Psiguria Arn. is a small genus of Neotropical vines in the Cucurbitaceae that grows in both wet and dry tropical forests from southern Mexico to Paraguay, and on Caribbean islands. The genus is estimated to be very young with natural history characteristics that have contributed to confusing species circumscriptions. The unique relationship of plants in the group with their butterfly pollinators makes Psiguria an interesting and important genus in tropical ecosystems. Both molecular and morphological approaches were used to investigate the monophyly of Psiguria, to elucidate the number of species in the genus, to discover sister relationships, and to identify characteristics for delineating species. Toward that end, an intensive screening of 141 primer combinations in search of phylogenetically informative low-copy nuclear markers was conducted along with a molecular phylogenetic analysis and a complete taxonomic revision of Psiguria. From the screening study, three potentially phylogenetically informative low-copy nuclear markers were discovered for Psiguria, 11 were found to be potentially useful in rosids, and 32 in other angiosperms. DNA sequences for eight chloroplast intergenic spacers (ndhF-rpL32, ndhC-trnV, rps16-trnQ, trnS-trnG, psbZ-trnM, psbM-trnD, rpoB-trnC, and psbE-petL), ITS, and the nuclear serine/threonine phosphatase intron were obtained for 70 samples of Psiguria plus 14 outgroups. Phylogenetic analyses support the monophyly of Psiguria and a sister relationship between P. umbrosa and P. warscewiczii. In the final chapter, two reviews on the genus are presented – one encapsulating the nomenclatural history, and one summarizing 35 years of ecological and natural history studies. In addition, morphological characters were databased, descriptions were written, and maps of geographic distribution were produced for all species. Considering both molecular and morphological data, six species of Psiguria are defined. To distinguish those species missing identifiable morphological characters, a set of DNA barcodes was developed. At least four chloroplast regions are required to differentiate species (ndhC-trnV, rps16- trnQ, rpoB-trnC, and ndhF-rpL32). Because of the absence of many morphological characters, two taxonomic keys are presented – one using male flowers, and the other using the set of DNA barcodes along with consistent leaf characteristics and geographic distribution. / text

Freshwater sculpins (Cottus) are common throughout temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Their broad distribution in the Western North America makes them a good model for understanding phylogeographic relationships among western fishes. Within much of the interior west three lineages, C. bairdii, C. confusus, and the C. beldingii complex, are most prevalent. The distribution of these three overlap in the Snake River Basin. All occur below Shoshone Falls on the Snake River. However, only two currently reside in the Upper Snake River above the falls. An exception are the Lost River streams of central Idaho. While these streams are technically part of the Upper Snake River Basin, they do not directly connect with the Snake River. Preliminary studies with a single mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) gene suggested multiple pathways for Cottus introduction into the Lost River stream complex. Here, three mitochondrial and five nuclear genes were examined to investigate the phylogenetic relationships of these three lineages. Sequences were obtained from 71 different populations in the Lost River streams and surrounding basins. Maximum Likelihood (ML) phylogenies were constructed using these data. Our data indicate that relationships among populations within these species are complex and that no single invasion into the Lost River streams and surrounding regions can account for the phylogenetic signals detected. Instead, it appears that multiple invasions in an evolving landscape played a significant role in the modern distribution of species in this region.

Gobiidae is one of the largest families of teleost fishes with nearly 2000 species currently recognized. They have a worldwide distribution with exception of Arctic and Antarctic areas, inhabiting marine, brackish and freshwaters. Mostly, they are small-sized and live inconspicuously on the bottom. Their phylogeny has been studied only partially. In Europe, three independent lineages of gobies exist (Gobius-, Aphia- and Pomatoschistus-lineage), most of the species of these lineages are marine. In this work, I performed a multilocus study of the Gobius-lineage encompassing the majority of the species. Mitochondrial (cytochrome b and cytochrome c oxidase I) as well as nuclear (rhodopsin and recombination activating gene) markers were used. 480 individuals of 30 species were analyzed in the laboratory and sequences of further 25 - 32 species were downloaded from the Genbank and added to a dataset of each marker according to availability. Mitochondrial markers were more informative than the nuclear ones. The usefulness of cytochrome c oxidase I for studying phylogenetic relationships of gobies was compared with cytochrome b. Cytochrome c oxidase I showed to be useful for identification of the species, but has some limitations in resolving deeper phylogenetic relationships in gobies. Cytochrome b showed...