Centenary coppicing maintains high levels of genetic diversity in a root resprouting oak (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Quercus pyrenaica</Emphasis> Willd.)

Studies disentangling the anthropogenic influences of traditional forest uses are crucial to assess the current conservation value of cultural landscapes. By promoting asexual regeneration, centenary coppicing in the predominantly root resprouter Quercus pyrenaica is assumed to have reduced genetic diversity levels contributing to the decline of abandoned coppices and the common lack of acorn production. This work aims to test the widespread assumption that historical coppicing in Q. pyrenaica has caused depleted levels of genetic diversity. Seven microsatellite markers were used to assess clonal structure and population genetic diversity levels in six abandoned coppices of Q. pyrenaica, which were compared to three open woodlands in national parks in Spain. Asexual regeneration was higher in coppices, leading to more frequent and larger clonal assemblies. Clonal diversity parameters (genotypic richness and proportion of unique genotypes) were significantly lower in coppices, although density of genotypes per surface area and levels of population genetic diversity were comparable to those observed in open parklands. Heterogenic clonal structures were found both within and among stands, hindering the inference of concrete anthropogenic disturbances. Despite promoting asexual reproduction, coppicing maintains high levels of genotypic and genetic diversity and allows the incorporation of new genotypes by seed recruitment. The natural resprouting capacity of Q. pyrenaica preserved the species in face of long-lasting anthropogenic disturbances, fostering ecosystem resilience and harbouring high conservation values.     

Assessing the genetic legacy of a rare,clonal Australian shrub <Emphasis Type="Italic">Grevillea infecunda</Emphasis> (Proteaceae)

Reliance on clonal reproduction is associated with an increased risk of extinction. Grevillea infecunda is a rare, putatively sterile shrub restricted to 11 populations in a localized coastal region of south-eastern Australia. We assessed the genetic diversity, clonal diversity and spatial distribution of clones in all populations of G. infecunda to guide conservation management. Eight chloroplast haplotypes were identified from the trnL – trnF and trnQ – rps16 intergenic spacer regions. All individuals belonged to a single maternal lineage dominated by one haplotype (95/111 samples). Minor haplotypes differed from the common haplotype only by single mutational steps. However, microsatellite markers revealed 89 multilocus genotypes (MLGs) in 38 multilocus lineages (MLLs) of variable size. MLLs were not shared among populations and ramets from different MLLs rarely intermingled physically. New shoots arising after fire were confirmed to belong to previously-existing MLLs, indicating that this species exhibits adaptation to fire. Genetically similar MLGs were more likely to be found in close proximity than less similar MLGs, resulting in significant spatial autocorrelation to ca 350 m. Genetic diversity was moderate but genotypic diversity was low once likely clonality was taken into account. Clonality appears to have arisen several times within the holly-leafed grevilleas and examining G. infecunda is a step towards understanding why and how often clonality occurs, and the long-term evolutionary outcomes of this life history.     

Reduced Winter Snowpack and Greater Soil Frost Reduce Live Root Biomass and Stimulate Radial Growth and Stem Respiration of Red Maple (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Acer rubrum</Emphasis>) Trees in a Mixed-Hardwood Forest

Northeastern U.S. forests are currently net carbon (C) sinks, but rates of C loss from these ecosystems may be altered by the projected reduction in snowpack and increased soil freezing over the next century. Soil freezing damages fine roots, which may reduce radial tree growth and stem respiration. We conducted a snow removal experiment at Harvard Forest, MA to quantify effects of a reduced winter snowpack and increased soil freezing on root biomass, stem radial growth and respiration in a mixed-hardwood forest. The proportion of live fine root biomass during spring (late-April) declined with increasing soil frost severity (P = 0.05). Basal area increment index was positively correlated with soil frost severity for Acer rubrum, but not Quercus rubra. Rates of stem respiration in the growing season correlated positively with soil frost duration in the previous winter, (\( R^{2}_{{{\text{LMM}}({\text{m}})}} \) = 0.15 and 0.24 for Q. rubra and A. rubrum, respectively). Losses of C from stem respiration were comparable to or greater than C storage from radial growth of Q. rubra and A. rubrum, respectively. Overall, our findings suggest that in mixed-hardwood forests (1) soil freezing has adverse effects on spring live root biomass, but at least in the short-term could stimulate aboveground processes such as stem respiration and radial growth for A. rubrum more than Q. rubra, (2) stem respiration is an important ecosystem C flux and (3) the increasing abundance of A. rubrum relative to Q. rubra may have important implications for C storage in tree stem biomass.     

Thinning operations increase the demographic performance of the rare subtree species <Emphasis Type="Italic">Magnolia stellata</Emphasis> in a suburban forest landscape

To ensure the persistence of populations and species that maintain unique biodiversity in suburban landscapes, it is necessary to establish an efficient management system for abandoned suburban secondary forests. Thinning operations seem to be an effective management approach to inhibiting the progress of forest succession, which could lower the level of species diversity. To evaluate the effect of thinning operations on the demographic performance (growth, survival, and sexual reproduction) of the rare subtree species Magnolia stellata, we set up a field experiment and monitored the population dynamics over 9 years. The results revealed that stem survival and flower production per genet showed a decreasing trend in the nonthinned site. However, thinning operations increased the demographic performance, in particular the stem growth and survival rates as well as flower and seed production. The findings suggested that thinning operations may decrease the extinction probability of not only the targeted local population but also the metapopulation, because the thinned population serves as a better seed source. Thus, the creation of well-lit sites by thinning operations would be a useful conservation strategy for M. stellata.     

Modulation of naphthodianthrone biosynthesis in hairy root-derived <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hypericum tomentosum</Emphasis> regenerants

The results of the current study represent the first report on an efficient regeneration protocol for Hypericum tomentosum L. hairy root cultures. Six out of ten hairy root clones of H. tomentosum obtained by Agrobacterium rhizogenes-mediated transformation differentiated shoots on Murashige and Skoog medium containing a urea-based cytokinin thidiazuron in combination with the auxin inhibitor p-chlorophenoxyisobutyric acid. The whole plant regeneration of this species in vitro was achieved by further cultivation of shoots on medium containing benzyladenine. All transformed plants were successfully acclimated to ex vitro conditions. Most of the adapted clones exhibited typical hairy root phenotype with stunted growth, small wrinkly leaves and shortened internodes. Increased number of dark nodules, the sites of hypericins accumulation, was observed in the leaves of all transgenic clones. The capability of naphthodianthrone production was also modulated leading to a significant 28- and 5-fold increase of total hypericin content in two transgenic clones. The qPCR analysis revealed seven rolC integrations in two transgenic clones and one integration in four clones. The clones with multiple rolC copies synthesized the highest and the lowest amount of naphthodianthrones, respectively. The chromosome number in all analysed samples was determined as 2n?=?18 suggesting a revision of the cytogenetic characterization of H. tomentosum.     

Analysis of the diversity of diazotrophic bacteria in peat soil by cloning of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">nifH</Emphasis> gene

The diversity of nitrogen-fixing microorganisms in the soil of an oligotrophic Sphagnum peat bog was studied by molecular cloning of fragments of the nifH gene encoding one of the main components of the nitrogenase complex. The fragments were amplified from the DNA isolated from the peat samples collected at the same site in January (library I) and November (library II), 2005. Analysis of the nifH sequence libraries revealed high diversity of diazotrophic bacteria in peat soil: the first library consisted of 237 clones and 55 unique sequence types, the second one included 171 clones and 52 sequence types. Comparison of the two clone libraries showed that the composition and population structure of the nitrogen-fixing community depended greatly on the sampling time; they shared only 11 phylotypes. The sequences of representatives of the class Alphaproteobacteria prevailed in both libraries (27% and 57% of clones in libraries I and II, respectively). Representatives of the classes Deltaproteobacteria and Chlorobea were minor components of library I (6% and 7% of clones, respectively), whereas they prevailed in library II (18% and 24% of clones, respectively). Members of the class Chloroflexi were present only in library I, while members of the classes Bacilli, Clostridia, and Methanomicrobia were present only in library II. Our studies demonstrated that, for complete evaluation of the diversity of natural nitrogen-fixing communities, nifH libraries should consist of at least 200–300 clones.     

Pyrethrin accumulation in elicited hairy root cultures of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium</Emphasis>

The flowers of Pyrethrum (Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium) are known to contain Pyrethrins that are naturally occurring potential insecticide. Hairy roots were induced from leaves of C. cinerariaefolium using Agrobacterium rhizogenes strain A4. The root clones were characterized in to four groups i.e. thick, unbranched (D2 and D5), thin, highly branched (D3), thick, branched (B2) and thick, highly branched (D1, D6). Six established hairy root clones showed the presence of pyrethrin and were selected for elicitation studies. Growth kinetics studies revealed highest growth index in hairy root clone D1 (592.0) followed by D6 and D3 on dry weight basis after 40 days of culture. The maximum pyrethrin content was found in the clone D3 (7.2 mg/g dw) which is comparable to the flowers obtained from the variety “Avadh”. Hairy root clone D2 (5.2 mg/g dw) and D6 (1.3 mg/g dw) contained pyrethrin but in less amount as compared to clone D3. The PCR analysis showed the presence of rol B and rol C genes in all the six hairy root clones while rol A was detected only in D2 clone. The methanolic extract of D3 clone showed antifungal activities against phytopathogenic fungal strains which were found maximum against Curvuleria andropogonis followed by Colletotrichum acutatum and Rhizoctonia solani. Hairy root clones D2, D3 and D6 were elicited with culture filtrate of endophytic fungus (Fusarium oxysporum) and bacteria (Bacillus subtilis). The culture filtrate (4.0?%v/v) of both the fungal and bacterial origin was found to be effective in enhancing the pyrethrin content in all the tested hairy root clones. Clone D3 showed maximum pyrethrin content on elicitation with F. oxysporum (9.7 mg/g dw) and B. subtilis (9.7 mg/g dw) culture filtrate, which is 32?% higher than the non elicited D3 hairy roots (7.2 mg/g dw). F. oxysporum also enhanced the hairy root growth resulting into the higher biomass yield of D3 (50?%) and D2 (76?%) in comparison to control non elicited hairy root clones of D3 and D2, respectively leading to higher pyrethrin yield.     

Influence of Invasive <Emphasis Type="Italic">Plants Parthenocissus</Emphasis> vitacea and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Vinca minor</Emphasis> on Biodiversity Indices of Forest Communities

The distribution and phytocenotic association of Parthenocissus vitacea and Vinca minor on the territory of the Bryansk oblast has been studied. An assessment of the distribution of invasive species is performed on a grid basis. Vinca minor is registered in 19 cells on the territory of the oblast, which is 4.9% of the total number of cells and 11.9% of the surveyed cells; Parthenocissus vitacea is registered in 50 cells, which is 12.8% of the total number of cells and 31.2% of the surveyed cells. The invasive status of Parthenocissus vitacea and Vinca minor is category 3: an adventive species whose invasions into natural and seminatural habitats in the region at the moment are rare and, as a rule, confined to the outskirts of populated areas, abandoned parks, and old plantings. The indices of successful invasion in forest communities is the formation of syntaxonomically valid variants of the communities of Corylo avellanae-Pinetum sylvestris Bulokhov et Solomeshch 2003 with depleted cenoflora. Invasive species change the phytosphere and reliably decrease the indices of α and β diversity, the structural indices of communities. The invasion of Parthenocissus vitacea and Vinca minor is successful due to active vegetative reproduction, allelopathic effects on native species, and decreasing illumination of the ground cover. The introduction of invasive species into complex pine forests blocks demutational changes of endogenous succession during the restoration of broad-leaved forests: they simplify the structure of communities and reduce the intensity of the mosaic. Parthenocissus vitacea and Vinca minor can exhibit signs of an edificator, a community builder, and a violent and transformer type. There has been only one case of a radical transformation of the natural community, registered on the territory of the Lyubin Khutor nature monument (Novozybkovskii district, Bryansk oblast).     

Mutations in the <Emphasis Type="Italic">fusA</Emphasis> Gene Encoding Elongation Factor G in the Coryneform Bacterium Lead to Increased Lysine Production

Resistance to fusidic acid in Corynebacterium glutamicum and Brevibacterium flavum is associated with mutations in the fusA gene, which encodes the elongation factor G (EF-G). Two to ten percent of fusidic acid-resistant clones were shown to produce more lysine than parent strains. Sequencing of the fusA gene in clones with a high level of lysine production made it possible to find two mutations in the gene at position 1383—С1383G and С1383А. These mutations cause amino acid replacement at position 461 in the protein EF-G, namely, histidine is substituted by glutamine (H461Q). The mutation С1383G was introduced in the chromosomal copy of the fusA gene in C. glutamicum and B. flavum strains by homologous recombination. All clones containing the mutant variant of the fusA gene produced 10% more lysine than the parent strains.     

Genetic and environmental influences on root development in cuttings of selected <Emphasis Type="Italic">Salix</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Populus</Emphasis> clones – a greenhouse experiment

Aims

This study investigated how genetic determination of adventitious root development compared in experimental hybrid and parental Salix and Populus clones, and how soil bulk density influenced root development.

Methods

Cuttings of 11 Salix clones and 10 Populus clones were grown in pots with water, a low bulk density soil and a high bulk density soil for 4 (water) or 10 weeks (soils). Parameters relating to root development were measured.

Results

Root initiation, total root length (RL), and dry mass (DM), as well as root: shoot relationships in Salix clones exceeded that of Populus clones in all media. For Salix clones RL and DM were highest in S. matsudana?×?pentandra and for Populus clones RL and DM were generally higher in hybrid clones having P. trichocarpa parentage. Mean RL and DM for all clones were generally greater in the low bulk density soil than in the high bulk density soil. There were a greater proportion of thinner roots in the low bulk density soil than in the high bulk density soil.

Conclusions

There were significant differences in root initiation, RL, and DM among clones within each genus. Increasing soil bulk density significantly reduced root development in both Salix and Populus clones. Evaluating cutting root development in pot trials could be a useful clone selection tool in willow and poplar breeding.

     

Conservation genetics of rare trees restricted to subtropical montane cloud forests in southern China: a case study from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Quercus arbutifolia</Emphasis> (Fagaceae)

Montane cloud forests (MCFs), with their isolated nature, offer excellent opportunities to study the long-term effects of habitat fragmentation and the impacts of climate change. Quercus arbutifolia is a rare oak in MCFs of southern China and Vietnam. Its isolated populations, small population size and unique ecological niche make this species vulnerable to climate change and habitat loss. In this study, we used chloroplast (cpDNA) and nuclear (ITS) DNA sequences to investigate genetic divergence patterns and demographic history of five of the six known populations of Q. arbutifolia. Considering its small population size and fragmentation, Q. arbutifolia has unexpectedly high genetic diversity. The time since the most recent common ancestor of all cpDNA haplotypes was c. 10.25 Ma, and the rapid diversification of haplotypes occurred during the Quaternary. The maximum clade credibility chronogram of cpDNA haplotypes suggests that the DM population (Daming Mountain, Guangxi province) diverged early and rapidly became isolated from other populations. The Pearl River drainage system may have been the main geographic barrier between DM and other populations since the late Miocene. ITS data suggests that population expansion occurred during the last interglacial of the Quaternary. The combined effects of pre-Quaternary and Quaternary climatic and geological changes were the main drivers to the current genetic diversity and distribution pattern of Q. arbutifolia. Because of the high between-population genetic differentiation and high within-population genetic diversity of Q. arbutifolia, conservation efforts should be implemented for all populations, but if conservation resources are limited, populations DM, YZ (Mang Mountain, Hunan province) and ZZ (Daqin Mountain, Fujian province) should have priority.     

Seasonal and altitude effects on the structure of arthropod communities associated with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tillandsia violacea</Emphasis> Baker (Bromeliaceae) in a temperate forest of Mexico

The canopy of forests has been considered “the last biotic frontier,” and study of its elements is very important in explaining the global functionality in ecosystems. Epiphytic plants and arthropods are essential elements in canopy habitats, and their relationships have been studied in order to understand the high diversity in tropical forests. Nevertheless, there are few studies on this development in temperate forests. The arthropod community was studied during the rainy and dry seasons at two altitudes, and a total of 240 T. violacea plants of three sizes were collected from Abies religiosa and Quercus spp. host trees. A total of 163,043 arthropods were collected and about 200 morphospecies identified. The highest abundance was obtained during the dry season, while high diversity was found during the rainy season. There was a significant effect of plant size, host trees and collecting season on abundance and diversity, and there were seasonal variations in community composition. The community hosted on A. religiosa epiphytes showed higher abundance and density than that of Quercus.     

Isolation of endophytic fungi from tropical forest in Indonesia

Endophytic fungi (EPF) are an important contributor to fungal diversity. It is surmised that EPF colonizing plant roots have high diversity. This study aimed to alleviate the scarcity of information regarding EPF in tropical forests, by isolationg and identifying EPF from a tropical forests in Indonesia. Soils were collected from five forests: (1) Tectona grandis monoculture; (2) Swietenia macrophylla monoculture; (3) Gmelina sp., Artocarpus champeden, Dipterocarp mixed; (4) Dipterocarp primary; (5) Macaranga sp. secondary. Four trees (Calliandra calothyrsus, Paraserianthes falcataria, Sesbania grandiflora, and Cassia siamea) and three crops (Sorghum bicolor, Allium fistulosum, and Trifolium repens) were grown in the forest soils to trap EPF. EPF were isolated from roots and isolation rates were calculated. Based on the isolation rates, P. falcataria and S. bicolor were chosen and grown again in forest soils. EPF were isolated and identified by their rDNA ITS1 region. Twelve and 21 EPF were isolated from 250 roots of P. falcataria and 300 roots of S. bicolor, respectively. Identified EPF were from genera Acrocalymma, Fusarium, Tolypocladium, Penicillium, Talaromyces, Exophiala, Dictyosporium, Pseudochaetosphaeronema, Mariannaea, Trichoderma, and Mycoleptodiscus. Acrocalymma, Tolypocladium, Penicillium, Exophiala, Pseudochaetosphaeronema, Mariannaea, and Mycoleptodiscus spp. were isolated from only one forest. Fusarium, Talaromyces, and Trichoderma spp. were isolated from more than one forest. The numbers of EPF isolated from Gmelina sp., Artocarpus champeden, Dipterocarp mixed forest, and Macaranga sp. secondary forest were higher than those from other forests, suggesting that different plant species in forests affect the root EPF community.     

Guidelines for the restoration of the tropical timber tree <Emphasis Type="Italic">Anacardium excelsum</Emphasis>: first input from genetic data

Translocation of trees has been used as a common method to mediate genetic conservation and restoration of forests. However, very few programs include strategies developed to recover or maintain the genetic diversity of the translocated species. Anacardium excelsum is a tree native to the tropics of America that is extensively used in forestry. In Colombia, restoration of forests through the translocation of native species has regained importance, and A. excelsum has been recently included in the National Strategy for Plant Conservation. Thus, in order to define the level of genetic structure and the level of genetic diversity within certain regions where remnants of the seasonally dry tropical forests (SDTF) of Colombia have been retained, we genotyped 106 trees using nuclear inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR) and sequenced two non-coding chloroplast loci for these specimens. Our ISSR dataset revealed the existence of a gradient in genetic diversity within A. excelsum with the most diverse remnants encountered in the south of the country, while the localities sampled in the Caribbean coast and in the Chicamocha canyon were less diverse. Chloroplast loci also pointed out the very low genetic diversity of A. excelsum from the Chicamocha canyon and we propose to prioritize this area within future conservation programs. Both chloroplast and nuclear markers supported the existence of genetic divergence between distinct regions of Colombia, uncovering genetic differences between inter-Andean, Caribbean, and Chicamocha canyon A. excelsum remnants. Hence, we advise to choose the provenance of seeds or plants carefully before translocation and to consider minimal mixing of material from different regions when initializing restoration programs for A. excelsum, in Colombia.     

Genetic Differentiation and Demographic History of the Northern Rufous Mouse Lemur (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Microcebus tavaratra</Emphasis>) Across a Fragmented Landscape in Northern Madagascar

Phylogeographic barriers, together with habitat loss and fragmentation, contribute to the evolution of a species’ genetic diversity by limiting gene flow and increasing genetic differentiation among populations. Changes in connectivity can thus affect the genetic diversity of populations, which may influence the evolutionary potential of species and the survival of populations in the long term. We studied the genetic diversity of the little known Northern rufous mouse lemur (Microcebus tavaratra), endemic to Northern Madagascar. We focused on the population of M. tavaratra in the Loky–Manambato region, Northern Madagascar, a region delimited by two permanent rivers and characterized by a mosaic of fragmented forests. We genotyped 148 individuals at three mitochondrial loci (D-loop, cytb, and cox2) in all the major forests of the study region. Our analyses suggest that M. tavaratra holds average genetic diversity when compared to other mouse lemur species, and we identified two to four genetic clusters in the study region, a pattern similar to that observed in another lemur endemic to the region (Propithecus tattersalli). The main cluster involved samples from the two mountain forests in the study region, which were connected until recently. However, the river crossing the study region does not appear to be a strict barrier to gene flow in M. tavaratra. Finally, the inferred demographic history of M. tavaratra suggests no detectable departure from stationarity over the last millennia. Comparisons with codistributed species (P. tattersalli and two endemic rodents, Eliurus spp.) suggest both differences and similarities in the genetic clusters identified (i.e., barriers to species dispersal) and in the inferred demographic history. These comparisons suggest that studies of codistributed species are important to understand the effects of landscape features on species and to reconstruct the history of habitat changes in a region.     

Diversity and symbiotic effectiveness of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Adesmia</Emphasis> spp. root nodule bacteria in central and southern Chile

Legumes in the genus Adesmia are wild species with forage and medicinal potential. Their nitrogen fixation efficiency depends on their association with soil bacteria known as rhizobia. The aim of this work was to assess the diversity and symbiotic effectiveness of root nodule bacteria from Adesmia boronioides, Adesmia emarginata and Adesmia tenella from different regions of Chile. Adesmia spp. nodules were collected from seven sites obtaining 47 isolates, which resulted in 19 distinct strains. The diversity of the strains was determined via partial sequencing of the dnaK, 16srRNA and nodA genes. The strains were authenticated as root nodule bacteria on their original host and assessed for symbiotic effectiveness on A. emarginata and A. tenella. The strains from Adesmia tenella clustered within the Mesorhizobium clade. Adesmia boronioides nodulated with Mesorhizobium sp., Rhizobium leguminosarum and Bradyrhizobium sp. The rhizobia from A. emarginata were identified as Burkholderia spp, which was symbiotically ineffective on this species and on A. tenella. Strains isolated from Adesmia emarginata nodules, but unable to induce nodulation, were identified as Labrys methylaminiphilus. Labrys strain AG-49 significantly increased root dry weight in A. emarginata. The nodA genes from Adesmia strains were unique and correlated to legume host. A. emarginata was effectively nodulated by Bradyrhizobium AG-64 and A. tenella by Mesorhizobium strains AG-51 and AG.52. It is concluded that Adesmia emarginata, A. tenella and A. boronioides are associated to diverse bacterial symbionts and selection of an effective inoculant is a key step to assist Adesmia spp. adaptation and restoration.     

Diversity of fungi associated with roots of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Calanthe</Emphasis> orchid species in Korea

While symbiotic fungi play a key role in the growth of endangered Calanthe orchid species, the relationship between fungal diversity and Calanthe species remains unclear. Here, we surveyed root associated fungal diversity of six Calanthe orchid species by sequencing the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region using 454 pyrosequencing. Our results revealed that Paraboeremia and Coprinopsis are dominant fungal genera among Calanthe species. In terms of overall relative abundance, Paraboeremia was the most common fungal genus associated with Calanthe roots, followed by Coprinopsis. Overall fungal diversity showed a significant degree of variation depending on both location and Calanthe species. In terms of number of different fungal genera detected within Calanthe species, C. discolor had the most diverse fungal community, with 10 fungal genera detected. This study will contribute toward a better understanding of those fungi that are required for successful cultivation and conservation of Korean Calanthe species.     

Microsatellite markers for the Ussuri white-toothed shrew (Soricidae: <Emphasis Type="Italic">Crocidura lasiura</Emphasis>) developed by Ion Torrent sequencing and their application to the shrew populations in disturbed forests

Understanding the impacts of forest management practices on genetic diversity is essential for effective animal management and conservation. We characterized novel microsatellite loci in the Ussuri white-toothed shrew (Crocidura lasiura Dobson, 1890) to test the impacts of anthropogenic thinning of forest trees on the shrew populations and their genetic diversity. Using Ion Torrent sequencing technology, we characterized 611 potential microsatellite markers with complete di- to tetra-nucleotide motifs, identifying nine polymorphic loci. The observed and expected heterozygosities across the nine loci were 0.526 and 0.527, respectively. Mean allelic diversity was 5.2 alleles per locus, with the mean polymorphism information content at 0.498. In comparison among shrew populations, which inhabited in the forests thinned in 2004 (CLA; n = 10), 2008 (CLB; n = 9) and 2014 (CLC; n = 3), the observed heterozygosities are similar among the three populations (0.525 at CLA, 0.532 at CLB and 0.519 at CLC), whereas the expected heterozygosities were much lower in population of CLC (0.377) than that of CLA (0.509) and CLB (0.533). The small sample size at CLC limited effective comparison and evaluation of the impact of forest thinning on genetic diversity in this shrew population. Future application of the species-specific microsatellite markers described here to a larger sample size would be valuable in estimating the ecological parameters of shrew populations associated with existing forest management practices.     

New name for Central Europaean oak formerly labelled as <Emphasis Type="Italic">Quercus dalechampii</Emphasis>

Quercus dalechampii Ten. is an oak species recognised by numerous authors, but it has an inconsistent taxonomical use depending on any particular author’s concept. Typification of Q. dalechampii in 2012 made this name inapplicable for Central European populations traditionally treated as Q. dalechampii. A new name, Q. banatus, based on Quercus aurea Wierzb. ex Kotschy, is here designated for a taxon equivalent to the present use of “Q. dalechampii” in Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and other countries (at least in part) belonging to the Central European region. Notes on selected oak names related to Q. aurea Wierzb. ex Kotschy are appended.