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Creators/Authors contains: "Ross, Daniel"

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  1. Abstract The congruence between phylogenies of tightly associated groups of organisms (cophylogeny) reflects evolutionary links between ecologically important interactions. However, despite being a classic example of an obligate symbiosis, tests of cophylogeny between scleractinian corals and their photosynthetic algal symbionts have been hampered in the past because both corals and algae contain genetically unresolved and morphologically cryptic species. Here, we studied co‐occurring, crypticPocilloporaspecies from Mo′orea, French Polynesia, that differ in their relative abundance across depth. We constructed new phylogenies of the hostPocillopora(using complete mitochondrial genomes, genomic loci, and thousands of single nucleotide polymorphisms) and their Symbiodiniaceae symbionts (using ITS2 and psbAncrmarkers) and tested for cophylogeny. The analysis supported the presence of fivePocilloporaspecies on the fore reef at Mo′orea that mostly hosted eitherCladocopium latusorumorC. pacificum.OnlyPocilloporaspecies hostingC. latusorumalso hosted taxa fromSymbiodiniumandDurusdinium. In general, theCladocopiumphylogeny mirrored thePocilloporaphylogeny. WithinCladocopiumspecies, lineages also differed in their associations withPocilloporahaplotypes, except those showing evidence of nuclear introgression, and with depth in the two most commonPocilloporaspecies. We also found evidence for a newPocilloporaspecies (haplotype 10), that has so far only been sampled from French Polynesia, that warrants formal identification. The linked phylogenies of thesePocilloporaandCladocopiumspecies and lineages suggest that symbiont speciation is driven by niche diversification in the host, but there is still evidence for symbiont flexibility in some cases. 
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  2. Abstract Algal symbiont shuffling in favour of more thermotolerant species has been shown to enhance coral resistance to heat‐stress. Yet, the mechanistic underpinnings and long‐term implications of these changes are poorly understood. This work studied the modifications in coral DNA methylation, an epigenetic mechanism involved in coral acclimatization, in response to symbiont manipulation and subsequent heat stress exposure. Symbiont composition was manipulated in the great star coralMontastraea cavernosathrough controlled thermal bleaching and recovery, producing paired ramets of three genets dominated by either their native symbionts (genusCladocopium) or the thermotolerant species (Durusdinium trenchi). Single‐base genome‐wide analyses showed significant modifications in DNA methylation concentrated in intergenic regions, introns and transposable elements. Remarkably, DNA methylation changes in response to heat stress were dependent on the dominant symbiont, with twice as many differentially methylated regions found in heat‐stressed corals hosting different symbionts (Cladocopiumvs.D.trenchii) compared to all other comparisons. Interestingly, while differential gene body methylation was not correlated with gene expression, an enrichment in differentially methylated regions was evident in repetitive genome regions. Overall, these results suggest that changes in algal symbionts favouring heat tolerant associations are accompanied by changes in DNA methylation in the coral host. The implications of these results for coral adaptation, along with future avenues of research based on current knowledge gaps, are discussed in the present work. 
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  3. We evaluate corpus-based measures of linguistic complexity obtained using Universal Dependencies (UD) treebanks. We propose a method of estimating robustness of the complexity values obtained using a given measure and a given treebank. The results indicate that measures of syntactic complexity might be on average less robust than those of morphological complexity. We also estimate the validity of complexity measures by comparing the results for very similar languages and checking for unexpected differences. We show that some of those differences that arise can be diminished by using parallel treebanks and, more importantly from the practical point of view, by harmonizing the language-specific solutions in the UD annotation. 
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  4. Abstract The mineral apatite, Ca5(PO4)3(F,Cl,OH), is a ubiquitous accessory mineral, with its volatile content and isotopic compositions used to interpret the evolution of H2O on planetary bodies. During hypervelocity impact, extreme pressures shock target rocks resulting in deformation of minerals; however, relatively few microstructural studies of apatite have been undertaken. Given its widespread distribution in the solar system, it is important to understand how apatite responds to progressive shock metamorphism. Here, we present detailed microstructural analyses of shock deformation in ~560 apatite grains throughout ~550 m of shocked granitoid rock from the peak ring of the Chicxulub impact structure, Mexico. A combination of high‐resolution backscattered electron (BSE) imaging, electron backscatter diffraction mapping, transmission Kikuchi diffraction mapping, and transmission electron microscopy is used to characterize deformation within apatite grains. Systematic, crystallographically controlled deformation bands are present within apatite, consistent with tilt boundaries that contain the <c> (axis) and result from slip in <> (direction) on(plane) during shock deformation. Deformation bands contain complex subgrain domains, isolated dislocations, and low‐angle boundaries of ~1° to 2°. Planar fractures within apatite form conjugate sets that are oriented within either {, {, {, or. Complementary electron microprobe analyses (EPMA) of a subset of recrystallized and partially recrystallized apatite grains show that there is an apparent change in MgO content in shock‐recrystallized apatite compositions. This study shows that the response of apatite to shock deformation can be highly variable, and that application of a combined microstructural and chemical analysis workflow can reveal complex deformation histories in apatite grains, some of which result in changes to crystal structure and composition, which are important for understanding the genesis of apatite in both terrestrial and extraterrestrial environments. 
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