Revision of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Serrulati</Emphasis> species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Penstemon</Emphasis> section <Emphasis Type="Italic">Saccanthera</Emphasis> subsection <Emphasis Type="Italic">Serrulati</Emphasis>

A revision of Penstemon sect. Saccanthera subsect. Serrulati includes a new species (P. salmonensis), a new variety (P. triphyllus var. infernalis), and the elevation of a subspecies to species (P. curtiflorus), bringing the total number of species to eight, which are keyed and described, complete with nomenclature and type citations.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Ty</Emphasis>1<Emphasis Type="Italic">/copia</Emphasis>- and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ty</Emphasis>3<Emphasis Type="Italic">/gypsy</Emphasis>-like DNA sequences in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Helianthus </Emphasis>species

Two repeated DNA sequences isolated from a partial genomic DNA library of Helianthus annuus, p HaS13 and p HaS211, were shown to represent portions of the int gene of a Ty3 /gypsy retroelement and of the RNase-Hgene of a Ty1 /copia retroelement, respectively. Southern blotting patterns obtained by hybridizing the two probes to BglII- or DraI-digested genomic DNA from different Helianthus species showed p HaS13 and p HaS211 were parts of dispersed repeats at least 8 and 7 kb in length, respectively, that were conserved in all species studied. Comparable hybridization patterns were obtained in all species with p HaS13. By contrast, the patterns obtained by hybridizing p HaS211 clearly differentiated annual species from perennials. The frequencies of p HaS13- and p HaS211-related sequences in different species were 4.3x10(4)-1.3x10(5) copies and 9.9x10(2)-8.1x10(3) copies per picogram of DNA, respectively. The frequency of p HaS13-related sequences varied widely within annual species, while no significant difference was observed among perennial species. Conversely, the frequency variation of p HaS211-related sequences was as large within annual species as within perennials. Sequences of both families were found to be dispersed along the length of all chromosomes in all species studied. However, Ty3 /gypsy-like sequences were localized preferentially at the centromeric regions, whereas Ty1/ copia-like sequences were less represented or absent around the centromeres and plentiful at the chromosome ends. These findings suggest that the two sequence families played a role in Helianthusgenome evolution and species divergence, evolved independently in the same genomic backgrounds and in annual or perennial species, and acquired different possible functions in the host genomes.     

Floral development and systematic position of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arillastrum</Emphasis>, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Allosyncarpia</Emphasis>, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Stockwellia</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eucalyptopsis</Emphasis> (Myrtaceae)

We have investigated the floral ontogeny of Arillastrum, Allosyncarpia, Stockwellia and Eucalyptopsis (of the eucalypt group, Myrtaceae) using scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy. Several critical characters for establishing relationships between these genera and to the eucalypts have been determined. The absence of compound petaline primordia in Arillastrum, Allosyncarpia, Stockwellia and Eucalyptopsis excludes these taxa from the eucalypt clade. Post-anthesis circumscissile abscission of the hypanthium above the ovary in Stockwellia, Eucalyptopsis and Allosyncarpia is evidence that these three taxa form a monophyletic group; undifferentiated perianth parts and elongated fusiform buds are characters that unite Stockwellia and Eucalyptopsis as sister taxa. No floral characters clearly associate Arillastrum with either the eucalypt clade or the clade of Stockwellia, Eucalyptopsis and Allosyncarpia.We gratefully acknowledge Clyde Dunlop and Bob Harwood (Northern Territory Herbarium) for collecting specimens of Allosyncarpia, and Bruce Gray (Atherton) for collecting specimens of Stockwellia. The Australian National Herbarium (CANB) kindly lent herbarium specimens of Eucalyptopsis for examination. This research was supported by a University of Melbourne Research Development Grant to Andrew Drinnan.     

Delayed selfing ensures reproductive assurance in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Utricularia praeterita</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Utricularia babui</Emphasis> in Western Ghats

Numerous bladderwort (Utricularia) species are distributed worldwide, but their reproductive biology is rarely investigated. Bladderworts are known to depend on tiny organisms to meet a significant proportion of their energy requirement by trapping them in bladders. However, information on the extent of their reliance on insects for pollination success is limited. We examined the reproductive strategy of two Utricularia species viz. Utricularia praeterita and U. babui, endemic to Western Ghats, India. The main aspects of the investigation involved floral biology, breeding system, pollination mechanism, and reproductive success. Flowers of both the species are structured for outbreeding through entomophilous floral suites, herkogamy, protandrous dichogamy and sensitive lobes of the stigma. With nearly 65% natural fruit-set, both the species appeared to be sufficiently open-pollinated. However, pollinators failed to show in plants of U. praeterita while in U. babui there was an apparent mismatch between the extent of fruit-set and pollinator visits. The study demonstrated that in the absence/insufficient visits of pollinators, the two species resort to autonomous selfing. In U. babui, denser patches of plants appeared to be crucial for attracting the pollinators. Both species are self-compatible, and reproductive success is predominantly achieved by delayed autonomous selfing. The sensitive stigma in the species fails to prevent selfing due to diminished herkogamy during the late anthetic stages. It is inferred that in the pollinator-limited environment, delayed selfing contributes to absolute natural fecundity in U. praeterita, while it produces a mixed progeny in U. babui.     

Molecular detection of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rickettsia</Emphasis>, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Coxiella</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rickettsiella</Emphasis> DNA in three native Australian tick species

Three Australian native animal species yielded 60 samples composed of three indigenous ticks. Hosts included twelve koalas, two echidnas and one wombat from Victoria, and ticks were of the species Ixodes tasmani (n = 42), Bothriocroton concolor (n = 8) and B. auruginans (n = 10), respectively. PCR screening and sequencing detected a species of Coxiella, sharing closest sequence identity to C. burnetii (>98%), in all B. auruginans, as well as a species of Rickettsia, matching closest to R. massiliae, in 70% of the same samples. A genotype sharing closest similarity to Rickettsia bellii (>99%) was identified in three female B. concolor collected from one of the echidnas. Three samples of I. tasmani, taken from three koalas, yielded different genotypes of Rickettsiella. These results represent the first detection of the three genera in each tick species and identify a high level of previously undetected bacterial diversity in Australian ticks.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Funastrum rupicola</Emphasis> (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Apocynaceae:</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">Asclepiadoideae</Emphasis>), a new species from Bolivia

Summary   Funastrum rupicola Goyder, a new species of Apocynaceae: Asclepiadoideae from Bolivia, is described and illustrated. The conservation status of this species is assessed.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Erysiphe patagoniaca</Emphasis>: a new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Erysiphe </Emphasis>sect. <Emphasis Type="Italic">Uncinula </Emphasis>from Patagonia,Argentina

 A new species of Erysiphe sect. Uncinula is described and illustrated from Patagonia, Argentina. Erysiphe patagoniaca sp. nov., found on leaves of Nothofagus × antarctica, is similar to E. nothofagi and E. kenjiana, but differs in its appendages being twisted throughout their length and the number of appendages, asci, and ascospores. The two endemic species of Erysiphe sect. Uncinula, E. magellanica and E. nothofagi, coexisted on the same leaves together with Erysiphe patagoniaca. Received: September 19, 2002 / Accepted: November 28, 2002 Acknowledgments The authors are grateful to Ms. Seiko Niinomi for providing the micrographs of ascomata of Erysiphe spp. on Nothofagus. Correspondence to:S. Takamatsu     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Galleria</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">mellonella</Emphasis> are Resistant to <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pneumocystis</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">murina</Emphasis> Infection

Studying Pneumocystis has proven to be a challenge from the perspective of propagating a significant amount of the pathogen in a facile manner. The study of several fungal pathogens has been aided by the use of invertebrate model hosts. Our efforts to infect the invertebrate larvae Galleria mellonella with Pneumocystis proved futile since P. murina neither caused disease nor was able to proliferate within G. mellonella. It did, however, show that the pathogen could be rapidly cleared from the host.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Agrobacterium</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">tumefaciens</Emphasis>-mediated transformation of callus cells of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Crataegus</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">aronia</Emphasis>

A genetic transformation system has been developed for callus cells of Crataegus aronia using Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Callus culture was established from internodal stem segments incubated on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 5 mg l⁻¹ Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) and 0.5 mg l⁻¹ 6-benzyladenine (BA). In order to optimize the callus culture system with respect to callus growth and coloration, different types and concentrations of plant growth regulators were tested. Results indicated that the best average fresh weight of red colored callus was obtained on MS medium supplemented with 2 mg l⁻¹ 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 1.5 mg l⁻¹ kinetin (Kin) (callus maintenance medium). Callus cells were co-cultivated with Agrobacterium harboring the binary plasmid pCAMBIA1302 carrying the mgfp5 and hygromycin phosphotransferase (hptII) genes conferring green fluorescent protein (GFP) activity and hygromycin resistance, respectively. Putative transgenic calli were obtained 4 weeks after incubation of the co-cultivated explants onto maintenance medium supplemented with 50 mg l⁻¹ hygromycin. Molecular analysis confirmed the integration of the transgenes in transformed callus. To our knowledge, this is the first time to report an Agrobacterium-mediated transformation system in Crataegus aronia.     

A new methanol assimilating yeast, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ogataea</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">parapolymorpha</Emphasis>, the ascosporic state of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Candida</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">parapolymorpha</Emphasis>

Ogataea parapolymorpha sp. n. (NRRL YB-1982, CBS 12304, type strain), the ascosporic state of Candida parapolymorpha, is described. The species appears homothallic, assimilates methanol as is typical of most Ogataea species and forms hat-shaped ascospores in asci that become deliquescent. O. parapolymorpha is closely related to Ogataea angusta and Ogataea polymorpha. The three species can be resolved from gene sequence analyses but are unresolved from fermentation and growth reactions that are typically used for yeast identification. On the basis of multiple isolates, O. angusta is known only from California, USA, in association with Drosophila and Aulacigaster flies, O. parapolymorpha is predominantly associated with insect frass from trees in the eastern USA but O. polymorpha has been isolated from various substrates in the USA, Brazil, Spain and Costa Rica.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Typhonium stigmatilobatum</Emphasis> (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Araceae</Emphasis> tribe <Emphasis Type="Italic">Areae</Emphasis>), a new species from Vietnam

Summary   Typhonium stigmatilobatum V. D. Nguyen, a new species from Vietnam, is described and illustrated.     

New combinations and typifications in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bistorta</Emphasis>, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Persicaria</Emphasis>, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Polygonum,</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rumex</Emphasis> (Polygonaceae)

New combinations are proposed in anticipation of the Polygonaceae treatment in the forthcoming volume of Intermountain Flora: Polygonum kelloggii var. esotericum, P. kelloggii var. watsonii , Rumex densiflorus var. pycnanthus , R. salicifolius var. utahensis, and R. occidentalis var. tomentellus. Typifications are proposed to facilitate ongoing studies in Polygonaceae and to maintain current usage.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Amanita concentrica</Emphasis>: a new species in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Amanita</Emphasis> section <Emphasis Type="Italic">Amanita</Emphasis> from Japan

Amanita concentrica sp. nov. is described from an evergreen broad-leaved forest of Chiba Prefecture with Castanopsis cuspidata var. sieboldii and Quercus glauca. The fungus is a medium to large, white to yellowish-white mushroom characterized by many pyramidal warts on pileus, striate margin of pileus, distinct ascending concen-tric rings at upper part of stipe bulb, and inamyloid basidiospores. It is considered to belong to the section Amanita. Received: March 30, 2001 / Accepted: October 1, 2001     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Caragana aliensis</Emphasis>, a new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Caragana</Emphasis> (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Leguminosae</Emphasis>) from Tibet,China

Summary   Caragana aliensis a new species from Tibet, China, is described and illustrated.     

Molecular evolution of the clustered <Emphasis Type="Italic">MIC</Emphasis>-<Emphasis Type="Italic">3</Emphasis> multigene family of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gossypium</Emphasis> species

The Gossypium MIC-3 (Meloidogyne Induced Cotton-3) gene family is of great interest for molecular evolutionary studies because of its uniqueness to Gossypium species, multi-gene content, clustered localization, and root-knot nematode resistance-associated features. Molecular evolution of the MIC-3 gene family was studied in 15 tetraploid and diploid Gossypium genotypes that collectively represent seven phylogenetically distinct genomes. Synonymous (d_S) and non-synonymous (d_N) nucleotide substitution rates suggest that the second of the two exons of the MIC-3 genes has been under strong positive selection pressure, while the first exon has been under strong purifying selection to preserve function. Based on nucleotide substitution rates, we conclude that MIC-3 genes are evolving by a birth-and-death process and that a ‘gene amplification’ mechanism has helped to retain all duplicate copies, which best fits with the “bait and switch” model of R-gene evolution. The data indicate MIC-3 gene duplication events occurred at various rates, once per 1 million years (MY) in the allotetraploids, once per ~2 MY in the A/F genome clade, and once per ~8 MY in the D-genome clade. Variations in the MIC-3 gene family seem to reflect evolutionary selection for increased functional stability, while also expanding the capacity to develop novel “switch” pockets for responding to diverse pests and pathogens. Such evolutionary roles are congruent with the hypothesis that members of this unique resistance gene family provide fitness advantages in Gossypium.     

The <Emphasis Type="Italic">Caenorhabditis</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">briggsae</Emphasis> genome contains active <Emphasis Type="Italic">CbmaT1</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tcb1</Emphasis> transposons

The maT clade of transposons is a group of transposable elements intermediate in sequence and predicted protein structure to mariner and Tc transposons, with a distribution thus far limited to a few invertebrate species. We present evidence, based on searches of publicly available databases, that the nematode Caenorhabditis briggsae has several maT-like transposons, which we have designated as CbmaT elements, dispersed throughout its genome. We also describe two additional transposon sequences that probably share their evolutionary history with the CbmaT transposons. One resembles a fold back variant of a CbmaT element, with long (380-bp) inverted terminal repeats (ITRs) that show a high degree (71%) of identity to CbmaT1. The other, which shares only the 26-bp ITR sequences with one of the CbmaT variants, is present in eight nearly identical copies, but does not have a transposase gene and may therefore be cross mobilised by a CbmaT transposase. Using PCR-based mobility assays, we show that CbmaT1 transposons are capable of excising from the C. briggsae genome. CbmaT1 excised approximately 500 times less frequently than Tcb1 in the reference strain AF16, but both CbmaT1 and Tcb1 excised at extremely high frequencies in the HK105 strain. The HK105 strain also exhibited a high frequency of spontaneous induction of unc-22 mutants, suggesting that it may be a mutator strain of C. briggsae.     

Prevalence,intensity and associated factor analysis of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tropilaelaps</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">mercedesae</Emphasis> infesting <Emphasis Type="Italic">Apis</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">mellifera</Emphasis> in China

Tropilaelaps mercedesae is a serious ectoparasite of Apis mellifera in China. The aim of this study was to investigate the infestation rates and intensity of T. mercedesae in A. mellifera in China, and to explore the relative importance of climate, district, management practices and beekeeper characteristics that are assumed to be associated with the intensity of T. mercedesae. Of the 410 participating apiaries, 379 apiaries were included in analyses of seasonal infestation rates and 352 apiaries were included in multivariable regression analysis. The highest infestation rate (86.3%) of T. mercedesae was encountered in autumn, followed by summer (66.5%), spring (17.2%) and winter (14.8%). In autumn, 28.9% (93) of the infested apiaries were in the north (including the northeast and northwest of China), 71.1% (229) were in the central and south (including east, southeast and southwest China), and 306 apiaries (82.9%) were co-infested by both T. mercedesae and Varroa. Multivariable regression analysis showed that geographical location, season, royal jelly collection and Varroa infestation were the factors that influence the intensity of T. mercedesae. The influence of beekeeper’s education, time of beekeeping, operation size, and hive migration on the intensity of T. mercedesa was not statistically significant. This study provided information about the establishment of the linkage of the environment and the parasite and could lead to better timing and methods of control.     

Molecular evolution of paclitaxel biosynthetic genes <Emphasis Type="Italic">TS</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">DBAT</Emphasis> of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Taxus</Emphasis> species

Evolutionary patterns of sequence divergence were analyzed in genes from the conifer genus Taxus (yew), encoding paclitaxel biosynthetic enzymes taxadiene synthase (TS) and 10-deacetylbaccatin III-10β-O-acetyltransferase (DBAT). N-terminal fragments of TS, full-length DBAT and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) were amplified from 15 closely related Taxus species and sequenced. Premature stop codons were not found in TS and DBAT sequences. Codon usage bias was not found, suggesting that synonymous mutations are selectively neutral. TS and DBAT gene trees are not consistent with the ITS tree, where species formed monophyletic clades. In fact, for both genes, alleles were sometimes shared across species and parallel amino acid substitutions were identified. While both TS and DBAT are, overall, under purifying selection, we identified a number of amino acids of TS under positive selection based on inference using maximum likelihood models. Positively selected amino acids in the N-terminal region of TS suggest that this region might be more important for enzyme function than previously thought. Moreover, we identify lineages with significantly elevated rates of amino acid substitution using a genetic algorithm. These findings demonstrate that the pattern of adaptive paclitaxel biosynthetic enzyme evolution can be documented between closely related Taxus species, where species-specific taxane metabolism has evolved recently.     

A new <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dactylella</Emphasis> species from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Orbilia alba</Emphasis>

A new Dactylella species, Dactylella alba was isolated from the ascospores of Orbilia alba collected in Wenshan County, Yunnan Province, China. Conidiophores were either not branched or occasionally branched, bearing divergent sterigmata on the tip with single conidium on each. Conidia were elongated ellipsoids, 1–2 septate, mostly 1 septate. By combining the ITS sequence with morphological characteristics, a new anamorphic species is described and illustrated together with its teleomorph.