Molecular evidence for the taxonomic identity of Korean Adonis (Ranunculaceae)

Although Korean Adonis has been traditionally recognized as Adonis amurensis Regel and Radde with various infraspecific taxa described, its taxonomic identity is still in dispute. We investigated the genetic variation in 60 individuals from 12 populations in Korea to elucidate the taxonomic identity of the Korean Adonis complex. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis revealed that Korean Adonis comprises three species: A. amurensis, A. pseudoamurensis, and A. multiflora. Adonis amurensis is distributed in northern central inland regions of Korea and A. pseudoamurensis is found in southern parts of the Korean peninsula. Adonis multiflora grows only on Cheju Island, which is the southernmost part of Korea. Phylogenetic analysis of nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences partially supported the presence of three Adonis taxa in Korea as detected by RAPD analysis. The Adonis population on Jangbong Island located in the West Sea, which was referred to as A. pseudoamurensison the basis of morphological examination, was separated from the other populations of A. pseudoamurensis. Otherwise, the molecular evidence is well congruent with the recent morphological study that proposes that Korean Adonis consists of these three species.     

A palynotaxonomic study of Korean<Emphasis Type="Italic">Adonis</Emphasis> (Ranunculaceae)

The pollen morphology of KoreanAdonis was examined to clarify its specific recognition. Pollen grains were divided into two major types, according to the size and number of their echinae; those with many small echinae were further subdivided into two subtypes: 2 to 3 aligned foveolae vs. unaligned foveolae. The three types of pollen morphology determined here agree well with recent taxonomic treatments of KoreanAdonis. Those analyses, based on morphological and molecular properties, previously recognizedAdonis amurensis, Adonis multiflora, andAdonis pseudoa-murensis.     

Phylogenetic and conservation status of the endangered terrestrial orchid Nervilia nipponica (Orchidaceae) in Korea

The putative Japanese endemic Nervilia nipponica was discovered recently on Jeju Island in Korea. However, Japanese populations of N. nipponica have since been shown to comprise two polyphyletic taxa. To confirm the taxonomic status of the Korean Nervilia populations, we compared ITS1, matK and trnL intron sequence data with that from the two cryptic Japanese taxa. Our results confirmed all Korean populations as belonging to the true N. nipponica s.s, which must shed its endemic status. Korean accessions showed no distinct genotypic patterning, with samples from all populations and representing two distinct colour forms forming a single monophyletic clade. The extremely low level of genetic diversity detected within N. nipponica on Jeju Island underscores the urgent need for measures to secure the species from local extirpation. We conclude that N. nipponica is a priority for conservation and recommend that systematic controls and sustained efforts are required to ensure its protection.     

The annual species ofAdonis (Ranunculaceae)—a polyploid complex

The five annual species ofAdonis L., sect.Adonis, growing in Israel, form a series of diploid, tetraploid and hexaploid species. Their somatic chromosome numbers are 2n = 16 inA. annua L.,A. dentata Del. andA. palaestina Boiss., 2n = 32 inA. microcarpa DC., 2n = 48 inA. aestivalis L.; counts forA. dentata, A. palaestina andA. microcarpa are new records. There are indications that alloploidization may have been involved in the process of speciation in sect.Adonis. A taxonomic survey of the 8 species of the section reveals that a higher ploidy level is usually combined with a larger distribution area.     

There large inversions in the chloroplast genomes and one loss of the chloroplast generps16 suggest an early evolutionary split in the genusAdonis (Ranunculaceae)

Detailed chloroplast DNA restriction site maps for two species in the genusAdonis (Ranunculaceae),A. annua andA. vernalis, were constructed using single and double digests and the sizes of these genomes are 151.3 and 156.5 kilobases, respectively. Three inversions were found inAdonis, relative to the gene order in the majority of land plants. These rearrangements represent two different gene orders and mark an ancient split in the evolutionary history of this genus. Gene probes were used in order to map the endpoints of the inversions and the inverted repeat regions. The inverted repeat is approximately 400 base pairs shorter inA. annua than inA. vernalis. Two inversions, 39 kilobases and 24 kilobases in size, occur inA. annua and one inversion, 42 kilobases in size, is present in the remaining investigated species ofAdonis. The generps16 is absent from the chloroplast genome inAdonis annua. Restriction sites for eleven restriction endonucleases were mapped forA. annua, A. vernalis and four additional species ofAdonis and two species ofTrollius. Eighty-six phylogenetically informative sites were analysed cladistically in order to evaluate the main clades withinAdonis.     

Ecogeographical differentiation patterns inAdonis sect.Consiligo (Ranunculaceae)

Adonis sect.Consiligo is split into three subsections based on morphology, growth pattern, pollen and fruit morphology. For all species distribution maps are provided and discussed with regard to their ecology and climatic requirements. These data reveal additional characters that support the classification of the taxa. Most species of the section grow in continental Eurasiatic steppes and mountain steppe habitats. Only the species of subsect.Amurenses grow in Far Eastern temperate forests and prefer a more oceanic climate. The taxonomic position of these strongly divergent species is supported by the distributional and ecological data. The evolution ofAdonis sect.Consiligo occurred under strong climatic control. During evolution the taxa could only slightly widen their ecological amplitude and, thus, ecology remained rather stable except that of the subsect.Amurenses. Ecological and distributional data can be used to validate taxonomy and phylogeny and reveal additional informations.     

Taxonomic relationships in East AsianVicia species with unijugate leaves based on random amplified polymorphic DNA markers

Random amplified polymorphic DNA(RAPD) markers were investigated to clarify the taxonomic positions ofVicia linearifolia andV. bifolia, and to assess the genomic diversity among the 9 populations ofV. unijuga, each of which represents a geographical variation or infraspecific taxa in southern Korea. These species are characterized by unijugate leaves in East Asia and have been controversial as to infra-or interspecific classification. The polymorphic markers among the populations examined were observed for fifteen decamer primers. The degree of band sharing was used to calculate genetic similarity between populations, and a phenogram using UPGMA cluster analysis was generated based on the Dice similarity coefficient. The taxa studied were divided into two main groups and the populations ofV. unijuga were all grouped together in the phenogram. The genetic similarities ofV. unijuga were very high among the populations and did not show distinctions between the infraspecific taxa, although the populations of Mt. Odae and adjacent areas in eastern Korea were different from others of the species.V. linearifolia fell within the range of the genomic variation among the populations ofV. unijuga, whileV. bifolia was grouped withV. venosa var.cuspidata having multijugate leaves rather thanV. unijuga. The result from studying RAPD markers suggested thatV. linearifolia should be integrated intoV. unijuga and that species with unijugate leaves ofV. bifolia andV. unijuga are polyphyletic.     

Multivariate analyses of theScutellaria pekinensis complex (Labiatae) in Korea

The taxonomy of theScutellaria pekinensis complex has been ambiguous and problematic, because morphological characters are variable. To elucidate the taxonomic structure of the Korean taxa belonging to the complex, 29 characters were measured from 99 individuals collected from 96 localities and analyzed by factor analysis, cluster analysis, and discriminant analysis. The results supported the recognition of four infraspecific taxa ofS. pekinensis Maxim, in Korea: var.ussuriensis (Regel) Handel-Mazzetti, var.alpina (Nakai) Hara, var.transitra (Makino) Hara, and var.maxima S. Kim et S. Lee. Key characters distinguishing the four varieties were inferred on the basis of multivariante analyses.     

Morphological and isozyme divergence in Korean Hepatica sensu stricto (Ranunculaceae)

 Morphological and electrophoretic data were studied to examine species delimitation, patterns of morphological and genetic variation in three Korean Hepatica including two endemics, H.␣maxima and H. insularis. Based on a phenogram using 15 morphological characters, taxa were distinct; it was consistent with the phenogram based on genetic distance. In the enzyme electrophoresis study, the genetic identities suggested that three taxa were genetically divergent enough to be recognized as different species, falling within the range expected␣for congeners. The genetic identity between H.␣asiatica and H. insularis was higher than the values between these two taxa and H.␣maxima, a restricted endemic of Ulleung Island. The least genetic variation was found in H. maxima and the greatest in widespread H. asiatica. These data are consistent with theoretical expectations that small populations are more likely to be genetically depauperate. Received November 13, 2001; accepted May 10, 2002 Published online: December 11, 2002     

The distribution of diploids and polyploids of the Scilla scilloides complex in Korea

A total of 3 384 individuals of Scilla scilloides Druce were sampled from 40 natural populations at 35 different localities over the Korean Peninsula and analysed cytogenetically. The following cytogenetic types were found: AA (19.6%), AABB (72.4%), ABBB (4.3%), AABBB (3.0%) and aneuploids (0.8%). Of these, AA was found in 9 populations along the west side of the Korean Peninsula facing the Yellow Sea and on Yeongdo and Jeju Islands. Type AABB, the most common type in the complex, was found in 33 natural populations on the Korean Peninsula and Jeju Island. The distributions of ABBB and AABBB are restricted to the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and Jeju Island; they were found in 8 natural populations. In southern Korea the above four types showed overlapping distribution and two or three were often found growing together.Genome A, occurring in the three allopolyploids in the Korean Peninsula, was the same as that in allopolyploids in Japan. However, genome A occurring as AA diploids was karyotypically different from that in the allopolyploids. On the basis of distribution patterns and cytological features, the origin of the allopolyploids is discussed.     

Structural rearrangements,including parallel inversions,within the chloroplast genome of Anemone and related genera

Chloroplast DNA cleavage sites for 10 restriction enzymes were mapped for 46 species representing all sections of Anemone, four closely related genera (Clematis, Pulsatilla, Hepatica, and Knowltonia), and three more distantly related outgroups (Caltha, Ranunculus, and Adonis). Comparison of the maps revealed that the chloroplast genomes of Anemone and related genera have sustained an unusual number and variety of rearrangements. A single inversion of a 42-kb segment was found in the large single-copy region of Adonis aestivalis. Two types of rearrangements were found in the chloroplast genome of Clematis, Anemone, Pulsatilla, Hepatica, and Knowltonia: An approximately 4-kb expansion of the inverted repeat and four inversions within the large single-copy region. These rearrangements support the monophyletic status of these genera, clearly separating them from Caltha, Ranunculus, and Adonis. Two further inversions were found in two Clematis species and three Anemone species. While appearing to support a monophyletic grouping for these taxa, these two inversions conflict with data from both chloroplast restriction sites and morphology and are better interpreted as having occurred twice independently. These are the first two documented cases of homoplastic inversions in chloroplast DNA. Finally, the second intron of the chloroplast rps12 gene was shown to have been lost in the common ancestor of the same three Anemone species that feature the two homoplastic inversions.     

Taxonomic review of the genus Gonioctena Chevrolat (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Chrysomelinae) in the Korean Peninsula

A taxonomic review of the genus Gonioctena in the Korean Peninsula is presented. Ten species belonging to three subgenera are recognized. Gonioctena jacobsoni (Ogloblin et Medvedev) and Gonioctnea kamiyai Kimoto are recorded for the first time in Korea. A key, illustrations of diagnostic characters, and the coloration patterns of Korean Gonioctena are provided.     

Genetic Differentiation Among Annual Fishes of the Genus Cynolebias (Cyprinodontiformes, Rivuluidae) in a Biosphere Reserve Site from Uruguay

The annual killifishes of the genus Cynolebias include one well supported clade composed of three taxa: Cynolebias adloffi, from Porto Alegre (southern Brazil), C. cf. adloffi and Cynolebias viarius, parapatrically distributed in southeastern Uruguay. Cynolebias cf. adloffi has always been considered an intergradation complex of populations between C. adloffi and C. viarius showing high levels of morphological variability and its systematic affinities have been historically discussed. This study clarified the patterns of genetic differentiation of C. cf. adloffi by means of RAPD markers to define its taxonomic status as a possible separated taxon. Multidimensional scaling analysis reveals that C. cf. adloffi is composed of two highly structured genetic groups (northern and southern) with discrete geographical distributions. The estimate of gene diversity for RAPD markers could suggest a scenario in which the rainy season flood pool populations across large distances could make intrapopulation variation high but interpopulation variation low. Phylogenetic analyses (UPGMA and parsimony) show different and unstable patterns of relationships among the taxa analyzed. In the UPGMA tree, C. viarius and C. cf. adloffi appear as sister taxa, while parsimony analysis does not support a unique hypothesis of relationship. Our analyses are in agreement with the hypothesis that C. cf. adloffi may well be a case of ancient hybrid ancestry followed by its divergence associated with Pleistocene and post-Pleistocene environmental changes in this region.     

Taxonomic Study of Korean Chrysochraontini (Orthoptera: Acrididae: Gomphocerinae)

Five species of Korean Chrysochraontini are recognized through the taxonomic investigation. Among them Chrysochraon dispar major Uvarov, 1925 is newly recorded from North Korea, and Euthystira pavlovskii Bey‐Bienko, 1954 is synonymized under Mongolotettix japonicus (Bolívar, 1898). A key is provided, and morphological variations of M. japonicus are discussed.     

Genetic diversity and phylogeography of Siberian roe deer,Caproulus pygargus,in central and peripheral populations

Current understanding of phylogeographical structure and genetic diversity of Siberian roe deer remains limited mainly due to small sample size and/or low geographical coverage in previous studies. Published data suggest at least two phylogroups: western (Ural Mountains and Western Siberia) and eastern (east from lake Baikal, including the Korean peninsula), but their phylogenetic relationship remains unclear. Combined sequences of cytochrome b (1140 bp) and the mtDNA control region (963 bp) were analyzed from 219 Siberian roe deer from 12 locations in Russia, Mongolia, and South Korea, which cover a large part of its range, to assess genetic diversity and phylogeographical status. Special emphasis was placed on the demographic history and genetic features of central, peripheral, and isolated populations. Results of median‐joining network and phylogenetic tree analyses indicate that Siberian roe deer from the Urals to the Pacific Ocean are genetically diverse and that geographical distribution and composition of haplogroups coincide with previously described ranges of the subspecies Capreolus pygargus pygargus and Capreolus pygargus tianschanicus. We found that peripheral populations in the northwestern parts of the species range (Urals), as well as the isolated population from Jeju Island, are genetically distinct from those in the core part of the range, both in terms of genetic diversity and quantitative composition of haplogroups. We also found that northwestern (Urals) and northern (Yakutia) peripheral populations share the same haplogroup and fall into the same phylogenetic clade with the isolated population from Jeju Island. This finding sheds light on the taxonomic status of the Jeju Island population and leads to hypotheses about the discordance of morphological and genetic evolution in isolated populations and specific genetic features of peripheral populations.     

Is Oryza malampuzhaensis Krish. et Chand. (Poaceae) a valid species? Evidence from morphological and molecular analyses

Phylogenetic relationship between O. malampuzhaensis Krish. et Chand. (2n = 4x = 48; Poaceae, Oryzeae), a South Indian endemic wild rice with a disputed taxonomic identity, and eight other species belonging to the O. officinalis complex of the genus Oryza was examined using 62 morphological characters and 445 random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. Multivariate and cluster analyses using both the data sets clearly separated all accessions of O. malampuzhaensis into a distinct group. Genetic distances between O. malampuzhaensis and other species in O. officinalis complex were comparable with the distance between any other two taxa with species rank in this complex. Case-by-case taxonomic treatment of O. malampuzhaensis in relation to other species examined is presented. A taxonomic key for the discrimination of O. malampuzhaensis from other species in the O. officinalis complex has been constructed. Based on the present results, we strongly argue to restore the species rank to O. malampuzhaensis, as originally proposed by Krishnaswamy and Chandrasekharan (1958).     

Molecular and morphological variation of rare endemic oncocyclus irises (Iridaceae) of Lebanon

Oncocyclus irises endemic to Lebanon form a complex of three closely related taxa replacing each other over short geographical distances in a linear habitat. In order to characterize the appropriate taxonomic levels and to assess their conservation status, we investigated patterns of phenotypic variability and the partitioning of genetic variation within and among populations using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. Multivariate analysis (principal components analysis and multiple correspondence analysis), based on 16 quantitative and six qualitative characters, revealed no separation between populations or taxa. Moreover, no morphological character could be used to define clear boundaries between populations/taxa. The genetic characterization revealed high levels of polymorphism and diversity (H_s). Principal components analysis showed population delimitations, but no groupings reflecting the currently defined taxa could be identified. Both morphological and genetic data showed that Lebanese oncocyclus irises could not be fitted into clear taxonomic boundaries. Consequences for conservation are discussed. © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 159 , 123–135.     

Revision of the family Sphecidae (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) in South Korea

Korean species of the family Sphecidae are reviewed, and seventeen species in nine genera belonging to three subfamilies are confirmed. Among them, Ammophila campestris and Sceliphron caementarium are new to South Korea. Korean occurrence of Sceliphron madraspatanum is confirmed with an actual Korean specimen. This paper provides the first determination keys to higher taxa and species occurring in South Korea. Taxonomic information of each species including original publication of valid name and justifiable references for Korean occurrence is provided. Digital images and line drawings for selective characteristics are also available.