Qibin Xu , Jun Wang

Animal Science Research Center, Cuixi Academy of Biotechnology, Zhuji, 311800, Zhejiang, China
Author    Correspondence author
International Journal of Molecular Zoology, 2024, Vol. 14, No. 3   doi: 10.5376/ijmz.2024.14.0013
Received: 01 Mar., 2024    Accepted: 10 Apr., 2024    Published: 01 May, 2024

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Xu Q.B., and Wang J., 2024, Molecular systematics of invertebrates in response to geological changes, International Journal of Molecular Zoology, 14(3): 128-140 (doi: 10.5376/ijmz.2024.14.0013)

Geological changes have had a profound impact on the molecular systematics of invertebrates, driving genetic and phenotypic diversity, and the combination of molecular data with traditional morphological methods has enhanced researchers' understanding of invertebrate evolution and adaptation. This study summarizes the following key findings: Invertebrate populations exhibit significant phenotypic variation due to epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation and histone modification. The rate of molecular evolution in invertebrates is significantly affected by generation time, and species with shorter generation times show higher rates of molecular evolution. Freshwater invertebrates exhibit genetic and phenotypic plasticity in response to climate change, with evidence of local adaptation and evolutionary changes in traits such as phenology and body size. The molecular phylogeny of labiodon bryozoa constructs in New Zealand provides insights into the evolutionary history and diversification rates of invertebrate species. Molecular markers reveal the presence of recessive species in the invertebrate complex, challenging the traditional view of cosmopolitanism and highlighting the importance of genetic differentiation in understanding species diversity. This study aims to elucidate how geological events affect the genetic and phenotypic diversity of invertebrate populations and how these changes are reflected in their molecular evolution and systematics.

Molecular systematics; Invertebrates; Geological changes; Epigenetic variation; Cryptic species