<Emphasis Type="Italic">Mycena haushoferi</Emphasis>, a new species of section <Emphasis Type="Italic">Intermediae</Emphasis> from Germany

Mycena haushoferi, a new species of the section Intermediae collected in Bavaria, is described and compared with four other species of the sect. Intermediae known from the Northern Hemisphere and with M. cystidiosa and M. metuloidifera, two species of sect. Metuloidiferae. The five known species of Northern Hemisphere of section Intermediae are keyed out.     

Morphometric diagnosis of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Glossina palpalis</Emphasis> (Diptera: Glossinidae) population structure in Ghana

Objective

This study aimed to identify isolated population(s) of Glossina palpalis in Ghana using geometric morphometrics to evaluate variations in wing-shape and size between populations of the fly from three regions.

Results

Wing shape of G. palpalis tsetse flies from the Northern, Western and Eastern Regions varied significantly between each other. Populations from the Northern and Western Regions varied the most (Mahalanobis Distance = 54.20). The least variation was noticed between populations from the Western and Eastern Regions (MD = 1.99). On morphospace, the Northern population clearly separated from the Eastern and Western populations both of which overlapped. Wing centroid size also significantly varied among populations. Reclassification scores were satisfactory reaching 100% for the Northern population. The Northern population of G. palpalis is possibly isolated from the Western and Eastern Region populations. Meanwhile, a panmictic relationship could be on-going between the Western and Eastern populations. We speculate that geographical distance and subspecific difference between populations are among factors responsible for observed pattern of wing shape variations among the studied populations. The implications of results regarding choice of control strategy and limitations of the study are discussed.

     

Searching for and Revealing Pleistocene Refugia of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinus sylvestris</Emphasis> L. in Central Yakutia

As a result of allozyme analysis, Nei’s genetic distances were determined between the phylogeographic group of seven populations of Pinus sylvestris L. in the “glacial” zone of the range in Central Yakutia and 25 populations of its hypothetical Pleistocene refugia of the southern nonglacial zone within the entire range of the species in Northern Eurasia. The location of the most likely “avant-garde” refugium of the modern yakutian populations of the Scots pine is Northern Priamur’e (Tynda), as well as less likely Siberian (Romanovka, Irkutsk), South Ural (Kryktytau), and Central European (the Czech Republic) refugia.     

Néandertal et le feu au Paléolithique moyen ancien. Tour d’horizon des traces de son utilisation dans le Nord de la France

This article aims at drawing up balance sheet of remains of fire use by the first Neanderthals of Northern France, during the second part of the Saalian (MIS 8 to 6). This overview reminds us the rarity of fire testimonies during Early Middle Palaeolithic (300–130 ky BP) on the scale of North-Western Europe. For Northern France, only the sites of Biache-Saint-Vaast and Therdonne present remains of combustion. At Biache-Saint-Vaast, it is not less than six levels, which present clues of combustion: burnt flint and faunal remains and sometimes charcoals. At Therdonne, besides burnt numerous flint and some rare faunal remains were brought to light during the excavation of level N3 several rich zones in organic residues and micro-charcoals. All the datas collected concerning the clues of combustion at Biache-Saint-Vaast and Therdonne is compiled, analyzed and interpreted. This approach permits to establish the fire use or its absence in saalian occupations of Neanderthals of Northern France and to discuss modalities of its use, particularly at Therdonne. To conclude, fire status and its implications in first Neanderthals occupations are briefly discussed.     

Introgressive hybridization of chars of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Salvelinus</Emphasis> as inferred from mitochondrial DNA variation

Nucleotide sequence analysis of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene in the genus Salvelinus revealed hybrids with S. leucomaenis in S. malma malma populations of the Northern Okhotsk Sea basin. Hybrids of S. m. malma and S. m. krascheninnikovi were found in S. m. malma populations from the Northern Okhotsk Sea basin and Kamchatka. The findings testify to a secondary contact and mtDNA transfer between these species and forms. It was assumed that introgressive hybridization took place both long ago and relatively recently and occurred in one direction: from S. leucomaenis or S. m. krascheninnikovi to S. m. malma.Translated from Genetika, Vol. 40, No. 12, 2004, pp. 1678–1685.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2004 by Radchenko.     

The morphology,taxonomy, and occurrence of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudoprotophyllum</Emphasis> Hollick (Platanaceae) in Late Cretaceous floras of Northern Asia

An extended generic diagnosis of Pseudoprotophyllum is given on the basis of new data from Late Cretaceous floras of Northern Asia. Both peltate and apeltate morphological types are included in the genus. The morphological diversity is described in the type species P. boreale (Dawson) Hollick from the Cenomanian-Turonian of North America and four North Asiatic species: P. minimum I. Lebed. , P. sibiricum I. Lebed., P. hatangaense Abramova, and P. giganteum Sveshn. et Budants. The geographical and stratigraphic analyses show that Pseudoprotophyllum evolved in Northern Asia since the Cenomanian until Campanian and was restricted to the Siberian-Canadian floristic region with a warm-temperate humid climate.     

Molecular and morphological identification of truffle-producing <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tuber</Emphasis> species in New Zealand

Molecular and morphological techniques were used to examine New Zealand ascomycetous truffle (Tuber spp.) samples deposited in the Plant & Food Research and Landcare Research Fungi Herbarium collections. Truffles have been found on the roots of many Northern Hemisphere tree species growing in New Zealand, but not on indigenous plant species. Comparisons of ribosomal DNA sequences proved to be a simple and rapid method to identify the Tuber species. Tuber maculatum was by far the predominant species in New Zealand, and was distributed throughout the country. A single truffle sample from Christchurch was identified as T. rufum. Two other groups of truffle samples from Pinus spp. were closely related to anonymous Northern Hemisphere Tuber sequences. Ascocarps with these sequences have not previously been described. Specific primers for the PCR detection of these Pinus isolates were developed. None of these Tuber species accidentally introduced to New Zealand is of economic value.     

A species distribution model for pine marten (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Martes martes</Emphasis>) in the least forested region of Europe

Species distribution modelling is a useful technique that provides data on factors that can influence a species range, identify high suitability areas and model future scenarios. The pine marten (Martes martes) has undergone major historical declines in abundance and distribution in Northern Ireland, similar to that which has occurred throughout its range. Currently, the species is in a phase of range expansion in Northern Ireland, in what is the least forested landscape in Europe. To assess the suitability of this environment for pine marten re-establishment, presence only distribution data combined with landcover data at a 10-km scale were used in a species distribution modelling study using Maxent. The results indicated that approximately 32% (4500 km²) of the land area of Northern Ireland had a high probability of pine marten occurrence. Pine marten distribution was positively associated with the extent of conifer forest landcover types, which also had the highest single attribute contribution to the model. Landcover types that were negatively associated with pine marten distribution included the extent of open, dwarf and urban areas.     

Ostracodes du Cénomanien supérieur et du Turonien de la zone sous-pyrénéenne orientale (Corbières méridionales, SE France). Systématique, biostratigraphie, paléoécologie et paléobiogéographie

Thirty-four species of ostracodes are collected in the platform series of the Southern Corbières; two biostratigraphical assemblages, with 13 and 29 species, are respectively recognized in Cenomanian and Upper Turonian; palaeoecology is specified. At that time, the ostracode sub-province of South-West France, established on Southern Corbières, Aquitaine, Touraine-Poitou-Charentes region and Provence, is connected with Eastern and Northern regions and countries: Sub-alpines ranges, Paris Basin, Great Britain, Switzerland and Bohemia, and with the Iberian Peninsula, sub-province of North-Central Spain and Western Portuguese Basin. The crossing of the Tethys and the Atlantic Ocean is realized, in Turonian, by some rare species.     

Phylogeography using mitogenomes: A rare Dipodidae,Sicista betulina,in North‐western Europe

Repeated climatic and vegetation changes during the Pleistocene have shaped biodiversity in Northern Europe including Denmark. The Northern Birch Mouse (Sicista betulina) was one of the first small rodent species to colonize Denmark after the Late Glacial Maximum. This study analyses complete mitochondrial genomes and two nuclear genes of the Northern Birch Mouse to investigate the phylogeographical pattern in North‐western Europe and test whether the species colonized Denmark through several colonization events. The latter was prompt by (i) the present‐day distinct northern and southern Danish distribution and (ii) the subfossil record of Northern Birch Mouse, supporting early Weichselian colonization. Samples from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Russia, Latvia, Estonia, and Slovakia were included. Mitogenomes were obtained from 54 individuals, all representing unique mitogenomes supporting high genetic variation. Bayesian phylogenetic analysis identified two distinct evolutionary linages in Northern Europe diverging within the Elster glaciation period. The results of the two nuclear genomes showed lower genetic differentiation but supported the same evolutionary history. This suggests an allopatric origin of the clades followed by secondary contact. Individuals from southern Denmark were only found in one clade, while individuals from other areas, including northern Denmark, were represented in both clades. Nevertheless, we found no evidence for repeated colonization''s explaining the observed fragmented distribution of the species today. The results indicated that the mitogenome pattern of the Northern Birch Mouse population in southern Denmark was either (i) due to the population being founded from northern Denmark, (ii) a result of climatic and anthropogenic effects reducing population size increasing genetic drift or (iii) caused by sampling bias.     

The subspecies of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chrysolina limbata</Emphasis> (Coleoptera,Chrysomelidae)

Examination of 1492 specimens of Ch. limbata (Fabricius, 1775) from the entire distribution range resulted in the discrimination of six subspecies: limbata (West Europe excluding the Apennine Peninsula, the Crimea, north and south of European Russia, the Great Caucasus, Northern Kazakhstan, and southern West Siberia), discipennis (Ménétriés, 1848) (southeast of European Russia, Western Kazakhstan), hochhuthii (Suffrian, 1851) (south of East Siberia, Eastern Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Northern China), luigionii (Depoli, 1936) (the Apennines, the Alps, Herzegovina, the Mediterranean coast of France); russiella ssp. n. (deciduous forests, forest-steppe and steppe of European Russia and Ukraine); volodi ssp. n. (alpine regions of the Lesser Caucasus and eastern Turkey). Ch. limbata findelii (Suffrian, 1851) is a new junior synonym of Ch. limbata limbata.     

鼎湖山南亚热带季风常绿阔叶林C贮量分布

在对1hm 2永久样地调查的基础上结合优势树种C含量的实测值, 对鼎湖山南亚热带季风常绿阔叶林的C贮量及其空间和种群分布特点进行了分析,结果表明 (1)鼎湖山季风常绿阔叶林现存C贮量为89.75t@hm -2 ,其中, 干、枝、叶、根分别占总量的53.09%、25.36%、2.64%和18.31%; (2)数量上小径级个体占有绝对优势,1hm 2样地内 DBH ＜20cm的个体占总数的95%,个体数量随径级的增加而迅速减少,而C贮量的径级分布则大致呈"M"形; (3)根据树木高度分为4个层次,即Ⅰ层( h ≥20m),Ⅱ层(10＜ h ≤20m),Ⅲ层(5< h ≤10m)和Ⅳ层( h ＜5m), 各亚层之间C贮量与该层次的高度呈正相关,占总C贮量的比例依次为53.97%、31.37%、 11.26%和3.40%.在垂直方向上,干、枝、根C贮量变化与总C贮量的变化趋势大体一致 ,叶的C贮量则以Ⅱ层最大; (4)优势种群对季风常绿阔叶林C贮量贡献排序为 锥栗 C astanopsis chinensis＞荷木Schima superba＞黄果厚壳桂Cryptocarya concinna＞厚壳桂 Cryptocarya chinensis＞肖蒲桃Acmena acuminatissima＞黄杞Engelhardtia roxburghi ana＞白颜树Gironniera subaequalis＞臀形果Pygeum topengii＞橄榄Canarium album＞窄叶半枫荷Pterospermum lanceaefolium＞华润楠Machilus chinensis＞鸭脚木Scheffler a octophylla＞韶子Nephelium chryseum.成熟度较高的种群 C贮量较高,起主导作用.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Chlorophytum gothanense</Emphasis>, a new species of Anthericaceae from the Western Ghats of India

A new species of Chlorophytum is described and illustrated. It is adapted to grow on the open, exposed lateritic plateaus in the Northern Western Ghats of India. The chromosome number of the species is 2n = 28.     

Region‐wide and ecotype‐specific differences in demographic histories of threespine stickleback populations,estimated from whole genome sequences

We analysed 81 whole genome sequences of threespine sticklebacks from Pacific North America, Greenland and Northern Europe, representing 16 populations. Principal component analysis of nuclear SNPs grouped populations according to geographical location, with Pacific populations being more divergent from each other relative to European and Greenlandic populations. Analysis of mitogenome sequences showed Northern European populations to represent a single phylogeographical lineage, whereas Greenlandic and particularly Pacific populations showed admixture between lineages. We estimated demographic history using a genomewide coalescence with recombination approach. The Pacific populations showed gradual population expansion starting >100 Kya, possibly reflecting persistence in cryptic refuges near the present distributional range, although we do not rule out possible influence of ancient admixture. Sharp population declines ca. 14–15 Kya were suggested to reflect founding of freshwater populations by marine ancestors. In Greenland and Northern Europe, demographic expansion started ca. 20–25 Kya coinciding with the end of the Last Glacial Maximum. In both regions, marine and freshwater populations started to show different demographic trajectories ca. 8–9 Kya, suggesting that this was the time of recolonization. In Northern Europe, this estimate was surprisingly late, but found support in subfossil evidence for presence of several freshwater fish species but not sticklebacks 12 Kya. The results demonstrate distinctly different demographic histories across geographical regions with potential consequences for adaptive processes. They also provide empirical support for previous assumptions about freshwater populations being founded independently from large, coherent marine populations, a key element in the Transporter Hypothesis invoked to explain the widespread occurrence of parallel evolution across freshwater stickleback populations.     

The effect of habitat hydrology on intraspecific competition,settlement structure,and reproduction in the water vole (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Arvicola terrestris</Emphasis>)

Analysis of long-term monitoring of the water vole population in Northern Baraba Lowland (Ubinskii raion, Novosibirsk oblast) has revealed correlation between flow intensity of the Om’ River in the study area and population numbers and population dynamics (estimated May through August), average number of live embryos in overwintered females, and percentage of mature young-of-the-year females in different years of study.     

Geographic and Habitat Origin Influence Biomass Production and Storage Translocation in the Clonal Plant Aegopodium podagraria

Through physiological integration, clonal plants can support ramets in unfavourable patches, exploit heterogeneously distributed resources and distribute resources that are taken up over large areas. Physiological integration generally increases in adverse conditions, but it is not well known which factors determine the evolution of physiological integration. The aim of this study was to investigate if clonal plants from Southern and Northern populations of the clonal herb Aegopodium podagraria differed in physiological integration in terms of translocation of carbon to the rhizomes, and in biomass production using a reciprocal transplant experiment. Aegopodium podagraria from shaded conditions have been suggested to share more resources than clones from open conditions and therefore, plants from forest and open populations within the Southern and Northern regions were included. The regional growing conditions greatly affected biomass production. Plants grown in North Sweden produced more biomass and allocated more biomass to shoots, while plants grown in South Sweden allocated more biomass to rhizomes. There was a regional origin effect as plants originating from North Sweden produced more biomass in both regions. Within the Northern region, plants from shaded habitats translocated more ¹⁴C to the rhizomes, suggesting more storage there than in plants from open habitats. In addition to genetic differentiation in biomass production between Northern and Southern populations, probably as a response to a shorter growing season in the North, there appeared to be genetic differentiation in physiological integration within the Northern region. This shows that both regional and local conditions need to be taken into account in future studies of genetic differentiation of physiological integration in clonal plants.     

Northern range expansion of European populations of the wasp spider Argiope bruennichi is associated with global warming–correlated genetic admixture and population‐specific temperature adaptations

Poleward range expansions are observed for an increasing number of species, which may be an effect of global warming during the past decades. However, it is still not clear in how far these expansions reflect simple geographical shifts of species ranges, or whether new genetic adaptations play a role as well. Here, we analyse the expansion of the wasp spider Argiope bruennichi into Northern Europe during the last century. We have used a range‐wide sampling of contemporary populations and historical specimens from museums to trace the phylogeography and genetic changes associated with the range shift. Based on the analysis of mitochondrial, microsatellite and SNP markers, we observe a higher level of genetic diversity in the expanding populations, apparently due to admixture of formerly isolated lineages. Using reciprocal transplant experiments for testing overwintering tolerance, as well as temperature preference and tolerance tests in the laboratory, we find that the invading spiders have possibly shifted their temperature niche. This may be a key adaptation for survival in Northern latitudes. The museum samples allow a reconstruction of the invasion's genetic history. A first, small‐scale range shift started around 1930, in parallel with the onset of global warming. A more massive invasion of Northern Europe associated with genetic admixture and morphological changes occurred in later decades. We suggest that the latter range expansion into far Northern latitudes may be a consequence of the admixture that provided the genetic material for adaptations to new environmental regimes. Hence, global warming could have facilitated the initial admixture of populations and this resulted in genetic lineages with new habitat preferences.     

Differential expression of Atlantic salmon thyrotropin β subunit mRNA and its cDNA sequence

To study the regulation of the thyroid system, an Atlantic salmon Salmo salar cDNA clone was isolated for thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) β subunit gene. A cDNA (866 bp) was isolated from an adult Atlantic salmon pituitary cDNA library, this clone was sequenced and shown to be highly conserved when compared to other teleost β TSH subunit sequences. The cDNA was used as a probe for Northern blot analysis of total pituitary RNA from the different life cycle stages of Atlantic salmon. Northern blot analysis demonstrated that β TSH mRNA is expressed at all life cycle stages studied, including parr, smolt, immature fish at sea and sexually mature male fish. Densitometry of Northern blots showed that sexually mature male salmon had low levels of salmon β TSH mRNA compared to non-mature fish. Stunts, fish performing poorly in salt water, were shown to have elevated levels of β TSH mRNA when compared to healthy fish.     

Fennoscandian phylogeography of the common shrew <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sorex araneus</Emphasis>. Postglacial recolonisation—combining information from chromosomal variation with mitochondrial DNA data

We examine mtDNA variation of the common shrew in Fennoscandia to explore the incongruence found in previous studies using chromosomal and mitochondrial markers, aiming to reveal post-glacial recolonisation patterns. A total of 241 common shrews from 51 localities in Fennoscandia were analysed. This area includes a secondary contact zone between two groups (the Northern group and the Western group) showing distinct karyotypes. All individuals were sequenced for 447 bp of the mitochondrial control region. No significant differentiation in the mtDNA variation was observed between the two major chromosomal groups in Fennoscandia. The star-like shape of the sequence network for the entire study area shows the most common haplotype A as ancestral in all regions but one, in situ formation of most haplotypes and population expansion. The only significant mtDNA structure observed occurs between south Finland and the rest of Fennoscandia. We propose that the Northern and Western group shared a common refugium during the Last Glacial Maximum but recolonised Fennoscandia via two routes. Karyotypic differences between south and north Finland has led researchers to suggest that both regions originate from the same ancestral population east of Finland. The observed divergence of mtDNA variation between these two regions supports this hypothesis.