Biology subjects

Ciampor, F.

Publications and source records attributed to Ciampor, F..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Time-calibrated phylogenomics reveals relationships and parallel evolution of neoteny within Elateriformia (Coleoptera) despite pervasive homoplasy

The controversy over Elateriformia relationships hampers understanding of the evolution of disparate soft-bodied and fully sclerotized phenotypes, bioluminescence, and the ontogenetic reprogramming that leads to larviform females. Elateriformia contains >50,000 species in 34 families, including fireflies, jewel, and click beetles. We sample 31 families and 195 ingroup taxa, each with up to 4,224 orthologs. Through explicit hypothesis testing, coalescent-based approaches, and evaluation of dataset properties, we resolve backbone relationships. We reconfirm the monophyly of Byrrhoidea sensu lato, rejecting the recent resurrection of Dryopoidea, and verify the reciprocally monophyletic lampyroid and elaterid clades. We characterize short internodes and gene-tree discordance, both of which are indicative of ancient rapid radiations. Counterintuitively, signals from moderately variable genes are crucial for resolving certain splits, suggesting that even subtle rate differences distinguish phylogenetically informative loci from overly conserved, less informative markers. Time-calibrated phylogenies indicate the early origin of Elateriformia (281-287 Mya), with superfamilies diverging at the Permian-Triassic boundary and diversifying throughout the Jurassic. We identify 15 independent origins of soft-bodiedness and neotenic modifications spanning the Mid Jurassic to the present. Our hypothesis provides a foundation for investigating the genetic mechanisms underlying ontogenetic reprogramming and bioluminescence.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2020

A rapid urban biodiversity blitz using aquatic environmental DNA

Background As global biodiversity declines, there’s an increasing need to create an educated and engaged society. Having people from all ages participate in measuring biodiversity where they live helps to create awareness. Recently, the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) for biodiversity surveys has gained momentum. Here, we test whether sampling eDNA and metabarcoding can be used for rapid urban biodiversity surveys for educational purposes.Materials & Methods We sampled 2×1 L of water from each of 15 locations in the city of Trondheim, Norway, including a variety of freshwater, marine and brackish habitats. DNA was extracted, amplified in triplicate for the COI gene and sequenced. The obtained data were analysed on the novel mBRAVE platform, an online open access software and computing resource.Results The water samples were collected in two days by two people and the lab analysis was completed in five days by one person. Overall, we detected the presence of 501 taxa identified as belonging to 435 species, representing 90 orders and 18 phyla. On average, only 5.4% of the taxa were shared among six replicates per site. Based on the observed diversity, three distinct clusters were detected and related to geographic distribution of sites. There were some taxa shared between the habitats, with a substantial presence of terrestrial biota.Discussion Our results match expected patterns of biodiversity in the landscape and show that with minimal sampling effort, hundreds of species can be detected. Thus, using eDNA analysis of water is promising for rapid biodiversity surveys, and it is likely that more detailed results could be obtained by optimising field and lab methods for particular groups of interest. We recommend that rapid eDNA surveys, with openly available services and softwares, can be used to raise awareness in the importance of biodiversity.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.View Full Text

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2019

DNA barcode reference libraries for the monitoring of aquatic biota in Europe: Gap-analysis and recommendations for future work

Effective identification of species using short DNA fragments (DNA barcoding and DNA metabarcoding) requires reliable sequence reference libraries of known taxa. Both taxonomically comprehensive coverage and content quality are important for sufficient accuracy. For aquatic ecosystems in Europe, reliable barcode reference libraries are particularly important if molecular identification tools are to be implemented in biomonitoring and reports in the context of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). We analysed gaps in the two most important reference databases, Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) and NCBI GenBank, with a focus on the taxa most frequently used in WFD and MSFD. Our analyses show that coverage varies strongly among taxonomic groups, and among geographic regions. In general, groups that were actively targeted in barcode projects (e.g. fish, true bugs, caddisflies and vascular plants) are well represented in the barcode libraries, while others have fewer records (e.g. marine molluscs, ascidians, and freshwater diatoms). We also found that species monitored in several countries often are represented by barcodes in reference libraries, while species monitored in a single country frequently lack sequence records. A large proportion of species (up to 50%) in several taxonomic groups are only represented by private data in BOLD. Our results have implications for the future strategy to fill existing gaps in barcode libraries, especially if DNA metabarcoding is to be used in the monitoring of European aquatic biota under the WFD and MSFD. For example, missing species relevant to monitoring in multiple countries should be prioritized. We also discuss why a strategy for quality control and quality assurance of barcode reference libraries is needed and recommend future steps to ensure full utilization of metabarcoding in aquatic biomonitoring.

ecology↗