Alkaloid chemotaxonomy of Nordic Papaver sect. Scapiflora (Papaveraceae)

A chemotaxonomic study of the Nordic Papaver species belonging to the Scapiflora group has been carried out by means of gas chromatography (GC), mass spectro-graphy (MS), and thin layer chromatography (TLC). The data obtained were analysed by the aid of hard and fuzzy clustering. Of the alkaloids identified, protopine and allocryptopine were found in all species investigated (i.e. Papaver radicaium - including all subspecies - P. dahlianum, P. lapponicum , and P. laesiadianum ). Protopine and allocryptopine were the only alkaloids found in P. dahlianum, P. lapponicum , and P. laesiadianum . In addition O -methylthalisopavine was found in all investigated subspecies of P. radicatum; reframine in P. radicatum sspp. ovatilobum, gjaerevollii, groevudalense, intermedium, oeksendalense, radicatum, relictum , and subglobosum; reframidine in ssp. hyperboreum; cryptopine in sspp. ovatilobum, gjaerevollii, groevudalense, relictum, subglobosum, macrostigma , and hyperboreum; muramine in sspp. macrostigma and hyperboreum; and amurine in sspp. relictum and subglobosum .
These chemotaxonomic results confirm the systematics of the Nordic Papavers of the sect. Scapiflora introduced by Knaben who based the taxonomy on morphological and cytological characteristics. Moreover, the content of alkaloids in the different isolated Nordic Papaver populations may be of plant geographical importance. There are, for instance, a marked chemical difference between all the South Norwegian subspecies of P. radicatum and the North Norwegian P. radicatum ssp. subglobosum on one hand and the rest of the North Norwegian subspecies on the other.     

Glinal variation in morphology among eastern populations of the waterstrider, Aquarius remigis Say (Hemiptera: Gerridae)

We examined morphological variation among populations of the stream-dwelling waterstrider, Aquarius remigis. A previous analysis of allozyme variation along a transect from southern Quebec to southern North Carolina revealed two distinct 'types' of A. remigis, north and south of a transition zone in southern New York and northern Pennsylvania. To assess the concordance of morphological and allozyme differentiation, adults were sampled from 15 populations along the original transect, as well as 11 additional populations in New York, Connecticut and New Jersey. Eight measurements of leg and body size were taken of preserved individuals. Univariate and multivariate analyses (multiple regression, PCA, discriminant analysis) reveal significant differentiation between northern and southern populations with a transition zone between latitudes 39^oand 42^onorth. Strong clines within each region and a clear transition between regions support previous suggestions that there are two distinct 'types' of this species in eastern North America. The transition zone, in morphology coincides with that revealed by the allozyme variation, but extends further south. The covariance of allozyme frequency and morphometric traits suggests that differentiation has occurred through vicariance and secondary contact, and that in this system, cladistic and adaptive differentiation are coupled.     

Morphometric analysis of disjunctPapaver radicatum (Papaveraceae) populations in southern Norway

Morphometric relationships between populations ofPapaver radicatum within the southern Norwegian mountains were investigated using canonical variates analysis andWard's clustering on capsule and leaf character sets. The survey describes patterns of variation among 13 wild-scored populations from five geographically disjunct localities, usually assigned to five races or subspecies. Our results from wild-collected material largely support earlier findings based on univariate statistics on cultivated material. In general, populations from within a disjunct locality (=subspecies) are most similar to other populations from the same locality. However, the subspecies vary in the degree to which they are differentiated in capsule morphology. The subsp.groevudalense populations are morphologically close to the main group of subsp.ovatilobum populations. Subspp.intermedium andoeksendalense are clearly distinct from one another and from the other subspecies, whereas the single subsp.gjaerevolli population is more similar to theovatilobum/groevudalense complex. Variation in leaf characters showed only partial congruence with variation in capsule characters. The pattern of morphological relationships among the subspecies is thus more complex than previously thought. The subspecies may have become differentiated during a period of isolation, but such results alone cannot indicate the duration of such a period.     

Phenetic analysis of the Mexican midland pinyon pines, Pinus cembroides and Pinus johannis

This account presents an analysis of allopatric, sympatric and juxtaposed populations of the pinyon pines, Pinus cembroides Zucc. and P. johannis M.-F. Robert, based on phenetic analysis of morphological data, and draws on a comparison and differentiation of P. culminicola Andresen & Beaman. A qualitative and quantitative database for populations has been assembled and used for a cluster and ordination analysis using NTSYS. It was found that individual populations of the taxa were distinguishable. The emergence of morphological intermediate populations between P. cembroides and P. johannis was confirmed. The pattern of variation in P. johannis was found to be discrete, showing three geographical groups. The phenetic similarity between P. johannis from Zacatecas and P. johannis from San Luis Potosi and Queretaro was lower than that of P. johannis from Zacatecas and P. culminicola from Nuevo Leon. The following traits distinguish P. cembroides and the other two species: colour and fertility of seeds; cone shape; colour and width of needles; physiognomy; seed dimensions. This last trait can be used to distinguish three subgroups of pines with white endosperm in the northern, central and southern regions of the Mexican highlands.     

Morphologic variation in northern marginal Juniperus oxycedrus L. subsp. oxycedrus populations in Istria

Marginal tree populations are believed to be more differentiated and host less variation than central tree populations. The aim of this study was to perform a detailed morphometric study of J. oxycedrus L. subsp. oxycedrus in northern marginal populations in order to establish its phenotypic variation and geographical differentiation and to examine the eventual presence of putative species J. deltoides in Istria. Morphologic variation was studied in 16 northern marginal populations in Istria. Nine morphological traits from a minimum of 50 leaves from each of 206 individuals and two morphological traits from 30 to 50 seed cones in each of 103 females were measured. Phenotypic variation in Istrian populations was high and of a similar magnitude to that found in the centre of the distribution area. Gender dimorphism in leaf morphology was detected, but the study failed to confirm its uniform distribution pattern. Significant and surprisingly high among-population differentiation (8–30%) was revealed. Average leaf shape in the study area is clearly “delta-shaped” characterised by a relatively wide leaf base. However, no significant differences in any of the studied traits were found between the marginal Istrian populations and the more central populations analysed in our earlier studies.     

The systematics of the Phelsuma madagascariensis species group of day geckos (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) in the Seychelles

Conventional taxonomy of the Seychelles populations of the Phelsuma madagascariensis species group has failed to illustrate the principal patterns of phenetic variation between island populations. The taxonomic history of the populations is discussed critically, and a revised nomenclature is suggested from the results of a recent comprehensive study of the forms using multivariate morphometrics. Three phenetic groups from the granitic islands are referred to as Phelsuma sundbergi sundbergi from the north western islands; P. s. ladiguensis from the north eastern islands; and P. s. longinsulae from the southern islands. Phelsuma abbotti populations from Aldabra and Assumption are considered subspecifically distinct, and not conspecific with the granitic island forms. The other coralline island populations are closely allied to the races from the granitic islands and probably represent recent colonization or introductions by man.     

Genetic and morphological variation in the venus clam Cyclina?sinensis along the coast of China

Six geographic samples of Cyclina sinensis were collected from the coast along China and analyzed to reveal morphological and genetic variation by using nine allozyme loci and 11 morphological variables. The discriminant function analysis (DFA) of morphology suggested a clear separation between the southern and northern populations. Polymorphism was detected at nine loci across all six populations. The mean allele number ranged from 2.44 to 2.78, and the mean observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.218 to 0.296. High level of genetic differentiation was found between three northern populations and three southern populations. The marked genetic differentiation can be explained by the upwelling of the Zhejiang province and the freshwater outflow of Yangtze River. The results obtained in this study indicate that the northern and southern populations of C. sinensis should be treated as separate units for conservation management.     

Geographical differentiation of Rumex longifolius

Based on controlled growth experiments, the shape of leaves in Rumex longifolius changes along a gradient ranging from northwestern to southeastern Fennoscandia. The northern plants have broader leaves than do plants from more southern areas. The pattern of leaf margins is associated with the shape, broad leaves having less wrinkled margins. The inflorescence height follows a north-south gradient. The plants from southern Europe, Denmark and Iceland resemble northern Fennoscandian plants, while the Canadian plants possess intermediate morphology and the Russian plants resemble the plants from southeastern and central Fennoscandia. Genetic differentiation was examined using RAPD markers. The mean genetic similarities calculated between populations and between individuals within populations equalled 0.833 and 0.898, respectively. The clustering analysis showed that the genetic features of R. longifolius populations do not display comparable geographical differentiation as do the morphological variables.     

Geographic differentiation among populations ofArabis serrata Fr. & Sav. (Brassicaceae)

Geographic variation in morphological traits of thirteen populations ofArabis serrata was analyzed to characterize the life history of each particular population in the field. These localities varied in altitude, topography, soil type, humidity, vegetation structure and degree of disturbance. Twelve morphological characters were measured in each plant, and populations were compared using both univariate and multivariate analyses. Populations showed significant differences for most of the traits measured. Principal component analyses revealed a significant differentiation among populations although a continuous variation for some traits was noted. Length of capsules and leaf length of inflorescence's stalks were correlated with the number of frost free days and with temperature, precipitation and number of days of the growing season. The number of rosettes was also correlated with the same variables but negatively. Seed weight was correlated positively with altitude but negatively with temperature and length of the growing season. Populations were also differentiated according to soil conditions and disturbance regimes distinguishing different types of populations: I) populations with many small rosettes, and few heavy seeds per capsule in volcanic soils with low disturbance; ii) plants with many small seeds and few rosettes in very disturbed localities along asphalt roadways and mountain trails; and iii) large plants with intermediate seed size and intermediate number of seeds per plant in limestone and serpentine soils under different conditions of disturbance. Populations ofA. serrata displayed a complex pattern of differentiation in morphological and life history traits in relation to several biotic and abiotic factors. The quantitative nature of the differences among populations ofA. serrata observed in the field deserves further studies (e.g., quantitative genetics and phenotypic plasticity) under controlled conditions in order to assess the extent of differentiation within this species complex.     

Low genetic variation support bottlenecks in Scandinavian red deer

Loss of genetic variation from genetic drift during population bottlenecks has been shown for many species. Red deer (Cervus elaphus) may have been exposed to bottlenecks due to founder events during postglacial colonisation in the early Holocene and during known population reductions in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. In this study, we assess loss of genetic variation in Scandinavian red deer due to potential bottlenecks by comparing microsatellite (n = 14) and mitochondrial DNA variation in the Norwegian and Swedish populations with the Scottish, Lithuanian and Hungarian populations. Bottlenecks are also assessed from the M ratio of populations, heterozygosity excess and from hierarchical Bayesian analyses of their demographic history. Strong genetic drift and differentiation was identified in both Scandinavian populations. Microsatellite variation was lower in both Scandinavian populations compared with the other European populations and mitochondrial DNA variation was especially low in the Swedish population where only one unique haplotype was observed. Loss of microsatellite alleles was demonstrated by low M ratios in all populations except the Hungarian. M ratios’ were especially low in the Scandinavian populations, indicating additional or more severe bottlenecks. Heterozygosity excess compared with the expectation from the number of observed microsatellite alleles suggested a recent bottleneck of low severity in the Norwegian population. Hierarchical Bayesian coalescent analyses consistently yielded estimates of a large ancestral and a small current population size in all investigated European populations and suggested the onset of population decline to be between 5,000 and 10,000 years ago, which coincide well with postglacial colonisation.     

浙江楠种群表型变异

以探讨浙江楠(Phoebe chekiangensis)种群间和种群内的表型变异程度和变异规律为目的, 对其分布区9个种群的10个表型性状进行了研究。采用巢式方差分析、变异系数、多重比较和相关分析等多种分析方法, 对种群间和种群内的表型多样性及其与地理生态因子的相关性进行了讨论。研究结果表明: 浙江楠叶片、种子等表型性状在种群间和种群内均存在着丰富的变异, 10个性状在种群间、种群内的差异均达极显著水平; 种群内的变异(21.74%)大于种群间的变异(18.45%), 表型性状的平均分化系数为41.43%, 种群内变异是浙江楠表型变异的主要变异来源。各性状平均变异系数为12.78%, 变化幅度为6.50%-19.38%。种群间叶片的平均变异系数(16.99%)高于种群间种子的平均变异系数(8.58%), 表明种子的稳定性高于叶片。叶宽、叶面积与叶片其他性状间多呈显著或极显著相关, 种子千粒重与种子宽、种子体积显著正相关; 而种子和叶片的各性状间多无显著相关性。种子宽、种子体积和种子千粒重随着海拔的增加出现减小的趋势, 种子体积受纬度控制, 随着纬度的增大表现出增大的趋势。     

Cranial variation in the European badger Meles meles (Carnivora,Mustelidae) in Scandinavia

Morphometric variation in 30 craniometric characters of 465 skulls of the European badgers (Meles meles) from across Europe was analysed. Multivariate analyses revealed that the populations from Norway, Sweden, and Finland differ from other European populations in having smaller skulls. The analyses also revealed significant differences between the ‘south‐western Norwegian’ and ‘main Fennoscandian’ forms. On average, badgers from south‐west Norway were smaller than those of the remaining Fennoscandia. Morphological differences between the ‘south‐western Norwegian’ and ‘main Fennoscandian’ populations of M. meles suggest a possible in situ semisympatric divergence since the beginning of the Holocene warming, or a complex history of two groups involving at least two colonization routes. The small‐sized Scandinavian badgers may be close to the ancestral form that used to be widespread in Denmark and throughout Europe. The animals from south‐west Norway may instead be descendants of ancestors that were the first to penetrate the southern parts of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The ‘main Fennoscandian’ badgers are likely to have been the descendants of the second wave of recolonization of Scandinavia. Specifically, they might have colonized the Scandinavian Peninsula from the east after the last glaciation.     

Do seed transfer zones for ecological restoration reflect the spatial genetic variation of the common grassland species Lathyrus pratensis?

A common ecological restoration approach is the reestablishment of vegetation using seed mixtures. To preserve the natural genetic pattern of plant species local seed material should be used. Consequently, seed transfer zones (seed production areas and seed provenance regions) have been delineated for ecological restoration in Germany. Although it is assumed that these transfer zones represent genetic variation, there remains a lack of empirical data. In this study, we analyzed whether seed transfer zones reflect the genetic variation of the common grassland species Lathyrus pratensis. We sampled 706 individuals from 37 populations in Bavaria, Germany and analyzed genetic variation using amplified fragment length polymorphisms. In our study, we observed higher levels of genetic variation and fragment rarity in the southern Bavarian populations compared to northern populations. Our analyses revealed a strong genetic differentiation between southern and northern Bavarian populations delineated along the Danube River. However, seed production areas and seed provenance regions reflected genetic variation of L. pratensis only to a limited degree. Our study illustrates that the level of genetic variation within populations strongly depends on population history. Furthermore, the geomorphological and climatic attributes, which have been used to delineate seed provenance regions, do not reduce gene flow among populations. Seed collections for gene banks and seed production should comprise seeds from populations in southern and northern Bavaria representing the strong genetic variation between both regions, but prioritize southern populations due to higher levels of variation.     

Past climatic fluctuations are associated with morphological differentiation in the cloud forest endemic tree <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ocotea psychotrioides</Emphasis> (Lauraceae)

Pleistocene glacial periods have had a major influence on the geographical patterns of genetic structure of species in tropical montane regions. However, their effect on morphological differentiation among populations of cloud forest plants remains virtually unexplored. Here, we address this question by testing whether geographical patterns of morphological variation in Ocotea psychotrioides can be explained by the intensity of climate change occurring during 130,000 years. For this, we measured vegetative and reproductive traits for 96 individuals from 36 localities registered across the species’ distribution range. Species distribution models and multivariate statistics were used to investigate geographical patterns of morphological variation and test their association with current and past climatic conditions. Leaf size and pubescence in O. psychotrioides showed a latitudinal pattern of clinal variation that does not fit the geographical gradient of increasing leaf size towards lower latitudes observed globally among plants. Instead, the observed clinal variation conforms to a pattern of increasing leaf size towards higher latitudes. However, our analyses showed weak to non-significant association between morphology and current climate. Interestingly, our analyses showed that predicted shifts in the distribution range of O. psychotrioides during the last 130,000 years were accompanied by significant changes in climatic conditions, particularly temperature seasonality and precipitation. Accordingly, climatic instability showed a better fit to the observed patterns of leaf size and pubescence variation than current climate conditions. These results suggest that climatic instability during the Pleistocene glacial periods might play a key role in promoting morphological differentiation among populations of cloud forest plants.     

泡沙参复合体（桔梗科）的物种生物学研究：Ⅰ表型的可塑性

表型可塑性是生物变异中由环境引起的一种变异,是植物适应的一种重要方式。对沙参属这样一个形态上复杂多变、分类上很难处理的类群,研究其表型可塑性不仅为探讨性状变异、判断其系统学意义及选择可靠的分类性状提供了有益的资料,而且有助于揭示沙参属植物变异、适应和进化的机制。本文从泡沙参复合体中选择了6个居群,利用播种和移栽试验,通过对不同个体和居群在一致条件下的表现及野外和移栽后的对比,对根、茎、叶、花和果等形态性状的表型可塑性进行了初步的观测分析。结果表明,一些叶片、花部和果实性状具有较大的发育可塑性,尤其是叶形、花萼裂片不仅发育变化大,而且随发育过程定向变化。环境可塑性较大的性状主要是根、茎、花序分枝等性状,而叶片、花部、果实和种子性状的环境饰变能力都较小。最后,对泡沙参复合体形态性状的变异从发育可塑性和环境可塑性的角度进行了讨论。     

Otolith shape: a population marker for Atlantic herring Clupea harengus

Otolith shape variation of seven Atlantic herring Clupea harengus populations from Canada, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Ireland, Norway and Scotland, U.K., covering a large area of the species' distribution, was studied in order to see if otolith shape can be used to discriminate between populations. The otolith shape was obtained using quantitative shape analysis, transformed with Wavelet and analysed with multivariate methods. Significant differences were detected among the seven populations, which could be traced to three morphological structures in the otoliths. The differentiation in otolith shape between populations was not only correlated with their spawning time, indicating a strong environmental effect, but could also be due to differing life‐history strategies. A model based on the shape differences discriminates with 94% accuracy between Icelandic summer spawners and Norwegian spring spawners, which are known to mix at feeding grounds. This study shows that otolith shape could become an accurate marker for C. harengus population discrimination.     

Within and between population variation in plant traits predicts ecosystem functions associated with a dominant plant species

Linking intraspecific variation in plant traits to ecosystem carbon uptake may allow us to better predict how shift in populations shape ecosystem function. We investigated whether plant populations of a dominant old-field plant species (Solidago altissima) differed in carbon dynamics and if variation in plant traits among genotypes and between populations predicted carbon dynamics. We established a common garden experiment with 35 genotypes from three populations of S. altissima from either Tennessee (southern populations) or Connecticut (northern populations) to ask whether: (1) southern and northern Solidago populations will differ in aboveground productivity, leaf area, flowering time and duration, and whole ecosystem carbon uptake, (2) intraspecific trait variation (growth and reproduction) will be related to intraspecific variation in gross ecosystem CO(2) exchange (GEE) and net ecosystem CO(2) exchange (NEE) within and between northern and southern populations. GEE and NEE were 4.8× and 2× greater in southern relative to northern populations. Moreover, southern populations produced 13× more aboveground biomass and 1.4× more inflorescence mass than did northern populations. Flowering dynamics (first- and last-day flowering and flowering duration) varied significantly among genotypes in both the southern and northern populations, but plant performance and ecosystem function did not. Both productivity and inflorescence mass predicted NEE and GEE between S. altissima southern and northern populations. Taken together, our data demonstrate that variation between S. altissima populations in performance and flowering traits are strong predictors of ecosystem function in a dominant old-field species and suggest that populations of the same species might differ substantially in their response to environmental perturbations.     

Herbivory Differentially Affects Plant Fitness in Three Populations of the Perennial Herb Lythrum salicaria along a Latitudinal Gradient

Herbivory can negatively and selectively affect plant fitness by reducing growth, survival and reproductive output, thereby influencing plant population dynamics and evolution. Latitudinal variation in intensity of herbivory is common, but the extent to which it translates into corresponding variation in effects on plant performance is still poorly known. We tested the hypothesis that variation in the fitness-consequences of herbivory mirror differences in intensity of herbivory among three natural populations of the perennial herb Lythrum salicaria along a latitudinal gradient from southern to northernmost Sweden. We documented intensity of herbivory and examined its effect on survival, growth and reproductive output over two years by experimentally removing herbivores with insecticide. The intensity of herbivory and the effects of herbivory on plant fitness were strongest in the southern population, intermediate in the central population and weakest in the northern population. The mean proportion of the leaf area removed ranged from 11% in the southern to 3% in the northern population. Herbivore removal increased plant height 1.5-fold in the southern and 1.2-fold in the central population, the proportion plants flowering 4-fold in the southern and 2-fold in the central population, and seed production per flower 1.6-fold in the southern and 1.2-fold in the central population, but did not affect plant fitness in the northern population. Herbivore removal thus affected the relative fecundity of plants in the three populations: In the control, seed output per plant was 8.6 times higher in the northern population compared to the southern population, whereas after herbivore removal it was 2.5 times higher in the southern population. The results demonstrate that native herbivores may strongly affect the demographic structure of L. salicaria populations and thereby shape geographic patterns of seed production. They further suggest that the strength of herbivore-mediated selection varies among populations and decreases towards the north.     

福建山樱花形态多样性分化的研究

以闽、赣、粤、台4省13个种群292份福建山樱花种质为分析材料,对16个形态性状进行聚类分析和主成分分析。结果表明:福建山樱花不同个体间各性状均有明显差异,变异系数较大,优株选择潜力很大。系统聚类分析可将292份参试材料划分为2个表征群4个亚表征群,除重瓣型福建山樱花外,单瓣型福建山樱花的形态特征在种群间总体上无明显的分化规律,不同种群的个体交叉聚在同一个表征群内,但在同一亚表征群内,同一种群的多数个体常能聚在一起,表明种群之间在形态上发生了一定程度的分化,只是这种分化还不能清楚地区分不同的种群。主成分分析结果表明叶形、叶尖、叶缘、分枝能力、60 d苗高、花色和花形是造成福建山樱花形态分化的主要因素。     

Range expansion and the possibility of an emerging contact zone between two subspecies of Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita ssp.

The Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita is represented in Sweden by two different subspecies; the northern well-established abietinus and the southern recently established collybita which has expanded its range northward during the past two decades. At present, an area approximately 500 km wide separates the two subspecies. In order to document differences between the northern and southern populations we compared morphology, vocalisation, habitat choice, and neutral genetic variation in mitochondrial (mt) DNA and at four microsatellite loci of 30 male Chiffchaffs from each subspecies. Our results show significant differences in several morphological traits and in song. Playback experiments revealed a significant difference in aggressive behaviour depending on which population-specific song that was played to the birds. Mitochondrial DNA was geographically structured with ∼90% of the birds carrying a mt haplotype matching their sample population. No allelic differences at the microsatellite loci were found between populations. Our data demonstrate a substantial differentiation between the northern and southern populations despite gene flow, clearly separating them into the subspecies abietinus and collybita .