A multivariate analysis of Hyospathe (Palmae)

Previous systematic treatments of the neotropical palm genus Hyospathe have recognized from two to 18 species. An explicit, quantitative, repeatable sequence of operations for delimiting and testing groups of specimens and applying species concepts is carried out. Multivariate statistical analysis of morphological data is used to delimit and test groups of specimens. Cluster analysis is used to distinguish between characters and traits. Analysis of qualitative and quantitative characters reveals six groups of specimens, and the Phylogenetic Species Concept is applied to these groups. Two species, H. peruviana Henderson and H. frontinensis Henderson, are described as new. One of the specimen groups is large and widespread, and six geographically separate subgroups can be recognized within it. These subgroups can be distinguished by one or more significantly different quantitative characters. A Phylogenetic Subspecies Concept is applied to these subgroups. Three subspecies, H. elegans subsp. costaricensis Henderson, H. elegans subsp. sanblasensis Henderson, and H. elegans subsp. tacarcunensis Henderson are described as new, and two new combinations are made: H. elegans subsp. sodiroi (Dammer ex Burret) Henderson and H. elegans subsp. concinna (H. E. Moore) Henderson. One subspecies occurring in the Amazon region is complex morphologically and is not resolved by the methods used here.     

中国水柏枝属植物的地理分布、濒危状况及其保育策略

水柏枝属(MyricariaDesv.)植物主要分布于中国青藏高原及其邻近地区,为欧亚温带高山植物类群,多为河岸带植物,是分布区湿地生态系统和荒漠生态系统的重要组分。为评价这些特殊生态系统关键植物的分布及受威胁现状,对中国水柏枝属植物的地理分布和濒危状况进行了调查。调查发现,该属中国分布的11个分类群均受到生存胁迫,其中疏花水柏枝即将成为野外灭绝种,宽叶水柏枝已属极危种,心叶水柏枝为濒危种,秀丽水柏枝、泽当水柏枝、小花水柏枝、卧生水柏枝和匍匐水柏枝为渐危种,具鳞水柏枝、三春水柏枝和宽苞水柏枝为受胁种。结果表明,以水利建设为主的人为干扰和土地沙化、气温升高带来的环境改变是导致该属植物生存胁迫的主要原因。最后探讨了水柏枝属这类河岸带湿地和荒漠生境植物的保育策略。     

Karyotype differentiation between Koelreuteria bipinnata and K. elegans ssp. formosana (Sapindaceae) based on chromosome banding patterns

Koelreuteria Laxm., a genus in the tribe Koelreuterieae (Sapindaceae), includes three tree species that are widely recognized as having horticultural merit. The two more closely related species, K. bipinnata Franch. and K. elegans (Seem.) A. C. Sm., are easily distinguished from K. paniculata Laxm. by their bipinnate leaves. In this study, both species were investigated cytogenetically and their karyotypes and heterochromatic patterns were compared. Koelreuteria bipinnata and K. elegans ssp. formosana (Hayata) F. G. Mey. both have 2 n  = 32 but their karyotypes present slight morphological differences when observed using conventional staining. Chromosome banding patterns are reported for the first time for this genus. Both species exhibit terminal heterochromatic blocks, as revealed by C-Giemsa and C-CMA₃, but the band size varies between the species. Koelreuteria bipinnata has larger heterochromatic blocks and more GC-rich segments, while in K. elegans ssp. formosana these bands are smaller. The relationship between the karyotype features in these closely related species is discussed.  © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2005, 149 , 451–455.     

Heterobranchia (Gastropoda) from the Jurassic Deposits of Russia

Small gastropods from the Jurassic deposits of the European Russia, united into the lower Heterobranchia or Allogastropoda, are described. The families of Ampezzanildidae, Cimidae, Cornirostridae, Ebalidae, and Stuoraxidae are distinguished, and a set of taxa is given without reference to a definite family. The family Ampezzanildidae from the Jurassic deposits is described for the first time on the basis of the mass material, ascribed to the new genus Zizipupa gen. nov. with the sole species of Z. costata sp. nov. The family Cimidae includes the genera of Cristalloella, Rotfanella, Urlocella, and Unzhispira gen. nov. with species C. spiralocostata (Gründel, 1998), R. gerasimovi sp. nov., R. reticulata sp. nov., Urlocella undulata sp. nov., and Unzhispira minuta sp. nov. The genus Heteronatica gen. nov. is included into the family Cornirostridae. This genus is the first siphonostomatous representative of the given family including the sole long-living species H. globosa sp. nov., which is subdivided into subspecies H. globosa globosa and H. globosapromota subsp. nov. The family Ebalidae is represented by the genus Ebala, shells of which are distributed from the Middle Oxfordian to the Middle Volgian. The family Stuoraxidae is described based on two genera Stuoraxis and Aneudaronia gen. nov., including species of S. crassa sp. nov. and A. elegans sp. nov. The genus Doggerostra, which fits into different families of Heterobranchia in terms of shell morphology is represented by the species D. riedeli Gründel, 1998, which was previously known from the Bathonian and Callowian deposits in Poland and Germany, as well as form the Upper Jurassic interval in the Russian Plate. The Middle Volgian subspecies D. riedeli affinis subsp. nov. is distinguished in the composition of this species. In addition, the genus Masaevia gen. nov. with the sole species of M. sinistra sp. nov. is described. Due to so specific shell morphology of this genus, its position in the Heterobranchia system is unclear. It is not improbable that we deal with small planktonic gastropods of protoconchs of unknown group of planktonic or benthic gastropods.     

Phylogenetic and biogeographic relationships of the mouse opossum Thylamys (Didelphimorphia,Didelphidae) in southern South America

Nucleotide sequence data from the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene were used to evaluate the phylogenetic relationships among mouse opossum species of the genus Thylamys. Based on approximately 1000 bp in five of the six species of the genus and including different localities for some of the species, we concluded that T. macrura from the subtropical forests of eastern Paraguay is the most primitive taxon. Subsequent radiation of the genus is explained mainly via founder effect speciation. This evolutionary scenario would account for the speciation of T. pusilla, T. venusta, T. pallidior, and T. elegans in the Chaco, southern Bolivia and northern Argentina, the Andean Altiplano, the Coastal Desert of Chile, and coastal Perú, respectively. Calibration of a molecular clock set the Pleistocene as the period for the differentiation of Thylamys species. The molecular results confirm the strong genetic connection between populations that inhabit the "pre-cordillera" of northern Chile (T. pallidior) and the canyons that run through the Atacama Desert to the lowlands in northern Chile. Our results confirm the occurrence of two Thylamys species in Chile, T. pallidior and T. elegans, within and south to the Atacama Desert, respectively.     

Sex determination: ways to evolve a hermaphrodite

Most species of the nematode genus Caenorhabditis reproduce through males and females; C. elegans and C. briggsae, however, produce self-fertile hermaphrodites instead of females. These transitions to hermaphroditism evolved convergently through distinct modifications of germline sex determination mechanisms.     

Genetic analysis of dauer formation in Caenorhabditis briggsae

Molecular changes that underlie evolutionary changes in behavior and physiology are not well understood. Dauer formation in Caenorhabditis elegans is a temperature-sensitive process controlled through a network of signaling pathways associated with sensory neurons and is potentially an excellent system in which to investigate molecular changes in neuronal function during evolution. To begin to investigate the evolution of dauer formation in the genus Caenorhabditis at the molecular level, we isolated dauer-formation mutations in C. briggsae, a species closely related to the model organism C. elegans. We identified mutations in orthologs of C. elegans genes daf-2 (insulin receptor), daf-3 (Smad), and daf-4 (TGF-beta type 2 receptor), as well as genes required for formation of sensory cilia. Phenotypic analyses revealed that functions of these genes are conserved between C. elegans and C. briggsae. Analysis of C. briggsae mutations also revealed a significant difference between the two species in their responses to high temperatures (>26 degrees). C. elegans is strongly induced to form dauers at temperatures above 26 degrees, near the upper limit for growth of C. elegans. In contrast, C. briggsae, which is capable of growth at higher temperatures than C. elegans, lacks this response.     

Aminopeptidase-like activities in Caenorhabditis elegans and the soybean cyst nematode, Heterodera glycines

Aminopeptidase-like activities in crude whole body extracts of the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and the plant parasitic soybean cyst nematode Heterodera glycines were examined. General characteristics including pH optima, heat lability, and inactivation of enzyme by organic solvent were the same for the two species. All developmental stages of H. glycines exhibited activity. In older females, activity was present primarily in the eggs. Affinity for the substrate L-alanine-4-nitroanilide was the same regardless of the stage examined, and was similar for the two species (m for C. elegans and m for H. glycines). Nearly all (>95%) of C. elegans aminopeptidase-like activity was present in the soluble fraction of the extract, while H. glycines activity was distributed between the soluble and membrane fractions. Specific activities of the soluble enzymes were highest in C. elegans and H. glycines juveniles. The C. elegans enzyme was susceptible to a number of aminopeptidase inhibitors, particularly to amastatin and leuhistin, each of which inhibited aminopeptidase-like activity more than 90% at 90 microm. In H. glycines, aminopeptidase-like activity was inhibited 39% by amastatin at 900 microm. The apparent molecular weight of the soluble C. elegans enzyme is 70-80 kDa. Some activity in H. glycines is present in the 70-80 kDa range, but most activity (80-90%) is associated with a very high molecular weight (>240 kDa) component.     

中国荨麻科植物小志（二）

在本文中2种名和2变种名被作为异名;Boehmeria delavayiGagnep.被证实为雾水葛属植物,降级作为雅致雾水葛的变种;Pellioniatrichosantha Gagnep.的采自云南东北部的合模式乃是属于楼梯草属的植物;4种和2变种的地理分布扩大。     

Phylogenetic relationships of the garter snakes based on DNA sequence and allozyme variation

We estimated phylogenetic relationships among 26 species of garter snakes (genus Thamnophis ) using allozyme and mitochondrial cytochrome b gene nucleotide sequence variation. Parsimony analyses of the two data sets give substantially different estimates of phylogeny. Several lines of evidence indicate that much of this conflict is due to error associated with the restricted number of characters in each data set. Such sampling error may be reduced by combining all the characters; we therefore present an estimate of phylogeny based on parsimony analysis of all the data combined. All our analyses support several conclusions in conflict with previous views: a very distant relationship between T.errans and T. elegans , non-monophyly of the elegans group (even excluding T: errans ), and nesting of the form validus (previously considered a member of the genus Nerodia ) within Thamnophis.
The combined analysis gives an almost fully resolved tree. However, bootstrapping indicates only weak support for many clades in this tree. Furthermore, paraphyly of the assemblages of cytochrome b gene lineages within T. elegans and T. radix indicate the potential for discordance between the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and species phylogenies through the sorting of ancestral mtDNA polymorphisms. These problems suggest the need for assaying additional characters, especially ones likely to be independent of those used in the present study.     

Mites of the genus Holostaspella (Acari: Gamasida: Macrochelidae) in Indonesia

The genus Holostaspella of the family Macrochelidae consists of more than 30 species. Of these, seven species have been recorded from Indonesia. In the present study, we review the genus in Indonesia, record two species ( H. pulchella and H. similiornata ) for the first time from Indonesia, and describe two new species ( H. oblonga n. sp. and H. villosa n. sp.) on the basis of the specimens collected in Java and Sulawesi. A key to the species of the genus in Indonesia is also provided.     

Distinct patterns of genetic variation in Pristionchus pacificus and Caenorhabditis elegans, two partially selfing nematodes with cosmopolitan distribution

Hermaphroditism has evolved several times independently in nematodes. The model organism Caenorhabditis elegans and Pristionchus pacificus are self-fertile hermaphrodites with rare facultative males. Both species are members of different families: C. elegans belongs to the Rhabditidae and P. pacificus to the Diplogastridae. Also, both species differ in their ecology: C. elegans is a soil-dwelling nematode that is often found in compost heaps. In contrast, field studies in Europe and North America indicate that Pristionchus nematodes are closely associated with scarab beetles. In C. elegans, several recent studies have found low genetic diversity and rare out-crossing events. Little is known about diversity levels and population structure in free-living hermaphroditic nematodes outside the genus Caenorhabditis. Taking a comparative approach, we analyse patterns of molecular diversity and linkage disequilibrium in 18 strains of P. pacificus from eight countries and four continents. Mitochondrial sequence data of P. pacificus isolates reveal a substantially higher genetic diversity on a global scale when compared to C. elegans. A mitochondrial-derived hermaphrodite phylogeny shows little geographic structuring, indicating several worldwide dispersal events. Amplified fragment length polymorphism and single strand conformation polymorphism analyses demonstrate a high degree of genome-wide linkage disequilibrium, which also extends to the mitochondrial genome. Together, these findings indicate distinct patterns of genetic variation of the two species. The low level of genetic diversity observed in C. elegans might reflect a recent human-associated dispersal, whereas the P. pacificus diversity might reflect a long-lasting and ongoing insect association. Thus, despite similar lifestyle characteristics in the laboratory, the reproductive mode of hermaphroditism with rare facultative males can result in distinct genetic variability patterns in different ecological settings.     

The genera Hyperphyscia and Physconia in East Africa

Seven species of the lichen genus Hyperphyscia and three of Physconia in East Africa are treated. The morphology, chemistry, distribution, habitat and relations between the taxa are discussed. Of the genus Hyperphyscia two new species are described, H. isidiata and H. pruinosa , and two new combination made, H. granulata and H. tuckermanii. Of the genus Physconia none of the species has previously been reported from the area.     

Patterns of molecular evolution in Caenorhabditis preclude ancient origins of selfing

The evolution of self-fertilization can mediate pronounced changes in genomes as a by-product of a drastic reduction in effective population size and the concomitant accumulation of slightly deleterious mutations by genetic drift. In the nematode genus Caenorhabditis, a highly selfing lifestyle has evolved twice independently, thus permitting an opportunity to test for the effects of mode of reproduction on patterns of molecular evolution on a genomic scale. Here we contrast rates of nucleotide substitution and codon usage bias among thousands of orthologous groups of genes in six species of Caenorhabditis, including the classic model organism Caenorhabditis elegans. Despite evidence that weak selection on synonymous codon usage is pervasive in the history of all species in this genus, we find little difference among species in the patterns of codon usage bias and in replacement-site substitution. Applying a model of relaxed selection on codon usage to the C. elegans and C. briggsae lineages suggests that self-fertilization is unlikely to have evolved more than approximately 4 million years ago, which is less than a quarter of the time since they shared a common ancestor with outcrossing species. We conclude that the profound changes in mating behavior, physiology, and developmental mechanisms that accompanied the transition from an obligately outcrossing to a primarily selfing mode of reproduction evolved in the not-too-distant past.     

Molecular evolution and quantitative variation for chemosensory behaviour in the nematode genus Caenorhabditis

Caenorhabditis elegans is a model organism in biology, yet despite the tremendous information generated from genetic, genomic and functional analyses, C. elegans has rarely been used to address questions in ecological genetics. Here, we analyse genetic variation for chemosensory behaviour, an ecologically important trait that is also genetically well characterized, at both the phenotypic and molecular levels within three species of the genus Caenorhabditis. We show that the G-protein ODR-3 plays an important role in chemosensory avoidance behaviour and identify orthologues of odr-3 in C. briggsae and C. remanei. Both quantitative genetic analysis of chemosensory behaviour and molecular population genetic analysis of odr-3 show that there is little genetic variation among a worldwide collection of isolates of the primarily selfing C. elegans, whereas there is substantially more variation within a single population of the outcrossing C. remanei. Although there are a large number of substitutions at silent sites within odr-3 among the three species, molecular evolution at the protein level is extremely conserved, suggesting that odr-3 plays an important role in cell signalling during chemosensation and/or neuronal cilia development in C. remanei and in C. briggsae as it does in C. elegans. Our results suggest that C. remanei may be a more suitable subject for ecological and evolutionary genetic studies than C. elegans.     

中国东北侏罗纪中细蜂科一新属(膜翅目: 细蜂总科)

本文记述了中细蜂科 1新属 1新种。这是该科在中国的首次发现。标本采自辽宁省北票市上园乡黄半吉沟村上侏罗统义县组下部 ,现保存于中国科学院南京地质古生物研究所标本室。北票细蜂属 Beipiaoserphus,新属模式种 :华美北票细蜂 Beipiaoserphus elegans,sp.nov.。雌虫体小型。头大 ,横卵形 ;复眼大 ,近与头等长 ;触角线状 ,细 ,分为 2 5节 ,末端数节变细。前翅脉序完整 ;后翅 r室大。腹部分为 7节 ,末节不纵长。产卵器短 ,略伸出腹末 (产卵器鞘远短于后胫节长之半 )。新属可归入 Karataoserphinae。该属与 Karataoserphus、Lordoserphus相近 ,但已知属触角节数少得多 ,后翅 r室明显小 ,产卵器伸出腹末相当长 (产卵器鞘长于后胫节长之半 )。正模标本 :两块背视保存雌蜂标本 ,为正负两面 ;登记号 :1 32 0 4 8a,b。