Species identification and chromosome variation of captive two-toed sloths

Two-toed sloth species, Linnaeus's and Hoffmman's, are frequent residents of zoo collections in North America. However, species identification has always been problematic because of their large overlap in external morphology, which represents an obstacle to the captive breeding program. We describe here a PCR-based technique that allows species identification of two-toed sloths without requiring sequencing, by using a mitochondrial marker (COI gene) and restriction enzyme assay. We also report intra- and inter-specific patterns of chromosome variation in captive two-toed sloths. Molecularly, we identified 22 samples of Linnaeus's and Hoffmman's two-toed sloths corresponding to 14 and 8 individuals, respectively. One animal was identified as a hybrid using the nuclear gene Enam having alleles derived from both species. The chromosome number in Hoffman's two-toed sloths showed low variation ranging only between 50 and 51. In contrast, Linnaeus's two-toed sloths appeared to vary widely, with diploid numbers ranging from 53 to 67, suggesting distinct geographic groups. The species identification method presented here represents a low-cost easy-to-use tool that will help to improve management of the captive population of two-toed sloths.     

The Species Plant arum Project

PRANCE, G. T., 1992. The Species Plantarum Project. Proposals for a new computer-based project to produce a checklist of plant species on a global scale are outlined. The eventual goal to develop a product with the same level of data as Floria Europaea is proposed.     

Some recent computer-based developments in plant taxonomy

Review is presented of some of the recent computer-based projects in botany, including: ILDIS (the International Legume Database and Information Service), ESFEDS (European Science Foundation-European Documentation System), Flora Europaea, TDWG (Taxonomic Databases Working Group), Species Plantarum Project, 'Names in Current Use' and BSBI (Botanical Society of the British Isles) database project.     

Was Linnaeus a Rosicrucian?

Linnaeus's collection of printed books, now in the Linnean Society's possession, is mainly a working library of zoology, botany, mineralogy, materia medica and medicine, but it also contains a number of occult or semi-occult treatises, at least one of which was actually bought by him in his impoverished youth. Historians have been reluctant to take seriously Linnaeus's theory of the cortex and medulla as the means of evolution of most plants by hybridization and the key to all medicine. They have noted with amusement his extremely conceited estimate of his personal relations with God. If he viewed himself as an illuminatus, or magus, both become intelligible; he was discovering active principia and thereby seeing further into the secrets of Nature than anyone else, for which he gave due thanks. He differed from Renaissance neo-Platonists and Hermetic magi in rejecting astral influences on Man, and from the original Rosicrucians also in not taking Christ as the Archimagus. His lack of references to Christ, however, is shared even with wholly orthodox Anglican naturalists and natural theologians, and cannot be taken as evidence for his unorthodoxy. His use of ajjmitas has probably been taken in too modern a sense. It is suggested that some of the correspondences he noted in the Testacea encouraged him to believe that the rudiments of the plan of Creation were already becoming visible.     

Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article:
The Royal Horticultural Society plant finder 1999–2000.
Species Plantarum: Flora of the World. Introduction to the Series (ISBN 0–642-56804-9); Irvingiaceae, by DJ. Harris.
Alien Plants of Yorkshire , by G. T. D. Wilmore.
Flora of Australia Volume 17B, Proleaceae 3, Hakea to Dryandra.     

The Linnaean fish collection in the Linnean Society of London

Linnaeus's personal collection of fishes was part of the material purchased by J. E. Smith in 1783–1784 from Linnaeus's widow and which became the property of the Linnean Society of London in 1828. There are extant 168 dried specimens of fishes, mostly skins mounted on paper in the manner of herbarium specimens. The spirit-preserved material which belonged to Linnaeus was never sent from Sweden.
The history of the collection is recounted, and the sources of the specimens discussed. A catalogue of the collection is presented with discussion of the type status of the specimens and the sources for the typification of each taxon.     

Typification of Linnaean taxa of annual Poaceae: Poeae related to Vulpia and Desmazeria

STACE, C. A. & JARVIS, C. E., 1985. TypiHcation of Linnaean taxa of annual Poaceae: Poeae related to Vulpia and Desmazeria. The status and typification of 15 Linnaean species of annual grasses related to Vulpia and Desmazeria are discussed. Of these 15, eight are represented by holotypes or lectotypes in LINN, two by lectotypes in Herb. A. van Royen (L), and one by a neotype in LINN. One (Festuca marina) is based on a pre-Linnaean polynomial and is represented by a lectotype in Herb. Sloane (BM); one (Cynosurus durus) has no known type specimens and we have chosen a Barrelier (1714) illustration as lectotype; one (Nardus aristatus) is an illegitimate name change for Nardus incurvus Gouan, for which we have selected a Scheuchzer (1719) illustration as lectotype; and finally Festuca incrassala appeared on a cancelled page of Species Plantarum and has no nomenclatural standing.     

Brachiopods in the Linnaean Collection

This report is the first attempt to record and figure all the brachiopod specimens preserved in the Linnaean Collection, and to assign the species to genera.
Because of the importance of a knowledge of the background to the collection as it exists today, a resume of the work done by one of us (Dance, 1967) follows. A complete list of Linnaeus's species of Anomia is also given, and the present nomenclatorial status of that genus noted.     

Wheat dwarf virus disease

Biologia Plantarum - Proof is given in this paper that dwarfing of wheat, which occurs in several regions of Czechoslovakia, is a virus infection. The virus was transmitted by means of naturally...     

A poorly known high-latitude parasitoid wasp community: unexpected diversity and dramatic changes through time

Climate change will have profound and unanticipated effects on species distributions. The pace and nature of this change is largely unstudied, especially for the most diverse elements of terrestrial communities--the arthropods--here we have only limited knowledge concerning the taxonomy and the ecology of these groups. Because Arctic ecosystems have already experienced significant increases in temperature over the past half century, shifts in community structure may already be in progress. Here we utilise collections of a particularly hyperdiverse insect group--parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera; Braconidae; Microgastrinae)--at Churchill, Manitoba, Canada in the early and mid-twentieth century to compare the composition of the contemporary community to that present 50-70 years ago. Morphological and DNA barcoding results revealed the presence of 79 species of microgastrine wasps in collections from Churchill, but we estimate that 20% of the local fauna awaits detection. Species composition and diversity between the two time periods differ significantly; species that were most common in historic collections were not found in contemporary collections and vice versa. Using barcodes we compared these collections to others from across North America; contemporary Churchill species are most affiliated with more south-western collections, while historic collections were more affiliated with eastern collections. The past five decades has clearly seen a dramatic change of species composition within the area studied coincident with rising temperature.     

The Linnaean fish collection in the Zoological Museum of the University of Uppsala

Specimens of fishes preserved in the Zoological Museum, University of Uppsala, which are believed to have been examined by Linnaeus, are listed. Most of these were originally given to the University in several donations by benefactors of the Academy and were described by Linnaeus in dissertations defended by students. Some specimens, however, are believed to have originated from Linnaeus's own collection. Many of the specimens have type status and this is discussed together with notes on other surviving Linnaean fish specimens.     

Sherborn’s foraminiferal studies and their influence on the collections at the Natural History Museum,London

Sherborn’s work on the Foraminifera clearly provided the initial spark to compile the major indexes for which he is famous. Contact and help from famous early micropalaeontologists such as T. Rupert Jones and Fortescue William Millett led Sherborn to produce his Bibliography of Foraminifera and subsequently a two-part Index of Foraminiferal Genera and Species. Edward Heron-Allen, whose mentor was Millett, was subsequently inspired by the bibliography to attempt to acquire every publication listed. This remarkable collection of literature was donated to the British Museum (Natural History) in 1926 along with the foraminiferal collections Heron-Allen had mainly purchased from early micropalaeontologists. This donation forms the backbone of the current NHM micropalaeontological collections. The NHM collections contain a relatively small amount of foraminiferal material published by Sherborn from the London Clay, Kimmeridge Clay and Speeton Clay. Another smaller collection reflects his longer-term interest in the British Chalk following regular fieldwork with A. W. Rowe. Other collections relating to Sherborn’s early published work, particularly with T. R. Jones, are not present in the collections but these collections may have been sold or deposited elsewhere by his co-workers.     

Photoinduced pH and membrane potential changes in the algaPithophora pragensis

Biologia Plantarum - Glass microelectrodes filled with antimony were constructed, the electrical potential of which linearly depends on pH and is not influenced by light. Recording at the surface...     

The compositae revisited

Brittonia - Bentham’s treatment of the Compositae in the Genera Plantarum is still, after more than a century, the most important basic reference work on the family. The scholarly challenge...     

Changes in the formation of the lignified cell wall within a twenty-four hour period

Biologia Plantarum - The purpose of this paper is to determine the sequence of the formation of the lignified cell wall and to confirm the hypothesis expressed previously on the alternate...     

The effect of aeration of algal cultures under illumination and in the dark on their respiratory metabolism

Biologia Plantarum - It was the objective of the present communication to establish the effect of short-term aeration with air alone or air enriched with 5% carbon dioxide on growth and oxidative...     

Application of the leaf-disk method to the determination of photosynthesis in cereals

Biologia Plantarum - A modification of the leaf-disk method of BARTO?, KUBíN and ?ETLíK (1960) is described for use in studying photosynthesis in cereals. In place of leaf-disks...     

Ectomycorrhizal fungi of the Philippines: a preliminary survey and notes on the geographic biodiversity of the Sclerodermatales

Basidiomata of putative ectomycorrhizal fungi have been collected from under pine or dipterocarp stands in Central Luzon in the Philippines. Over 100 collections are reported. Among the material, 75 taxa have been recognised and assigned to known genera or at least placed close to already documented European, Japanese or North American taxa. Formal identifications for 46 species are given along with comments on previous collections from South-East Asia. Species collected from under the native Pinus kesiya resemble the communities found under three-needled pines in North America and the West Himalayas, whereas those from dipterocarp forests were similar to communities found in Malaysia and Japan. Members of the Sclerodermatales were particularly common and are probably the pioneer colonizers of young seedlings in these ecosystems.     

Charles Darwin 1809-2009

The year 2009 is the bicentenary of the birth of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species. This article briefly surveys his life and work, dispelling some common myths and summarizes Darwin's achievement and legacy at his death in 1882.