Elaborate petals and staminodes in eudicots: Diversity, function, and evolution

Petals, a characteristic feature of eudicots, have evolved elaborations in various ways and across diverse clades. In this survey of petal and staminode elaborations throughout the eudicots, based on both new studies and a review of the literature, the diversity of such structures and their functions is discussed. Petal elaborations are primarily present as marginal lobes and ventral lobes of various shapes. Lobation patterns can be loosely classified as pinnate, binate, or ternate. One of these patterns may be dominant within a family (e.g. pinnate in Anisophylleaceae, binate in Caryophyllaceae, ternate in Elaeocarpaceae); transitional forms also occur (e.g. between binate and ternate in Onagraceae). Coronas between the corolla and androecium are found in several groups, for example in several families of Malpighiales or in Apocynaceae. In some clades, petal elaborations are especially prominent and can be used as approximate systematic markers (Anisophylleaceae, Elaeocarpaceae, Rhizophoraceae). Petal elaborations are especially diverse in rosids. In asterids, which are characterized by sympetaly, elaborations are more conspicuous at the level of the architecture of the entire corolla, rather than at the level of individual petals. Evolutionary trends in petal elaboration in certain larger clades are shown and their involvement in floral biological functions is discussed.     

Stress Induced Hyperglycemia and the Subsequent Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in Survivors of Critical Illness

ObjectiveStress induced hyperglycemia occurs in critically ill patients who have normal glucose tolerance following resolution of their acute illness. The objective was to evaluate the association between stress induced hyperglycemia and incident diabetes in survivors of critical illness.DesignRetrospective cohort study.SettingAll adult patients surviving admission to a public hospital intensive care unit (ICU) in South Australia between 2004 and 2011.PatientsStress induced hyperglycemia was defined as a blood glucose ≥ 11.1 mmol/L (200 mg/dL) within 24 hours of ICU admission. Prevalent diabetes was identified through ICD-10 coding or prior registration with the Australian National Diabetes Service Scheme (NDSS). Incident diabetes was identified as NDSS registration beyond 30 days after hospital discharge until July 2015. The predicted risk of developing diabetes was described as sub-hazard ratios using competing risk regression. Survival was assessed using Cox proportional hazards regression.ConclusionsStress induced hyperglycemia identifies patients at subsequent risk of incident diabetes.     

Time to Evolve? Potential Evolutionary Responses of Fraser River Sockeye Salmon to Climate Change and Effects on Persistence

Evolutionary adaptation affects demographic resilience to climate change but few studies have attempted to project changes in selective pressures or quantify impacts of trait responses on population dynamics and extinction risk. We used a novel individual-based model to explore potential evolutionary changes in migration timing and the consequences for population persistence in sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka in the Fraser River, Canada, under scenarios of future climate warming. Adult sockeye salmon are highly sensitive to increases in water temperature during their arduous upriver migration, raising concerns about the fate of these ecologically, culturally, and commercially important fish in a warmer future. Our results suggest that evolution of upriver migration timing could allow these salmon to avoid increasingly frequent stressful temperatures, with the odds of population persistence increasing in proportion to the trait heritability and phenotypic variance. With a simulated 2°C increase in average summer river temperatures by 2100, adult migration timing from the ocean to the river advanced by ～10 days when the heritability was 0.5, while the risk of quasi-extinction was only 17% of that faced by populations with zero evolutionary potential (i.e., heritability fixed at zero). The rates of evolution required to maintain persistence under simulated scenarios of moderate to rapid warming are plausible based on estimated heritabilities and rates of microevolution of timing traits in salmon and related species, although further empirical work is required to assess potential genetic and ecophysiological constraints on phenological adaptation. These results highlight the benefits to salmon management of maintaining evolutionary potential within populations, in addition to conserving key habitats and minimizing additional stressors where possible, as a means to build resilience to ongoing climate change. More generally, they demonstrate the importance and feasibility of considering evolutionary processes, in addition to ecology and demography, when projecting population responses to environmental change.     

Concentrations of pathogens and indicators in animal feces in the Sydney watershed

A fecal analysis survey was undertaken to quantify animal inputs of pathogenic and indicator microorganisms in the temperate watersheds of Sydney, Australia. The feces from a range of domestic animals and wildlife were analyzed for the indicator bacteria fecal coliforms and Clostridium perfringens spores, the pathogenic protozoa Cryptosporidium and Giardia, and the enteric viruses adenovirus, enterovirus, and reovirus. Pathogen and fecal indicator concentrations were generally higher in domestic animal feces than in wildlife feces. Future studies to quantify potential pathogen risks in drinking-water watersheds should thus focus on quantifying pathogen loads from domestic animals and livestock rather than wildlife.     

Comparative floral structure and systematics in Ochnaceae s.l. (Ochnaceae,Quiinaceae and Medusagynaceae; Malpighiales)

Ochnaceae s.l. (Ochnaceae, Quiinaceae and Medusagynaceae), one of the well‐supported subclades of the large order Malpighiales retrieved so far in molecular phylogenetic studies, were comparatively studied with regard to floral structure using microtome section series and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Floral morphology, anatomy and histology also strongly reflect this close relationship. Potential synapomorphies of the subclade include: flowers nectarless, sepals of different sizes within a flower, petals not retarded in development and forming the protective organs of advanced floral buds, petal aestivation contort, petals with three vascular traces, petals reflexed over the sepals and directed toward the pedicel, polystemony, anthers almost or completely basifixed, gynoecium often with more than five carpels, short gynophore present, styles separate for at least their uppermost part and radiating outwards, suction‐cup‐shaped stigmas, vasculature forming a dorsal band of bundles in the upper stylar region, gynoecium epidermis with large, radially elongate cells, ovules either weakly crassinucellar or incompletely tenuinucellar with an endothelium, abundance of tanniferous tissues and sclerenchyma in floral organs. The most strongly supported subclade of two of the three families in molecular analyses, Quiinaceae and Medusagynaceae, is also particularly well supported by floral structural features, including the presence of functionally and morphologically unisexual flowers, a massive thecal septum that persists after anther dehiscence, styles radiating outward from the ovary, two lateral ovules per carpel, positioned one above the other, conspicuous longitudinal ribs on the ovary wall at anthesis, and a ‘false endothelium’ on the nucellus at anthesis. Additionally, the group fits well in Malpighiales and further emphasizes the relationship of Malpighiales with Celastrales and Oxalidales, and thus the unity of the COM clade. © 2012 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, 170 , 299–392.     

Concentrations of Pathogens and Indicators in Animal Feces in the Sydney Watershed

A fecal analysis survey was undertaken to quantify animal inputs of pathogenic and indicator microorganisms in the temperate watersheds of Sydney, Australia. The feces from a range of domestic animals and wildlife were analyzed for the indicator bacteria fecal coliforms and Clostridium perfringens spores, the pathogenic protozoa Cryptosporidium and Giardia, and the enteric viruses adenovirus, enterovirus, and reovirus. Pathogen and fecal indicator concentrations were generally higher in domestic animal feces than in wildlife feces. Future studies to quantify potential pathogen risks in drinking-water watersheds should thus focus on quantifying pathogen loads from domestic animals and livestock rather than wildlife.     

Cunoniaceae in the Cretaceous of Europe: Evidence from Fossil Flowers

Fossil flowers of the Cunoniaceae from Late Cretaceous sedimentsof southern Sweden are described in detail. The flowers aresmall, bisexual, actinomorphic, tetramerous with broadly attachedvalvate sepals; they have narrowly attached petals; eight stamensin two whorls; a massive, lobed nectary; a semi-inferior, syncarpousgynoecium with axile placentation; numerous ovules; separatestyles; and peltate, probably secretory, trichomes. They sharemany features with extant representatives of both the Cunoniaceaeand Anisophylleaceae. However, the gynoecium structure in particularindicates a closer relationship to the Cunoniaceae. The floralcharacters are not specific for any extant genus of the familyand therefore a new genus and species, Platydiscus peltatusgen. et sp. nov., is formally described. This is the first recordof cunoniaceous floral structures from the Northern Hemisphereand the oldest record of Cunoniaceae flowers worldwide. Copyright2001 Annals of Botany Company Anisophylleaceae, Cunoniaceae, fossil flowers, Late Cretaceous, Oxalidales, Platydiscus peltatus gen. et sp. nov., Santonian-Campanian, southern Sweden     

A Comparison of Floral Structures of Anisophylleaceae and Cunoniaceae and the Problem of their Systematic Position

Flowers of Anisophyllea(Anisophylleaceae, Cucurbitales) andCeratopetalum(Cunoniaceae, Oxalidales) are surprisingly similar in appearance.To date, these families have never been interpreted as closelyrelated, and even in present molecular (rbcL) studies they appearin different orders of eurosids I (APG, Annals of the MissouriBotanical Garden85:531–553, 1998). In this investigation,flowers of selected taxa of both families are morphologicallyand anatomically compared. In addition, previous work on thetwo families is reviewed. The results strongly emphasize thegreat similarity in all floral organs. Some special similaritiesinclude the occurrence of trimerous flowers, isomerous organwhorls (including the gynoecium), valvate sepals, digitate petals,obdiplostemony, incurved filaments in bud with similar anthers,similar pollen, similar nectaries, carpels with free styles,a canal in the centre of each individual carpel as well as inthe centre of the entire gynoecium along the symplicate zone,and similar ovules with a slit-shaped micropyle. In addition,recently recovered Late Cretaceous floral fossils that sharefeatures of both families further emphasize a potential closerelationship. However, if more extensive molecular studies areperformed in the future that support the current disparate positionof the two families, then an explanation of the biological/functionalsimilarities in floral structure should be attempted: specifically,whether this suite of features is a symplesiomorphy for basalrosids, or an autapomorphy for each family. Copyright 2001 Annalsof Botany Company Anisophylleaceae, Cucurbitales, Cunoniaceae, eudicots, floral structure, molecular systematics, Myrtales, Oxalidales, Saxifragales     

Kinetics of testosterone metabolism in normal postmenopausal women and women with breast cancer

The constant infusion and single injection techniques were utilized to study the kinetics of ³H-testosterone (T) metabolism in postmenopausal women with and without breast cancer. The metabolic clearance rates (mean ± SEM) for normal postmenopausal women were $\text{578 ± 82}\text{and}\text{644 ±128}\text{1}\text{24}\text{h}$ as obtained by the constant infusion and single injection techniques, respectively. The corresponding results for the women with breast cancer (patients) are $\text{644 ± 25}\text{and}\text{617 ± 106}\text{1}\text{24}\text{h}$. The single injection technique yielded values for rate constants (units) and volumes of distribution (1); k₁ = 37.5 ± 1.6 for the normals and 34.5 ±1.9 for the patients. K₂ = 76.6 ± 5.1 for the normals and 71.1 ± 1.6 for the patients, V₁ = 7.9 ± 2.2 for the normals and 8.7 ± 1.4 for the patients and V₂ = 7.0 ± 1.5 for the normals and 6.4 ± 1.2 for the patients. The constant infusion technique yielded values for the conversion ratios for the transformation of T to several products; 4-androstene-3,17-dione/T of 0.02 ± 0.003 for normals and 0.03± 0.002 for patients, 5α-dihydrotestosterone/T of 0.02 ± 0.002 for normals and 0.03 ± 0.002 for patients, estrone/T of 0.04 ± 0.01 for normals and 0.04 ± 0.01 for patients, estradiol-17β/T of 0.02 ± 0.005 for normals and 0.03 ± 0.005 for patients and estrone sulfate/T of O.16 ± 0.02 for normals and 0.24 ± 0.06 for patients. The T plasma concentrations and production rates were similar for the two groups of subjects. Hence there were no significant differences between the normals and the patients for all the kinetic parameters. It was determined that all the estradiol being produced in postmenopausal women could be coming from circulating T.