Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1997. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2004. / Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 167 p.; also includes graphics Includes bibliographical references (p. 157-167). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center

No description available.

No description available.

Morphological variation and a cladistic analysis of the large, endemic Southern African genus Lachenalia Jacq.f. ex Murray (Hyacinthaceae: Massonieae) is presented. Its close taxonomic relationship with the small endemic sympatric genus Polyxena Kunth (which has been included in the morphological and cladistic study) is discussed. The inclusion of Polyxena within Lachenalia is supported. One hundred and twenty species (139 taxa), comprising 115 Lachenalia and five Polyxena species are recognised. A wide range of morphological characters were analysed, including macromorphology, micromorphology, anatomy and palynology. A discussion and comparison of karyological data is also presented. A brief historical background, species diversity maps, figures, tables, appendices and illustrations of anatomical, micromorphological and macromorphological characters, and cladistic data, are presented, as well as discussions of pollination biology and phytogeography. This work is based on species studied in their natural habitats as well as under cultivation, and from representative herbarium specimens examined from BOL, NBG, PRE and SAM. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.

published_or_final_version / abstract / Ecology and Biodiversity / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

M.Sc. / Africa's cycads (66 species and 2 subspecies in two endemic genera: Encephalartos and Stangeria) are extremely endangered with four species extinct in the wild and 80% threatened (CR, EN, or VU) with all included in CITES Appendix 1. Although South Africa has some of the world’s strictest cycad legislation, these plants are still under threat from illegal collection for horticulture and medicine especially where they are seized in an unidentifiable condition. Currently developed legislation demands accurate identification for permit issue. Ex situ conservation of genetic and locality based diversity is paramount. Furthermore, taxonomically many species of unknown origin are difficult to identify especially when diagnostic characters are absent. Species delimitation and numbers are uncertain with field observations often contradicting current understanding. DNA barcoding can assist with all the above-mentioned scenarios. In the current study all proposed DNA barcoding regions (matK, rbcLa, psbA-trnH, and nrITS) along with several additional regions were tested on ~350 samples from which a phylogeny of 63 of the 65 Encephalartos species was also constructed. Results show general good amplification and sequencing success of proposed barcoding regions, although a shift to specialist primers was made in several cases. Genetic variation however was extremely low as is resolution at species level, even when multi-locus barcodes were employed. Results obtained from the phylogenetic analyses show an increase in resolution at both species and higher levels compared to previous work and as such several new groupings are delimitated. Each species grouping is characterised by shared, derived morphological, ecological, and geographic characters and when compared to previous phylogenetic studies are supported to some extent. The current study provides the first step towards a much-needed monograph and revision of the entire genus Encephalartos.

Uma análise cladística baseada em parcimônia é utilizada para testar o monofiletismo do gênero Odontopeltis e suas relações com outras espécies de gêneros anteriormente relacionados. A matriz de dados compreende 15 terminais e 47 caracteres. A análise cladística com pesagem implícita de caracteres de concavidade igual a 2,012 resultou em uma árvore mais parcimoniosa com 99 passos (IC = 58; IR = 73). As seguintes sinapomorfias sustentam o clado Odontopeltis e são propostas como diagnoses para o gênero: (1) Formato do órgão de Tömösvary sub-oval; (2) borda do ozóporo simples; (3) dobras retrolaterais no acropódito; e (4) presença de um par de macro-cerdas delimitando o fim da região pré-femoral e o início da região femoral, no gonopódio. Para padronização das descrições de genitália, foi analisada toda a terminologia do gonopódio dos machos da família Chelodesmidae. O gonopódio dos machos é, então, formado por peças cujas homologias às peças das pernas é incerta: coxa, cânula, região pré-femoral, processo pré-femoral, região femoral e solenômero. Para o gênero Odontopeltis é proposta uma terminologia da genitália à parte, devido às modificações no gonopódio. O gênero é composto por 13 espécies, sendo oito espécies válidas e cinco insertis sedis, sendo elas: Odontopeltis conspersus, O. anchisteus, O. clarazianus, O. giganteus, O. sp. nov. 1, O. sp. nov. 2, O. sp. nov. 3 e O. sp. nov. 4, e as espécies insertis sedis são: O. próxima, O. gracilipes, O. decoloratus, O. borellii e O. balzanii. A tribo Macrocoxodesmini se mostrou parafilética e, portanto, foi desmembrada. A tribo Telonychopodini se manteve monofilética e o gênero Odontopeltis de fato não pertence a esta tribo. / A cladistic analysis based on parsimony is used to test the monophyly of the genus Odontopeltis and its relationship with related genera. The data matrix comprises 15 terminal taxa and 47 characters. The implied weighted analysis, with concavity 2,012, resulted in a 99 steps most parsimonious tree (CI = 58; RI = 73). The following sinapomorphies supports the clade Odontopeltis and are proposed as diagnosis characters for the genus: (1) Tömösvary organ sub-oval shaped; (2) ozopores edge simple; (3) retrolateral rims on acropodite; and (4) presence of macrobristles delimiting the end of the prefemoral region and the beginning of the femoral region, on the gonopods. To standardize the genitalia description, the terminology for the gonopods of the family Chelodesmidae was reviewed. Then, the male gonopods are composed by: coxae, cannula, prefemoral region, prefemoral process, femoral region and solenomere. There is no attempt to relate the homology of legs pieces with gonopod pieces. It\'s proposed a terminology for the gonopods of the genus Odontopeltis due to the modifications on the gonopods. The genus comprises 13 species, where eight are valid species and five are insertis sedis: Odontopeltis conspersus, O. anchisteus, O. clarazianus, O. giganteus, O. sp. nov. 1, O. sp. nov. 2, O. sp. nov. 3 and O. sp. nov. 4, and the insertis sedis species are: O. proxima, O. gracilipes, O. decoloratus, O. borellii and O. balzanii. The Macrocoxodesmini tribe showed as a paraphyletic group and, therefore, was dissolved. The Telonychopodini tribe is monophyletic and the genus Odontopeltis, indeed, do not belong to this tribe.

Phylogenies constructed from skeletal data often contradict those built from genetic data. This study evaluates the phylogenetic utility of adult male, female, and juvenile hominoid cranial bones. First, I used geometric morphometric methods to compare the cranial bone shapes of seven primate genera (Gorilla, Homo, Hylobates, Macaca, Nomascus, Pan, and Pongo). I then coded these shapes as continuous characters and constructed cladograms via parsimony analysis for the adult male, female, and juvenile character matrices. Finally, I evaluated the similarity of these cladograms to one another and to the genetic phylogeny using topological distance software. Cladograms did not differ from one another or the genetic phylogeny less than comparisons of randomly generated trees. These results suggest that cranial shapes are unlikely to provide accurate phylogenetic information, and agree with other analyses of skeletal data that fail to recover the molecular phylogeny (Collard & Wood, 2000, 2001; Springer et al., 2007). / by Thomas A. DiVito, II. / Title of the abstract: The role of ontogeny for reconstructing hominid phylogeny. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2011. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2011. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

A tribo Megacephalini é composta por 17 gêneros e aproximadamente 240 espécies distribuídas nos continentes americano, africano e Oceania e tem como principal sinapomorfia a carena pronotal lateral projetando-se além da margem anterior do prosterno. Essa tribo já sofreu muitas modificações e atualmente, como resultado de análises filogenéticas baseadas em dados moleculares e dados morfológicos de larvas, teve sua monofilia questionada existência duvidada. Foi feito um estudo filogenético baseado principalmente em caracteres morfológicos de adultos para testar a monofilia do grupo, assim como investigar as relações entre os subgrupos que o forma. Para tal, 233 caracteres foram levantados, sendo 232 relacionados à morfologia externa e um sobre a biologia; alguns caracteres foram estudados pela primeira vez em uma filogenia de Carabidae, com destaque para o escutelo, que se mostrou bastante informativo para os agrupamentos das subtribos. Os quatro cladogramas igualmente mais parcimoniosos (960 passos) obtidos revelaram que a tribo é monofilética, sendo necessário apenas excluir uma espécie da hipótese inicial (Callidema boussingaultii) e incluir um ou dois gêneros (Mantica e Manticora), inicialmente considerados externos à tribo. Além da confirmação da existência do grupo, foi apresentada uma nova hipótese de classificação, onde a tribo Megacephalini é formada por 3 subtribos: Manticorina, Oxycheilina e Megacephalina; Manticorina grupo-irmão das outras duas subtribos, estas formando juntas um grupo natural / The tribe Megacephalini is composed of 17 genera and approximately 240 species spread throughout the Americas, Africa, Europe, and Oceania. The main synapomorphy of the group is the lateral pronotal ridge that extends beyond the anterior margin of the mesosternum. The classification of the tribe has undergone changes through the past few decades and recently, based on molecular characters and larval data, its validity has been questioned. A phylogenetic study based mainly on morphological data was done to test the monophyly of the group as well as to investigate the relations of its subgroups. For the analysis, 233 characters were used. From those, 232 related to the external morphology and one to the biology; some characters were used for the first time in a Carabidae phylogenetic study, such as the scutellum, which has proven to be very important for subtribes determination. The four most parsimonious trees (length = 960) show that the tribe is monophyletic, with the exclusion of one species (Callidema boussingaultii), and the addition of one or two genera (Mantica and Manticora), formerly not considered part of the tribe. In addition to the confirmation of the monophyly of the tribe, a new classification hypothesis is presented, in which the tribe is formed by three subtribes: Manticorina, Oxycheilina, and Megacephalina; Manticorina as sister group of the other two, and those together comprising a natural group