金丝桃属和三腺金丝桃属植物叶的红外光谱分析及其与分类群鉴定的相关性

利用傅里叶红外光谱仪和OMINI采样器直接迅速准确地测定金丝桃属(Hypericum L.)9组43种1亚种1变种和三腺金丝桃属(Triadenum Raf)2种植物的红外光谱,结果表明:各分类群(种)的红外光谱具有高度特异性和重现性,这两属及其金丝桃属组间的红外光谱图存在较大的差异,而组内种间红外光谱图的差异较小,同种不同分布区和不同发育时期的叶的红外光谱几无差别;其红外光谱图的变化可以作为这两属植物的分类依据之.这也暗示利用已知的标准红外光谱图库,可以区分和鉴定出这两属或其他属植物的种类.     

金丝桃属和三腺金丝桃属植物叶表皮

利用扫描电镜比较观察金丝桃属9组17种1变种和三腺金丝桃属2种植物叶表皮的微形态.属间和组间的表皮微形态特征存在显著差异,组内种间也存在一定差异.说明二属的划分和金丝桃属属下的分组是合理的,同时支持Robson把椭圆叶金丝桃另立为新属的观点.     

金丝桃属和三腺金丝桃属植物叶表皮微形态特征的比较研究

利用扫描电镜比较观察金丝桃属9组17种1变种和三腺金丝桃属2种植物叶表皮的微形态,属间和组间的表皮微形态特征存在显著差异。组内种间也存在一定差异。说明二属的划分和金丝桃属属下的分组是合理的,同时支持Robson把椭圆叶金丝桃另立为新属的观点。     

金丝桃属植物叶中分泌结构的比较解剖学研究

利用整体透明法、石蜡制片法和半薄切片法,对金丝桃属9组43种l亚种1变种的植物叶分泌 结构的类型、形态、结构和分布进行了比较研究。结果表明,分泌结构是金丝桃属植物叶片普遍的结构特征,根据其分泌结构的特征,可划分为分泌细胞团、分泌囊(道)和韧皮部中分泌小管道等3种分泌结构。其中,分泌细胞团按其在叶片的分布可分为叶缘型和散生型;分泌囊按其在叶横切面中的位置可分为栅栏组织型、海绵组织型、居中型(位于栅栏组织型与海绵组织型之间)和横跨叶肉组织型。根据分泌囊和分泌细胞团在该属植物叶中的分布可划分为3种类型：(1)只有分泌囊的类型;(2)只有分泌细胞团的类型;(3)具分泌囊和分泌细胞团的类型。两种主要分泌结构的类型、分布密度、分布位置及其形态等方面在组间和种间均存在—定的差异,对金丝桃属属以下等级的区分具有一定意义。在此基础上,对该属分泌结构的形态演化以及金丝桃属各组间的亲缘关系进行了探讨。     

金丝桃属植物分泌结构的类型和金丝桃素含量的相关性

利用整体透明,石蜡制片和半薄切片法,对金丝桃属（Hypericum L.)8组20种1变种植物的分泌结构进行了比较解剖研究,结果表明：该属植物的分泌结构可分泌细胞团和分泌囊两种类型,但在不同植物种和不同器官内,分泌结构的类型和分布密度存在差异,对上述植物的提取物进行薄层层析和高效液相层析检测,结果表明,具有分泌细胞团的植物器官含有金丝桃素,而无分泌细胞团的植物器官,则不含金丝桃素,从而证明金丝桃素由分泌细胞团合成和贮藏,在前中,其金丝桃素的含量与其分泌细胞团密度成正相关。     

金丝桃属9种植物种子形态及其系统学讨论

对金丝桃属5组9种植物的种子进行了宏观及微观形态学研究,以探讨岐山金丝桃的系统位置。结果显示,种子形态特征在本实验观察的5个组之间有明显差异。其中金丝桃组种子外形较为细长,种皮纹饰为狭长而规则的矩形网纹;黄海棠组种子稍粗,种皮纹饰为长宽近等的多边形(稀矩形)网纹;元宝草组的元宝草、贯叶连翘组的贯叶连翘以及挺茎遍地金组的云南小连翘种子均较小,元宝草种皮纹饰为负网纹,贯叶连翘种皮纹饰为相邻网纹间有间隙的近圆形网纹,云南小连翘种皮纹饰为复网纹。研究显示,岐山金丝桃的种子形态与黄海棠组最为接近,支持岐山金丝桃归于黄海棠组。     

3种石斛属植物和细叶石仙桃的红外光谱分析和鉴定

利用傅里叶红外光谱仪和OMINI采样器直接迅速地测定3种石斛属常用原料药植物和常用伪品细叶石仙桃的红外光谱。结果表明,细叶石仙桃与石斛属组3种植物茎叶的红外光谱图存在较大差异,亲缘关系较远,而石斛属组内种间红外光谱图的差异较小。其中,铁皮石斛茎的特征峰为1 254、1 416、1 5453、365 cm-1等,铁皮石斛叶的特征峰为914、1 061 cm-1等。研究表明,铜皮石斛与铁皮石斛具有相似的红外光谱图,它可作为药用石斛品种代用品,而细叶石仙桃则不能作为药用石斛的代用品。     

山茶属油茶组、短柱茶组和红山茶组植物叶的红外光谱分析及其分类学意义

利用傅立叶红外光谱仪和OMNI采样器直接、迅速、准确地测定山茶属Camellia4组63种2变种植物叶片的红外光谱,结果表明：各分类群（种）的红外光谱具有高度特异性,其红外光谱图的变化可以作为山茶属植物属下的分类依据之一。这也暗示了利用标准红外光谱图库,可以区分和鉴定出山茶属植物的种类。经主成分分析后的红外光谱数据构建的树型聚类图与先前的形态分类结果大体一致,能将油茶组sect.Oleifera和短柱茶组sect.Paracamellia植物明显区分,并且各组中亲缘关系较近的种聚在一起。因此支持它们作为两个独立的组处理。但是,红山茶组sect.Camellia内的滇山茶亚组subsect.Lucidissima和光果红山茶亚组subsect.Reticulata植物在聚类图上很难区分,建议将这两个亚组植物进行归并。最后讨论了张宏达和闵天禄系统中存在分歧的油茶组、短柱茶组和红山茶组内的种间分类关系。     

金丝桃属植物的研究进展

本文从植物分类、资源、化学成分以及药理作用几个方面,综述了近些年来国内外金丝桃属植物的研究进展。     

金丝桃属植物的进展

本从植物分类、资源、化学成分以及药理作用几个方面,综述了近些年来国内外金丝桃属植物的研究进展。     

Distribution of anthocyanins in aceraceae leaves

The distribution of anthocyanins in spring sprouted and/or autumn coloured leaves of Dipteronia sinensis and Acer (119 taxa) was studied.

Dipteronia contained four cyanidin glycosides: the 3-glucoside, 3-rutinoside, 3-galloylglucoside and 3,5-diglucoside. Acer contained five cyanidin glycosides: 3-glucoside, 3-rutinoside, 3-galloylglucoside, 3-galloylrutinoside and 3,5-diglucoside, two delphinidin glucosides: 3-glucoside and 3-rutinoside and three unidentified anthocyanins. Both Dipteronia and Acer contained the recently reported cyanidin 3-galloylglucoside. The anthocyanin constituents in spring leaves were more complex than those found in autumn coloured leaves: nine in spring and six in autumn. The presence/absence of the major anthocyanins in the spring sprouted leaves of 111 Acer taxa analysed were grouped into 17 distribution patterns. In the autumn the number of anthocyanin distribution patterns was found to be 11. In Acer, cyanidin glycosides were found in 20 sections and delphinidin glycosides in 17 out of the 21 sections analysed. Although the distribution of anthocyanins showed no clear relations among sections, delphinidin glycosides were mainly found in sections Macrantha, Goniocarpa and Saccharina. There were no differences in the pigment constituents in the species native to different countries, such as A. rubrum in North America and A. pycnanthum in Japan, both containing the same pigments: cyanidin 3-glucoside, 3-rutinoside, 3-galloylglucoside, 3-galloylrutinoside and 3,5-diglucoside.     

FTIR spectra of Camellia sect. Oleifera,sect. Paracamellia,and sect. Camellia (Theaceae) with reference to their taxonomic significance

Sixty-five leaf samples in sect. Oleifera H. T. Chang, sect. Paracamellia Sealy, sect. Camellia, and sect. Thea (L.) Dyer of genus Camellia L. were discriminated directly with an OMNI-sampler accessory on the basis of biochemical profiles and a hierarchical dendrogram was finally constructed. The results showed that the infrared spectra of Camellia were fingerprint-like patterns which were highly typical for different taxa. The hierarchical dendrogram based on principal component analysis of Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) data confirmed most of morphological classifications of the four sections proposed in previous works. Infrared spectra of leaves are of taxonomic value in genus Camellia, and this technique can be widely used for identification and classification of other taxa when standard spectra are available. The relationships between sect. Oleifera and sect. Paracamellia, subsect. Lucidissima H. T. Chang and subsect. Reticulata H. T. Chang in sect. Camellia, and the species/varieties were also discussed, as many dissensions about the classification exist between Chang’s and Ming’s system.     

Systematic Evolutional Relation of Chemical Components of the Essential Oils from 11 Taxa of Citrus Leaves

With fused silica capillary column for GC, according to Kovats retention index ITP of GC and GC-MS-DS double identification, chemical components of the essential oils from 11 taxa in Citrus leaves were studied. It has been found that the characteristic component of Papeda seedon is citronellal; that of ilurantiurn section is “myrcene and linalool” or “sabinene and liaalool”; that of Microacrumen subsection is linalool; that of Macroacrumen subsection is Z-, E-liaalooloxide and that the characteristic components of Citrophorum section are neral and geranial and those of Cephalocitrus section are neral, geranial and carvone. Our study indicates that there are different GC configurations for various taxonomic units. The differences narrow from sections to species and from species to cultivars. The differences are greatest among sections and remarkable among different species of the same section. Different culativars of the same species of the same section have similar Gig patterns. All these differences or similarities reflect their close or distant relationships, which are the important bases for setting up natural classification. The systematic evolution of the sections of genus Citrus may correlate well with the characteristic components, the biosynthesis pathways and the morphological characters.     

Hypericin and pseudohypericin in some Hypericum species

Hypericin and pseudohypericin were found in 27 of the 36 evaluated species from Hypericum L., belonging to 17 sections of the genus. Pseudohypericin is reported by us in 15 taxa for the first time. Most of the species contained both components and the amount of pseudohypericin usually exceeded that of hypericin. In H. hirsutum and H. empetrifolium only hypericin was found, whereas H. formosissimum yielded pseudohypericin only. The total content of hypericins varied widely from 0.009% in H. empetrifolium to 0.512% in H. boissieri and the largest amounts were established in taxa of sections Drosocarpium, Hypericum and Thasia. The distribution of hypericin and pseudohypericin in Hypericum species has an important taxonomic value for infrageneric classification of the genus. These components were not found in the primitive sections Ascyreia, Androsaemum, Inodora, Roscyna, Bupleuroides and Spachium but occur widely in Hypericum, Adenosepalum and the sections from Olympia group. Although the genera of subfamily Hypericoideae are characterized by the presence of anthrone derivatives, condensed anthrones such as hypericin and pseudohypericin have not been found in these genera and the remaining subfamilies of the Guttiferae.     

Local‐ to continental‐scale variation in the richness and composition of an aquatic food web

Aim We investigated patterns of species richness and composition of the aquatic food web found in the liquid‐filled leaves of the North American purple pitcher plant, Sarracenia purpurea (Sarraceniaceae), from local to continental scales. Location We sampled 20 pitcher‐plant communities at each of 39 sites spanning the geographic range of S. purpurea– from northern Florida to Newfoundland and westward to eastern British Columbia. Methods Environmental predictors of variation in species composition and species richness were measured at two different spatial scales: among pitchers within sites and among sites. Hierarchical Bayesian models were used to examine correlates and similarities of species richness and abundance within and among sites. Results Ninety‐two taxa of arthropods, protozoa and bacteria were identified in the 780 pitcher samples. The variation in the species composition of this multi‐trophic level community across the broad geographic range of the host plant was lower than the variation among pitchers within host‐plant populations. Variation among food webs in richness and composition was related to climate, pore‐water chemistry, pitcher‐plant morphology and leaf age. Variation in the abundance of the five most common invertebrates was also strongly related to pitcher morphology and site‐specific climatic and other environmental variables. Main conclusions The surprising result that these communities are more variable within their host‐plant populations than across North America suggests that the food web in S. purpurea leaves consists of two groups of species: (1) a core group of mostly obligate pitcher‐plant residents that have evolved strong requirements for the host plant and that co‐occur consistently across North America, and (2) a larger set of relatively uncommon, generalist taxa that co‐occur patchily.     

Comparative anatomy of secretory structures of leaves in Hypericum L.

The structure, type, morphology and location of secretory structures in leaves of 43 species, 1 subspecies and 1 variety of 9 sections in Hypericum L. were comparatively studied using tissue clearing, paraffin sectioning and thin sectioning. The results have shown that the presence of secretory structures is a common feature of leaves in this genus. According to their anatomical characteristics, the secretory structures can be divided into nodules, secretory cavities (canals) and tiny secretory tubes. In their distribution in leaves the nodules fall into two types: the leaf edge type and the scattered type. According to the location of cavities in the cross sections of leaves, the cavities can be divided into 4 types: the median type which is situated between the palisade tissue and spongy tissue, the palisade tissue type, the spongy tissue type and the across-mesophyll type. Based on the location of cavities and nodules in leaves, the species in Hypericum can be divided into 3 groups: group Ⅰ , in which only cavities are present; group Ⅱ, in which only nodules are present; group Ⅲ, in which both cavities and nodules are present. The type, location, distribution density and morphology of secretory structures are of some taxonomic value at the level of species and of section in Hypericum L. From these observations, the evolutionary trends concerning the morphology and anatomy of secretory structures and the affinity among sections in the genus Hypericum ate dis-cussed.     

Which functional processes control the short-term effect of grazing on net primary production in grasslands?

For unicellular organisms, a lack of effects of local species richness on ecosystem function has been proposed due to their locally high species richness and their ubiquitous distribution. High dispersal ability and high individual numbers may enable unicellular taxa to occur everywhere. Using our own and published data sets on uni- and multicellular organisms, we conducted thorough statistical analyses to test whether (1) unicellular taxa show higher relative local species richness compared to multicellular taxa, (2) unicellular taxa show lower slopes of the species:area relationships and species:individuals relationships, and (3) the species composition of unicellular taxa is less influenced by geographic distance compared to multicellular taxa. We found higher local species richness compared to the global species pool for unicellular organisms than for metazoan taxa. The difference was significant if global species richness was conservatively estimated but not if extrapolated, and therefore higher richness estimates were used. Both microalgae and protozoans showed lower slopes between species richness and sample size (area or individuals) compared to macrozoobenthos, also indicating higher local species richness for unicellular taxa. The similarity of species composition of both benthic diatoms and ciliates decreased with increasing geographic distance. This indicated restricted dispersal ability of protists and the absence of ubiquity. However, a steeper slope between similarity and distance was found for polychaetes and corals, suggesting a stronger effect of distance on the dispersal of metazoans compared to unicellular taxa. In conclusion, we found partly different species richness patterns among uni- and multicellular eukaryotes, but no strict ubiquity of unicellular taxa. Therefore, the effect of local unicellular species richness on ecosystem function has to be reanalyzed. Macroecological patterns suggested for multicellular organisms may differ in unicellular communities.     

Allopatric origin of cryptic butterfly species that were discovered feeding on distinct host plants in sympatry

Surveys of tropical insects are increasingly uncovering cryptic species – morphologically similar yet reproductively isolated taxa once thought to comprise a single interbreeding entity. The vast majority of such species are described from a single location. This leaves us with little information on geographic range and intraspecific variation and limits our ability to infer the forces responsible for generating such diversity. For example, in herbivorous and parasitic insects, multiple specialists are often discovered within what were thought to be single more generalized species. Host shifts are likely to have contributed to speciation in these cases. But when and where did those shifts occur, and were they facilitated by geographic isolation? We attempted to answer these questions for two cryptic species within the butterfly Cymothoe egesta that were recently discovered on different host plants in central Cameroon. We first used mtDNA markers to separate individuals collected on the two hosts within Cameroon and then extended our analysis to incorporate individuals collected across the entire pan‐Afrotropical range of the original taxon. To our surprise, we found that the species are almost entirely allopatric, dividing the original range and overlapping only in the narrow zone of West‐Central Africa where they were first discovered in sympatry. This finding, combined with analyses of genetic variation within each butterfly species, strongly suggests that speciation occurred in allopatry, probably during the Pleistocene. We discuss the implications of our results for understanding speciation among other cryptic species recently discovered in the tropics and argue that more work is needed on geographic patterns and host usage in such taxa.