Alchemilla schmakovii sp. nov. from eastern Europe

A morphological study of specimens collected by the author and a critical revision of the key herbarium collections revealed a new rather peculiar taxon of Alchemilla occurring in almost every region of the Middle Volga basin, Russia. This novelity is here described as A. schmakovii and images of the principal morphological features of this species are provided. The new species is compared with related species in A. sect. Alchemilla (e.g. A. micans) and sect. Plicatae (e.g. A. breviloba) based on morphological characteristics.     

Chromosome counts in some Alchemilla species from north-east Anatolia

This paper presents the results of karyological analysis of seven Alchemilla species collected from north-east Anatolia, Turkey, belonging to Alchemilla sect. Alchemilla subsect. Heliodrosium ser. Vulgares and subsect. Calycanthum ser. Elatae and ser. Calycinae. The following chromosome numbers were determined: A. haraldi 2n = 85–105, A. heterophylla 2n = 85–97, A. hirtipedicellata 2n = 86–100, A. oriturcica 2n = 86–102, A. persica 2n = 78–99, A. procerrima 2n = 69–78 and A. trabzonica 2n = 78–88. The chromosome numbers of three of these seven species are presented for the first time.     

Environmentally Dependent Morphological Variability in Seven Apomictic Microspecies from Alchemilla L. (Rosaceae)

Apomictic microspecies, for example those of the genus Alchemilla, are often difficult to distinguish. Still, their differences are thought to be persistent due to apomixis. Apomicts are argued to have general-purpose genotypes. The present study aims to assess the variation of morphological characters of Alchemilla depending on environmental conditions both in nature and experimentally; to evaluate the efficacy of characters for identifying the different microspecies; to assess the similarity of different microspecies; and to determine if Alchemilla microspecies have general-purpose genotypes that are not dependent on environmental conditions. The variability of selected characters in seven microspecies of Alchemilla was studied in nature and five microspecies were grown in a common garden experiment. The growing conditions of the latter were subjected to various manipulations (fertilization, shading and irrigation). Typical natural habitats of Alchemilla exhibited only small differences. Environmental conditions therefore had little effect on morphological characters. Neither cultivation in the common garden nor manipulation of conditions therein had a significant impact on the discrimination of microspecies. However, the metric characters were larger in the garden relative to those observed in nature, particularly under fertilization. Fertilization affected most characters, whereas shading and irrigation did not. The most effective characters for discriminating between microspecies were the ratios of the metric characters. Two species pairs: A. vulgaris and A. micans, as well as A. glaucescens and A. hirsuticaulis were morphologically close; however, the species within these pairs could still be distinguished. The morphological characters of Alchemilla microspecies were only slightly dependent on the environmental conditions.     

Alchemilla acutiloba Opiz new to Scotland

Summary

Alchemilla acutiloba Opiz was found growing on disused railway sidings 5 km north of Glasgow. In the light of its known northern English and Scandinavian distribution and ecology, the status of this newly discovered Scottish Alchemilla is discussed.     

Alchemilla suavis,a new species from the Western Carpathians

Zusammenfassung Als neue Art der GattungAlchemilla L. Subser.Hirsutae H.Lindb. wirdA. suavis A.Plocek aus den West-Karpaten beschrieben. Sie wird mit ähnlichen Arten verglichen.     

Kritik an der europäischen Alchemilla-Taxonomie

This paper gives an enumeration of the defects, which the author has found in the European Alchemilla-taxonomy until now. This defects were grouped in defects or errores 1. on the observation, 2. on the interpretation of the observations, 3. in the form of inconsistency (above all by the classification in the intrageneric taxa), 4. by the intellect power (theoretical aspects of the intellect). The author express the opinion, that the origin of the Eurasian Alchemilla species is a very complex hybrid mixing of the 4 basal lines, which could be registered as 4 sections. For the interpretation of the origin of our Alchemilla species the author gives a schema of 12 phases.     

Effects of recent and past climatic shifts on the genetic structure of the high mountain Yellow‐spotted ringlet butterfly Erebia manto (Lepidoptera,Satyrinae): a conservation problem

Mountain species have evolved important genetic differentiation due to past climatic fluctuations. The genetic uniqueness of many of these lineages is now at risk due to global warming. Here, we analyse allozyme polymorphisms of 1306 individuals (36 populations) of the mountain butterfly Erebia manto and perform Species Distribution Models (SDMs). As a consensus of analyses, we obtained six most likely genetic clusters: (i) Pyrenees with Massif Central; (ii) Vosges; (iii–v) Alps including the Slovakian Carpathians; (vi) southern Carpathians. The Vosges population showed the strongest genetic split from all other populations, being almost as strong as the split between E. manto and its sister species Erebia eriphyle. The distinctiveness of the Pyrenees‐Massif Central group and of the southern Carpathians group from all other groups is also quite high. All three groups are assumed to have survived more than one full glacial–interglacial cycle close to their current distributions with up‐hill and down‐slope shifts conforming climatic conditions. In contrast with these well‐differentiated groups, the three groups present in the Alps and the Slovakian Carpathians show a much shallower genetic structure and thus also should be of a more recent origin. As predicted by our SDM projections, rising temperatures will strongly impact the distribution of E. manto. While the populations in the Alps are predicted to shrink, the survival of the three lineages present here should not be at risk. The situation of the three other lineages is quite different. All models predict the extinction of the Vosges lineage in the wake of global warming, and also the southern Carpathians and Pyrenees‐Massif Central lineages might be at high risk to disappear. Thus, albeit global warming will therefore be unlikely to threaten E. manto as a species, an important proportion of the species’ intraspecific differentiation and thus uniqueness might be lost.     

Abrupt Changes in Bosmina (Cladocera,Crustacea) Assemblages During the History of the Ostrowite Lake (Northern Poland)

During the 10000-year history of the Ostrowite Lake, there have been several episodes of change in dominance amongst species of the genus Bosmina. The dominants were alternately B.longirostris and Eubosmina spp. Amongst the subgenus Eubosmina, two species prevailed in different periods:Bosmina coregoni and Bosmina reflexa. The first species, Bosmina coregoni, is characterized by long antennae and short carapace mucrones, while the second one, Bosmina reflexa, by short antennae and very long mucrones. Bosmina reflexa was dominant at the beginning of the lake's history (Preboreal, 10000--9000 BP) and during the early Subboreal Period (5000–3500 BP). Only a small number of remains of Bosmina longispina(Eubosmina spp.) were present along the entire profile. Such strong changes in the domination of Bosmina species were observed for the first time in the sediments of Polish lakes. A similar transition from one species to another has been described in a few German lakes and was linked to climate changes. However, the changes in the Ostrowite Lake do not correlate with climate changes, but most probably, with changes in the lake's trophic level. This is suggested by the simultaneous increase of Bosmina reflexa and a good indicator of eutrophy, Bosmina longirostris.     

Phenolic Composition,Anti‐Inflammatory,Antioxidant, and Antimicrobial Activities of Alchemilla mollis (Buser) Rothm.

The current study was designed to evaluate the antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory and antimicrobial activities of Alchemilla mollis (Buser ) Rothm . (Rosaceae) aerial parts extracts. Chemical composition was analyzed by spectrophotometric and chromatographic (HPLC) techniques. The antioxidant properties assessed included DPPH^· and ABTS^·+ radical scavenging, β‐carotene‐linoleic acid co‐oxidation assay. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated with disc diffusion and micro dilution method. In order to evaluate toxicity of the extracts, with the sulforhodamine B colorimetric assay L929 cell line (mouse fibroblast) was used. The anti‐inflammatory activities of the potent antioxidant extracts (methanol, 70% methanol, and water extracts) were determined by measuring the inhibitory effects on NO production and pro‐inflammatory cytokine TNF‐α levels in lipopolysaccharide stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. 70% methanol and water extracts which were found to be rich in phenolic compounds (184.79 and 172.60 mg GAE/g extract) showed higher antioxidant activity. Luteolin‐7‐O‐glucoside was the main compound in the extracts. Ethyl acetate and 70% methanol extracts showed higher antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella enteritidis with MIC value of 125 μg/ml. 70% methanol extract potentially inhibited the NO and TNF‐α production (18.43 μm and 1556.22 pg/ml, respectively, 6 h).     

Assessing the phylogeographic history of the montane caddisfly Thremma gallicum using mitochondrial and restriction‐site‐associated DNA (RAD) markers

Repeated Quaternary glaciations have significantly shaped the present distribution and diversity of several European species in aquatic and terrestrial habitats. To study the phylogeography of freshwater invertebrates, patterns of intraspecific variation have been examined primarily using mitochondrial DNA markers that may yield results unrepresentative of the true species history. Here, population genetic parameters were inferred for a montane aquatic caddisfly, Thremma gallicum, by sequencing a 658‐bp fragment of the mitochondrial CO1 gene, and 12,514 nuclear RAD loci. T. gallicum has a highly disjunct distribution in southern and central Europe, with known populations in the Cantabrian Mountains, Pyrenees, Massif Central, and Black Forest. Both datasets represented rangewide sampling of T. gallicum. For the CO1 dataset, this included 352 specimens from 26 populations, and for the RAD dataset, 17 specimens from eight populations. We tested 20 competing phylogeographic scenarios using approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) and estimated genetic diversity patterns. Support for phylogeographic scenarios and diversity estimates differed between datasets with the RAD data favouring a southern origin of extant populations and indicating the Cantabrian Mountains and Massif Central populations to represent highly diverse populations as compared with the Pyrenees and Black Forest populations. The CO1 data supported a vicariance scenario (north–south) and yielded inconsistent diversity estimates. Permutation tests suggest that a few hundred polymorphic RAD SNPs are necessary for reliable parameter estimates. Our results highlight the potential of RAD and ABC‐based hypothesis testing to complement phylogeographic studies on non‐model species.     

AN EXPERIMENTAL TEST FOR REPRODUCTIVE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN TWO SEQUENTIALLY BLOOMING SAXIFRAGA SPECIES (SAXIFRAGACEAE)

The blooming period of Saxifraga reflexa on south-facing bluffs in interior Alaska precedes and slightly overlaps that of Saxifraga tricuspidata. We tested the hypothesis that reproductive interference maintains this phenological separation by measuring seed set of potted 5. reflexa during the normal and 5. tricuspidata blooming periods, with and without 5. tricuspidata nearby. During the S. reflexa blooming period we placed arrays of four pots of S. reflexa in sites with and without 5. tricuspidata. Several weeks later, during the S. tricuspidata blooming period, we repeated the experiment with potted 5. reflexa whose flowering had been artificially delayed. Seed set of 5. reflexa was decreased by retarding blooming time, but not by the presence of blooming S. tricuspidata. Although both species were visited by the same pollinators, primarily syrphid flies, the presence of S. tricuspidata did not reduce the rate of visitation to S. reflexa. In mixed plots, visitation rates by syrphid flies were much higher to 5. reflexa than to S. tricuspidata. Interspecific floral transitions by syrphid flies were uncommon. It appears that in 1986 at this site S. reflexa experienced no negative effects from flowering synchronously with, and occurring in close proximity to, 5. tricuspidata.     

The role of topography in structuring the demographic history of the pine processionary moth,Thaumetopoea pityocampa (Lepidoptera: Notodontidae)

Aim We investigated the Quaternary history of the pine processionary moth, Thaumetopoea pityocampa, an oligophagous insect currently expanding its range. We tested the potential role played by mountain ranges during the post‐glacial recolonization of western Europe. Location Western Europe, with a focus on the Pyrenees, Massif Central and western Alps. Methods Maternal genetic structure was investigated using a fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. We analysed 412 individuals from 61 locations and performed maximum likelihood and maximum parsimony phylogenetic analyses and hierarchical analysis of molecular variance, and we investigated signs of past expansion. Results A strong phylogeographic pattern was found, with two deeply divergent clades. Surprisingly, these clades were not separated by the Pyrenees but rather were distributed from western to central Iberia and from eastern Iberia to the Italian Peninsula, respectively. This latter group consisted of three shallowly divergent lineages that exhibited strong geographic structure and independent population expansions. The three identified lineages occurred: (1) on both sides of the Pyrenean range, with more genetically diverse populations in the east, (2) from eastern Iberia to western France, with a higher genetic diversity in the south, and (3) from the western Massif Central to Italy. Admixture areas were found at the foot of the Pyrenees and Massif Central. Main conclusions The identified genetic lineages were geographically structured, but surprisingly the unsuitable high‐elevation areas of the main mountainous ranges were not responsible for the spatial separation of genetic groups. Rather than acting as barriers to dispersal, mountains appear to have served as refugia during the Pleistocene glaciations, and current distributions largely reflect expansion from these bottlenecked refugial populations. The western and central Iberian clade did not contribute to the northward post‐glacial recolonization of Europe, yet its northern limit does not correspond to the Pyrenees. The different contributions of the identified refugia to post‐glacial expansion might be explained by differences in host plant species richness. For example, the Pyrenean lineage could have been trapped elevationally by tracking montane pines, while the eastern Iberian lineage could have expanded latitudinally by tracking thermophilic lowland pine species.     

Does community‐level floral abundance affect the pollination success of a rewardless orchid,Calanthe reflexa Maxim.?

Decreases in pollinator abundance may particularly constrain plants that lack floral rewards, since they are poor competitors for pollinators in the plant community. Here, we documented the pollination ecology of a rewardless orchid, Calanthe reflexa Maxim., and examined effects of forest understory degradation by deer browsing on pollination success of the species in the light of a change in the abundance of neighboring flowering plants in 2010 and 2011. Bombus species were the only pollinators at each site and the flowering phenology of C. reflexa did not overlap with that of other rewarding plants. Pollinator visit rates (assessed by time‐lapse photography), and pollinia removal rate were higher in the undegraded understory site than the degraded site in both years, while the fruit set ratio did not differ between the sites in 2011. Coverage by neighboring flowering plants was extremely low in the degraded site. Our results suggest that, although its flowering phenology and consequently lower interspecific competition of C. reflexa with rewarding plants for attracting bumblebees, neighboring flowering plants may play an important role for maintaining the visitation frequency of bumblebees of C. reflexa and contribute to its pollination success.     

Répartition des rotifères dans deux lacs-tourbières du Massif Central (France)

In rotifer communities of two french peat-bogs, characteristic species associations can be described for each stage in the formation of this ecosystem. The oligotrophic lowmoor with Sphagnum angustifolium has the highest proportion of characteristic species.The affinity between the open water fauna (used as a standard) and the Sphagnum fauna decreases with a gradient in water content. The latter was a dominant factor in the distribution of rotifer species in the peat-bog.

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Répartition des rotifères dans deux lacs-tourbières du Massif Central (France)

     

Assessing inter‐drainage connections: patterns of genetic diversity in an Iberian cyprinid fish

The phylogeography of Iberian freshwater fish species strongly reflects the geomorphological history of Iberian water drainages and formation of mountain ranges. In particular, the Iberian Central Massif limits two ichthyogeographical districts based on fish distribution assemblages: the Northwest district, which comprises all river basins north of the Central massif, and the Central‐west district, which comprises the Tejo and Sado basins. Despite this scenario, the cyprinid Pseudochondrostoma polylepis occurs in both the Tejo and Mondego rivers (one either side of the Estrela Mountains, in the western end of the Central Massif). By analysing the population structure and demographic history of this straight‐mouth nase, based on both mtDNA and microsatellites, we have found evidence of a relatively recent common origin for both Mondego and Tejo populations. Shared haplotypes and lack of divergent lineages for mitochondrial marker, high levels of admixture and common ancestry at the nuclear level, together with signatures of asymmetrical gene flow from Tejo to Mondego suggest a Mondego colonization through a founder event with an origin in Tejo. We suggest that this colonization might have resulted from the occurrence of river connections/captures between Mondego and Tejo headwater tributaries in the recent past. With this study we reinforce that local‐scale geomorphological events and the adaptation/dispersal ability of a species to new environments can have a major impact on its demographic history, colonization processes, and ultimately its distribution. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2013, 109 , 656–669.     

Thelypteris amazonica sp. nov. (Thelypteridaceae) from Amazonian Brazil

A new species of Thelypteris subgenus Goniopteris (Thelypteridaceae) is described and illustrated: Thelypteris amazonica Salino & R. S. Fernandes is apparently most similar to Thelypteris anoptera (Kunze) C. Chr. (Brazil‐Bahia) and T. abrupta (Desv.) Proctor (Antilles, Central America, South America), but differs from both by the clavate vein ends, basal vein pairs from adjacent segments not united below the sinuses, and petioles with simple and stellate hairs. Thelypteris amazonica is known only from Amazonian Brazil.     

Past,present and future of mountain species of the French Massif Central – the case of Soldanella alpina L. subsp. alpina (Primulaceae) and a review of other plant and animal studies

Aim Our goals were: (1) to investigate patterns of genetic variation in the French Massif Central (MC) of Soldanella alpina (Primulaceae), an alpine plant species that has only one known population in the region; (2) to analyse these patterns in order to deduce the Quaternary history of the population and to predict how current climatic warming may affect it; and (3) to review molecular analyses from the MC to evaluate the importance of the region for the conservation of genetic diversity. Location Europe, with a special focus on the French Massif Central and adjacent regions. Methods Amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs) were analysed for 192 individuals (nine populations) of S. alpina (subsp. alpina) representing the MC, Pyrenees and south‐western Alps. Population genetic diversity was assessed by various parameters (e.g. H_E, Shannon’s I). Neighbor‐Net and Bayesian approaches, and analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) were used to infer population genetic relationships and structure. Results Individuals generally clustered according to populations within mountain regions. Hierarchical AMOVA indicated significant variation among mountain ranges (33.2% of the total variance), but there was also strong differentiation between populations (26.3%). The single population of S. alpina from the MC was identified as a distinct lineage of high genetic diversity. Our literature survey indicated that taxa with low and with high genetic diversity exist in the MC, and that genetic relationships to surrounding regions are diverse. Main conclusions The high genetic diversity and distinctiveness of S. alpina in the MC suggests the long‐term persistence of the single population in this region, which might have been favoured through elevational range shifts in response to past climatic change. This interpretation partly accords with other studies indicating that several plant and animal populations in the MC contain comparatively high genetic diversity, represent genetically independent lineages, and/or are likely descendants of populations that persisted in the MC throughout the Quaternary. These data underline the conservation importance of the MC as a key area for the long‐term persistence of species with often high levels of intraspecific genetic diversity.     

Phylogeography of Mus (Nannomys) minutoides (Rodentia,Muridae) in West Central African savannahs: singular vicariance in neighbouring populations

We studied the phylogeography of the strict savannah pygmy mice Mus (Nannomys) minutoides in West Central Africa. A total of 846 base pairs of the cytochrome b sequence were obtained for 66 individuals collected in Gabon, Cameroon, Republic of Congo and Central African Republic. These sequences were compared to those of M. minutoides from other African countries and to eight other species of the genus Mus. We performed maximum likelihood, Bayesian and nested clade analyses, as well as neutrality tests and time estimates. We show that M. minutoides is a well‐differentiated monophyletic species that separated from other pygmy mice 1.17 Myr ago. A distinct West Central African M. minutoides clade diverged early from the other African populations of the species, with a more recent common ancestor dating 0.14 Myr. West Central African populations are globally homogeneous, despite the present fragmentation of savannahs by the rain forest. However, our analyses show an unexpected vicariance between geographically close savannahs, embedded in the rain forest in Central Gabon. One of these populations is genetically more similar to very distant peripheral populations than to three closely neighbouring populations situated on both sides of the Ogooué River. A non‐river geographical barrier probably persisted in this area, durably isolating these local populations. This hypothesis about the history of the savannah landscape should be testable through the biogeographical analysis of other strict savannah small mammal species.     

Phylogeography of a Tertiary relict plant, Meconopsis cambrica (Papaveraceae), implies the existence of northern refugia for a temperate herb

The perennial herb Meconopsis cambrica, a western European endemic, is the only European species of the otherwise Himalayan genus Meconopsis and has been interpreted as a Tertiary relict species. Using rbcL and ITS sequence variation, we date the split between M. cambrica and its sister clade Papaver s.str. to the Middle to Upper Miocene (12.8 Myr, 6.4–19.2 Myr HPD). Within M. cambrica, cpDNA sequence variation reveals the existence of two groups of populations with a comparable level of genetic variation: a northern group from Great Britain, the Massif Central, the western Pyrenees and the Iberian System, and a southern group from the central and eastern Pyrenees. Populations from the Cantabrian Mountains were placed in both groups. Based on ITS sequence variation, the divergence between these two groups can be dated to 1.5 Myr (0.4–2.8 Myr HPD), and the age of the British populations is estimated as 0.37 Myr (0.0–0.9 Myr HPD). Amplified fragment length polymorphism results confirm the distinctive nature of the populations from Britain, the Massif Central and the central and eastern Pyrenees. These patterns of latitudinal variation of M. cambrica differ from patterns of longitudinal differentiation found in many other temperate species and imply glacial survival of the northern populations in northerly refugia. The primary differentiation into northern and southern cpDNA groups dates to near the onset of the Quaternary and suggests that an ancient phylogeographic pattern has survived through several glacial periods. Our data provide evidence that the species has persisted for a long period with a highly fragmented and probably very localized distribution.