A synopsis of the vestimentiferan system

This paper presents a review of the vestimentiferan system and provides amended diagnoses for all the taxons. The class of vestimentiferans comprises two orders. Lamellibrachiida and Tevniida. The family Alaysiidae is considered to be a group of uncertain systematic position. A map of the geographical distribution of the vestimentiferans is presented.     

A synopsis of the genusScleromitrula (=Verpatinia) (Ascomycotina: Helotiales: Sclerotiniaceae)

The systematics ofScleromitrula andVerpatinia of the family Sclerotiniaceae is reevaluated on the basis of morphological, cultural and molecular criteria.Scleromitrula shiraiana, Verpatinia species andCiborinia candolleana share gross morphological, microanatomical and cultural features which clearly distinguish them from the closely relatedCiborinia andRutstroemia species. Phylogenetic analyses of sequences from the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS1, ITS2, and the 5.8S gene) of nuclear ribosomal DNA demonstrate that the stipitate-capitate specimens ofScleromitrula andVerpatinia species plus the stipitate-cupulateCiborinia candolleana constitute a monophyletic clade separate from a clade including the type species ofCiborinia. Scleromitrula is emended to includeS. shiraiana, the new speciesS. rubicola, C. candolleana, and specimens formerly assigned toVerpatinia. A key to the accepted species ofScleromitrula is provided.     

A synopsis of the neotropical species of Dalechampia (Euphorbiaceae)

WEBSTER, G. L. & ARMBRUSTER, W. S., 1991. A synopsis of the neotropical species of Dalechampia ( Euphorbiaceae ). The characters used in inferring phylogenetic relationship in Dalechampia are discussed, and a consistent terminology is devised for the parts of the distinctive pseudanthial inflorescences. The infrageneric classification is radically modified, with the 92 provisionally accepted binomials for the neotropical taxa referred to six sections: Rhopalostylis, Dioscoreifoliae, Cremophyllum, Coriaceae, Tiliifoliae and Dalechampia. As here interpreted, section Dalechampia includes 53 species in five subsections; one new subsection, Convolvuloides , is described.     

Plants and landscape in the Vestfold Hills,Antarctica

Maps are presented showing the recorded distribution and species density of terrestrial plants in the Vestfold Hills. The distribution, biomass and species diversity of terrestrial lithic algae, mosses and lichens is influenced positively by availability of meltwater from drift snow and by additional nutrient supply (probably N and P) near bird nest sites. The terrestrial plants are affected negatively by exposure (including sand blast) and salinity. These four factors are probably the most important environmental characteristics exercising local control over plant distribution and abundance within the limits set by temperature.Large changes in salinity, degree of exposure, water supply and nutrient supply occur across the Vestfold Hills, with the most favourable conditions generally occurring in the eastern half fairly close to the ice sheet.Plant distribution and abundance are also discussed in relation to the length of time that particular areas have been exposed as a result of ice retreat. With increasing time of exposure, plant diversity and abundance rise but subsequently fall sharply as conditions become more arid, saline, or both. This temporal sequence can be explained by considering changes in the important factors that control plant growth.     

Populations of Lobaria pulmonaria (L.) Hoffm. in the Cansiglio Regional Forest (Veneto,Pre-Alps,north-east Italy): Distribution,diversity and conservation issues

Abstract

The distribution of the epiphytic macrolichen Lobaria pulmonaria (L.) Hoffm. was surveyed in the Regional Forest of Cansiglio, extending over 3,500 ha in the eastern part of the Veneto Pre-Alps (north-east Italy). Data on the main characteristics of the forest sites and on Lobaria trees were collected with the aim to evaluate the main ecological factors, related to forest composition and management, affecting the distribution of Lobaria pulmonaria. Lichen diversity was surveyed on 15 randomly selected Lobaria trees. A good correlation between macrolichens and the total number of species was found. The largest Lobaria populations are concentred in the north-eastern part of the forest, where mixed and multi-plane silver fir – beech formations prevail, and selective cutting is carried out. Our data has enabled us to develop some criteria for the identification of priority conservation sites for Lobaria pulmonaria and lichen diversity in the study area, improving the focus on biodiversity in the management of the forest.     

From fundamental biology to the search for innovation: The story of fungal extracellular vesicles

Fungal extracellular vesicles (EVs) have attracted increased attention in recent years. Originated from a serendipitous discovery, the initial observation of fungal EVs resulted in a set of data repetitively rejected by several scientific journals, which raised questions about their authenticity. However, after the most fundamental experimental issues related to their observation were addressed, fungal EVs were characterized in dozens of species and became an emerging field. In this essay, we will discuss these fundamental findings and the potential of fungal EVs for the development of vaccines and antifungals.     

Climax epiphytic communities in Mediterranean Spain

The Antitrichetalia curtipendulae epiphytic climax communities of Šmarda & Hadàč from the Spanish Mediterranean area have been classified by numerical and traditional floristic methods. Ninety-eight phytosociological relevés have been recorded from a number of Iberian forests. Our results indicate two clusters that can be easily related to two different alliances: Lobarion pulmonariae (Nephrometum resupinati) and Pterogonio gracile-Antitrichion californicae (Antitrichielum californicae). A phytogeographical and syntaxonomical discussion is followed by a suggested Red List of threatened lichens and bryophytes occurring in these communities in the Spanish Mediterranean area with the aim of advancing conservation of endangered and vulnerable species.     

Evolution of Filamentous Ascomycetes Inferred from LSU rDNA Sequence Data

Abstract: The nuclear LSU rRNA gene was examined in order to evaluate the current phylogeny of ascomycetes, which is mainly based on nuclear SSU rRNA data. Partial LSU rRNA gene sequences of 19 ascomycetes were determined and aligned with the corresponding sequences of 13 other ascomycetes retrieved from Genbank, including all classes traditionally distinguished and most of the recently accepted classes. The classification based on SSU rDNA data and morphological characters is supported, while the traditional classification and classifications based on the ascus type are rejected. Ascomycetes with perithecia and cleistothecia form monophyletic groups, while the discomycetes are a paraphyletic assemblage. The Pezizales are basal to all other filamentous ascomycetes. The monophyly of Loculoascomycetes is uncertain. The results of the LSU rDNA analysis agree with those of the SSU rDNA and RPB2 gene analyses, suggesting that most classes circumscribed in the filamentous ascomycetes are monophyletic. The branching order and relationships among these classes, however, cannot be elucidated with any of these data sets.     

A synopsis of the family Lissocarpaceae

A species erroneously described as aDiospyros is here transferred toLissocarpa, asL. tetramera (Rusby) P. E. Berry. This gives a total of five species currently recognized in Lissocarpaceae. A key to the species and a discussion of the individual taxa are presented.     

A new species of Porina from the Andaman Islands,India

A new species of foliicolous lichens, Porina andamanensis, from the Andaman Islands, India, is described and illustrated.     

A new species of Porina from the Andaman Islands, India

A new species of foliicolous lichens, Porina andamanensis , from the Andaman Islands, India, is described and illustrated.     

Destruction of lichen chemical defenses by a fungal

Lichen secondary metabolites are known to inhibit various animal consumers and pathogenic microorganisms. Nevertheless, many obligate fungal pathogens have evolved a tolerance to these inhibitory lichen compounds. We recently discovered a new lichen pathogen in the fungal genus Fusarium that is not only tolerant of lichen compounds but also able to degrade many of these compounds. This organism was discovered in field investigations of a different lichenicolous fungus, Marchandiomyces corallinus, which was found growing on lichens (Lasallia papulosa and L. pensylvanica) that normally inhibit its growth. Subsequent experiments established that M. corallinus is found on Lasallia species only when Fusarium is also present. We hypothesized that Fusarium altered the inhibitory chemistry of Lasallia spp. and permitted colonization by M. corallinus. A laboratory experiment to test this hypothesis demonstrated that sterilized tissues of Lasallia papulosa exposed to Fusarium for 30 d are readily degraded by M. corallinus; control tissues left in sterile water for 30 d continue to inhibit growth of M. corallinus. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) established that the lichen compound lecanoric acid, one of several lichen compounds that inhibit growth of M. corallinus, is degraded by extracellular enzymes produced by this newly discovered Fusarium. Taken together, our results demonstrate that enzymatic degradation of lichen compounds permits colonization of lichens by fungi that would otherwise be chemically excluded.     

A synopsis of Goniothalamus species (Annonaceae) in Thailand, with descriptions of three new species

A comprehensive taxonomic revision of Goniothalamus species (Annonaceae) occurring in Thailand is presented for the first time. Twenty-five species are recognized, including three that are described as new to science ( Goniothalamus aurantiacus from South-Western Thailand, Goniothalamus maewongensis from Northern Thailand, and Goniothalamus rongklanus from Northern and North-Eastern Thailand). Several taxonomic and nomenclatural misunderstandings are corrected. The name G. griffithii is shown to be widely misapplied for populations in Northern Thailand, for which the name G. calvicarpus should be applied; 'true' G. griffithii is restricted to South-Western Thailand and Myanmar. In addition, the widely used name G. marcanii is shown to be a synonym of G. tamirensis , and the name G. latestigma , previously regarded as a synonym of G. undulatus , is reinstated. Goniothalamus cheliensis is furthermore newly recorded from Thailand. Most species are restricted to Peninsular Thailand and represent a Malesian floristic component.  © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2008, 156 , 355–384.     

Ecological implications of the reproductive biology of symbiotic nemerteans

A major problem for parasites is to ensure that offspring will reach a correct host. Responses to this problem include several reproductive adaptations. This review paper shows that Carcinonemertes has several such adaptations, including increased number of gonads and offspring, synchrony of hatching with host larval hatching, facultative parthenogenesis, and mating. Other nemerteans show different, but comparably adaptive, reproductive modifications for parasitism. In contrast, reproductive biology of the commensal Malacobdella resembles that of free-living nemerteans, being timed to coincide with plankton blooms that are food for settling young.It has been thought that nemerteans found in association with other animals usually have only causal relationships with those animals, and that actual parasitism is rare among nemerteans. However, it is being found that parasitism is both well developed and more common among nemerteans than was previously thought. Nemerteas show in their reproductive biology that they are adapted to the selective factors that are important in their ways of life, and we should be able to predict the life styles of these worms by knowing their reproductive ecology.     

Homology Assessment of the Boundary Tissue in Fruiting Bodies of the Lichen Family Sphaerophoraceae (Lecanorales, Ascomycota)

Abstract: The ascoma ontogeny of the family Sphaerophoraceae is reviewed. The development of the boundary tissue in Leifidium tenerum is described and compared with similar structures in some other mazaediate representatives of the family ( Sphaerophorus globosus, Bunodophoron dodgei and B. diplotypum ), and with the non-mazaedia-producing genera Austropeltum and Neophyllis. The dominant structure in the base of mature ascomata in all genera is a boundary tissue forming the border between ascomatal ("generative") and thalline ("vegetative") tissue. In the mazaedia-forming genera, the boundary tissue is composed of two layers. The upper layer is a zone of ascogenous hyphae, homologous to similar zones in Neophyllis and Austropeltum. The lower layer is a pseudoparenchymatic and often strongly pigmented zone formed by generative tissue, homologous to a zone of generative tissue present in Neophyllis but lacking in Austropeltum.     

A synopsis of the human Y chromosome

Summary Phenotypic features and functions known to depend on the presence of the Y chromosome or the H-Y antigen are discussed in relation to structural anomalies of the Y chromosome and other abnormalities of sexual and somatic development.Recent knowledge about molecular organization of constitutive heterochromatin in relation to the human Y is presented.An attempt is made at assigning different functions, genes and DNA sequence to different regions of the Y chromosome.     

A synopsis of Thai Nymphaeaceae

A synopsis of Nymphaeaceae from Thailand was made by means of a literature search, consultation of herbarium specimens in several Thai and European herbaria, and a survey of 47 wetlands throughout Thailand. Nymphaeaceae phylogeny, habitats and reproductive ecology are reviewed. All species encountered were cultivated at Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden in Chiang Mai for further observations. Two species of Barclaya ( B. longifolia and B. motleyi ) the latter being represented by only a single herbarium specimen with uncertain origin, were encountered. In Nymphaea, four native species, the day-blooming N. cyanea and N. nouchali , and the night-blooming N. pubescens and N. rubra, were encountered. In addition, the day-blooming N. capensis, which has been introduced into Thailand, was found adventive at several localities. Barclaya species are restricted to pristine natural forest habitats, whereas Nymphaea species occur naturally in swamps and lakes, but are now found in many anthropogenic habitats.     

A Preliminary Study on Community Characteristics of Corticolous Lichen in Forest Ecosystem in Eastern Altay Mts .

In this paper, the authors used cluster analysis method to study the corticolous lichen community structure in forest ecosystem of eastern AltayMts of Xinjiang according to the on the spot investigation results in many year. The results show that in this Mts the lichen species which can be divided into four communities: (1 ) Calicium abietinum Pers + Tephromela atra (Hundson) community; (2) Leptogium saturninum (Dicks. ) + Lecidea elabens Fr. community; (3) Parmelia sulcata Tayl. apud Mack + Ramalina farnacea (L. ) Ach community; (4) Caloplaca flavorubescens + Phaeophyscia nigricans (Flk. ) community. We also were compared the species diversity, similarity and evenness index of differentcommunities.