Comprehensive phylogenetics, systematics, and evolution of neoteny of Lampyridae (Insecta: Coleoptera)

A comprehensive phylogenetic study of Lampyridae covering nearly 80% of documented genera was conducted. A total of 410 male characters explored from 220 species of ten families were selected and coded. The outgroup relationships were largely congruent with previous morphological phylogenies and considerably different from recent molecular studies. A relationship of (Artematopodidae + (Brachypsectridae + (Drilidae + (Omalisidae + ((Lycidae + Omethidae) + (((Phengodidae-Telegeusidae) + Rhagophthalmidae) + Lampyridae))))))) was revealed. The definition of Lampyridae sensu Crowson was supported. Eight monophyletic subfamilies; Pterotinae, Cyphonocerinae Luciolinae, Photurinae, Cheguevarinae [replacement name for Megalophthalminae], Amydetinae, Psilocladinae, and Lampyrinae; were recognized. A taxonomic solution for the paraphyletic Ototretinae-Ototretadrilinae complex was discussed. McDermott's tribal classification was not supported and should be abandoned. Paedomorphosis in Elateroidea was investigated, with emphasis on Lampyridae. Its differentiation, taxonomic distribution, ontogenetic origin, evolution, and other heterochronic questions were thoroughly evaluated

The emergence of language as a function of brain-hemispheric feedback

This text posits the emergence of language as a function of brain-hemispheric feedback, where “emergence” refers to the generation of complex patterns from relatively simple interactions, “language” refers to an abstraction-based and representational-recombinatorial-recursive mapping-signaling system, “function” refers to an input-output relationship described by fractal algorithms, “brain-hemispheric” refers to complementary (approach-abstraction / avoidance-gestalt) cognitive modules, and “feedback” refers to self-regulation driven by neural inhibition and recruitment. The origin of language marks the dawn of human self-awareness and culture, and is thus a matter of fundamental and cross-disciplinary interest. This text is a synthesized research essay that constructs its argument by drawing diverse scholarly voices into a critical, cross-disciplinary intertextual narrative. While it does not report any original empirical findings, it harnesses those made by others to offer a tentative, partial solution—one that can later be altered and expanded—to a problem that has occupied thinkers for centuries. The research contained within this text is preceded by an introductory Section 1 that contextualizes the problem of the origin of language. Section 2 details the potential of evolutionary theory for addressing the problem, and the reasons for the century-long failure of linguistics to take advantage of that potential. Section 3 reviews the history of the discovery of brain lateralization, as well as its behavioral and structural characteristics. Section 4 discusses evolutionary evidence and mechanisms in terms of increasing adaptive complexity and intelligence, in general, and tool use, in particular. Section 5 combines chaos theory, brain science, and semiotics to propose that, after the neotenic acquisition of contingency-based abstraction, language emerged as a feedback interaction between the left-hemisphere abstract word and the right-hemisphere gestalt image. I conclude that the model proposed here might be a valuable tool for understanding, organizing, and relating data and ideas concerning human evolution, language, culture, and psychology. I recommend, of course, that I present this text to the scholarly community for criticism, and that I continue to gather and collate relevant data and ideas, in order to prepare its next iteration

High road mortality during female-biased larval dispersal in an iconic beetle

Animals often disperse from one habitat to another to access mates or suitable breeding sites. The costs and benefits of such movements depend, in part, on the dispersing individuals' phenotypes, including their sex and age. Here we investigated dispersal and road-related mortality in larvae of a bioluminescent beetle, the European common glow-worm, Lampyris noctiluca, in relation to habitat, sex and proximity of pupation. We expected these variables to be relevant to larval dispersal because adult females are wingless, whereas adult males fly when searching for glowing females. We found that dispersing glow-worm larvae were almost exclusively females and close to pupation. The larvae were often found on a road, where they were able to move at relatively high speeds, with a tendency to uphill orientation. However, each passing vehicle caused a high mortality risk, and we found large numbers of larvae run over by cars, especially close to covered, forest-like habitat patches. In contrast, adult females in the same area were most often found glowing in more open rocky and grassy habitats. These findings demonstrate an underappreciated ecological strategy, sex-biased dispersal at larval phase, motivated by different habitat needs of larvae and wingless adult females. The results are also consistent with roads being an ecological trap, facilitating dispersal and presumably females' signal visibility but causing severe larval mortality just before the reproductive stage. Hence, in addition to the previously recognised threats of urbanisation, even low traffic volumes have a high potential to negatively affect especially females of this iconic beetle. Significance statement Animals sometimes need to move from one habitat to another to find mating partners or breeding sites. We found this need to result in strongly female-biased larval dispersal in the European common glow-worm, a beetle known for the glow of wingless females that attract flying males to mate. Female larvae moving between habitats often used a road or trail but perished in high numbers when run over by cars. Hence, roads are likely to be ecological traps for the female glow-worm larvae, attracting them during dispersal, but causing grave mortality. The sex-biased larval dispersal, demonstrated in this study, is a poorly known ecological strategy that was found to be very risky in a human-modified landscape.Peer reviewe

The transmission and evolution of human culture

'Culture' is defined as information, such as knowledge, beliefs, skills, attitudes or values, that is passed from individual to individual via social (or cultural) transmission and expressed in behaviour or artifacts. 'Cultural evolution' holds that this cultural inheritance system is governed by the same Darwinian processes as gene-based biological evolution. In Part A of this thesis it is argued that as compelling a case can now be made for a Darwinian theory of cultural evolution as Darwin himself presented in The Origin Of Species for biological evolution, If culture does indeed evolve, then it follows that the structure of a science of cultural evolution should broadly resemble that of the science of biological evolution. Hence Part A concludes by outlining a unified science of cultural evolution based on the sub-disciplines of evolutionary biology. Parts B and C comprise original empirical and theoretical work constituting two branches of this science of cultural evolution. Part B describes a series of experiments testing for a number of hypothesised biases in cultural transmission. Evidence was found for a 'social bias' that acts to promote information concerning third-party social relationships over equivalent non-social information, and a 'hierarchical bias' that acts to transform knowledge of everyday events from low-level actions into higher-level goals. Three other hypothesised biases concerning status, anthropomorphism and neoteny were not supported, although each gave rise to potential, future work using this methodology. Part C presents a theoretical investigation into the coevolution of the genetic bases of human mating behaviour and culturally inherited folk beliefs regarding paternity. Gene-culture coevolution and agent-based models suggested that beliefs in 'partible paternity' (that more than one man can father a child) create a new more polygamous form of society compared with beliefs in singular paternity (that only one man can father a child)

Exploring the Rôle of White Matter Connectivity in Cortex Maturation

De nombreuses études ont mis en évidence un processus de maturation séquentiel pour différentes régions cérébrales, notamment la matière grise corticale et ses connections de matière blanche (WM). Cependant, les mécanismes à l’origine du processus de maturation cérébrale, ainsi que la relation entre la maturation des ces deux structures demeurent mal compris. Dans cette étude, nous utilisons l’imagerie par résonance magnétique (IRM) pour obtenir simultanément des informations reflétant la maturation microstructurelle des différentes structures cérébrales, ainsi que la mise en place des connections de matière blanche durant le développement précoce. Pour ce faire, nous employons deux mesures d’IRM bien établies reflétant les changements microstructurels liés à la maturation, soit le coefficient de diffusion apparent (ADC) et le temps de relaxation T (T1), ainsi que des algorithmes mathématiques permettant de reconstruire les groupes d’axones reliant différentes régions de matière grise (connectome). Ce travail démontre une interdépendance entre la maturation des structures de matière grise corticale et le développement de l’arbre connectionel de matière blanche sous-jacent. En effet, nous mettons en évidence un degré de maturation analogue entre les régions corticales, ainsi que les groupes de fibres axonales associées durant les stades précoces de la maturation. Un tel lien est également observé entre deux régions corticales reliées par un groupe de fibres. Sur la base de ces observations, cette étude propose un modèle mathématique et informatique simple parlant pour un rôle clé des structures de matière blanche dans le relai des signaux maturationnels depuis un stimuli externe via les structures primaires sensorielles et atteignant finalement les structures cérébrales corticales d’ordre plus complexes. -- The maturation of the cortical gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) are described as sequential processes following multiple, but distinct rules. However, neither the mecha- nisms driving brain maturation processes, nor the relationship between GM and WM matu- ration are well understood. Here we use connectomics and two MRI measures reflecting maturation related changes in cerebral microstructure, namely the Apparent Diffusion Coef- ficient (ADC) and the T1 relaxation time (T1), to study brain development. We report that the advancement of GM and WM maturation are inter-related and depend on the underlying brain connectivity architecture. Particularly, GM regions and their incident WM connections show corresponding maturation levels, which is also observed for GM regions connected through a WM tract. Based on these observations, we propose a simple computational model supporting a key role for the connectome in propagating maturation signals sequen- tially from external stimuli, through primary sensory structures to higher order functional cortices

Exploring the role of white matter connectivity in cortex maturation.

The maturation of the cortical gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) are described as sequential processes following multiple, but distinct rules. However, neither the mechanisms driving brain maturation processes, nor the relationship between GM and WM maturation are well understood. Here we use connectomics and two MRI measures reflecting maturation related changes in cerebral microstructure, namely the Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) and the T1 relaxation time (T1), to study brain development. We report that the advancement of GM and WM maturation are inter-related and depend on the underlying brain connectivity architecture. Particularly, GM regions and their incident WM connections show corresponding maturation levels, which is also observed for GM regions connected through a WM tract. Based on these observations, we propose a simple computational model supporting a key role for the connectome in propagating maturation signals sequentially from external stimuli, through primary sensory structures to higher order functional cortices