PHYLOGENETIC STUDIES OF THE GENUSARTHONIA

A phylogenetic analysis is presented, based on 57 morphological, anatomical, chemical and ecological characters, including 19 species from the generaArthonia,ArthotheliumandSyncesia. The aim of the study was to test the monophyly of some of the groups within the genusArthoniasuggested, for example, by Redinger (e.g. species with reddish ascomata, with grey–pruinose ascomata and with brown–black hypothecia). The results strongly support thatArthoniaandArthotheliumare paraphyletic genera. The best-supported node contains allArthoniaspecies together withA. crozalsianade Lesd.,A. ruanaA. Massal. (both hitherto placed inArthothelium) andSyncesia myrticola(Fée) Tehler. A well-supported clade is formed by a group of pioneer species, often non-lichenized or poorly lichenized, including the type species ofArthonia,A. radiata. The species with reddish and/or K+ reddish ascomata form one clade and the species with more or less brownish or blackish hypothecia form another clade withSyncesia myrticola, the sister group to theOpegraphaceaeandRoccellaceae. The results are discussed and compared with Redinger’s grouping. Relationships to other genera within Arthoniaceae are briefly discussed.Arthothelium scandinavicumTh. Fr.,Arthonia dispersa(Schrad.) Nyl.,A. punctiformisAch. andA. mediellaNyl. are lectotypified.     

MOLECULAR SYSTEMATICS OFLECANORASUBGENUSPLACODIUM

A first hypothesis for the phylogeny ofLecanorasubgen.Placodiumis presented by using molecular data. Previous evolutionary ideas and classification concepts for this group with non-molecular data are re-investigated using DNA sequence data from the nuclear ITS and 5.8S regions. UsingProtoparmeliaas an outgroup, theLecanora subfuscagroup together with theL. rupicolagroup appear as a sister group to assemblages with lobate species. Subgen.Placodium, as currently accepted, is not monophyletic. Molecular data suggest that theLecanora dispersagroup and theL. polytropagroup are widened by lobate species and there is evidence from the ITS data that the monotypic genusArctopeltisPoelt is closely related to theL. dispersagroup. A congruence between molecular data and secondary chemistry supports the broader concept of theL. dispersagroup suggested by the molecular data.     

A new species of Aspidosperma Mart. (Apocynaceae) from Bahia, Brazil

A new species,Aspidosperma thomasii, collected in the vicinity of Uruçuca is described. It belongs to subgenusAspidosperma sectionAspidosperma and is closely related to theA. parvifolium A. DC. group.     

Myosotis margaritae—A new species from Bulgaria

A new species ofMyosotis ser.Palustres M. Pop.,Myosotis margaritae, related to theM. caespitosa group, is described from Bulgaria. Diploid chromosome number (2n=20) is given for the new species, and notes on its distribution, ecology and taxonomic relationships are presented.     

Chromosome numbers and their taxonomic implications for eight Brazilian andropogons (Poaceae: Andropogoneae)

Eleven chromosome counts are reported for Brazilian populations of eight species ofAndropogon. Counts for five of the species are first reports for the species. Four of these species,A. arenarius, A. glaziovii, A. lateralis, andA. lindmanii, are hexaploids (n=30) and belong to a group of about a dozen species informally referred to as theAndropogon lateralis complex. Two other species of this complex,A. bicornis andA. hypogynus, we also found to be hexaploids, in agreement with previous reports. Diploid counts (n=10) forA. macrothrix (a first report) andA. virgatus (the same as two previous reports) support the morphological affinities of these two species to other species complexes withinAndropogon.     

Ornithogalum macrum Speta (Hyacinthaceae), eine merkwürdige neue art aus der türkei

Ornitogalum macrum Speta, a new species, is described from the Çakilli-Pass on the road from Akseki to the Bey sehir-Lake in Turkey. It is characterized by its tenderness. Roots turning yellow and concrescente leaves of the bulb speak in favour of a membership to theO. umbellatum group. But the late appearance of the foliage leaves in spring and the lack of ridges on the gynoeceum have hitherto never been found in this connection. There is however an indisputable similarity as to characteristics of theO. undulatum group. The chromosome number is 2n=54. The interphase nuclei are chromomeric.     

LECANORA VACILLANSH. MAGN., A REMARKABLE SPECIES AND ITS TAXONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE

The anatomy and chemistry ofLecanora vacillansH. Magn. has been studied. This saxicolous species combines key characters of both theL. subfuscaandL. subcarneagroups and indicates that the representative groups should not be segregated at generic level. More particularlyL. vacillansresembles theL. subfuscagroup in its apothecial anatomy but contains chemical substances typical of theL. subcarneagroup, whereas the morphology is reminiscent of both groups.Lecanora vacillansf.infuscatais reduced to synonymy withL. vacillans.     

LECANORA BARKMANEANAA NEW NITROPHILOUS SOREDIATE CORTICOLOUS LICHEN FROM THE NETHERLANDS

Lecanora barkmaneana, a sorediate corticolous lichen belonging to theLecanora subfuscagroup, is described as a species new to science on the basis of numerous sterile collections. It is known so far as only from the Netherlands, where it often grows on roadside trees. it seems to be spreading rapidly at nutrient-rich sites.     

A new species of Lomatium (Apiaceae) from Utah

A new species ofLomatium belonging to theCynomarathrum group is described and its relationships to other species in the group are indicated.Lomatium junceum appears to be restricted to Emery Co., Utah, on barren clay and shale slopes in the San Rafael Swell and adjacent eastern base of the Wasatch Plateau.     

Serjania lancistipula (Sapindaceae), a new species from Bahia,Brazil

A new species ofSerjania (S.lancistipula) from Bahia belonging to theS. paradoxa group is described and illustrated. A key to the species in theparadoxa group is provided.     

Characterization ofGandalf,a new inverted-repeat transposable element ofDrosophila koepferae

The cloning and characterization ofGandalf, a new DNA-transposing mobile element obtained from theDrosophila koepferae (repleta group) genome is described. A fragment ofGandalf was found in a middle repetitive clone that shows variable chromosomal localization. Restriction, Southern blot, PCR and sequencing analyses have shown that mostGandalf copies are about 1 kb long, are flanked by 12 by inverted terminal repeats and contain subterminal repetitive regions on both sides of the element. As with other elements of the DNA-transposing type (known as the ‘Ac family’), theGandalf element generates 8 by direct duplications at the insertion point. Coding region analysis has shown that the longer open reading frame found inGandalf copies could encode part of a protein. However, whether or not the 1 kb copies of the element are actually the active transposons remains to be elucidated.Gandalf shows a very low copy number inD. buzzatii, a sibling species ofD. koepferae. An attempt to induce interspecific hybrid dysgenesis in hybrids of these two species has been unsuccessful.     

Comparative genomics of Bacillus thuringiensis phage 0305φ8-36: defining patterns of descent in a novel ancient phage lineage

Background

Members of the familyIridoviridae can cause severe diseases resulting in significant economic and environmental losses. Very little is known about how iridoviruses cause disease in their host. In the present study, we describe the re-analysis of theIridoviridae family of complex DNA viruses using a variety of comparative genomic tools to yield a greater consensus among the annotated sequences of its members.

Results

A series of genomic sequence comparisons were made among, and between theRanavirus andMegalocytivirus genera in order to identify novel conserved ORFs. Of these two genera, theMegalocytivirus genomes required the greatest number of altered annotations. Prior to our re-analysis, the Megalocytivirus species orange-spotted grouper iridovirus and rock bream iridovirus shared 99% sequence identity, but only 82 out of 118 potential ORFs were annotated; in contrast, we predict that these species share an identical complement of genes. These annotation changes allowed the redefinition of the group of core genes shared by all iridoviruses. Seven new core genes were identified, bringing the total number to 26.

Conclusion

Our re-analysis of genomes within theIridoviridae family provides a unifying framework to understand the biology of these viruses. Further re-defining the core set of iridovirus genes will continue to lead us to a better understanding of the phylogenetic relationships between individual iridoviruses as well as giving us a much deeper understanding of iridovirus replication. In addition, this analysis will provide a better framework for characterizing and annotating currently unclassified iridoviruses.     

Some pollination strategies in neotropical savannas and forests

Previously published data on flowering phenology and pollination of neotropical families are reviewed and compared with new observations, in order to evaluate some trends of pollination strategies in neotropical savannas and forests. Central American forestBignoniaceae apparently diminish competition between sympatric species with identical pollination strategies by alternating flowering. On the other hand, in theBignoniaceae of Brazilian cerrado savannas coincident flowering is more common, suggesting different pollination strategies. Bees specialized in nectar robbery are associated withBignoniaceae, particularly mass-flowering species. These nectar robbers stimulate pollinator movements between flowers and thus increase pollen-flow. The flowering phenology of theMalpighiaceae from forests and savannas apparently follows the phenology of theAnthophorinae (mainlyCentridini)-bees, on which this plant group almost exclusively depends for pollination in the Neotropics. As the flowers of different genera and species are very uniform, the bees quite indiscriminately pollinate coexistingMalpighiaceae taxa. In theMalvaceae, the more primitive tree or shrub habit and an allogamous reproduction system is quite significantly associated with an ornithophilous pollination mode. Hummingbirds in the Neotropics have probably influenced the origin of the primitive bird-pollinatedMalvaceae flower. In conjunction with the diversification of theMalvaceae and their migration into more open regions, pollination by bees has apparently become more prominent. ChiropterophilousMalvaceae seem to have developed more recently from ornithophilous ancestors within the neotropical forest regions. As a result of this ecological radiation, parallel modifications of the basic ornithophilous flower principle can be traced in different groups of theMalvaceae. Dynastinae-beetles are pollinators of South and Central American species ofAnnona, Cymbopetalum, Caladium, Talauma, Philodendron, Victoria, Nymphaea, Cyclanthus, Bactris and others. In many cases the relationship between flowers and theirDynastinae visitors is not very specific, principally reflecting differences in the faunistic spectrum of diverse regions and vegetation types. The attraction of these beetles as flower visitors in several unrelated groups of Angiosperms must have occurred repeatedly. It is suggested that the flower visiting species of this beetle group may have acquired their preference for certain pungent or aromatic flower odours by their feeding habits during the larval stage.     

The impact of copper and cobalt orebodies upon the evolution of some plant species from Upper Shaba,Zaïre

The flora of the copper-cobalt ores of Upper Shaba, Zaïre, comprises some 220 taxa including 42 endemics. The origin of this flora is examined and an assessment has been made of its relationship with the flora of the high plateaux steppe-savannah (dilunguan flora). A first group consists of undifferentiated species limited to these two floras. A second group comprises cupriphilous taxa derived from closely-related and widely distributed species observed on the high plateaux and elsewhere. A third group consists of closely-related species or ecotypes confined to the areas. In theSilene burchelli complex (Caryophyllaceae) there is a gradual transition from the widespreadS. burchelli var.angustifolia on the high plateaux to a newly discoveredS. burchelli ecotype from a cupriferous outcrop at Luita, and toS. cobalticola from highly mineralized copper-cobalt deposits at Mindigi. This ecophyletic series provides a gradient of morphological anatomical, and physiological changes whose end members are distinct species. The subject of palaeoendemism and neoendemism in relation to metallophytes of Upper Shaba is also discussed. Colonisation of metalliferous soils by elements of the non-mineralised high plateau is believed to be a neoendemic process.     

C-banded karyotypes in theScilla hohenackeri group,S. persica,andPuschkinia (Liliaceae)

Quantitatively evaluated C-banding karyograms and further observations on karyotype structure are presented forScilla persica, 7 species of theScilla hohenackeri group, andPuschkinia scilloides. Within theS. hohenackeri group very diverse and species-specific banding patterns are found. On the basis of karyology,S. bisotunensis andS. furseorum should be closely grouped together, whileS. persica andPuschkinia scilloides appear quite isolated.