Biology subjects

Kusy, D.

Publications and source records attributed to Kusy, D..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2022

Neogene climatic fluctuations and poor connectivity with the centres of diversity shaped the Western Palearctic net-winged beetle fauna

Only twenty-two net-winged beetle species (Elateroidea: Lycidae) are known from the Western Palearctic region (WPR), i.e., less than 0.5% of the global lycid diversity and much fewer than from the similar latitudes of East Asia or Northern America. We use the comprehensive distribution data and the molecular phylogeny of [~]400 world lycids, including fourteen European species, to provide a new perspective for understanding the structure and evolution of this group in the WPR. All Mediterranean species represent deeply rooted lineages with relatives in Eastern Asia. These species occur in relictual ranges close to the familys Pleistocene refugial edge. The phylogeny points to the loss of biological connection with East Asia since the Mid Miocene. A third of WPR species is widespread in Central and Northern Europe, reaching Eastern Asia, some of them possibly younger elements of the European fauna. Unlike relatively high diversity in the Eocene amber, the extant net-winged beetles represent a small fraction of elateroid diversity in the WPR and are generally rare. Therefore, we assume that most WPR species are relics trapped in Mediterranean refugia since the onset of the Plio-Pleistocene cooling and are critically endangered by the ongoing loss of suitable habitats.

zoology↗

bioRxiv2021

Firefly bioluminescence outshines aerial predators

Bioluminescence is found across the tree of life and has many functions. Yet we understand very little about its timing and origins, particularly as a predator avoidance strategy. Understanding the timing between bioluminescence and predator origins has yet to be examined and can help elucidate the evolution of this ecologically important aposematic signal. Using the most prevalent bioluminescent group, fireflies, where bioluminescence primarily functions as aposematic and sexual signals, the timing for the origins of both potential predators of fireflies and bioluminescence is explored. Divergence time estimations were performed using genomic-scale phylogenetic reconstructions, and multiple fossil calibration points, allowing for a robust estimate for the origin of lampyrid bioluminescence as a terrestrial and as an aerial signal. Our results recover the origins of terrestrial beetle bioluminescence at 141.17 (122.63-161.17) mya and firefly aerial bioluminescence at 133.18 (117.86-152.47) mya with a large dataset focused on Lampyridae; and terrestrial bioluminescence as 148.03 (130.12-166.80) mya, with the age of aerial bioluminescence at 104.97 (99.00-120.90) mya with a complementary broad Elateroidea dataset. These ages predate the origins of all known extant aerial predators (i.e., bats and birds) and support the much older terrestrial predators (assassin bugs, frogs, ground beetles, lizards, snakes, hunting spiders, and harvestmen) as the most likely drivers of terrestrial bioluminescence in beetles, and sexual signaling likely being the original function in aerial fireflies.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2021

Phylogenomic and mitogenomic data can accelerate inventorying of tropical beetles during the current biodiversity crisis

Conservation efforts must be evidence-based, so rapid and economically feasible methods should be used to quantify diversity and distribution patterns. We have attempted to overcome current impediments to the gathering of biodiversity data by using integrative phylogenomic and three mtDNA fragment analyses. As a model, we sequenced the Metriorrhynchini beetle fauna, sampled from [~]700 localities in three continents. The species-rich dataset included [~]6,500 terminals, >2,300 putative species, more than a half of them unknown to science. The phylogenomic backbone enabled the integrative delimitation of robustly defined natural units that will inform future research. Using constrained mtDNA analysis, we identified the spatial structure of -diversity, very high species-level endemism, a biodiversity hotspot in New Guinea, and high phylogenetic diversity in the Sundaland. We suggest that [~]20 person months of focused field research and subsequent laboratory and bioinformatic workflow steps would substantially accelerate the inventorying of any hyperdiverse tropical group with several thousand species. The outcome would be a scaffold for the incorporation of further data. The database of sequences could set a benchmark for the spatiotemporal evaluation of biodiversity, would support evidence-based conservation planning, and would provide a robust framework for systematic, biogeographic, and evolutionary studies.

evolutionary biology↗