FLAVONOIDS AND TAXONOMY OF THE LIMNANTHACEAE

To help clarify relationships within the Limnanthaceae, all 19 taxa were compared on the basis of flavonoids occurring in all tissues, and 14 of these taxa were additionally compared on the basis of flavonoids occurring only in the petals. Of the 46 flavonol glycosides encountered, 35 were identified as derivatives of six flavonol aglycone types: syringetin, isorhamnetin, kaempferol, laricytrin (myricetin 3'-methyl ether), quercetin and myricetin, all glycosylated with combinations of glucose and rhamnose. Varimax Factor Analysis with rotation of the flavonoid data indicated that the family probably contains 3 phyletic lines, an observation inconsistent with the conventional 2-generic interpretation of the family. Mason's sectional treatment of Limnanthes is supported by petal flavonoid results, but not by whole-plant flavonoid results, indicating that petal flavonoids more clearly reflect natural relationships in Limnanthes. Evolution of whole-plant flavonoids of Limnanthes appears to be partly linked to changes in breeding system.     

Chemotaxonomy of some Paleozoic vascular plants. Part III. Cluster configurations and their bearing on taxonomic relationships

Chemical data are given forSciadophyton, Eogaspesiea,Lepidodendropsis, Triphyllopteris, Chlidanophyton andDrepanophycus. The participation of these taxa within clustering analysis is shown to generate a cluster referable tentatively to the lycopods. Introgression of clusters representative of some major plant groups (e.g., zosterophyllophytes with the lycopods, and the trimerophytes with the progymnosperms) may reflect fortuitous statistical relationships referable to different states of preservation orbona fide phylogenetic trends. Weighting of the data is shown to result in the greater resolution of clusters, while sample size (presently 34 taxa) demonstrates a considerable effect on statistical relationships. Thermolytic alterations of extant plant materials, when incorporated within fossil plant ordination diagrams, are shown to provide internal monitors allowing for a more precise evaluation of taxonomic-chemical relationships.     

A reappraisal of orders and families within the subclass Chaetothyriomycetidae (Eurotiomycetes,Ascomycota)

The subclass Chaetothyriomycetidae (Eurotiomycetes, Ascomycota) is an assemblage of ecologically diverse species, ranging from mutualistic lichenised fungi to human opportunistic pathogens. Recent contributions from molecular studies have changed our understanding of the composition of this subclass. Among others, ant-associated fungi, deep-sea fungi and bryophilous fungi were also shown to belong to this group of ascomycetes. The delimitation of orders and families within this subclass has not previously been re-assessed using a broad phylogenetic study and the phylogenetic position of some taxa such as the lichenised family Celotheliaceae or the Chaetothyrialean bryophilous fungi is still unclear. In our study, we assemble new and published sequences from 132 taxa and reconstruct phylogenetic relationships using four markers (nuLSU, nuSSU, mtSSU and RPB1). Results highlight several shortfalls in the current classification of this subclass, mainly due to un-assigned paraphyletic taxa. The family Epibryaceae is therefore described to circumscribe a previously un-assigned lineage. Celotheliales ad int. is suggested for the lineage including the lichen genus Celothelium and various plant pathogens. The delimitation of the family Trichomeriaceae is also broadened to include the genus Knufia and some anamorphic taxa. As defined here, Chaetothyriomycetidae includes four orders (Celotheliales ad int., Chaetothyriales, Pyrenulales, and Verrucariales) and ten families (Adelococcaceae, Celotheliaceae, Chaetothyriaceae, Cyphellophoraceae, Epibryaceae fam. nov., Herpotrichiellaceae, Pyrenulaceae, Requienellaceae, Trichomeriaceae, and Verrucariaceae).     

Complete mitochondrial genomes of Ceratobaeus sp. and Idris sp. (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae): shared gene rearrangements as potential phylogenetic markers at the tribal level

We sequenced the complete mitochondrial genomes of two sceliond taxa (Ceratobaeus sp. and Idris sp.). An atypical tRNA-Arg which lacks a D-stem was identified in both taxa, and represents a potentially derived character of sceliond wasps. A number of tRNA genes have rearranged in the two mitochondrial genomes compared with the ancestral organization. Some of these derived genome organizations are shared, and thus have much potential as phylogenetic markers at the tribal level in the subfamily Scelioninae. We test the influence of third codon inclusion/exclusion, alignment methods and partition schemes on the reconstruction of phylogenetic relationships. The results show that inclusion of third codon positions does not appear to be problematic when investigating the phylogeny of closely related taxa. Muscle and PartitionFinder schemes significantly improve the likelihood scores.     

Chromosome numbers and taxonomic notes in the genus Nama (Hydrophyllaceae)

Chromosome numbers are reported for 48 collections representing 15 species and three varieties ofNama. Counts for 10 taxa are initial reports, all being diploid withn = 7. Diploid counts forN. jamaicense (n = 7), previously known only as tetraploid, are also reported. Comments on the taxonomic relationships of selected taxa are included.     

The deep-water macroalgal community of the East Florida continental shelf (USA)

The deep-water macroalgal community of the continental shelf off the east coast of Florida was sampled by lock-out divers from two research submersibles as part of the most detailed year-round study of a macroalgal community extending below routine SCUBA depths. A total of 208 taxa (excluding crustose corallines) were recorded; of these, 42 (20.2%), 19 (9.1%), and 147 (70.7%) belonged to the Chlorophyta, Phaeophyta, and Rhodophyta, respectively. Taxonomic diversity was maximal during late spring and summer and minimal during late fall and winter. The number of reproductive taxa closely followed the number of taxa present; when reproductive frequency was expressed as a percentage of the species present during each month, two peaks (January and August) were observed. Most perennial species had considerable depth ranges, with the greatest number of taxa observed from 31 to 40 m in depth. Although most of the taxa present also grow in shallow water (i.e. <10 m), there were some species whose distribution is limited to deeper water. The latter are strongly dominated by rhodophytes. This community has a strong tropical affinity, but over half the taxa occur in warm-temperate areas. Forty-two new records (20% of the taxa identified) for Florida were listed; this includes 15 taxa which previously had been considered distributional disjuncts in this area. The phaeophyteHalopteris filicina is a new addition to the flora of the western Atlantic. Although more studies are needed, it appears that the deep-water flora may be relatively continuous over a large portion of the tropical and subtropical western North Atlantic. The traditional practice of considering Cape Canaveral as a biogeographical boundary may only be appropriate for shallow water. This study demonstrates the need for additional floristic work on macroalgal communities, especially from deep water, before more detailed biogeographical analyses can be performed and suggests that deep-water species could be important in experimental approaches to macroalgal biogeography.     

Recombinant human hemoglobin: Expression and refolding of β-globin fromEscherichia coli

A plasmid analogous to the one described by Nagai and Thogersen (Nature,309, 810–812, 1984) has been constructed for the expression of globins inE. coli. Induction with nalidixic acid produces high yields of a fusion protein, NS1-FX-β-globin, where NS1 represents 81 residues of a flu virus protein and FX represents a blood-clotting Factor Xa recognition sequence, Ile-Glu-Gly-Arg. This fusion protein is readily solubilized in 50 mM NaOH and remains in solution when thepH is adjusted to 8.6. Under these conditions, the fusion protein is hydrolyzed by activated Factor X, giving authentic β-globin which can be folded in the presence of cyanohemin and native α-chains to produce a tetrameric hemoglobin with the functional properties of natural human hemoglobin.     

Paleobiogeographic relationships of angiosperms from the Cretaceous and early Tertiary of the North American area

The biogeographic affinities of the Cretaceous and early Tertiary angiosperm floras of the North American area (which includes Meso-America, and the Greater Antilles) have been the subject of considerable interest. Although recent treatments of isolated taxa have shown affinities between North American, European, east Asian and Neotropic floras, the relationships have not been quantified. This study compiles the records of fossils whose familial relationships seem secure. This provides a carefully culled, and uniformly presented review of the Cretaceous and Paleogene record from 1950 to 1989 and supplements LaMotte (1950). A subset of these records, which showed compelling evidence of subfamilial relationships, was analyzed to quantify the relationships of the Cretaceous, Paleocene, Eocene and Oligocene floras to other regions. The analysis suggests that for the entire period 24% of the fossil species had affinities with extant taxa from the Northern Hemisphere; 10% with taxa from the Northern Hemisphere that have a few species in South America; 17% with taxa from Eurasia; 3% with taxa with a disjunct Eurasian-South American pattern; 19% with taxa from South America and/or Africa; 8% with taxa from South America and/or Africa that have an important sister group in southeast Asia; 5% with taxa from the Old World; and 13% with taxa having other distribution patterns. Those fossils with affinities to Laurasian taxa are mostly found in the northern and western portions of the North American area. The fossils with affinities to South American and/or African taxa are found in the southern portions of North America, Meso-America, and the Greater Antilles. The taxa with disjunct distributions show both patterns. These patterns suggest that during this time there were wide-spread temperate elements, found throughout Laurasia; Boreotropical flora elements, distributed in North America, Europe and along the Tethys seaway to southeast Asia; and West Gondwana elements which show dispersion from South America across the proto-Caribbean. The paleobotanical data are compatible with current geological, paleontological and biogeographical studies.     

Freshwater Crustacea (Cladocera,Copepoda) of Iceland: taxonomy,ecology, and biogeography

Of the many types of freshwater bodies across Iceland (e.g., lakes, springs, rivers, and ponds), greater effort has been invested in researching the freshwater Crustacea (Cladocera, Copepoda) of more permanent, larger, and deeper water bodies than on smaller or more ephemeral sites. To address this, we described the fauna of 12 shallow freshwater bodies distributed from the coast to the central highlands of Iceland. We identified 16 species in 11 genera belonging to six families of Cladocera, and 12 species in eight genera belonging to four families of Copepoda. Five of the species we identified (Alona werestschagini, Cyclops vicinus, Daphnia cristata, Diacyclops abyssicola, and Heterocope borealis) represent new distribution records for Iceland, increasing the number of species now known from this region to 34 Cladocera and 38 Copepoda taxa. Additionally, we discuss the taxonomy of some species with doubtful taxonomical status. Six crustacean taxocenes are described, each characterized by the dominance of different taxa, with bottom sediment characteristics best explaining species assemblage structure. We evaluated the relationships between Icelandic Cladocera and Copepoda faunas and those of the adjacent Svalbard, Faroe, and Shetland Islands, Greenland, and the mainland Norway. The taxonomic composition of the Icelandic fauna is dominated by widely distributed Holarctic, and secondarily Palaearctic and Nearctic species, and is more similar to the faunas of the major North Atlantic islands (64.2–71.8 % similarity) than it is to that of continental Norway.     

Floral scent and its correlation with AFLP data in Sorbus

Comparisons between floral scent-based and DNA-molecular-based taxonomies are rare, yet such comparisons indicate that scent can provide useful taxonomic information. Here, we correlate the phytochemical differentiation in floral scent to the DNA-molecular-based differentiation in the genus Sorbus. Inflorescence scent patterns of the apomictic and endemic Sorbus latifolia microspecies Sorbus franconica, Sorbus adeana, and Sorbus cordigastensis originated by hybridization as well as their parental taxa Sorbus aria agg. and Sorbus torminalis were investigated with the dynamic headspace method. The scent data (presence/absence of compounds) were used to construct an UPGMA tree, to calculate a similarity matrix, and to correlate them with the published amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) data of the same individuals, populations, and taxa. Flow cytometry was used to estimate the DNA-ploidy level of the taxa. Scent analyses showed a total of 68 substances, among them aromatic compounds, terpenoids, aliphatics, and nitrogen-containing compounds. The scent patterns were taxon-specific, and the number of scent components differed among taxa. The correlations with the published AFLP data on population and individual level are highly significant, indicating that the scent and AFLP data are highly congruent in the plants studied. Scent therefore provides useful taxonomic characters in Sorbus.     

Prioritizing non-marine invertebrate taxa for Red Listing

The IUCN Red List of threatened species is biased towards vertebrate animals, a major limitation on its utility for overall biodiversity assessment. There is a need to increase the representation of invertebrates (currently 21 % of species assessed on the List; <1 % of all invertebrates). A prioritisation system of terrestrial and freshwater groups is presented here, categorising taxa by species richness, assessment practicality, value for human land use and bioindication, and potential to act as conservation flagships. 25 major taxonomic groupings were identified as priorities, including the Annelida, Arthropoda, Mollusca, and Onycophora. Of these, the high-level taxa that emerge as highest priorities are Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies), Araneae (spiders), Mantophasmatodea (heelwalkers), Plecoptera (stoneflies), non-marine Mollusca (Bivalvia and Gastropoda), Trichoptera (caddisflies), Coleoptera (beetles), Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies), Oligochaetes (earthworms), Orthoptera (grasshoppers and crickets), Decapoda (crayfish, crabs, shrimps) and Diptera (flies). Of these Red Listing is well advanced for Decapoda, freshwater Mollusca and Odonata. This leaves eight higher taxa with currently a minimum or patchy Red List assessment coverage. We recommend that Red List assessments in future focus on these groups, as well as completion of assessments for terrestrial Molluscs and Odonata. However, we also recommend realism, and as some of groups are very large, it will be necessary to focus on subsets such as certain functionally important or charismatic taxa or on a sampled subset which is representative of a larger taxon.     

IMMUNOLOGICAL AFFINITIES AMONG SUBFAMILIES OF THE POACEAE

Immunological affinities were investigated among twenty taxa belonging to the grass subfamilies Pooideae, Chloridoideae, Panicoideae, Oryzoideae, and Bambusoideae. Antisera were raised to the prolamin fraction of seed proteins from species of eleven grass genera (Hordeum, Bromus, Festuca, Phleum, Elensine, Panicum, Pennisetum, Tripsacum, Dendrocalamus, and Oryza) and reacted with their homologous antigens and nineteen different heterologous antigens in Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). The immunological cross-reactivity among the eleven taxa whose prolamin was used for antisera production was analyzed quantitatively by generating matrices of averaged cross-reactivities, Q correlation and distance. The averaged cross-reactivity matrix was calculated from averaging reciprocal immunological reactions while the two other matrices were computed by considering each antiserum as a character and antigens as OTUs. The three matrices were subjected to clustering by the Unweighted Pair Group Method using Arithmetic Averaging (UPGMA). The phenogram based on the averaged similarity matrix showed some distortion, while the other two phenograms were similar in topology and were informative. A phenon line at r = 0.17 divided the phenogram based on Q correlation into four major groups: Pooideae, Oryzoideae, Bambusoideae, and Chloridoideae-Panicoideae. The two subfamilies in the Chloridoideae-Panicoideae group clustered at a correlation coefficient of 0.22. Within the Pooideae, the tribes Aveneae and Agrostideae were closely grouped together (r = 0.85), but they were quite distinct (r = 0.16) from the tightly clustered (r = 0.84–0.85) Bromeae, Poeae, and Triticeae. The Oryzoideae and Bambusoideae showed low immunological similarity (r = –0.07). The two tribes of the Panicoideae, Paniceae and Andropogoneae, displayed extensive immunological similarity clustering tightly at r = 0.84–0.86. The immunological data revealed a possible trend in grass evolution encompassing the chloridoid-panicoid groups and provided insights into the phylogenetic affinities of the bambusoid and oryzoid grasses. The results also underscored the heterogeneity of the taxa within the Pooideae.     

The relative importance of spatial and environmental processes in distribution of benthic chironomid larvae within a large and shallow lake

Although chironomids are popular model organisms in ecological research and indicators of bioassessment, the relative role of dispersal and environmental filtering in their community assembly is still poorly known, especially at fine spatial scales. In this study, we applied a metacommunity framework and used various statistical tools to examine the relative role of spatial and local environmental factors in distribution of benthic chironomid taxa and their assemblages in large and shallow Lake Balaton, Hungary. Contrary to present predictions on the metacommunity organisation of aquatic insects with winged terrestrial adults, we found that dispersal limitation can considerably affect distribution of chironomids even at lake scale. However, we also revealed the predominant influence of environmental filtering, and strong taxa–environment relationships were observed especially along sediment type, sediment organic matter content and macrophyte coverage gradients. We account that identified reference conditions and assemblages along with specified optima and tolerances of the abundant taxa can contribute to our understanding of chironomid ecology and be utilised in shallow lake bioassessment. Further, we propose that predictive models of species–environment relationships should better take into account pure spatial structuring of local communities and species-specific variability of spatial processes and environmental control even at small spatial scales.     

Understanding sampling and taxonomic biases recorded by citizen scientists

Projects involving citizen scientists have greatly increased over the last decade and understanding errors associated with such projects has been identified as an important step. NatureWatch NZ is a biodiversity recording system accessible to members of the public. The “NZ wasps, ants, bees and parasitoids (Hymenoptera) project” was initiated within NatureWatch NZ in December 2012, and comparisons were analysed between these records and the known Hymenoptera fauna of the New Zealand region. Over the course of 1 year 25 members contributed 360 records from 186 taxa, including the discovery of several introduced species new to New Zealand. There was a strong geographical bias to the records, with the majority being based around the major cities. Aculeates (stinging wasps) were significantly over-represented in the NatureWatch records. Only half (55 %) of taxa were identified to species level, with a further 28 % at genus level, and 17 % identified above genus level (family, order). Furthermore, the majority (65 %) of taxa were recorded only once, and only a few taxa were recorded >5 times (top records were “Ichneumonidae”, “Hymenoptera”, Anthidium manicatum, and Apis mellifera). It is probable that these same biases also exist for many other taxonomic groups in projects operated by citizen scientists lacking set protocols. Caution should be exercised on the subsequent use, compilation, and analysis of citizen science, especially without prior examination of records and potential biases.     

Conserved simple sequence repeats for the Limnanthaceae (Brassicales)

The Limnanthaceae (Order Brassicales) is a family of 18 taxa of Limnanthes (meadowfoam) native to California, Oregon, and British Columbia. Cultivated meadowfoam (L. alba Benth.), a recently domesticated plant, has been the focus of research and development as an industrial oilseed for three decades. The goal of the present research was to develop several hundred simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers for genetic mapping, molecular breeding, and genomics research in wild and cultivated meadowfoam taxa. We developed 389 SSR markers for cultivated meadowfoam by isolating and sequencing 1,596 clones from L. alba genomic DNA libraries enriched for AG _n or AC _n repeats, identifying one or more unique SSRs in 696 clone sequences, and designing and testing primers for 624 unique SSRs. The SSR markers were screened for cross- taxa utility and polymorphisms among ten of 17 taxa in the Limnanthaceae; 373 of these markers were polymorphic and 106 amplified loci from every taxon. Cross-taxa amplification percentages ranged from 37.3% in L. douglasii ssp. rosea (145/389) to 85.6% in L. montana (333/389). The SSR markers amplified 4,160 unique bands from 14 genotypes sampled from ten taxa (10.7 unique bands per SSR marker), of which 972 were genotype-specific. Mean and maximum haplotype heterozygosities were 0.71 and 0.90, respectively, among six L. alba genotypes and 0.63 and 0.93, respectively, among 14 genotypes (ten taxa). The SSR markers supply a critical mass of high-throughput DNA markers for biological and agricultural research across the Limnanthaceae and open the way to the development of a genetic linkage map for meadowfoam (x = 5).Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at Communicated by O. Savolainen     

Macrozoobenthic Community and Assessment of Aquatic Ecosystem Health of three Waterbodies of East Calcutta Wetlands,India

The present study was aimed to understand the diversity, abundance and distribution of macrozoobenthic community of three selected fishponds differing in sewage intake and culture practices of East Calcutta Wetlands of Kolkata, India, as well as the aquatic ecosystem health of these waterbodies considering benthos as the best indicator of pollution. One year seasonal samplings were done to study the diversity and distribution of macrozoobenthos along with 12 water quality parameters to reflect the ecological conditions and aquatic ecosystem health of these waterbodies through biodiversity indices and statistical analysis (SPSS 10). A total of 27 species of macrozoobenthic organisms belonging to 18 families under four phyla comprising eight major groups viz. Polychaeta, Oligochaeta, Hirudinea, Diptera, Odonata, Gastropoda, Bivalvia and Pisces have been recorded. The diversity of macrozoobenthic fauna of these three waterbodies revealed that Ruby wetland had the highest representation of 24 species followed by Sukantanagar pond (17 species) and Sukantanagar bheri (16 species). The result of Pearson’s correlation coefficient showed that amongst the collected macrozoobenthos the gastropod species, Bellamya bengalensis and Lymnaea acuminata were wetland site-wise significant. The total benthic population and biomass have positive correlation with water transparency and organic enrichment of the waterbody. Shannon Weiner and Margalef’s indices have revealed higher values for Ruby wetland. Biodiversity indices and BMWP Score System designated to benthic organisms, suggested Ruby wetland is healthier than the other two waterbodies, differing in sewage intake and culture practices.     

Are “universal” DNA primers really universal?

“Universal” DNA primers LCO 1490 and HCO 2198 were originally designed from three coding and six anticoding strands by comparing highly conserved regions of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) genes across 15 taxa. These primers have been successful in amplifying a 710-bp fragment of highly conserved regions of the COI gene for more than 80 invertebrate species from 11 phyla. In the present study, 130,843 variations were reviewed in the primer region of mitochondrial molecular markers by comparing 725 COI sequences from the kingdom Animalia. It was found that, for 177 invertebrate species, the forward primer (LCO 1490) showed only four conserved regions, compared to 12 in the original study. For ascidians, fungi and vertebrates, it showed approximately 50 % conserved regions, dropping to one conserved region for echinoderms. However, the reverse primer (HCO 2198) was highly conserved across 725 COI primer sequences. A similar pattern was observed in amino acid distributions. There was a significant difference in the means of base pair differences from the level of family, genus and species for LCO 1490 [analysis of variance (ANOVA), F _6,188?=?8.193, P?ANOVA, F _6,77?=?2.538, P?相似文献   

Centric diatoms from Lake Frolikha (Transbaikal area) and peculiarities of distribution of some taxa in Asia

The species composition of centric diatoms from Lake Frolikha (Transbaikal area) has been studied. The lake is located on the eastern shore of Lake Baikal and connected with it by a river. Twenty-three species of Centrophyceae from 7 genera (Aulacoseira, Cyclostephanos, Cyclotella, Discostella, Handmania, Pliocaenicus, and Stephanodiscus) have been found. The most represented genus is Aulacoseira (11 species). Fifteen species and 4 genera are new for the lake record. All revealed species are known in other lakes of the Baikal region; however Baikal endemics are absent in Lake Frolikha. The flora of centric diatoms in Lake Frolikha can be divided into two groups. The first group includes taxa common in Lake Baikal, and the second group includes taxa not typical for Lake Baikal. The level of differences between flora in Lake Baikal and Lake Frolikha is high (43%) despite the close location and connection to the river. An analysis of distribution of interesting species in Asia is presented.