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Repeated evolution of seed dispersal by ants: 100 independent origins of Myrmecochory
Seed dispersal is a fundamental life history trait in plants … Myrmecochory (seed dispersal by ants) is mediated by elaiosomes, i.e., lipid-rich seed appendages that attract ants and serve as rewards for dispersal. We found that myrmecochory is present in at least 11 000 species or 4.5% of all species, in 334 genera or 2.5% of […]
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Repeated evolution: Live birth originated independently 150+ times
Darwinian world of miracles: Phylogenetic analyses indicate that viviparity (live-bearing reproduction) has originated independently in more than 150 vertebrate lineages, including a minimum of 115 clades of extant squamate reptiles. Other evolutionary origins of viviparity include 13 origins among bony fishes, nine among chondrichthyans, eight in amphibians, one in Paleozoic placoderms, six among extinct reptiles, […]