. We characterized their population structure, genomic diversity, and gene-flow patterns. Our results show the West African subspecies C. l. gymnocyclus is basal to rock doves and domestic pigeons, and suggests gene-flow between the rock dove's sister species C. rupestris, and the ancestor of rock doves after its split from West African populations. These genomes allowed us to propose a model for the evolution of the rock dove in light of the refugia theory. We propose that rock dove genetic diversity and introgression patterns derive from a history of allopatric cycles and dispersion waves during the Quaternary glacial and interglacial periods. To explore the rock dove domestication history, we combined our new dataset with available genomes from domestic pigeons. Our results point to at least 1 domestication event in the Levant that gave rise to all domestic breeds analysed in this study. Finally, we propose a species-level taxonomic arrangement to reflect the evolutionary history of the West African rock dove populations.Copyright © The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (https://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is properly cited. For commercial re-use, please contact [email protected] The attached file is the published version of the article.NHM Repositor
The genome sequence of the Scarce Cardinal Beetle, Schizotus pectinicornis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Get PDFWe present a genome assembly from an individual female Schizotus pectinicornis (the Scarce Cardinal Beetle; Arthropoda; Insecta; Coleoptera; Pyrochroidae). The genome sequence spans 181.10 megabases. Most of the assembly is scaffolded into 9 chromosomal pseudomolecules, including the X sex chromosome. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 16.59 kilobases in length. Gene annotation of this assembly on Ensembl identified 12,605 protein-coding genes.Copyright: © 2024 Lyszkowski R et al. This is an open access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The attached file is the published version of the article.NHM Repositor
The evolution and changing ecology of the African hominid oral microbiome
Get PDFSignificance
The microbiome plays key roles in human health, but little is known about its evolution. We investigate the evolutionary history of the African hominid oral microbiome by analyzing dental biofilms of humans and Neanderthals spanning the past 100,000 years and comparing them with those of chimpanzees, gorillas, and howler monkeys. We identify 10 core bacterial genera that have been maintained within the human lineage and play key biofilm structural roles. However, many remain understudied and unnamed. We find major taxonomic and functional differences between the oral microbiomes of Homo and chimpanzees but a high degree of similarity between Neanderthals and modern humans, including an apparent Homo-specific acquisition of starch digestion capability in oral streptococci, suggesting microbial coadaptation with host diet.Copyright © 2021 the Author(s). Published by PNAS. This open access article is distributed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License 4.0 (CC BY-NC-ND). The attached file is the published version of the article.NHM Repositor
Modelling ancient magma plumbing systems through clinopyroxene populations: a case study from Middle Triassic volcanics (Dolomites, Italy)
Get PDFAbstract - Modelling plumbing systems dynamics of active volcanoes through textural and chemical studies of mineral phases is crucial to unravel their eruptive behaviour, but it is rarely applied in ancient volcanic and volcano-plutonic systems. Here, we present an investigation of the architecture, magma dynamics and pre-eruptive timing of Middle Triassic plumbing systems in the Dolomites area (Southern Alps) through a detailed investigation of textures and compositional zoning of clinopyroxenes in lavas and dykes from Predazzo, Mt. Monzoni, Cima Pape and Sciliar volcano-plutonic complexes. The clinopyroxene composition varies between low-Mg# (67–78), low-Cr augite and high-Mg# (77–91), Cr-rich diopside. Diopside is less frequent and appears as variably thick single or multiple bands between augitic cores and rims or as resorbed homogeneous, or patchy-zoned and mottled cores. Rims are homogeneous or oscillatory zoned, with augitic composition. The mid- to low-crustal plumbing systems of all volcanic centres were characterised by the presence of a mildly evolved trachyandesitic magma (Mg# 45; T = 1044–1118 °C), where augitic clinopyroxene formed. Periodic mafic injections of more primitive and hotter trachybasaltic magma (Mg# 56; T = 1056–1170 °C) caused frequent crystallisation of diopsidic bands around augitic cores. The presence of resorbed or patchy-zoned mottled diopsidic cores in clinopyroxene phenocrysts, as well as of rare clinopyroxenitic xenoliths with analogous diopsidic composition, indicates the recycling and remobilisation of antecrysts from the deeper part of the plumbing system, which was probably located at a depth of 10–17 km. Diffusion chronometry models based on Fe–Mg interdiffusion in clinopyroxene revealed that the time elapsed from the mafic injection into the shallow portion of the plumbing systems to the eruption ranges from decades to < 1 year. Our findings enabled us to resolve the different plumbing system dynamics acting at the local scale beneath each volcanic centre. Our data indicate a striking similarity with magma dynamics and timing of pre-eruptive processes at active volcanoes: therefore, we posit that this work sets a starting point to deepen our knowledge of the volcano-plutonic links and, in turn improves our ability to interpret the main processes acting in active plumbing systems.Copyright © The Author(s) 2024. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes
were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The attached file is the published version of the article.NHM Repositor
The genome sequence of the cephid sawfly, Cephus spinipes (Panzer, 1800)
Get PDFWe present a genome assembly from an individual male cephid sawfly, Cephus spinipes (Arthropoda; Insecta; Hymenoptera; Cephidae). The genome sequence has a total length of 238.60 megabases. Most of the assembly is scaffolded into 10 chromosomal pseudomolecules. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 21.43 kilobases in length.Copyright: © 2024 Broad GR et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution
License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The attached file is the published version of the article.NHM Repositor
Evolution of thumbnails across Rodentia
Get PDFThe unguis (hoof, claw, or nail) of the first digit (D1, also known as the thumb or pollex) of the tetrapod hand exhibits numerous functional adaptations, but its macroevolutionary association with ecological diversity is unknown. Across Rodentia, we find that most extant genera and ancestral lineages bear D1 nails. Exceptions follow structure-function associations that arose independently multiple times, specifically, the gain of D1 claws with subterranean habits and the loss of D1 ungues with oral-only feeding behavior. We hypothesize that early acquisition of D1 nails and manually dexterous food handling was crucial for rodents to adaptively leverage cranial specializations for efficient gnawing and thereby exploit hard seeds and nuts, a niche that they dominated after the extinction of multituberculates. Our study recasts ideas about rodent evolution and uncovers a previously unrecognized contributor to their successful radiation.The attached file is the submitted manuscript. You are advised to consult the published version if you wish to cite from it.NHM Repositor
Structure and specialization of mycorrhizal networks in phylogenetically diverse tropical communities
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Background
The root mycobiome plays a fundamental role in plant nutrition and protection against biotic and abiotic stresses. In temperate forests or meadows dominated by angiosperms, the numerous fungi involved in root symbioses are often shared between neighboring plants, thus forming complex plant-fungus interaction networks of weak specialization. Whether this weak specialization also holds in rich tropical communities with more phylogenetically diverse sets of plant lineages remains unknown. We collected roots of 30 plant species in semi-natural tropical communities including angiosperms, ferns, and lycophytes, in three different habitat types on La Réunion island: a recent lava flow, a wet thicket, and an ericoid shrubland. We identified root-inhabiting fungi by sequencing both the 18S rRNA and the ITS2 variable regions. We assessed the diversity of mycorrhizal fungal taxa according to plant species and lineages, as well as the structure and specialization of the resulting plant-fungus networks.
Results
The 18S and ITS2 datasets are highly complementary at revealing the root mycobiota. According to 18S, Glomeromycotina colonize all plant groups in all habitats forming the least specialized interactions, resulting in nested network structures, while Mucoromycotina (Endogonales) are more abundant in the wetland and show higher specialization and modularity compared to the former. According to ITS2, mycorrhizal fungi of Ericaceae and Orchidaceae, namely Helotiales, Sebacinales, and Cantharellales, also colonize the roots of most plant lineages, confirming that they are frequent endophytes. While Helotiales and Sebacinales present intermediate levels of specialization, Cantharellales are more specialized and more sporadic in their interactions with plants, resulting in highly modular networks.
Conclusions
This study of the root mycobiome in tropical environments reinforces the idea that mycorrhizal fungal taxa are locally shared between co-occurring plants, including phylogenetically distant plants (e.g. lycophytes and angiosperms), where they may form functional mycorrhizae or establish endophytic colonization. Yet, we demonstrate that, irrespectively of the environmental variations, the level of specialization significantly varies according to the fungal lineages, probably reflecting the different evolutionary origins of these plant-fungus symbioses. Frequent fungal sharing between plants questions the roles of the different fungi in community functioning and highlights the importance of considering networks of interactions rather than isolated hosts.Copyright © The Author(s) 2022. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which
permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the
original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or
other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line
to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory
regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this
licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativeco
mmons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated in a credit line to the data. The attached file is the published version of the article.NHM Repositor