Betulaceous leaves and fruits from the British Upper Palaeocene

Fossil leaves and bracteate fruits are described from a new Upper Palaeocene locality in the Reading Beds near Newbury, southern England. The leaves are assigned to Craspedodromophyllum acutum Crane and correspond in many respects to those of living Betulaceae. The bracts and fruits are assigned to Palaeocarpinus laciniata Crane, which although referable to the Coryleae exhibits a novel combination of the characters of several living genera, particularly Corylus and Carpinus. An argument is presented for the association of these organs as a reconstructed fossil plant which is an extinct member of the Betulaceae. The evolution and fossil record of the Betulaceae are discussed, the late Upper Cretaceous and Palaeocene being regarded as the time at which the characters of modern genera were beginning to differentiate. Carpinus appears to have undergone a major Eurasian diversification during the late Palaeogene and early Neogene. Dispersal in Palaeocarpinus laciniata was probably less specialized than in most extant Coryleae.     

An extinct juglandaceous fruit from the Upper Palaeocene of southern England

A new genus of juglandaceous winged fruit, is described from the Reading Beds (Upper Palaeocene) of southern England. It comprises one of the earlier macrofossil records of the Juglandaceae, and is the earliest from the European Tertiary. The fruit represents an extinct genus related to the extant tribe Engelhardieae, but excluded from it by its simple unlobed bract. Cladistic analysis shows Casholdia to display generalized engelhardioid fruit morphology. It lacks the tri-lobed bract diagnostic of the Engelhardieae, and predates the first occurrence of such bracts in the fossil record. Casholdia adds to the mounting evidence indicating an early Palaeogene radiation of the Juglandaceae.     

Rhododendron seeds from the Palaeocene of southern England

Seeds closely resembling those of some species of the extant genus Rhododendron L. have been recovered from the Reading Beds near Newbury, Berkshire. The fossils are assigned to Rhododendron newburyanum sp. noV. on the basis of detailed comparisons with seeds of extant Rhododendron species, other Ericaceae, and taxa with seeds of similar morphology.     

A New Damselfly Family from the Upper Palaeocene of Argentina

A new family of damselflies, based on Latibasalia elongata gen. et sp. nov. and L. quispeae gen. et sp. nov., is erected from the Upper Palaeocene Maíz Gordo Formation, north-western Argentina. Latibasaliidae fam. nov. can be included in the Zygoptera: Caloptera: Eucaloptera: Amphipterygida: Amphipterygoidea. Its phylogenetic relationships within the clade Eucaloptera Bechly, 1996 are discussed. Within Amphipterygoidea, Latibasaliidae could be closely related to Pseudolestidae or to the 'thaumatoneurid' genera Petrolestes and Congqingia because they share the absence of secondary antenodal crossveins of first and second rows and the absence of antesubnodal crossveins. These characters could be potential synapomorphies of these taxa but they are somewhat homoplastic within the Zygoptera.     

Reproductive and vegetative morphology of Polyptera (Juglandaceae) from the Paleocene of Wyoming and Montana

The morphology, systematics, and ecology of the extinct juglandaceous genus Polyptera are interpreted on the basis of infructescences, fruits, staminate catkins, pollen, and compound leaves from the Paleocene of Wyoming and Montana. The elongate infructescences of Polyptera manningii bear numerous helically arranged sessile fruits. The fruit is a pyramidal nut with a vascularized husk and a multilobed disk-like wing adaptive for wind dispersal. Associated staminate catkins bear numerous helically arranged florets, each with six or more stamens. Pollen from the anthers is triporate and isopolar, with ultrastructure diagnostic of Juglandaceae, but with a pattern of exinous thinning characteristic of the extinct dispersed pollen type Maceopolipollenites anellus (Nichols et Ott) comb. nov. The correlated leaves, Juglandiphyllites glabra (Brown ex Watt) comb. nov., are deciduous, pinnately compound, and have five to seven petiolulate finely serrate leaflets. Systematically, Polyptera shows relationships both with the Hicorieae and the Juglandeae. Occurrences in the Torrejonian and Tiffanian stages of the Paleocene place Polyptera as the oldest unequivocal record of Juglandaceae. Polyptera manningii typically occurs in low-diversity assemblages of 8-15 species, and usually is a dominant or subdominant constituent of floodplain assemblages. It may have been an early-successional colonizer.     

豚草叶片和果实气体交换特性与11种土壤重金属相关性

对10个样地中Cu、Pb、Zn、Mn、Cr、Co、Ni、Cd、As、Sb和Hg11种土壤重金属含量及样地内豚草叶片和果实气体交换特性进行测定.结果表明,样地内豚草叶片的净光合速率在1·88~9·41μmol·m-2·s-1,而果实的净光合速率最高可达2·81μmol·m-2·s-1.叶片的呼吸速率、气孔导度、光合速率和水分利用效率的平均值分别为1·81μmol·m-2·s-1、75·7mmol·m-2·s-1、6·05μmol·m-2·s-1和4·72μmol·mmol-1,分别是果实的5·26、0·64、1·31和1·69倍,说明非同化器官幼嫩果实具有与叶片相当,甚至更强的呼吸、光合能力和水分利用效率;研究地点重金属Ni达到轻微污染水平,其它重金属含量都接近或者显著低于重金属污染的阈值.相关分析和多元回归分析显示,大部分土壤重金属(如Cu、Pb、Zn、Cd、As、Sb和Hg)含量的高低对豚草气体交换特性没有显著影响,仅部分重金属含量与豚草的叶片、果实气体交换特性密切相关,如Ni和Cr对豚草叶片、果实的气孔导度及水分利用效率显著相关;Cr与豚草叶片饱和光合速率显著相关;而As与豚草果实的气孔导度显著相关.表明大部分土壤重金属对叶片和球果的气体交换没有直接影响,而Ni、Cr和As可以在轻微污染甚至没有达到污染水平时影响豚草的气体交换特性.     

A re-evaluation of Cercidiphyllum-like plant fossils from the British early Tertiary

The occurrence of Cercidiphyllum -like leaves, infructescences, fruits and seeds in the British early Tertiary is reviewed. Material previously described from the London Clay Formation, Lower Headon Beds (upper Barton Formation), Oldhaven Formation, and Woolwich and Reading Formation, are evaluated along with specimens from a new late Palaeocene locality in the Reading Beds. The leaves are assigned to Trochodendroides prestwichii; and infructescences, fruits and seeds, previously assigned to Carpolithus gardneri and Jenkinsella apocynoides , are united as a single species Nyssidium arcticum. The evidence that Trochodendroides and Nyssidium are parts of a single kind of fossil plant is supported, and the reconstructed ' Nyssidium plant' is compared with extant taxa, particularly extant Cercidiphyllum. The fossil plant shows a combination of characters not seen in any living genus, and the structure of the infructescence, as well as other features, precludes placing it within Cercidiphyllum. 'Nyssidium' and Cercidiphyllum are closely related. The morphological and sedimentological evidence indicates that 'Nyssidium' was an important colonizer of a variety of open flood-plain environments during the early Tertiary.     

Diurnal water relations of expanding and full-sized cotton fruits and subtending leaves

Water relations of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) fruits have received less attention than those of leaves, although crop water status has an important influence on fruit physiology. This study was conducted to describe diurnal changes in the water relations of cotton fruits and subtending leaves. Young, expanding fruits and full-sized fruits were compared because of previously reported changes in xylem maturity with ontogeny. Diurnal changes in relative water content were greater in leaves than in the capsule walls of fruits. The capsule walls of young fruits had a higher relative water content than subtending leaves, and water content was lower in full-sized (87%) than in expanding (92%) fruits. Water potentials of subtending leaves were always approximately 0-3 MPa lower than those of capsule walls. Water potential gradients favoured passive water flow from young fruits to branches, but water potentials of branches and the capsule walls of full-sized fruits were similar (?0.7 MPa). Water potential gradients were consistent throughout the day. These results indicate that xylem transport to young fruits is unlikely, but may occur in older fruits.     

醉鱼草果实水部位化学成分及神经保护活性研究

为研究醉鱼草果实水部位化学成分及其神经保护作用,利用多种色谱分离技术从醉鱼草果实水部位中分离得到10个化合物。结合现代光谱技术对分离得到的化合物进行结构鉴定,分别为密蒙花苷C(1)、异毛蕊花糖苷(2)、毛蕊花糖苷(3)、4′-hydroxyphenyl ethyl vanillate(4)、6-O-香草酰筋骨草苷(5)、syringaresinol-4′-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(6)、刺五加苷B(7)、松柏苷(8)、醉鱼草皂苷Ⅳb(9)、6-O-(3"-O-p-coumaroyl-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl)catalpol(10),其中化合物4、6、7、8、10为首次从醉鱼草属植物中分离得到,化合物2、3为首次从醉鱼草果实中分离得到;利用MPP+诱导的SH-SY5Y细胞模型对化合物1、5、6、7的神经保护作用进行活性筛选,结果显示四个化合物均能使细胞存活率显著提高。     

The extended Price equation quantifies species selection on mammalian body size across the Palaeocene/Eocene Thermal Maximum

Species selection, covariation of species’ traits with their net diversification rates, is an important component of macroevolution. Most studies have relied on indirect evidence for its operation and have not quantified its strength relative to other macroevolutionary forces. We use an extension of the Price equation to quantify the mechanisms of body size macroevolution in mammals from the latest Palaeocene and earliest Eocene of the Bighorn and Clarks Fork Basins of Wyoming. Dwarfing of mammalian taxa across the Palaeocene/Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), an intense, brief warming event that occurred at approximately 56 Ma, has been suggested to reflect anagenetic change and the immigration of small bodied-mammals, but might also be attributable to species selection. Using previously reconstructed ancestor–descendant relationships, we partitioned change in mean mammalian body size into three distinct mechanisms: species selection operating on resident mammals, anagenetic change within resident mammalian lineages and change due to immigrants. The remarkable decrease in mean body size across the warming event occurred through anagenetic change and immigration. Species selection also was strong across the PETM but, intriguingly, favoured larger-bodied species, implying some unknown mechanism(s) by which warming events affect macroevolution.     

A spirostane hexaglycoside from Agave cantala fruits.

A new steroidal glycoside, agaveside D, isolated from the fruits of Agave cantata was characterized as 3β-{- -rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2), β- -glycopyranosyl-(1→3)-β- -glucopyranosyl[β- -xylopyransoyl-(1→4)-- -rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)]-β- -glucopyranosyl}-25R-5- spirostane on the basis of chemical degradation and spectrometry.     

Two dibenzofuran derivatives from fruits of Rhodomyrtus macrocarpa

Two new isomers of the natural dibenzofuran derivative, rhodomyrtoxin, have been isolated from Rhodomyrtus macrocarpa fruits and their structures determined by spectroscopic methods. A third compound, possibly ψ rhodomyrtoxin was isolated in smaller quantities.     

Anatomical and developmental study of petrified Quercus (Fagaceae) fruits from the Middle Miocene, Yakima Canyon, Washington, USA

The first reported petrified acorns to show internal anatomical structure are here described from Middle Miocene (～15.6 million years old) chert of the Columbia River Basalt Group in Yakima Canyon, Washington. Quercus hiholensis Borgardt et Pigg sp. nov. is described from anatomical and morphological fruit features, as well as a little recognized anatomical feature, the umbilical complex. Acorns, each comprising a nut and its cupule, are up to 15.3 mm long and 18.8 mm wide with helically arranged, imbricate, tuberculate cupule scales. They show basal aborted ovules, short styles, broad stigmas, and lack grooves in their cotyledons. These characters and the developmental pattern seen in these fossil acorns demonstrate that Q. hiholensis conforms to genus Quercus (Fagaceae), subgenus Quercus, section Quercus (the white oaks). The correspondence of Q. hiholensis to the modern section Quercus reveals that the derived floral and fruit characters that distinguish section Quercus within the genus had evolved by the Middle Miocene.     

Tylerianthus crossmanensis gen. et sp. nov. (aff. Hydrangeaceae) from the Upper Cretaceous of New Jersey

A fossil flower with affinities to the modern families of the saxifragalean complex is described. Fossils were collected at Old Crossman Pit, Raritan Formation, New Jersey, USA. These sediments are dated on the basis of palynology as Turonian (Upper Cretaceous, ~90 million years before present). Fossils are charcoalified and preserved with exceptional three- dimensional detail. The characters observed in these flowers, when compared with those of extant flowers of several families of the saxifragalean complex, suggest a close relationship with extant members of the Saxifragaceae and Hydrangeaceae. Hypotheses on the origin of petals and staminodes and a possible mechanism of pollination are discussed. This new taxon provides additional characters in the floral morphology of the fossil saxifragoids and extends their geographical distribution in the Cretaceous to North America.     

Pectinolytic enzymes secreted by yeasts from tropical fruits

Three hundred yeasts isolated from tropical fruits were screened in relation to secretion of pectinases. Twenty-one isolates were able to produce polygalacturonase and among them seven isolates could secrete pectin lyase. None of the isolates was able to secrete pectin methylesterase. The pectinolytic yeasts identified belonged to six different genera. Kluyveromyces wickerhamii isolated from the fruit mangaba (Hancornia speciosa) secreted the highest amount of polygalacturonase, followed by K. marxianus and Stephanoascus smithiae. The yeast Debaryomyces hansenii produced the greatest decrease in viscosity while only 3% of the glycosidic linkages were hydrolysed, indicating that the enzyme secreted was an endo-polygalacturonase. The hydrolysis of pectin by polygalacturonase secreted by S. smithiae suggested an exo-splitting mechanism. The other yeast species studied showed low polygalacturonase activity.     

Leaf and fruit remains of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Davidia</Emphasis> (Cornales) from the Nezhino flora (Miocene of Primorye)

The geology of beds containing the Nezhino flora is outlined. The taxonomic composition of the flora is discussed. The flora is dated to the second half of the Early Miocene on the basis of geological, paleobotanical, and radioisotope information. Leaf and fruit imprints are described as new species of Davidia Baillon.     

Degradation of the upper pulvinus in modern and fossil leaves of Cercis (Fabaceae)

Identification of fossil leaf impressions as Cercis has been questioned based upon the presence or absence of a pulvinus at the base of the lamina (upper pulvinus). In the present study, leaves of Cercis canadensis were examined before and after abscission to explore the degradation processes that could occur prior to fossilization, and the North American record for fossil foliage of Cercis was revised accordingly. Results for C. canadensis indicate that: (1) the pulvinus consists largely of tissues with nonlignified cells (a wide cortex, a nonlignified fiber sheath, phloem, and pith) that degrade rapidly after leaf abscission, (2) the lignified xylem tissue that remains in the pulvinus after degradation is in brittle strands, (3) the pulvinus degrades at a faster rate than the lamina or the petiole, and (4) the degraded pulvinus cushion leaves a semicircular pattern on the lamina. From examination of fossils as well as extant species, we: (1) demonstrated that in fossils, the upper pulvinus can show a greater degree of degradation than the adjoining petiole or lamina tissue, suggesting the degradation of upper pulvinus tissue is similar in modern vs. fossil specimens, (2) defined numerous other laminar characters that can be used in conjunction with, or in the absence of, an upper pulvinus to confirm the presence of Cercis in the fossil record, and (3) showed from those criteria that the earliest known North American fossil leaf record for Cercis, from a specimen newly reported in the present study, is from the middle Miocene Succor Creek flora of Oregon.     

Pyrrolooxygenases from pepper and poinsettia leaves

Leaf extracts of pepper (Capsicum annuum) and poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) contained pyrrolooxygenases which varied in activity according to the age of the leaves and the origin and physiological condition of the plants. An inhibition of the pyrrolooxygenases was present in the crude extracts of senescent leaves. Fruiting enhanced pyrrolooxygenase activity and added a new ionic form of greater negative charge to the usual cationic form of the enzymes. Pyrrolooxygenases of C. annuum leaves from greenhouse-grown plants showed three forms of different ionic charge which exhibited multiple MW forms for porphobilinogen oxygenase and skatole pyrrolooxygenase. The cationic form of porphobilinogen oxygenase had sigmoidal kinetics, while the anionic forms had Michaelis kinetics. Skatole and tryptophan pyrrolooxygenase showed Michaelis kinetics. Pyrrolooxygenase activities in E. pulcherrima were lower than those in C. annuum and the former were also found to be more unstable.