The dissolution of the biogenic silica that constitutes the skeletons of silicifying organisms is an important mechanism for regenerating dissolved silicon in the ocean. The silica skeletons deposited to the seafloor after the organisms die keep dissolving until becoming definitively buried. The low dissolution rate of sponge skeletons compared to that of diatom skeletons favors their burial and makes sponges (Phylum Porifera)...

Changes in life history traits are often considered speciation triggers and can have dramatic effects on the evolutionary history of a lineage. Here, we examine the consequences of changes in two life history traits, host‐type and phoresy, in the hypermetamorphic blister beetles, Meloidae. Subfamilies Nemognathinae and Meloinae exhibit a complex life cycle involving multiple metamorphoses and parasitoidism. Most genera and tri...

The mud snails endemic to the East Atlantic/Mediterranean region (genus Tritia ; subfamily Nassariinae) account for the second highest diversity within the family Nassariidae (Gastropoda: Buccinoidea). In order to understand how the diversity of species, shell morphologies and ecological traits evolved within this genus, a robust phylogenetic framework is needed, yet still unavailable due to high levels of homoplasy in shell m...

Understanding the relative role of different evolutionary processes leading to the extraordinary morphological, ecological and species diversity of cone snails requires a robust phylogeny, which thus far has been elusive. Here, we constructed a mitochondrial (mt) genome data set, which included four newly sequenced mt genomes, 25 publicly available mt genomes and 24 data sets with all mt protein‐coding and rRNA genes assembled...