Book Reviews

Books reviewed:
Phillip Cribb and Michael Tibbs. The Orchid Paintings of John Day 1863 to 1888
Susan Sex and Brendan Sayers. Ireland's Wild Orchids
Kingsley W. Dixon, Shelagh P. Kell, Russell L. Barrett & Phillip J. Cribb. Orchid Conservation
Mark Griffiths. Orchids from the Archives of the Royal Horticultural Society
Sebsebe Demissew, Phillip Cribb and Fin Rasmussen. Field guide to Ethiopian orchids     

兰花组织培养和分子生物学研究进展

兰科植物是开花植物中最大的家族之一,其科研和经济价值越来越受到全世界的重视。兰花的组织培养近年来发展迅速,对兰花组织培养中原球茎的诱导和培养基选择的国内外研究进行了综述;并对近年来应用分子标记、转基因等分子生物学技术研究兰花的遗传多样性、系统分类和基因功能进行综述。     

广东兰科植物2种新记录

报道广东省2种兰科植物新记录：永泰卷瓣兰(Bulbophyllum yongtaiense J. F. Liu, S. R. Lan & Y. C. Liang)和低地羊耳蒜(Liparis formosana Rchb.f.)。活体植株保存在深圳市兰科植物保护研究中心种质资源库,凭证标本保存于深圳市兰科植物保护研究中心标本馆(NOCC)。     

Predatory pollinator deception： Does the orchid mantis resemble a model species？

Cases of imperfect or non-model mimicry are common in plants and animals and challenge intuitive assumptions about the nature of directional selection on mimics. Many non-rewarding flower species do not mimic a particular species, but at- tract pollinators through ＇generalised food deception＇. Some predatory animals also attract pollinators by resembling flowers, perhaps the most well known, yet least well understood, is the orchid mantis Hymenopus coronatus. This praying mantis has been hypothesised to mimic a flower corolla and we have previously shown that it attracts and captures pollinating insects as prey. Predatory pollinator deception is relatively unstudied and whether this occurs through model mimicry or generalised food decep- tion in the orchid mantis is unknown. To test whether the orchid mantis mimics a specific model flower species we investigated similarities between its morphology and that of flowers in its natural habitat in peninsular Malaysia. Geometric morphometrics were used to compare the shape of mantis femoral lobes to flower petals. Physiological vision models were used to compare the colour of mantises and flowers from the perspective of bees, flies and birds. We did not find strong evidence for a specific model flower species for the orchid mantis. The mantis＇ colour and shape varied within the range of that exhibited by many flower pet- als rather than resembling one type in particular. We suggest that the orchid mantis resembles an average, or generalised flower-like stimulus. Thus predatory pollinator deception in the orchid mantis is likely to function as a form of generalised food deception, as opposed to model mimicry .     

Asymbiotic seed germination,in vitro seedling development,and greenhouse acclimatization of the threatened terrestrial orchid <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bletia purpurea</Emphasis>

Procedures for asymbiotic seed germination and seedling acclimatization were developed for Bletia purpurea, a threatened North America native terrestrial orchid. Six asymbiotic orchid seed germination media (Knudson C, PhytoTechnology Orchid Seed Sowing Medium, Malmgren Modified Terrestrial Orchid Medium, Vacin &; Went Modified Orchid Medium, ½-strengh Murashige &; Skoog, and BM-1 Terrestrial Orchid Medium) were examined for their effectiveness in promoting seed germination and protocorm development of B. purpurea in either a 0/24 h or 16/8 h L/D photoperiod. Germination occurred regardless of medium or photoperiod treatment. However, advanced seedling development (Stage 6) only occurred on Vacin &; Went Modified Orchid Medium in the 16/8 h L/D photoperiod. Further effects of photoperiod on in vitro seedling development were also examined. Shoot length, leaf width, root number and length, and fresh weight and dry weight in the 16/8 h L/D photoperiod were all significantly different when compared to the 8/16 h and 12/12 L/D photoperiods. In vitro seedlings were readily acclimatized to greenhouse conditions. Seedlings showed high survival all potting media. Seedlings acclimatized in Fafard Mix 4 potting medium developed significantly longer roots. Corm formation occurred regardless of potting media used.     

Orchid bees as bio-indicators for organic coffee farms in Costa Rica: does farm size affect their abundance?

The potential of Euglossini bees, especially Euglossa, as biological indicators of organic vs nonorganic coffee farms was studied in Atenas and San Isidro, Alajuela, Costa Rica using 1.8-cineole as lure. Observations were made for three days at each of four farms and complemented with data from a year of observations. Orchid bees were in greater abundance in the organic farms (t-Student test). However, lower abundances suggest that an organic farm may be negatively affected by the proximity of non-organic farms, depending on its size and distance. Orchid bees may be indicators of organic coffee farms.     

Northward geographic diversification of a kleptoparasitic spider Argyrodes lanyuensis (Araneae,Theridiidae) from the Philippine Archipelago to Orchid Island

Oceanic islands are unique geographic systems that promote local adaptations and allopatric speciation in many of their highly endemic taxa. This is a common case in the Philippine Archipelago, where numerous unrelated taxa on islands have been inferred to have diversified in isolation. However, few cases have been reported in invertebrates especially among parasitic organisms. Here, we tested for biogeographical structure in novel populations of the “generalist" kleptoparasitic spider, Argyrodes lanyuensis Yoshida, Tso & Severinghaus, 1998 in the Philippines. Results showed that, in addition to Orchid/Lanyu Island, this species has a wide geographic distribution in the Philippine Archipelago. The estimated divergence time of this lineage using the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase 1 (mt‐CO1) suggests that this species diverged ca 3.12 MYA, during the Pliocene. Two reciprocal monophyletic clades were elucidated in A. lanyuensis, but with limited differentiation across Pleistocene Aggregate Island Complex (PAIC) boundaries and modern‐day islands. However, in our analyses of morphological variation, we identified two phenotypically differentiated units in males (Orchid Island, Taiwan + Luzon, Philippine PAIC populations vs. Palawan + West Visayan + Mindanao PAIC populations). We infer that this species diverged in the southern portion of the Philippine Archipelago and only recently colonized Orchid Island. Our study provides new information on the extensive distribution of A. lanyuensis outside Orchid Island, Taiwan, but we documented a very limited geographically associated genetic variation. Our study points to behavioral phenomena such as foraging behavior as essential contributor to the evolutionary process of species diversification, in contrast to the traditionally invoked geographic drivers of divergence.     

Habitat management by aboriginals promotes high spider diversity on an Asian tropical island

Orchid Island, 92  km off the southeast coast of Taiwan, has the northernmost tropical forests in East Asia. We assessed effects of habitat management by Orchid Island inhabitants, the Yami people, on spider diversity by comparing assemblages collected from the ground to canopy among four habitats (natural forest, cultivated woodland, second growth forest and grasslands) that receive different degrees of disturbance. Species and guild composition did not differ among replicates of habitat but differed significantly among habitats. Variation in spider diversity was inversely correlated with vegetation density. Cultivated woodland subjected to an intermediate level of disturbances had a lower understory vegetation density than natural forest, but higher spider diversity. Neither insect abundance nor biomass varied significantly among habitats suggesting little room for effects of prey availability on spider diversity. It appears that the Yami people maintain high spider diversity on Orchid Island by generating novel habitat types with different vegetation structures and disturbance regimes.     

Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article:
Orchid Photography. Charles Marden Fitch. 96 pp., over 150 colour photographs. American Orchid Society, 6000 South Olive Avenue, West Palm Beach, Florida 33405.
Collins Photo Guide to Orchids of Britain and Europe. Pierre Delforge. 480 pp., 812 colour photographs.
Flowers of Sri Lanka. S.R. Kottegoda. 247 pp., 411 colour photographs. Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka, Colombo 07. 1994.     

Ecology and reproductive patterns of the agamid lizard Japalura swinhonis on an east Asian island, with comments on the small clutch sizes of island lizards

I describe the habitat use, diet, and the male and female reproductive cycles of Japalura swinhonis, an oviparous agamid lizard inhabiting Orchid Island, a tropical island off the southeastern coast of Taiwan. Ninety percent of lizards (n=126) were observed on tree trunks or at the forest edge. The diet of J. swinhonis on Orchid Island consisted mostly of hymenopterans (53.33%) and orthopterans (16.67%). The mean snout-vent length (SVL) of adult males was 74.58 (n=89) and that of females was 69.31 (n=37) mm. Females exhibited a long vitellogenic period from November to February, with parturition occurring from March to October. The onset of vitellogenesis did not correlate with the mass of the female fat bodies. Females produced two to five eggs per clutch, and clutch size was not correlated with SVL. Two clutches were recorded during a single year in some individuals. Clutch size in J. swinhonis was compared with that in other Japalura species. Clutch sizes of Japalura species are larger in mainland China than on insular Taiwan. Clutch size is also mainly affected by environmental constraints, and smaller clutch sizes are probably affected by predators on Orchid Island.     

菌根真菌与兰科植物氮营养关系的研究进展

兰科植物是典型的菌根植物。兰菌根是兰科植物根与真菌形成的菌根共生体。兰菌根真菌的营养来源影响宿主植物的生活方式和营养水平。氮是植物生长的主要限制因子。兰科植物具有富集氮的特征, 其组织和器官的氮含量通常高于同生境中的其他植物。该文综述了兰菌根真菌类别、兰科植物氮营养特征和兰菌根的氮转移机制等的研究进展, 以期为兰科植物资源的保护、再生及可持续利用的相关研究提供参考和借鉴。     

Evolution and connectivity in the world-wide migration system of the mallard: Inferences from mitochondrial DNA

Background

Yami and Ivatan islanders are Austronesian speakers from Orchid Island and the Batanes archipelago that are located between Taiwan and the Philippines. The paternal genealogies of the Yami tribe from 1962 monograph of Wei and Liu were compared with our dataset of non-recombining Y (NRY) chromosomes from the corresponding families. Then mitochondrial DNA polymorphism was also analyzed to determine the matrilineal relationships between Yami, Ivatan, and other East Asian populations.

Results

The family relationships inferred from the NRY Phylogeny suggested a low number of paternal founders and agreed with the genealogy of Wei and Liu (P < 0.01). Except for one Y short tandem repeat lineage (Y-STR), seen in two unrelated Yami families, no other Y-STR lineages were shared between villages, whereas mtDNA haplotypes were indiscriminately distributed throughout Orchid Island. The genetic affinity seen between Yami and Taiwanese aborigines or between Ivatan and the Philippine people was closer than that between Yami and Ivatan, suggesting that the Orchid islanders were colonized separately by their nearest neighbors and bred in isolation. However a northward gene flow to Orchid Island from the Philippines was suspected as Yami and Ivatan peoples both speak Western Malayo-Polynesian languages which are not spoken in Taiwan. Actually, only very little gene flow was observed between Yami and Ivatan or between Yami and the Philippines as indicated by the sharing of mtDNA haplogroup B4a1a4 and one O1a1* Y-STR lineage.

Conclusions

The NRY and mtDNA genetic information among Yami tribe peoples fitted well the patrilocal society model proposed by Wei and Liu. In this proposal, there were likely few genetic exchanges among Yami and the Philippine people. Trading activities may have contributed to the diffusion of Malayo-Polynesian languages among them. Finally, artifacts dating 4,000 YBP, found on Orchid Island and indicating association with the Out of Taiwan hypothesis might be related to a pioneering stage of settlement, as most dating estimates inferred from DNA variation in our data set ranged between 100-3,000 YBP.     

The reintroduction project of Cypripedium calceolus in Switzerland

In 2013, a project to reintroduce Cypripedium calceolus in the Swiss Jura was organised between the Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Herbarium of Jany Renz, Basel, Switzerland and Anthura B.V., Bleiswijk, Holland with the approval of the Nature Conservation authorities of nine cantons in the Swiss Jura. Seed was legally collected from sites in the nine cantons and was successfully grown to flowering size by the commercial nursery in the Netherlands. Three thousand flowering sized plants were successfully reintroduced to 43 sites in the summer of 2018. Monitoring in successive years has shown a success rate of over 50% and much higher in some sites. The successful collaboration of conservation authorities, a charitable foundation (Swiss Orchid Foundation) and a commercial company (Anthura B.V.) in the conservation of an endangered plant might serve as a model of how other projects might be run. A version of this paper, in German may be found in Bauhinia.     

安徽省野生兰花资源多样性研究

通过对安徽省野生兰花资源的调查,发现安徽省野生兰花资源主要集中于皖西大别山山区及皖南山区,共有野生兰花资源34属、56种,是华东地区盛产地之一,也是全国乃至世界兰花资源的重要来源;以少种属和寡种属为主;生活类型以地生为主;垂直分布格局上呈一定规律分布;安徽省兰科植物属分布区类型可以划分为9类型3变型,明显的温带和亚热带过渡的特点;另外就安徽省的兰花资源现状提出了保护建议。     

Book Reviews

Sacred Painting in Bali: Tradition in Transition . Thomas L. Cooper. Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2005. 184 pp.     

广西雅长自然保护区兰科植物多样性研究

对广西雅长兰科植物自然保护区的兰科植物多样性进行调查研究。该保护区兰科植物多样性具有如下特点:(1)物种多样性丰富,居群数量大,共有兰科植物44属113种(含5变种);(2)分布广泛,生境复杂多样;(3)地理成分兼备热带和亚热带性质,生活类型齐全;(4)垂直分布格局呈现一定规律性。文章最后提出了该保护区兰科植物多样性保护及利用的初步建议。     

White Fringed Orchid as indicator of Sphagnum bog integrity

Ecosystem integrity often needs to be evaluated rapidly; indicator species may be used to do so. In this study we aim to evaluate whether White Fringed Orchid is an indicator of ombrotrophic peatland (Sphagnum bog) integrity in northeastern North America. The study was carried out in 113 sampling plots located in 60 bogs of southern Quebec, Canada. Vegetation (species cover and strata) and abiotic variables were collected within the plots and disturbance variables were determined using aerial photographs and satellite imagery. The level of integrity on each plot was assessed by calculating a Floristic Quality Assessment Index (FQAI) and an Anthropogenic Activity Index (AAI). Data were analyzed with ANOVAs, multivariate techniques and logistic multiple regression. Results indicated that the presence and abundance of White Fringed Orchid were positively linked to the FQAI and negatively to the perimeter/area ratio variable, suggesting that this species is most abundant and frequent at sites that are less disturbed and influenced by human activities. ANOVA showed that the AAI was lower in plots with high orchid abundance than in those without, suggesting that the orchid grows in more pristine sites. Our study showed that White Fringed Orchid abundance and presence may be used to rapidly and accurately evaluate Sphagnum bog integrity.     

Morphological,ecological and genetic aspects associated with endemism in the Fly Orchid group

The European genus Ophrys (Orchidaceae) is famous for its insect‐like floral morphology, an adaptation for a pseudocopulatory pollination strategy involving Hymenoptera males. A large number of endemic Ophrys species have recently been described, especially within the Mediterranean Basin, which is one of the major species diversity hotspots. Subtle morphological variation and specific pollinator dependence are the two main perceptible criteria for describing numerous endemic taxa. However, the degree to which endemics differ genetically remains a challenging question. Additionally, knowledge regarding the factors underlying the emergence of such endemic entities is limited. To achieve new insights regarding speciation processes in Ophrys, we have investigated species boundaries in the Fly Orchid group (Ophrys insectifera sensu lato) by examining morphological, ecological and genetic evidence. Classically, authors have recognized one widespread taxon (O. insectifera) and two endemics (O. aymoninii from France and O. subinsectifera from Spain). Our research has identified clear morphological and ecological factors segregating among these taxa; however, genetic differences were more ambiguous. Insights from cpDNA sequencing and amplified fragment length polymorphisms genotyping indicated a recent diversification in the three extant Fly Orchid species, which may have been further obscured by active migration and admixture across the European continent. Our genetic results still indicate weak but noticeable phylogeographic clustering that partially correlates with the described species. Particularly, we report several isolated haplotypes and genetic clusters in central and southeastern Europe. With regard to the morphological, ecological and genetic aspects, we discuss the endemism status within the Fly Orchid group from evolutionary, taxonomical and conservation perspectives.     

胚珠发育的分子基础

胚珠作为胚囊的携带者,在植物的生殖过程中起重要作用。胚珠是种子的前身,它在受精后发育成种子。近年来通过诱变已创造出一些胚珠和胚囊发育异常的突变体,如 sin1, bell, ovm2, ovm3。这几个突变体的表现型不但是珠被发育异常,而且胚囊不能形成或发育异常,最终结果是雌性不育。同时,已分别从蝶兰和矮牵牛的胚珠中分离出一批胚珠发育特异的基因,其中有关MADS Box基因在胚珠形成和发育中的作用研究得比较清楚,基因转化工作证实胚珠的分化和形成受一类新的MADS Box基因控制。     

In vitro desiccation tolerance of the epiphytic Ghost Orchid,Dendrophylax lindenii (Lindl.) Benth x. Rolfe

The Ghost Orchid, Dendrophylax lindenii (Lindl.) Benth x. Rolfe, is a rare and endangered epiphytic orchid native to south Florida and Cuba. The orchid is considered difficult to propagate under greenhouse conditions, requiring high humidity and low air movement. In contrast, the orchid’s native habitat seasonally dries out with decreased precipitation and humidity. This suggests some level of desiccation tolerance. Ghost Orchid plants were assessed for potential desiccation tolerance and ability to recover from desiccation stress under in vitro conditions. In vitro-derived plants were placed into sterile baby food jars and transferred to chambers maintained at 10% relative humidity, which is extremely low compared to relative humidity levels (40–100%) recorded under natural field conditions. Plants were removed every week for 4 wk and recovered on P723 medium supplemented with banana powder for 4 wk. Data were collected at the initiation of the experiment, after the desiccation periods, and after 4 wk in vitro recovery. Ghost Orchid plants demonstrated extremely high desiccation tolerance. Even after 4 wk desiccation, plant survival was observed at 79.2% after recovery. Desiccated plants exhibited significant decreases in tissue water potential (− 18.44 MPa), fresh weight (65.5% loss), and water content (14.2%); however, high plant survival was still observed under these conditions similar to poikilohydric plants. Overall, the Ghost Orchid demonstrated high desiccation tolerance, which should be considered for future greenhouse culture and for its application in the direct field establishment of in vitro-derived plants without greenhouse acclimatization.