The Origin of Southeastern Asian Triploid Edible <Emphasis Type="Italic">Canna</Emphasis> (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Canna discolor</Emphasis> Lindl.) Revealed by Molecular Cytogenetical Study<Superscript>1</Superscript>

The Origin of Southeastern Asian Triploid Edible Canna ( Canna discolor Lindl.) Revealed by Molecular Cytogenetical Study. Canna discolor Lindl. (Cannaceae), commonly known as edible canna, is often cultivated in Southeastern Asia for its starchy rhizomes. Based on morphological and karyological features, it is thought to be an allotriploid plant originated from hybridization between the closely allied C. coccinea Mill., C. patens Roscoe, C. plurituberosa T. Koyama & Nb. Tanaka, C. speciosa Roscoe, or C. indica L. In this study, to clarify the origin of triploid edible canna, physical mapping of 5S and 18S rDNA probes in C. discolor and its closely related five putative parental species was conducted. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) technique provided a useful chromosomal marker for discriminating among the diploid putative parental Canna species, and supported the hybrid origin of C. discolor between C. indica var. indica and C. plurituberosa.     

Functional anatomy and xylem cavitation resistance of three species of monocotyledons grown on flooded substrates

There are few investigations that analyze the xylem functional anatomy of monocotyledons, as the methods have been developed for woody plants. This study describes the root, rhizome and aerial stem xylem anatomy and functional anatomy of Canna indica, Cyperus papyrus and Phragmites communis grown on flooded substrates; and it aims to evaluate the relationship between the xylem anatomy and its cavitation resistance. To calculate the indexes of vulnerability, mesomorphy, collapse and relative hydraulic conductivity in the three organs mentioned, the diameter, number of vessels per mm², thickness of the walls and the length of the tracheal elements were recorded. In addition, the xylem specific conductivity of the aerial stem was measured with the pipette method, and its resistance to cavitation was determined experimentally by the air injection technique. The protoxylem is xeromorphic, it has longer vessel elements, smaller diameters, thin walls and scalariform perforation plates, whereas the metaxylem is mesomorphic, with shorter vessel elements, larger diameters, thicker walls and simple perforation plates. Both present low collapse resistance but have a high relative hydraulic conductivity. P. communis recorded the highest cavitation resistance, and the number of vessels per mm² was related to xylem cavitation resistance in Canna indica and Cyperus papyrus. The experimental results of this investigation match partially the anatomical indexes and showed that the xylem of these species has a low specific conductivity and is more vulnerable to cavitation than that of other monocots.     

Population estimates,trends and habitat associations of breeding Lapwing Vanellus vanellus,Curlew Numenius arquata and Snipe Gallinago gallinago in Northern Ireland in 1999

Capsule Declines in the breeding populations of Snipe, Lapwing and Curlew were recorded between April and June 1999 and compared with previous estimates in 1987.

Aims To compare populations of non-coastal breeding waders between 1987 and 1999.

Methods In 106 2 km × 2 km square tetrads, observers recorded the number of breeding pairs of waders and habitat details on 1:10 000 scale maps.

Results A significant decline of c. 60% for Lapwing and Curlew, and a non-significant decline of 30% for Snipe was recorded over 12 years. Concentrations of these species were found in County Tyrone, but Counties Antrim, Down and Armagh supported few breeding pairs of any species. Very few pairs of any species were recorded on improved grassland despite its widespread availability.

Conclusion A successful conservation strategy for these species must address the wider countryside and not just key sites. Intensive pastoral farming in upland and lowland areas and activities such as drainage and peat extraction will further reduce the suitability of open habitats for these wader species.     

The prevalence and species richness of spiders associated with marine strandlines on different shore types around Banks Peninsula,New Zealand

ABSTRACT

Marine strandlines provide habitat for a variety of littoral and terrestrial invertebrates, including arachnids. In this study we recorded spiders in strandlines at 35 sites on Banks Peninsula, New Zealand. On average, only 1.5 named species were recorded per thirty-minute hand search, and many sample visits (30%) recorded no spiders. Species accumulation curves suggested further species could be recorded with further sampling, but these may be tourist species rather than strandline residents. Thirty-eight species were recorded in total, with the introduced theridiid Steatoda capensis being the most common (30 records) and widespread (17 locations). The New Zealand endemic species Otagoa nova (25 records) (Toxopidae), Anoteropsis litoralis (15) and Anoteropsis hilaris (15) (Lycosidae), and the introduced Tenuiphantes tenuis (24) (Linyphiidae), were also common. Spiders were more frequent in strandlines on boulder beaches compared with shingle beaches, although there was no statistical differences in the numbers of species recorded on the different beach types.     

Aegilops (Poaceae) in Italy: taxonomy,geographical distribution,ecology, vulnerability and conservation

ABSTRACT

Aegilops L. includes wild species from which, over millennia, man has cultivated forms of Triticum L. Ten species of Aegilops occur in Italy. Three species are allochthonous and eight out of ten species are recorded in the Apulia region. Five out of the ten species have been included in Red Lists. Each taxon is presented and discussed, citing old and new sites of occurrence, by examining specimens from many different herbaria, and describing their ecology and habitats, according to the Directive 92/43 EEC. A new taxonomic key, for the identification of all Aegilops species growing in Italy, is provided. The occurrence of Aegilops caudata L., A. peregrina (Hack. in J. Fraser) Maire & Weiller and A. speltoides Tausch in Italy is doubtful.     

Occurrence and diversity of barnacles on international ships visiting Osaka Bay,Japan, and the risk of their introduction

Abstract

The occurrence and diversity of barnacles attached to the hulls of two intercontinental bulk carriers were studied at the port in Osaka Bay, Japan, to assess the potential risk of introduction of exotic species to the inner part of the bay. Barnacles were sampled from the bulbous bows, near the midship draft marks, and around the propeller posts and rudders. Twenty-two species were found, with 14 of these not previously recorded in Osaka Bay, including four species not previously recorded elsewhere in Japan. From an assessment of environmental similarity between Osaka Bay and native ranges, of the 14 species, Elminius modestus and Amphibalanus variegatus were considered to have the highest risk of introduction to the inner part of the bay.     

A preliminary list of the Muscidae (Diptera) of the Magadan region,Russia

A preliminary list is given of the species of the Muscidae (Diptera) of the Magadan region, including 93 species in 23 genera. Eighty-one species are newly recorded from this territory. Six species [Spilogona aenea Huckett, 1965, S. bifimbriata Huckett, 1965, S. fulvibasis Huckett, 1965, S. incerta Huckett, 1965, S. separata Huckett, 1965, S. trigonifera (Zetterstedt, 1838)] are newly recorded for Russia. All these species, except Spilogona trigonifera, are newly recorded for the Palaearctic region. The species list includes the material examined, ecological data of some species, the distribution and all known references to each species. According to preliminary estimates, this list reflects 60% of expected species in the Magadan region. Two new synonyms are proposed: Coenosia shumshuensis Shinonaga & Zhang, 2000, n. syn. for C. alaskensis Huckett, 1965, and Coenosia remissa Huckett, 1965, n. syn. for C. ciliata Hennig 1961.     

Can spatial variation in epiphyte diversity and community structure be predicted from sampling vascular epiphytes alone?

Aim Non‐vascular epiphytes have been largely ignored in studies examining the biotic and abiotic determinants of spatial variation in epiphyte diversity. Our aim was to test whether the spatial patterning of species richness, biomass and community composition across geographic regions, among trees within regions, and among branches within trees is consistent between the vascular and non‐vascular components of the temperate rain forest flora. Location Coastal lowland podocarp‐broadleaved forests on the west coast of the South Island of New Zealand. Methods We collected single samples (30 × 25 cm) from 96 epiphyte assemblages located on the inner branches of 40 northern rata (Metrosideros robusta) trees. For each sample, branch characteristics such as branch height, branch diameter, branch angle, branch aspect, and minimum and maximum epiphyte mat depth were recorded. The biomass for each individual epiphyte species was determined. Results Northern rata was host to a total of 157 species, comprising 32 vascular and 125 non‐vascular species, with liverworts representing 41% of all species. Within epiphyte mats, the average total organic biomass of 3.5 kg m^?2 of branch surface area consisted largely of non‐living biomass and roots. Vascular and non‐vascular epiphytes showed strikingly different spatial patterns in species richness, biomass and composition between sites, among trees within sites, and among branches within trees, which could not be explained by the branch structural characteristics we measured. The two plant groups had no significant association in community composition (r = 0.04, P = 0.08). However, the species richness of vascular plant seedlings was strongly linked to the presence/absence of lichens. Main conclusions Non‐vascular plants contributed substantially to the high species richness and biomass recorded in this study, which was comparable to that of some tropical rain forests. High variability in community composition among epiphyte mats, and very low correlation with any of the environmental factors measured possibly indicate high levels of stochasticity in seed or spore colonization, establishment success or community assembly among branches in these canopy communities. Although we found some evidence that vascular plant seedling establishment was linked to the presence of lichens and the biomass of non‐living components in the epiphyte mats, there was no correlation in the spatial patterning or determinants of species richness between non‐vascular and vascular plants. Consequently, variation in total epiphyte biodiversity could not be predicted from the measurement of vascular plant diversity alone, which highlights the crucial importance of sampling non‐vascular plants when undertaking epiphyte community studies.     

First report of a hymenopteran parasitoid complex on jackfruit shoot and fruit borer Diaphania caesalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) from India

ABSTRACT

A survey of the species composition and relative abundance of Diaphania caesalis Walker (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) in plantations of jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.) in three southern states along India’s western coast recorded thirteen species of primary parasitoids and one species of a hyperparasitoid, namely Tetrastichus pantnagerensis Khan (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae). Apanteles stantoni Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) was the most dominant parasitoid and found in 35% of the parasitised host larvae in Karnataka, 38.5% in Kerala, and 33.1% in Tamil Nadu whereas the overall level of parasitisation, involving all the different parasitoids recorded, was approximately 41%–45% and did not vary significantly with location.     

A new method of salt pan formation in intertidal marshes

Summary

Records of fungi occurring in the Hebrides are extended, particularly for Jura and Islay where, respectively, 40 and 47 taxa are recorded for the first time. Twenty taxa are added to the list for Rhum and 89 to that for Colonsay. Additional fungi are also reported for Hirta (St. Kilda) , Bernary, Mingulay, Barra and South Uist in the Outer Hebrides, and Eigg and Canna in the Inner Hebrides.     

Annual survey of planktonic dinoflagellates and related cysts in the Gulf of Trieste (Northern Adriatic Sea)

Abstract

A survey of planktonic dinoflagellates and related cysts was carried out in the Gulf of Trieste throughout one year from April 1992 to March 1993. 113 taxa were recovered by the analysis of phytoplankton net samples. The most represented genera were Protoperidinium (34 species), Ceratium (24 species), Dinophysis (15 species), Gonyaulax (11 species) and Prorocentrum (8 species). A particular attention was given to potentially toxic species belonging to the genera Dinophysis, Alexandrium and Prorocentrum. The highest number of species (67 species) was recorded in July, and the lowest one (18 species) in February.

33 cyst morphotypes were recorded by the analysis of sediment samples. The most represented genera were Protoperidinium (8 morphotypes), Scrippsiella (3 morphotypes), Gonyaulax (3 morphotypes) and Alexandrium (2 morphotypes); the cysts most frequently found were those of Conyaulax polyedra and Alexandrium pseudogonyaulax.     

Long-term vegetation stability in northern Europe as assessed by changes in species co-occurrences

Background: The effect of the anticipated climate change on the stability of vegetation and the factors underlying this stability are not well understood.

Aims: Our objective was to quantify long-term vegetation changes in a range of habitats in northern Europe by exploring species co-occurrences and their links to diversity and productivity gradients.

Methods: We re-sampled vegetation in 16 arctic, mountain and mire sites 20 to 90 years after the original inventories. A site-specific change in species assemblages (stability) was quantified using species co-occurrences. Using a randomisation test we tested whether the changes observed were significantly greater than those expected by chance. Relationships between patterns in vegetation stability and time between surveys, numbers of plots, or species diversity and proxies for productivity, were tested using regression analysis.

Results: At most sites the changes in species co-occurrences of vascular plants and bryophytes were greater than those expected by chance. The changes observed were found to be unrelated to gradients in productivity or diversity.

Conclusions: Changes in species co-occurrences are not strongly linked to diversity or productivity gradients in vegetation, suggesting that other gradients or site-specific factors (e.g. land use or species interactions) may be more important in controlling recent compositional shifts in vegetation in northern Europe.     

The parasitoid complex affecting Choristoneura rosaceana and Pandemis limitata in organically managed apple orchards

Parasitism and density of obliquebanded leafroller,Choristoneura rosaceana (Harris), and thethree-lined leafroller, Pandemis limitata(Robinson) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), were studied in 1998–2001 in organically managed apple orchards in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. The density of the overwintered generation of leafrollers in spring was significantly higher than thedensity of the first generation in summer. There was a significant inverse correlation between the density of leafrollers and the percent parasitism within generation and therefore parasitoids may play a role in controlling leafroller density. Parasitism of the overwintered generation (means between 5.5 and 24.7%) was significantly lower than parasitism documented in the summer generation (means up to 67.9%). The parasitoid complex recorded as emerging from these leafrollerpopulations in 1998–1999 included 30 species, of which eight have not been previously recorded in the literature as parasitoids of either leafroller species. The most frequently occurring parasitoids included Apophuasimplicipes (Cresson) and two species of Glypta(Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), Macrocentrus linearis (Nees), Meteorus trachynotus Viereck, Apantelespolychrosidis Viereck, Apanteles atra (Ratzeburg) and Microgaster epagoges Gahan (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), Colpoclypeus florus (Walker) and one Sympiesisspecies (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae). All of these more common parasitoids, except Glypta sp. 1 and M. epagoges, were recorded parasitizing leafroller hosts in both leafroller generations. The number of days to adult parasitoid emergence, when field collected parasitized hosts were held at 20°C, was recorded for four of the parasitoid species. Meteorus trachynotus was found to emerge early enough in spring toparasitize the few remaining overwintered early instar leafrollers. Glypta sp. 1, A. simplicipes and one Apanteles species emerged to coincide with the first generationin the summer.     

Linking small-scale topography with microclimate,plant species diversity and intra-specific trait variation in an alpine landscape

Background: Small-scale topographic complexity is a characteristic feature of alpine landscapes, with important effects on alpine plant distribution.

Aims: We investigated the links between small-scale topographic complexity and resultant microclimatic heterogeneity, vascular-plant species richness and beta diversity, and realised niche width and trait variation of some target species.

Methods: We recorded temperature and soil moisture within 10 sites (40 m × 40 m) of differing topographic complexity in alpine terrain at Finse, Norway (N 60° 36?, E 7° 33?). Plant species occurrence and traits of target species were recorded in 16 sample plots at each site.

Results: Sites differed significantly in microclimatic heterogeneity, and topographically rough sites were always more heterogeneous than flatter ones. Greater species richness and turnover was associated with greater microclimatic heterogeneity, and rough sites contained 15–55% more species than flatter ones. Plant species had on average wider realised niches when growing at rough sites. Individuals of Bistorta vivipara, but not those of Luzula spicata, tended to exhibit greater phenotypic variation at rough sites.

Conclusions: Rough alpine terrains create small-scale variation in microclimate, promoting species richness and beta diversity. In the event of climate change, small-scale microclimatic heterogeneity might allow plant species to escape from regional climate change by short-distance migration to local micro-refugia. This study suggests that the opportunity for such responses would be greater in topographically complex terrains.     

Rhizoctonia solani and orchid seed

Summary

One hundred and sixty-two agarics are recorded for Hirta and two from Dùn, two islands situated off the West coast of Scotland in the St. Kilda complex. The agarics are described in relation to the ecological noda proposed by McVean for the higher plant communities of the islands. Omphalina ericetorum and Nolanea staurospora were by far the commonest species: eighttaxa which are not in the New British Check List are recorded from Hirta. An appendix dealing with the taxonomy and nomenclature of the more critical species in the list is given.     

Records of echinoderms (excluding holothurians) from the Norfolk Ridge and Three Kings Rise north of New Zealand

Abstract

Fifty-eight species of echinoderms (excluding holothurians) are newly recorded from the southern Norfolk Ridge and the Three Kings Rise to the north of New Zealand. Two species of Asteroidea, in the genera Ceramaster and Pseudoceramaster, ceramaster are described as new. A total of 115 species of echinoderms, not counting the holothurians, are now known from this area. They include 14 crinoids, 35 asteroids, 41 ophiuroids, and 25 echinoids.     

Molecular phylogenetics and definition of the Acrapex minima Janse group (Lepidoptera,Noctuidae, Apameini,Sesamiina) with the description of four new species from the Afrotropics

Five morphologically similar species of Acrapex Hampson (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Noctuinae, Apameini), from sub-Saharan Africa are reviewed, including four new species that are described: Acrapex mondogeneta Le Ru n. sp., A. mubale Le Ru n. sp., A. robe Le Ru n. sp. and A. rubona Le Ru n. sp. These five species belong to a species complex that we hereby define as the Acrapex minima group. Host plants of three species are recorded; Acrapex minima is recorded for the first time on a host plant, Digitaria natalensis Stent; A. mondogeneta on Hyparrhenia hirta (L.) Stapf and A. rubona on Imperata cylindrica (L.) P. Beauv. We also conducted molecular phylogenetics (using both Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood) and molecular species delimitation analyses (Poisson tree processes) on a six gene multi-marker dataset (four mitochondrial and two nuclear gene fragments; 4582 nucleotides in length) of 42 specimens and 22 species, including 23 specimens from the Acrapex minima group. The results of the corresponding analyses support the monophyly of the group and the species status of the newly described taxa.     

东北地区木本植物一个新记录属和五个新记录种

东北地区位于我国东北部,地处欧亚大陆东部,地域辽阔,植物种类丰富,共有维管束植物164科928属3 103种。该文根据野外调查结果及相关资料,报道了东北地区木本植物1个新记录属是黄连木属(Pistacia L.)(漆树科Anacardiaceae)和5个新记录种,分别是黄连木(Pistacia chinensis)、野皂荚(Gleditsia microphylla)、东北忍冬(Lonicera elisae)、郁香忍冬(L.fragrantissima)、毛叶水栒子(Cotoneaster submultiflorus)。该文报道的新记录种凭证标本保存于大连自然博物馆植物标本室。这些新记录木本植物的发现,对东北地区生物多样性的研究具有重要意义,为其在我国的地理分布研究提供了新资料。     

Revegetation following experimental disturbance in a boreal old-growth Picea abies forest

Abstract. We studied revegetation patterns after experimental fine-scale disturbance (e.g. uprooting) in an old-growth Picea abies forest in southeastern Norway. An experimental severity gradient was established by manipulation of the depth of soil disturbance; two types of disturbed areas were used. Species recovery was recorded in the disturbed patches in three successive years after disturbance. The cover of vascular plants and, even more so the cover of bryophytes and lichens, recovered slowly after disturbance. The least severe treatments (removal of vegetation and removal of vegetation and the litter layer) was followed by the fastest recovery. The mean number of vascular plant species was usually higher three years after disturbance than before disturbance, while the opposite was true for bryophytes. Several vascular plant species that were abundant in intact forest floor vegetation (Vaccinium myrtillus, V. vitis-idaea and Deschampsia flexuosa) recovered during a three-year period primarily by resprouting from intact rhizomes and clonal in-growth. Other important recovery mechanisms included germination from a soil-buried propagule bank (e.g. Luzula pilosa, Plagiothecium laetum agg., Pohlia nutans and Polytrichum spp.) and dispersal of propagules into the disturbed patches (e.g. Betula pubescens and Picea abies). Microsite limitation seemed to occur in several species that were abundant in the soil propagule bank (e.g. the ferns Athyrium filix-femina, Gymnocarpium dryopteris and Phegopteris connectilis) but which did not appear in disturbed patches. Disturbance severity influenced revegetation patterns, recorded both as trajectories of vegetation composition in a DCA ordination space and as change in floristic dissimilarity. The length of the successional path (compositional change measured in β-diversity units) increased with increasing disturbance severity, and was also influenced by the area of the disturbed patch and the distance to intact vegetation. The rate of succession depended on the method by which it was measured; decreasing year by year in floristic space, while first decreasing and then increasing in ordination space. The reason for this difference is explained.