The provenance of the Greek land snail species Isabellaria pharsalica: molecular evidence of recent passive long-distance dispersal

Aim The slowly dispersing Greek land snail species Isabellaria (Carinigera) pharsalica ( Nordsieck, 1974 ) can be readily distinguished from related species of the subgenus Carinigera on biogeographical grounds, i.e. by a separation of nearly 200 km. Nevertheless, I. pharsalica shows overlap in shell morphology with Isabellaria (Carinigera) buresi (A. J. Wagner, 1927). The aim of this paper is to study the interrelationships and phylogeography of I. pharsalica and selected I. buresi subspecies, in order to reconcile these apparently contradictory observations. Location Northern Greece, Macedonia, Serbia and southern Bulgaria. Methods Mitochondrial COI genealogical interrelationships were studied for specimens of I. pharsalica, selected I. buresi subspecies and other related Isabellaria species. Results COI sequences of I. pharsalica constitute a clade nested among sequences of I. buresi from north‐eastern Greece and adjacent Bulgaria. The genetic divergence among the I. pharsalica sequences is remarkably low compared to the divergence among the I. buresi sequences. Main conclusions I. pharsalica descended from specimens of I. buresi that dispersed into Thessaly, and it should therefore be classified as a subspecies within I. buresi. This find is in line with the conchological similarities between I. buresi pharsalica and other I. buresi subspecies. Given the low vagility of the snails in question and the c. 200‐km separation by land and sea between the ranges of I. buresi pharsalica and the combined range of the other I. buresi subspecies, passive dispersal of the I. pharsalica ancestors is most likely. Since the inferred area of origin of these hypothetical ancestors of I. buresi pharsalica nearly coincides with an ancient marble quarry, human‐aided dispersal during marble transport offers a possible explanation for I. buresi pharsalica's erratic distribution.     

New systematic and phylogenetic data about the early Barremian Iguanodon galvensis (Ornithopoda: Iguanodontoidea) from Spain

Iguanodon galvensis is the second valid species in the European and Barremian large-ornithopod genus Iguanodon. In the present work, the I. galvensis holotype and referred material from the lower Barremian of Spain are described and discussed in detail. As a result, emended diagnoses of Iguanodon, I. galvensis and I. bernissartensis are proposed; I. galvensis can now be identified by three autapomorphies in the dentary, ischium and femur as well as a unique combination of characters. Moreover, I. galvensis is compared with other European Early Cretaceous large styracosternans. Finally, a new phylogenetic hypothesis is proposed that resolves Iguanodon (I. bernissartensis, I. galvensis) with the Valanginian Barilium dawsoni into a monophyletic clade (Iguanodontoidea).     

Species of natural hybrid origin and misinformation in the Irises: A reappraisal of the presence of I. aphylla L. in Italy

Abstract

The identity and status of the records of Iris aphylla L. for Italy are reconsidered. The authors are of the opinion that I. perrieri Simonet ex N. Service, present in Savoy, France, is genetically and morphologically distinct from I. aphylla, and that the Italian populations from Piemonte are in fact conspecific with I. perrieri. In addition, we consider that another iris, I. benacensis A. Kern. ex Stapf , which occurs near Lago di Garda (Mt. Brione) and is often also regarded as a synonym of I. aphylla, is not conspecific with either I. aphylla or I. perrieri. Macro-, micro-morphological and biosystematic data obtained during this investigation suggest a possible natural hybrid origin of these species and confirm the opinion of the authors, which is justified also by the different chromosome numbers and distribution of the taxa examined.     

Micromorphological approach to the systematics of Mediterranean Isoëtes species (Isoëtaceae,Lycopodiophyta): analysis of the megaspore surface

Megaspore ornamentation is one of the few morphological characters used in the taxonomy of the genus Isoëtes. In the present work, we test the application of this character for distinguishing some Isoëtes species occurring in the Mediterranean: Isoëtes sicula, which according to some authors should be included as a variety in I. histrix, and the recently described I. todaroana, whose affinity with other taxa is currently unknown. Two additional species (I. duriei, I. velata) were also included in the analysis. The megaspores were studied using scanning electron microscopy combined with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and chemical treatment. In all species, the megaspore surface is covered by a siliceous coating; removal of this coating reveals an underlying three-dimensional network of fused rodlets. A unique pattern of this network occurs in I. sicula, supporting its separation from I. histrix. Comparison between the patterns observed in the examined Mediterranean species shows that I. todaroana is most similar to I. histrix.     

A comparative study of the thermal stability of plastocyanin, cytochrome c6 and Photosystem I in thermophilic and mesophilic cyanobacteria

Cytochrome c₆ (Cyt) from the thermophilic cyanobacterium Phormidium laminosum has been purified and characterized. It is a mildly acidic protein, with physicochemical properties very similar to those of plastocyanin (Pc). This is in agreement with the functional interchangeability of the two metalloproteins as electron donors to Photosystem I (PS I). The kinetic analyses of the interaction of Pc and Cyt with Photosystem I show that both metalloproteins reduce PS I with similar efficiencies, according to an oriented collisional kinetic model involving repulsive electrostatic interactions. The thermostability study of the Phormidium Pc/PS I system compared with those from mesophilic cyanobacteria (Synechocystis, Anabaena and Pseudanabaena) reveals that Pc is the partner limiting the thermostability of the Phormidium couple. The cross-reactions between Pc and PS I from different organisms demonstrate not only that Phormidium Pc enhances the stability of the Pc/PS I system using PS I from mesophilic cyanobacteria, but also that Phormidium PS I possesses a higher thermostability than the other photosystems. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Isothecium myosuroides var. brachythecioides (Dixon) Braithw. reinstated as a species,I. interludens Stirt.

The taxon currently known as Isothecium myosuroides var. brachythecioides (Dixon) Braithw. is reinstated as a species, I. interludens Stirt., the name originally assigned by Stirton when it was first described. The morphological characters separating I. myosuroides s.s. and I. interludens are summarised. The sporophytes of I. interludens, described here for the first time, differ in shape, and pattern of exothecial cells from those of I. myosuroides. A molecular analysis based on variation of the ITS region shows that I. holtii Kindb. and I. alopecuroides (Lam. ex Dubois) Isov. are not monophyletic, calling for a re-assessment of these species, whereas the monophyly of the other species, including I. interludens, cannot be rejected. The analysis failed, however, to yield molecular synapomorphies for I. interludens and other species within I. myosuroides s.l., which we interpret as the incomplete sorting of alleles among recently evolved species. Isothecium interludens is a European endemic with a hyperoceanic temperate distribution. Its nested position within a clade including the two Macaronesian endemics I. prolixum (Mitt.) M.Stech and I. montanum Draper, Hedenäs, M.Stech, T.Lopes & Sim-Sim is suggestive of a Macaronesian origin, in line with the idea that the European Atlantic fringe flora assembled during the course of the last interglacial from Macaronesian ancestors. Isothecium therefore offers a model of prime importance for the study of ongoing speciation in mosses.     

Hybridization and the inheritance of female colour polymorphism in two ischnurid damselflies (Odonata: Coenagrionidae)

Female‐limited polychromatism is frequent in many species of Odonata. Ischnura elegans has three colour morphs: one male‐like coloured (androchrome) and two additional gynochrome brown morphs (infuscans and rufescens‐obsoleta morphs). A total of 19 progenies obtained from once‐mated females were reared in the laboratory in three generations. Results indicate that the colour morphs are controlled by the same genetic system as previously described for I. graellsii, i.e. an autosomal locus with female‐limited expression and with three alleles with a hierarchy of dominance (p^a > pⁱ > p°). Five interspecific crossings between female I. graellsii and male I. elegans, five crossings between hybrid females and male I. elegans and one crossing between female I. graellsii and a hybrid male further confirmed that the genetic system is the same in both species. A survey of morph frequencies in north‐west Spain revealed that I. elegans shows high variability in androchrome frequency (4–91%) between nearby populations, whereas in I. graellsii androchromes never are the majority morph (5–40%). The highest androchrome frequency in I. graellsii was found in populations closest to a locality where both species have hybridized, and that now has the highest androchrome frequency of I. elegans. We hypothesize that I. elegans genes have been incorporated into the genome of I. graellsii resulting in increased androchrome frequency in the latter species. Low androchrome frequency in I. elegans seems also related to the influence of I. graellsii genes. Therefore, we suggest that hybridization between both taxa is contributing to the temporal maintenance of contrasting androchrome frequencies in nearby populations. © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2005, 85 , 471–481.     

Restriction endonuclease mapping of a Rhizobium leguminosarum Sym plasmid

A circular map of the Sym plasmid pRle1001a corresponding to a genome size of 150 × 10⁶ D was established using the restriction endonucleases HpaI, SmaI, and KpnI. The map was derived from the results obtained by hybridizing individual HpaI fragments to blotted SmaI and KpnI digests of the plasmid. A complete map of the HpaI fragments was constructed in this way. Regions of homology with the structural nif-genes D and H of Klebsiella pneumoniae, with the Sym plasmid of Rhizobium trifolii 5, and with an octopine and nopaline Ti plasmid of Agrobacterium tumefaciens were mapped. A large area of plasmid pRle1001a, which carries nif structural genes, is highly conserved in the Sym plasmid of R. trifolii 5. It is assumed that this could be an area carrying genes involved in various functions that play a role in the process of symbiotic nitrogen fixation.     

宽翅菘蓝系统发育关系和分类地位研究

宽翅菘蓝(Isatis violascens)是分布于新疆准噶尔盆地的一种早春短命植物。基于形态的相似性,有人建议将宽翅菘蓝作为Isatis emarginata同义体。目前宽翅菘蓝尚未得到分子水平的研究,其系统发育地位也不清楚。该研究对宽翅菘蓝的ITS区进行测序,结合GenBank数据库中菘蓝属物种的ITS序列对宽翅菘蓝的系统关系和分类地位进行研究。最大简约法,最大似然法和贝叶斯法3种方法分析表明:菘蓝属物种聚为两个分支;宽翅菘蓝与I.emarginata和小果菘蓝具有较近的亲缘关系;基于形态相似性和较近的遗传距离,支持将宽翅菘蓝与I.emarginata合并为一个物种,并把宽翅菘蓝作为I.emarginata的同义种。     

A new species of Illicium subsection Parviflora (Illiciaceae) from the Massif de la Hotte, Haiti

Illicium hottense, a new species, is here described from the floristically diverse Massif de la Hotte of southern Haiti. It is compared to related species, especiallyI. ekmanii, with which it has previously been confused.Illicium hottense andI. ekmanii are members ofIllicium subsectionParviflora, a group that comprises four species, all endemic to peninsular Florida (I. parviflorum) or the Greater Antilles: Cuba (I. cubense) and Hispaniola (I. ekmanii, andI. hottense). The subsection is characterized by its distinctive laminar-carnose, ovoid stamens; all have trisyncolpate pollen.Illicium hottense is similar toI. ekmanii andI. parviflorum in having flowers with ten to thirteen carpels and six to less commonly eight stamens, but differs from both in its strongly papillose outer tepals and consistently acute leaves. In addition, its leaves lack the strong anise fragrance ofI. parviflorum. Finally, molecular data provide support for recognizingI. hottense as a species distinct fromI. ekmanii.     

Impatiens zhuxiensis (Balsaminaceae), a new species of Hubei,China

A new species of Impatiens L. from Hubei, China, Impatiens zhuxiensis Q.L. Gan & X.W. Li, is described and illustrated. Impatiens zhuxiensis resembles I. nasuta Hook. f. and I. compta Hook. f. and these are the only species in I. sect. Impatiens with a long abaxial rostrum on the midvein of the dorsal petal. However, the flowers of I. zhuxiensis are yellow while those of I. nasuta and I. compta are deep purple-red and pale purple-blue, respectively; I. zhuxiensis has the midvein of the dorsal petal abaxially elongated into a pointed rostrum near the apex, whilst the rostrum of I. nasuta is elephant-trunk-shaped near the middle, and that of I. compta is recurved near the apex. A molecular phylogenetic analysis of Impatiens based on ITS, atpB-rbcL and trnL-F supported these three species as closely allied and that they belong to I. sect. Impatiens.     

Nomenclatural updates in Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae)

The lectotypification of Ipomoea fimbriosepala, I. horsfalliae, I. marcellia, I. subincana and I. tenera is proposed herein. In addition, we suggest to change one name, from I. tubata to I. sidifolia since I. sidifolia predate I. tubata and must replace it.     

Physical and Genetic Map of the Genome of Buchnera, the Primary Endosymbiont of the Pea Aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum

Abstract The genome of Buchnera, an endosymbiotic bacterium of the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum, was characterized by pulse-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) as a circular DNA molecule of 657 kb. The enzymes I-CeuI, CpoI, ApaI, SmaI, NaeI, SacII, MluI, FspI, and NruI were used to cleave the DNA of Buchnera into fragments of suitable size for PFGE analysis. A physical map of the Buchnera genome, including restriction fragments from seven of these enzymes, was constructed using double cutting, partial digestion, and hybridization with linking fragments, and 29 genes and operons were localized on the map. In addition, the genomic map of Buchnera was compared with those of Escherichia coli and Haemophilus influenzae. The gene order in Buchnera is more similar to that of E. coli than to H. influenzae. The dramatic shrinkage of the Buchnera genome compared with those of other members of the closely related Enterobacteriaceae family is discussed in terms of evolution under the influence of the intracellular symbiotic association. Received: 20 May 1998 / Accepted: 1 July 1998