Genetic variation in Banksia saxicola (Proteaceae), a rare Australian plant with a markedly disjunct distribution

 Banksia saxicola A.S. George (Proteaceae) is a rare Australian endemic, found in only two locations in Victoria that are separated by approximately 500 kms: the Grampians and Wilson's Promontory National Parks. The organisation of genetic variation between and within populations at the two locations was assessed using the Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) technique. Two populations were sampled in the Grampians National Park and one population was sampled at Wilson's Promontory. The three populations were genetically divergent from each other, in particular the Grampians and Wilson's Promontory populations, and this relates to the ancient geographic isolation of these two regions. The Wilson's Promontory population had lower genetic diversity than either Grampians populations, consistent with its smaller population size. The findings are important for strategies to conserve B. saxicola. Received October 3, 2000 Accepted January 3, 2001     

Phylogeographic evidence links the threatened ‘Grampians’ Mountain Dragon (Rankinia diemensis Grampians) with Tasmanian populations: conservation implications in south-eastern Australia

The importance of protecting genetic diversity within a species is increasingly being recognised by conservation management authorities. However, discrepancies in conservation policy between authorities, such as state versus national bodies, can have significant implications for species management when they cross state boundaries. We conducted a phylogeographic study of the south-eastern Australian lizard Rankinia diemensis to identify evolutionary significant units (ESUs), including the endangered population from the Grampians National Park in western Victoria. Phylogenetic analyses of two gene regions (mtDNA: ND2; nuclear: RAG1) revealed high levels of genetic divergence between populations, indicating isolation over long evolutionary time frames. Based on criteria of genetic divergence and isolation, R. diemensis contains at least two ESUs that require specific management. We found that R. diemensis from the Grampians are closely related to Tasmanian populations, but that the divergence between these regions is great enough (3.7 % mtDNA) that they should be considered separate ESUs. However, we believe the close evolutionary ties between these two regions needs to be taken into account; yet under current practises, conservation management of subspecific ESUs relies on state-level efforts. We argue that another population that occurs on the Victorian coast also qualifies as an ESU and requires targeted conservation action. Rankinia diemensis provides a case-in-point of the discrepancy between the state-level approach of maintaining genetic variation within a species and the more conservative Commonwealth focus on conserving biodiversity at the species level.     

Some like it hot: the influence and implications of climate change on coffee berry borer (Hypothenemus hampei) and coffee production in East Africa

The negative effects of climate change are already evident for many of the 25 million coffee farmers across the tropics and the 90 billion dollar (US) coffee industry. The coffee berry borer (Hypothenemus hampei), the most important pest of coffee worldwide, has already benefited from the temperature rise in East Africa: increased damage to coffee crops and expansion in its distribution range have been reported. In order to anticipate threats and prioritize management actions for H. hampei we present here, maps on future distributions of H. hampei in coffee producing areas of East Africa. Using the CLIMEX model we relate present-day insect distributions to current climate and then project the fitted climatic envelopes under future scenarios A2A and B2B (for HADCM3 model). In both scenarios, the situation with H. hampei is forecasted to worsen in the current Coffea arabica producing areas of Ethiopia, the Ugandan part of the Lake Victoria and Mt. Elgon regions, Mt. Kenya and the Kenyan side of Mt. Elgon, and most of Rwanda and Burundi. The calculated hypothetical number of generations per year of H. hampei is predicted to increase in all C. arabica-producing areas from five to ten. These outcomes will have serious implications for C. arabica production and livelihoods in East Africa. We suggest that the best way to adapt to a rise of temperatures in coffee plantations could be via the introduction of shade trees in sun grown plantations. The aims of this study are to fill knowledge gaps existing in the coffee industry, and to draft an outline for the development of an adaptation strategy package for climate change on coffee production. An abstract in Spanish is provided as Abstract S1.     

Patterns of Root Colonization in Epacridaceous Plants Collected from Different Sites

Root colonization was studied in ten species of the Epacridaceaeat three sites in Victoria by morphological and cross-inoculationexperiments. The sites and genera chosen were Cranbourne [Epacrisimpressa Labill. andLeucopogon ericoides(Smith) R. Br.] andRye [L. parviflorus(Andrews) Lindley] on the Mornington Peninsula,and the Grampians[Astroloma conostephioides(Sond.) Benth.,A.humifusum(Cav.) R. Br.,A pinifolium(R. Br.) Benth,Brachylomadaphnoides(Smith) Benth.,E. impressa, E. impressavar.grandifloraBenth.andStyphelia adscendensR. Br.] in western Victoria. For morphologicalstudies, samples of roots from each species at each site werecleared and stained and examined microscopically. For cross-inoculationstudies, cuttings from each site were struck in potting mediuminoculated with soil from the same and other sites. The ericoidmycorrhizae in the roots of plants found at or grown in Cranbourneand Rye soils were similar. Both were significantly differentfrom the internal hyphae found in the roots of plants foundat or grown in Grampians soils, which were three times largerin diameter and formed dense coils which filled the host celland invaded adjacent epidermal cells. This suggests that morethan one fungus is involved in the relationships, that the MorningtonPeninsula sites had a different fungus from the Grampians siteand that host specificity is low. Vesicular structures werealso found commonly on plants at the Grampians site, in contrastwith other sites. Epacridaceae; root; fungus; mycorrhiza; morphology; inoculation     

The karyotypes of two bark-lice species (Psocoptera, Psocomorpha, Amphipsocidae): the first description of the neo-XY sex chromosome system in Psocoptera

Karyotypes of two bark-lice species Amphipsocus japonicus End. and Dasypsocus japonicus End. (Amphipsocidae, Psocomorpha, Psocoptera) were studied for the first time. D. japonicus displayed 2n = 16 (14 + XX/X0). The XX/X0 sex chromosome system observed in this species is characteristic of the order Psocoptera. A. japonicus showed 2n = 16 (14 + neo-XY). This is the first observation of the neo-XY sex determination system in Psocoptera. In this species a large amount of constitutive heterochromatin was found in the original X-part of the neo-X chromosome.     

星穗莎属，缅甸莎草科一新记录属

在近期缅甸植物考察中,发现1种莎草科(Cyperaceae)植物:云南星穗莎[Actinoschoenus yunnanensis (C. B. Clarke) Y. C.Tang]。该种植物代表缅甸莎草科1个新记录属:星穗莎属(Actinoschoenus Benth.),其主要特征为花序头状、小穗具1(2)花、花两性、雄蕊3、柱头3、小坚果倒卵形有3棱。     

Phylogenetic position of Phthiraptera (Insecta: Paraneoptera) and elevated rate of evolution in mitochondrial 12S and 16S rDNA

Phthiraptera (chewing and sucking lice) and Psocoptera (booklice and barklice) are closely related to each other and compose the monophyletic taxon Psocodea. However, there are two hypotheses regarding their phylogenetic relationship: (1) monophyletic Psocoptera is the sister group of Phthiraptera or (2) Psocoptera is paraphyletic, and Liposcelididae of Psocoptera is the sister group of Phthiraptera. Each hypothesis is supported morphologically and/or embryologically, and this problem has not yet been resolved. In the present study, the phylogenetic position of Phthiraptera was examined using mitochondrial 12S and 16S rDNA sequences, with three methods of phylogenetic analysis. Results of all analyses strongly supported the close relationship between Phthiraptera and Liposcelididae. Results of the present analyses also provided some insight into the elevated rate of evolution in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in Phthiraptera. An elevated substitution rate of mtDNA appears to originate in the common ancestor of Phthiraptera and Liposcelididae, and directly corresponds to an increased G+C content. Therefore, the elevated substitution rate of mtDNA in Phthiraptera and Liposcelididae appears to be directional. A high diversity of 12S rDNA secondary structure was also observed in wide range of Phthiraptera and Liposcelididae, but these structures seem to have evolved independently in different clades.     

Differing Epidemiological Dynamics of Influenza B Virus Lineages in Guangzhou,Southern China, 2009-2010

The epidemiological and evolutionary dynamics of the two cocirculating lineages of influenza B virus, Victoria and Yamagata, are poorly understood, especially in tropical or subtropical areas of Southeast Asia. We performed a phylogenetic analysis of the hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) sequences of influenza B viruses isolated in Guangzhou, a southern Chinese city, during 2009 to 2010 and compared the demographic and clinical features of infected patients. We identified multiple viral introductions of Victoria strains from both Chinese and international sources, which formed two phylogenetically and antigenically distinct clades (Victoria 1 and 2), some of which persisted between seasons. We identified one dominant Yamagata introduction from outside China during 2009. Our phylogenetic analysis reveals the occurrence of reassortment events among the Victoria and Yamagata lineages and also within the Victoria lineage. We found no significant difference in clinical severity by influenza B lineage, with the exceptions that (i) the Yamagata lineage infected older people than either Victoria lineage and (ii) fewer upper respiratory tract infections were caused by the Victoria 2 than the Victoria 1 clade. Overall, our study reveals the complex epidemiological dynamics of different influenza B lineages within a single geographic locality and has implications for vaccination policy in southern China.     

New record of moss and thermophilic bacteria species and physico-chemical properties of geothermal soils on the northwest slope of Mt. Melbourne (Antarctica)

Four samples of surface soils, one with shoots of an unidentified moss species, were collected from a geothermal site on the northwest slope of volcanic Mt. Melbourne (northern Victoria Land, continental Antarctica) to determine physico-chemical properties, isolate existing strains of heterotrophic microorganisms, and identify the moss species through molecular genetic techniques. Surface soil features such as temperature, grain-size, pH, moisture content, and isolated genera of bacteria, generally corresponded to those previously reported for other geothermal sites in Victoria Land. However, when compared with chemical characteristics of warm substrata from these sites, soils from the northwest slope of Mt. Melbourne showed lower contents of total N and water-extractable PO₄^3– and K⁺, and relatively higher concentrations of Na, Fe, Mn, and of potentially toxic elements such as Cd and Pb. Preliminary results indicate that a new species of thermophilic bacteria growing in Fe-enriched medium was isolated. Although the study area lay only about 1.5 km from Cryptogam Ridge, a geothermal site in the rim of the Mt. Melbourne summit crater with a well-developed population of the moss Campylopus pyriformis, molecular genetic analyses showed that the moss on the volcano slope is Pohlia nutans, a species closely related to populations some 110 km to the north in the Mt. Rittmann fumaroles. It was concluded that physico-chemical features of geothermal grounds may affect the colonisation history and dispersal of microorganisms and mosses.     

Multiple origins of parasitism in lice

A major fraction of the diversity of insects is parasitic, as herbivores, parasitoids or vertebrate ectopara sites. Understanding this diversity requires information on the origin of parasitism in various insect groups. Parasitic lice (Phthiraptera) are the only major group of insects in which all members are permanent parasites of birds or mammals. Lice are classified into a single order but are thought to be closely related to, or derived from, book lice and bark lice (Psocoptera). Here, we use sequences of the nuclear 18S rDNA gene to investigate the relationships among Phthiraptera and Psocoptera and to identify the origins of parasitism in this group (termed Psocodea). Maximum-likelihood (ML), Bayesian ML and parsimony analyses of these data indicate that lice are embedded within the psocopteran infraorder Nanopsocetae, making the order Psocoptera paraphyletic (i.e. does not contain all descendants of a single common ancestor). Furthermore, one family of Psocoptera, Liposcelididae, is identified as the sister taxon to the louse suborder Amblycera, making parasitic lice (Phthiraptera) a polyphyletic order (i.e. descended from two separate ancestors). We infer from these results that parasitism of vertebrates arose twice independently within Psocodea, once in the common ancestor of Amblycera and once in the common ancestor of all other parasitic lice.     

Impact of the invasive shrub Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) on shrub-layer insects in a deciduous forest in the eastern United States

Invasive Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) creates a dense shrub layer in deciduous forests in eastern North America that negatively impacts native herbs and tree seedlings. We predicted that higher vegetative cover caused by this shrub would increase abundance and diversity of insects and alter composition of insect assemblages. We used paired plots, one with and one without honeysuckle, in ten forest locations in southwestern Ohio, USA, to sample insects and measure diversity and vertical cover of vegetation in the shrub layer. Vertical cover of this vegetation was higher on honeysuckle-present plots, but diversity of shrub-layer vegetation did not differ between honeysuckle-present and honeysuckle-absent plots. Species diversity of Hexapoda, Coleoptera, and Psocoptera, richness of Hexapoda, Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, and Psocoptera, and abundance of Hexapoda, Diptera, Hymenoptera, and Psocoptera were higher on honeysuckle-present than on honeysuckle-absent plots. Evenness did not differ between honeysuckle treatments. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling distinguished taxonomic composition in honeysuckle-present plots from that in honeysuckle-absent plots. Presence of vertical cover explained higher richness of Hexapoda and Coleoptera, and higher abundance of Hexapoda, Diptera, Hymenoptera, and Psocoptera. Attributes of honeysuckle, independent of its contribution to vertical cover, explained increases in richness of Hexapoda, Coleoptera, and Hymenoptera and abundance of Hexapoda, Hymenopera, and Psocoptera. These attributes of honeysuckle could include a more complex vegetative structure, a greater availability of resources such as food, detritus, or shelter, and/or a more favorable cooler and moister microenvironment. To more fully understand the mechanisms causing increased richness and abundance of insects in honeysuckle-present areas, detailed studies on these attributes of honeysuckle would be necessary.     

Drought refuges,spatial scale and recolonisation by invertebrates in non‐perennial streams

1. If resistance traits drive recolonisation after drought, then drought refuges should contribute strongly to assemblage composition within streams. If resilience traits drive recolonisation, macroinvertebrates emerging from refuges may disperse widely, colonising many streams. To determine whether the contribution of drought refuges to macroinvertebrate recolonisation in non‐perennial streams was mostly local (within stream) or broader scale (across streams), we measured the association between the composition of invertebrate assemblages in different types of in‐stream drought refuge and the assemblage composition of streams when flow resumed. 2. We sampled 16 streams of varying hydrological regime on the western side of the Victoria Range in the Grampians National Park, Victoria, Australia. Drought refuges (perennial pools, dry sediment, damp sediment, seeps, patches of leaf litter, beneath stones) were identified and sampled during autumn. Most taxa were found in perennial pools; few taxa were found aestivating beneath stones or having desiccation‐resistant stages in dry sediment. Perennial pools and perennially flowing reaches were the refuges that harboured the greatest diversity of macroinvertebrate taxa. 3. Streams were sampled again during spring. Assemblage composition of non‐perennial reaches in spring was unrelated to composition in nearby refuges in the previous autumn. In contrast, assemblage composition in perennial reaches during spring was strongly correlated with composition during autumn. Therefore, drought refuges did not directly influence assemblage composition locally within non‐perennial streams. Rather, both perennially flowing reaches and perennial pools acted as drought refuges across the broader landscape. Resilience traits are likely to drive recolonisation in these streams. 4. Monitoring of drought refuges in a particular stream will therefore not predict species composition when flow resumes. Drought refuges are likely to sustain biodiversity over larger spatial scales such as groups of streams or whole drainage networks. Consequently, stream networks will need to be managed as entities rather than as single waterways and the focus of drought refuge protection should be on perennial pools and reaches.     

Variability in plant fitness influences range expansion of Leptospermum scoparium

A reciprocal transplant experiment was conducted to uncouple genetic and environmental effects on plant fitness of a range-expanding indigenous shrub, Leptospermum scoparium . Patterns of encroachment differed significantly between three regions of Eucalyptus camaldulensis woodland in the Grampians National Park, south-eastern Australia, with greater shrub densities found in the Victoria Valley region. Higher shrub densities in this region are likely due to greater fruit production/shrub, increased field germination and increased early seedling survival. The results of the reciprocal transplant experiment showed increased fitness appears to be due to phenotypic plasticity in response to favourable environmental conditions rather than genotypic variation. Field germination and seedling survival were influenced by region of planting and not seed origin. However, differences in shoot length and biomass of seedlings between the regions were detected after five months of growth in uniform conditions which may indicate genetic differentiation. The results, however, suggest range expansion is partly due to increased plant fitness which is likely a plastic response to favourable environmental conditions, especially soil moisture.     

Environmental correlates of vegetation patterns and species richness in the northern Grampians,Victoria

Abstract Plant species cover-abundance and density data were collected for 94 sample plots across a gradient from rocky uplands to sandy outwash plains in the northern part of Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park in western Victoria. Detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) was used to identify dominant gradients in species composition. A range of static (e.g. substrate type, soil depth, microclimate indicators) and dynamic (e.g. elapsed time since last fire) environmental variables were measured. Correlations were sought between these variables and vegetation patterns including those for richness (R) and Shannon-Weiner diversity (H′). The dominant gradient of vegetation change identified by DCA separated rocky sites and sites near ephemeral streams, from well-drained, sandy sites. Secondary gradients identified time since last fire as important for sandy sites, and altitude and aspect-related microclimate for rocky sites. Diversity was highest in the first 2 years after fire but showed no further decline in older sites. Overall, R and H' were negatively correlated with soil nutrient concentrations. On sandy sites R was high, but was low on rocky sites and near streams. Within the rocky sites, R was highest on cool, moist south and east slopes, and lowest on hot, dry north and west slopes. Explanations of diversity patterns based on inhibition of competitive exclusion due to stress and recurrent disturbance best fit the results presented here.     

The multipartite mitochondrial genome of Liposcelis bostrychophila: insights into the evolution of mitochondrial genomes in bilateral animals

Booklice (order Psocoptera) in the genus Liposcelis are major pests to stored grains worldwide and are closely related to parasitic lice (order Phthiraptera). We sequenced the mitochondrial (mt) genome of Liposcelis bostrychophila and found that the typical single mt chromosome of bilateral animals has fragmented into and been replaced by two medium-sized chromosomes in this booklouse; each of these chromosomes has about half of the genes of the typical mt chromosome of bilateral animals. These mt chromosomes are 8,530 bp (mt chromosome I) and 7,933 bp (mt chromosome II) in size. Intriguingly, mt chromosome I is twice as abundant as chromosome II. It appears that the selection pressure for compact mt genomes in bilateral animals favors small mt chromosomes when small mt chromosomes co-exist with the typical large mt chromosomes. Thus, small mt chromosomes may have selective advantages over large mt chromosomes in bilateral animals. Phylogenetic analyses of mt genome sequences of Psocodea (i.e. Psocoptera plus Phthiraptera) indicate that: 1) the order Psocoptera (booklice and barklice) is paraphyletic; and 2) the order Phthiraptera (the parasitic lice) is monophyletic. Within parasitic lice, however, the suborder Ischnocera is paraphyletic; this differs from the traditional view that each suborder of parasitic lice is monophyletic.     

安徽大别山北坡植物区系与邻近地区植物区系关系探讨

安徽大别山北坡是大别山的主体部分,也是目前大别山森林植被保存较好的地区之一。作者通过对该区植物区系与邻近地区植物区系之间共有种和区系成分的对比分析,以及通过与邻近山地森林植物区系之间相似性系数的对比分析,初步得出下列结论:(1) 该区植物区系与华东植物区系的关系最密切,其次是华中,再次依次为日本、华北、华南、西南、东北,与西北和青藏高原植物区系之间很少有联系。(2) 该区植物区系与日本植物区系之间的关系比与我国西南植物区系之间的关系要密切。(3) 该区植物区系与天目山、神农架、中条山、庐山、武夷山诸山地森林植物区系之间关系紧密程度依次为天目山、庐山、神农架、武夷山、中条山。(4) 大别山植物区系在我国植物区系分区上应属于华东区。(5) 在我国植物区系分区上,华东区与华中区的分界线在湖北省境内应位于“襄樊—宜昌”一线,华东区与华北区的分界线在安徽省境内应位于“霍丘—滁县”一线。     

重庆喀斯特地区现代花粉组合与植被的关系

重庆喀斯特地区4种不同地貌单元的81份表土和苔藓样品的孢粉分析结果表明:(1)研究区植物孢粉组合共由109科属组成。除金佛山外,其他植被退化严重地区样点均以草本和蕨类植物占据优势(剔除石漠化治理大量引种的马尾松、柳杉和侧柏等乔木花粉),其次是乔木植物花粉(主要为马尾松),灌木植物花粉含量很低,显示该区植被退化严重;(2)孢粉组合的PCA分析能够很好地将研究区的现代孢粉组合区分开来,较好地反映了重庆喀斯特地区不同地貌单元的植被特征,特别是石漠化区植被退化严重的孢粉组合特征。生态保护较好、自然植被发育的金佛山地区具有106科属的乔木、灌木与草本孢粉类型,以及高含量的乔木花粉,而喀斯特石漠化地区的鸡公山(46科属)、青木关镇(56科属)和南平镇(50科属)则表现为乔灌木孢粉类型较少;(3)银杉作为金佛山特有的孑遗植物,其花粉含量明显低于松属花粉,说明其花粉不利于远距离传播;(4)随着土地利用强度的增加,现代孢粉组合中乔灌木花粉含量和种类越少,草本和蕨类植物孢粉含量越多,且以耕地杂草为主。因此,土地利用方式的变化是喀斯特石漠化区次生植被及其现代孢粉组合变化的主要影响因素。研究可为重庆喀斯特地区土地利用策略的制定,重庆及其周边地区第四纪古植被、古气候和古环境重建研究,以及中国孢粉数据库建设提供基本数据和科学依据。     

Vegetation of Pleistocene block streams and block fields in Victoria: a successional interpretation

Block fields and block streams above 1000 m on Mt Wombargo and Mt William, in northeastern and western Victoria respectively, were found to be in various stages of colonization. Plant succession was influenced by slope, altitude, precipitation, fire and the nature of the boulder accumulation. Lichen colonization was abundant on exposed surfaces. Soil build up, which commenced at deeper levels amongst the boulders, was hastened by the development of moss mats, and in particular by the accumulation of litter from adjacent eucalypt forest and woodland.     

贡嘎山东坡植物区系的垂直分布格局

为了探讨贡嘎山植物区系的垂直分化特征及其与周边地区植物区系的联系,结合样带法与样方法,对贡嘎山东坡垂直植被带进行了调查,统计得出各垂直植被带的科、属的物种数量,分析了科、属、种级区系成分的构成及其沿海拔梯度的分布格局,并对各垂直植被带区系的相似性进行了聚类分析。结果表明：1)贡嘎山植物区系在整体上具有温带性质,但在干旱河谷地带,热带和温带区系成分的比例相当：热带成分的构成和分布反映古热带和古地中海区系的残遗性影响;2)东亚(含亚型)和东亚-北美成分对贡嘎山中部森林植物区系的影响最大,这些成分以温带古老性质为主;3)北温带成分是贡嘎山植物区系的主体之一,对青藏高原隆升以来贡嘎山植物区系进化类群和特有成分的发展有主要贡献,代表区系的年轻组分;4)中国特有种类型多样,占不同垂直植被带物种数量的40％-65％,其比例随海拔上升而增大。各类型比例的垂直变化突出反映了贡嘎山及横断山脉中海拔地段的植物区系与华中地区的联系,以及高海拔地段与青藏高原及东喜马拉雅的区系之间的联系。本文还就贡嘎山在生物地理分布上的意义以及贡嘎山和横断山脉植物区系特有性的性质进行了讨论。