Wagner, D. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2018

Disarticulating and Reassembling Amphipyrinae (Lepidoptera, Noctuoidea, Noctuidae)

Amphipyrinae have long been a catchall taxon for Noctuidae, with most members lacking discernible morphological synapomorphies that would allow their assignment to one of the many readily diagnosable noctuid subfamilies. Here data from seven gene regions (>5,500 base pairs) for more than 120 noctuid genera are used to infer a phylogeny for Amphipyrinae and related subfamilies. Sequence data for 57 amphipyrine genera--most represented by the type species of the genus--are examined. Presented here are: the first large-scale molecular phylogenetic study of Amphipyrinae and largest molecular phylogeny of Noctuidae to date; several proposed nomenclatural changes for well supported results; and the identification of areas of noctuid phylogeny where greater taxon sampling and/or genomic-scale data are needed. Adult and larval morphology, along with life history traits, for taxonomic groupings most relevant to the results are discussed. Amphipyrinae are significantly redefined; many former amphipyrines, excluded as a result of these analyses, are reassigned to other noctuid subfamily-level taxa. Four genera, Chamaeclea Grote, Heminocloa Barnes & Benjamin, Hemioslaria Barnes & Benjamin, and Thurberiphaga Dyar are transferred to the tribe Chamaecleini Keegan & Wagner New Tribe in Acontiinae. Stiriina is elevated to Stiriinae Revised Status, Grotellina is elevated to Grotellinae Revised Status, and Annaphilina is elevated to Annaphilini Revised Status. Acopa Harvey is transferred to Bryophilinae, Aleptina Dyar is transferred to Condicinae, Leucocnemis Hampson and Oxycnemis gracillinea (Grote) are transferred to Oncocnemidinae, Nacopa Barnes & Benjamin is transferred to Noctuinae, and Narthecophora Smith is transferred to Stiriinae. Azenia Grote (and its subtribe Azeniina), Cropia Walker, Metaponpneumata Moschler, Sexserrata Barnes & Benjamin, and Tristyla Smith are transferred to Noctuidae incertae sedis. Hemigrotella Barnes & McDunnough (formerly in subtribe Grotellina) is retained in Amphipyrinae.\n\nThis published work has been registered in ZooBank, http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:4A140782-31BA-445A-B7BA-6EAB98ED43FA

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2017

Anaerobic methanotrophic communities thrive in deep submarine permafrost

Thawing submarine permafrost is a source of methane to the subsurface biosphere. Methane oxidation in submarine permafrost sediments has been proposed, but the responsible microorganisms remain uncharacterized. We analyzed archaeal communities and identified distinct anaerobic methanotrophic (ANME-2a/b, ANME-2d) assemblages in frozen and completely thawed submarine permafrost sediments. Besides archaea potentially involved in AOM we found a large diversity of archaea mainly belonging to Bathyarchaeota, Thaumarchaeota, and Euryarchaeota. Methane concentrations and {delta}13C-methane signatures distinguish horizons of potential anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) coupled either to sulfate reduction in a sulfate-methane transition zone (SMTZ) or to the reduction of other electron acceptors, such as iron, manganese or nitrate. Analysis of functional marker genes (mcrA) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) corroborate AOM communities in submarine permafrost sediments potentially active at low temperatures. Extrapolating potential AOM rates, when scaled to the total area of expected submarine permafrost thaw, reveals that methane could be consumed at rates between 8 and 120 Tg C per year, which is comparable to other AOM habitats such as seeps, continental SMTZ and wetlands. We thus propose that AOM is active where submarine permafrost thaws and needs to be accounted for in global methane budgets.

microbiology↗