Population demographics and trade-offs to reproduction of an invasive and noninvasive species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rubus</Emphasis>

Do trade-offs between growth and reproduction differ between an invasive and noninvasive plant species and how do such trade-offs relate to population demographics? To help address these questions, we compared demographics for an invasive plant species, Rubus discolor, with a noninvasive congener, R. ursinus, in several populations of varying density. Removal of floral buds from reproductive canes increased the size of juvenile canes that arose from clonal sprouting in R. ursinus, suggesting a trade-off between current reproduction and growth. Removal of floral buds had no effect on growth of R. discolor. R. ursinus displayed trade-offs between reproduction (sexual and vegetative) and future growth based on negative correlations between leaf area production and both clonal sprouting and seedling production during the previous year. R. discolor did not exhibit these trade-offs. Both species had high population growth rates in low-density populations, but exhibited little or no growth in high-density populations. A life table response experiment was used to determine the underlying cause for the effect of density on population growth. For R. ursinus, lack of population growth in high-density populations was due primarily to increased mortality of clonally sprouting canes, while for R. discolor, it was due to decreased clonal cane production. Elasticity analysis revealed that clonal growth was more important than sexual reproduction for population growth of both species. However, elasticity values for sexual reproduction in R. discolor were greater in high- than low-density populations. This suggests an increased reliance on sexual reproduction in populations that had reached stable sizes, which could increase the capacity of R. discolor to disperse to new sites. Elasticity analyses were also used to simulate the efficacy of various control strategies for R. discolor. Control of this species could be attained by reducing clonal production within existing populations while reducing seed production to limit establishment of new populations.     

Tashkent riffle minnow <Emphasis Type="Italic">Alburnoides oblongus</Emphasis> belongs to the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Alburnus</Emphasis> (Osteichthyes: Cyprinidae) as inferred from mitochondrial and nuclear DNA markers

Sequences of mitochondrial (cytochrome b) and nuclear (recombination activating gene 1–RAG1) DNA markers were obtained for two species of the genus Alburnoides, the Taskent riffle minnow A. oblongus Bulgakov 1923 and the Terek spirlin A. gmelini Bogutskaya and Coad 2009. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that A. oblongus belongs to the genus Alburnus.     

Revision of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Protohydnum</Emphasis> (Auriculariales,Basidiomycota)

Three species currently addressed to Protohydnum (Auriculariales) are studied with morphological and DNA methods. The genus Protohydnum is retained for the type species only, P. cartilagineum, recently re-collected in Brazil. The European species, P. piceicola, is not congeneric with P. cartilagineum and, therefore, placed in its own genus, Hyalodon, gen. nov. Another Hyalodon species, H. antui, is described from East Asia. The third member of Protohydnum sensu lato, P. sclerodontium from South-East Asia, is transferred to Elmerina.     

Karyological features of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Planorbarius</Emphasis> (Gastropoda,Pulmonata, Bulinidae) of the Ukrainian fauna

The absence of significant distinctions between the species of the genus Planorbarius in the narrow sense (P. corneus, P. banaticus, P. purpura, and P. grandis) has been established. All investigated species had identical chromosomal formulas (2n = 30m + 6sm = 36) and fundamental numbers (FN = 72). Reproducible distinctions between them were not found by total complement length (TCL), relative length of chromosomes (RL), and centromeric indexes. The species selected on the basis of genetic marking differed clearly by centromeric index of chromosome 12, which confirms the allospecies frame of P.corneus s. lato.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cortinarius majestaticus</Emphasis> comb. nov.: phylogenetic evidence for the transfer of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Descolea majestatica</Emphasis> to <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cortinarius</Emphasis>

Descolea majestatica is an agaric with features described as intermediate between the genera Descolea Singer and Rozites P. Karst. (≡ Cortinarius). Molecular phylogenetic analysis of nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS), large ribosomal subunit (LSU) and RNA polymerase second largest subunit (RPB2) sequences indicates that D. majestatica is nested within the genus Cortinarius, with its closest relative a sequestrate Cortinarius species from Argentina. Taxonomic recombination is made to restore the monophyly of Cortinarius and Descolea.     

Induction of Sexual Reproduction in Single A<Superscript>2</Superscript> Isolates of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phytophthora</Emphasis> Species by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Trichoderma viride</Emphasis>

ABOUT half the species of Phytophthora, including many important plant pathogens such as P. palmivora, P. cinnamomi and P. infestans, are heterothallic. Consistent induction of sexual reproduction in agar cultures of heterothallic species requires the pairing of isolates of the two compatibility groups, A¹ and A² (refs. 1–3). Although sex organs are occasionally formed in cultures of single isolates, such isolates though intrinsically bisexual are normally self-sterile^2–3. In consequence it has been assumed that in nature the presence of both compatibility types is required for the formation of oospores.     

Taxonomic revisions in the Microstromatales: two new yeast species,two new genera,and validation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Jaminaea</Emphasis> and two <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sympodiomycopsis</Emphasis> species

Environmental sampling yielded two yeast species belonging to Microstromatales (Exobasidiomycetes, Ustilaginomycotina). The first species was collected from a leaf phylloplane infected by the rust fungus Coleosporium plumeriae, and represents a new species in the genus Jaminaea, for which the name Jaminaea rosea sp. nov. is proposed. The second species was isolated from air on 50% glucose media and is most similar to Microstroma phylloplanum. However, our phylogenetic analyses reveal that species currently placed in Microstroma are not monophyletic, and M. phylloplanum, M. juglandis and M. albiziae are not related to the type species of this genus, M. album. Thus, Pseudomicrostroma gen. nov. is proposed to accommodate the following species: P. glucosiphilum sp. nov., P. phylloplanum comb. nov. and P. juglandis comb. nov. We also propose Parajaminaea gen. nov. to accommodate P. albizii comb. nov. and P. phylloscopi sp. nov. based on phylogenetic analyses that show these are not congeneric with Jaminaea or Microstroma. In addition, we validate the genus Jaminaea, its respective species and two species of Sympodiomycopsis and provide a new combination, Microstroma bacarum comb. nov., for the anamorphic yeast Rhodotorula bacarum. Our results illustrate non-monophyly of Quambalariaceae and Microstromataceae as currently circumscribed. Taxonomy of Microstroma and the Microstromataceae is reviewed and discussed. Finally, analyses of all available small subunit rDNA sequences for Jaminaea species show that J. angkorensis is the only known species that possess a group I intron in this locus, once considered a potential feature indicating the basal placement of this genus in Microstromatales.     

Taxonomic and phylogenetic placement of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Nodulosphaeria</Emphasis>

Nodulosphaeria is a ubiquitous genus that comprises saprobic, endophytic and pathogenic species associated with a wide variety of substrates and has 64 species epithets listed in Index Fungorum. The classification of species in the genus has been a major challenge due to a lack of understanding of the importance of characters used to distinguish taxa, as well as the lack of reference strains. The present study clarifies the phylogenetic placement of the genus and related species, using fresh collections from Italy. Four Nodulosphaeria species are characterized based on multi-loci analyses of ITS, LSU, SSU, TEF and RPB2 sequence datasets. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that Nodulosphaeria species group within the family Phaeosphaeriaceae as a distinct genus. The sexual morphs of Nodulosphaeria hirta and N. spectabilis are described and illustrated using modern concepts. Two new Nodulosphaeria species are introduced. The phylogenetic relationships and taxonomy of the genus Nodulosphaeria are discussed, but further sampling with fresh collections, reference or ex-type strains and molecular data are needed to obtain a better and natural classification for the genus.     

Phylogenetic relationships in the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Primula</Emphasis> L. (Primulaceae) inferred from the ITS region sequences of nuclear rDNA

The nucleotide sequences of the nuclear rDNA ITS regions were determined for 34 species of the genus Primula L. and one species of the genus Cortusa L., family Primulaceae Vent., and used to infer the phylogenetic relationships among these species. In this analysis species of the Russian flora and the flora of adjacent territories were studied for the first time. The results clarified the taxomic structure of the genus Primula and confirmed the entity of some of its sections; but not the subgenera sensu J.Richards. Our data do not support an independent status of the genus Cortusa, placing it as one of the terminal lineages of the section Cortusoides Balf. f. in the genus Primula.     

Polyphasic characterisation of three novel species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Paraboeremia</Emphasis>

Paraboeremia was recently introduced for a distinct lineage in the family Didymellaceae. Currently, three species are included, i.e. P. adianticola, P. putaminum and P. selaginellae, all of which are plant pathogens. Paraboeremia is morphologically similar to Phoma but phylogenetically distinct. In this paper, three new species, i.e. Paraboeremia camelliae isolated from Camellia sp., P. litseae from Litsea sp., and P. oligotrophica from cave limestone, are described, illustrated and compared with closely related taxa. Phylogenetic analysis based on the multi-locus sequences of the internal transcribed spacer regions 1 and 2 and 5.8S nuclear ribosomal RNA gene (ITS), partial large subunit 28S nrDNA region (LSU), partial β-tubulin (TUB2) gene and RNA polymerase II (RPB2) gene regions confirmed the distinction of these species in Paraboeremia. These three new species were discovered from habitats and hosts that are previously unknown from this genus.     

Phylogenetic relationships of Sakhalin taimen <Emphasis Type="Italic">Parahucho perryi</Emphasis> inferred from PCR-RFLP analysis of mitochondrial DNA

RFLP analysis of three amplified mtDNA fragments (Cytb/D-loop, ND1/ND2, and ND3/ND4L/ND4) was performed in the following taxa: Parahucho perryi, Hucho taimen, Brachymystax lenok, B. tumensis, Salmo salar, Salvelinus leucomaenis, and S. levanidovi. For mtDNA of P. perryi, a substantial decrease in the haplotype and nucleotide diversity was observed as a result of random genetic drift, caused by a reduction in the effective population size. Nucleotide divergence estimates between the mtDNA haplotypes were determined. Sakhalin taimen P. perryi was found to be approximately equally diverged from S. salar and from the charrs of the genus Salvelinus, by 11.0 and 10.0%, respectively. The divergence between P. perryi and H. taimen constituted 14.6%, between P. perryi and lenoks of the genus Brachymystax, 14.2%, and between H. taimen and Brachymystax, 7.7%. The analysis of possible phylogenetic relationships of the mtDNA from P. perryi among the group of taxa examined confirmed validity of the genus Parahucho. Phylogenetic reconstructions performed showed that robustness of the trees constructed for the complex of phylogenetically informative characters over three mtDNA fragments was considerably higher than that of the trees constructed for individual genes.     

Characterization of the reproductive mode and life cycle of the whitish truffle <Emphasis Type="Italic">T. borchii</Emphasis>

Truffles are the fruiting structures of ascomycetes in the genus Tuber. Because of their economic importance, truffles have been cultivated for many years using artificially inoculated host plants. Nevertheless, the life cycle and reproductive mode of Tuber spp. are still poorly understood. In filamentous ascomycetes, sexual reproduction is genetically controlled by the mating-type (MAT) locus. Among Tuber spp., the MAT locus has been recently characterized in the black truffles Tuber melanosporum and Tuber indicum. Here, by using sequence information derived from these species and from a Tuber borchii expressed sequence tag (EST) showing similarity to the mat1 gene of Alternaria brassicicola, we embarked on a chromosome-walking procedure to sequence the complete MAT region of T. borchii. This fungus produces highly commercialized whitish truffles and represents a model species for addressing basic questions concerning the life cycle of Tuber spp. We show that T. borchii is heterothallic, as its MAT locus is organized into two idiomorphs, each harbored by different mycelial strains. The alignment of the MAT locus from black truffles and T. borchii reveals that extensive sequence rearrangements and inversions occurred between these species. Moreover, by coupling mating-type analyses to karyological observation, we show that mycelia isolated from ascocarps and mycorrhizae are formed by homokaryotic hyphae.     

New contributions to the biodiversity of ciliates (Protozoa,Ciliophora) from Antarctica,including a description of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gastronauta multistriata</Emphasis> nov. spec.

Antarctica is a remote and isolated biotope which makes it an ideal location for studying new and endemic species. Since there is little literature available on the diversity of ciliates in this area, a taxonomic survey of ciliates from melt-water of Collins glacier, King George Island, was carried out from January to March 2006. As a result, the morphology and infraciliature of five ciliates, including one new species, are described using live observations and silver staining: Gastronauta multistriata nov. spec., Neokeronopsis asiatica Foissner et al., 2010, Paraholosticha muscicola Kahl, 1932, Oxytricha sp., and Cyclidium glaucoma Müller, 1786. Gastronauta multistriata nov. spec. is distinguished from its congeners by the following combination of characters: cell size in vivo on average 80 × 40 μm; 5–9 kineties in left ciliary field; 18–23 kineties in right ciliary field, including 10–12 postoral kineties; 7–10 preoral kineties; dorsal brush along anterior dorsal margin, consisting of 5–8 groups of basal bodies. The only minor differences between the current population of N. asiatica and a previously described Antarctic population are the numbers of caudal cirri (6–10 vs. 8–15) and dorsal kineties (11–13 vs. 12–18). Paraholosticha sterkii is synonymised with P. muscicola. The Antarctic population of C. glaucoma corresponds well with a former population from China, the only difference being the number of kinetids in SK _n (11–17 vs. 9–11). This work will contribute to the understanding of ciliate diversity in this little studied area.     

Towards a better understanding of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Taraxacum</Emphasis> evolution (Compositae–Cichorieae) on the basis of nrDNA of sexually reproducing species

The genus Taraxacum is characterized by prevailing complex multiple hybridity, frequent polyploidy and widespread agamospermous reproduction, which makes the phylogenetic analysis difficult. On the basis of the previous analysis of the variation of nrDNA in Taraxacum taxa with different ploidy levels and modes of reproduction, to mitigate consequences of the reticulate complexity of the genus, a phylogenetic study of 52 samples of sexually reproducing dandelions of 26 sections (and another 13 agamospermous representatives of other sections known to include sexuals) was carried out. Both sexual and agamospermous samples were analysed using maximum parsimony and neighbour network. Exclusively sexual dandelions were analysed using the same approaches. In spite of the general agreement among various types of analyses, there is a limited overall congruence between results of nrDNA analyses and the established taxonomic system of the genus Taraxacum. The analyses shed light on the relationships among the most primitive groups. A stable clade is formed by representatives of the sections Primigenia, Orientalia, Sonchidium, Piesis and T. cylleneum. Another case of stable relationships is that of the members of the sect. Dioszegia. Relationships between the sects. Erythrosperma and Erythrocarpa were supported, and the relatedness of the members of sect. Australasica was confirmed. Rather unexpectedly, the agamospermous samples of the sect. Oligantha (T. minutilobum) are shown to be closely related with the sect. Macrocornuta. The latter section is generally considered to be close to sect. Ceratoidea (T. koksaghyz) on morphological grounds but this presumption is not corroborated by the results of nrDNA analyses. Analyses of 72 samples of sexual dandelions were also performed using the trnL–trnF region of the chloroplast DNA. The maximum parsimony analysis of this region reveals intraspecific variation in a number of ancestral diploid sexual species, all present in the two main branches of the cladogram. This phenomenon is attributed to the ancient gene flow and possibly to the persistence of ancestral cpDNA polymorphism. The strict consensus cpDNA tree information content and interpretability is quite low. The maximum parsimony analysis of combined nrDNA and cpDNA data sets was also performed with expectably low interpretability of the results.     

The Effect of Temperature on Vegetative Growth and Sexual Reproduction of Two Diatoms from the Genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Haslea</Emphasis> Simonsen

The effect of temperature on sexual reproduction and the rate of vegetative division were investigated in laboratory experiments with Haslea ostrearia (Gaillon) Simonsen from the Atlantic and H. karadagensis Davidovich, Gastineau et Mouget from the Black Sea. In the range of 10–26°С, a temperature increase was favorable for vegetative growth; the maximum growth rate was recorded at the highest temperature of the range. In contrast to vegetative growth, sexual reproduction of both algal species was effective in the temperature range of 10–18°С, but did not occur at temperatures of 23°С. The optimal temperature for auxosporulation was in H. karadagensis somewhat lower than in H. ostrearia. The determined physiological optimums for sexual reproduction can explain the cell-size distribution that is characteristic of the natural population of H. karadagensis in different seasons of the year.     

Effect of oxylipins on <Emphasis Type="Italic">Neurospora crassa</Emphasis> growth and differentiation

The effect of the natural oxylipins 3(R)-hydroxy-(5Z,8Z,11Z,14Z)-eicosatetraenoic acid (3-HETE) and 18-hydroxy-(9Z,12Z)-octadecadienoic acids (18-HODE) on the growth and hypha aggregation, as well as on some light-depending processes, such as carotenoid biosynthesis, protoperithecia formation (sexual cycle), and conidiation (asexual cycle), of the ascomycete Neurospora crassa was studied. Hypha aggregation and growth slowdown were induced by 3-HETE, 18-HODE, and linoleic acid. At concentrations from 5 to 50 μM, these compounds had no significant effect on the light-induced carotenogenesis. At the same time, these 3-HETE and 18-HODE concentrations, unlike linoleic acid, induced the formation of protoperithecia in the dark. At the concentration of 5 μM, an additive effect of oxylipins and light was revealed. The studied oxylipins had different effects on the asexual reproduction of N. crassa: 3-HETE induced conidiation in the dark, whereas 18-HODE induced conidiation in the light. The possible involvement of oxylipins in the regulation of the processes of sexual and asexual reproduction of N. crassa is discussed.     

Heteroplasmy due to chloroplast paternal leakage: another insight into <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phragmites</Emphasis> haplotypic diversity in North America

Chloroplasts contain several copies of their DNA, and intra-individual haplotypic variation (heteroplasmy) is common in plants, but unexplored in the cosmopolitan genus Phragmites. The aims of this study were to assess if heteroplasmy due to paternal leakage of the chloroplast occurs in Phragmites and which new insights into the evolutionary history of Phragmites australis in North America can be identified from the heteroplasmic variation. Eight non-native P. australis haplotypes occur in North America and can interbreed with P. australis ssp. americanus and P. australis var. berlandieri, creating opportunities for biparental inheritance of distinctive haplotypes. The polymorphism in the trnT-trnL sequence length revealed seventeen cases of heteroplasmy worldwide, in contact zones of distantly related haplotypes and in known hybrid populations, nine of which occurred in North America. In America, the cloned sequences, combined with nuclear markers, identified recombined haplotypes between native P. australis ssp. americanus and invasive P. australis haplotype M, and between the species P. mauritianus and P. australis, due to chloroplast paternal leakage. The occurrence of heteroplasmy and recombined haplotypes suggest a local origin for some of the rare non-native haplotypes occurring in North America, and plastid leakage events in the evolutionary histories of P. australis ssp. americanus and P. australis var. berlandieri.