<Emphasis Type="Italic">Brachistus knappiae</Emphasis> (Solanaceae), a new species from Chiriquí, Panama

A new species of Brachistus is described from the region of Chiriquí in Panama. Brachistus knappiae morphologically resembles Brachistus stramoniifolius, and has been confused with it in the past. The diagnostic features of Brachistus knappiae are discussed, and the plant is illustrated.

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Resumen  Se describe una especie nueva de la región de Chiriquí en Panamá. Brachistus knappiae es morfológicamente parecida a B. stramoniifolius, lo cual provocaba que fuera erróneamente identificada como esta especie en el pasado. Se discuten los caracteres diagnósticos de Brachistus knappiae y la planta es ilustrada.

     

Pythium spp. present in irrigation water in the Poniente region of Almería (south-eastern Spain)

Pythium catenulatum, P. diclinum and P. paroecandrum, as well as asexual forms with filamentous sporangia were isolated from irrigation water in the Poniente region of Almería (south-eastern Spain). The taxonomic and morphological details of these fungal isolates are described. P. catenulatum and P. diclinumare new reports to Spain. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Enigmagraptus</Emphasis> n. gen., a new graptoloid (Přídolí, Silurian,New South Wales,Australia)

Enigmagraptus n. gen. comprises a group of the smallest known graptolites, with problematical evolutionary ancestors. The species described, all of Přídolí age are:E. yassensis (Rickards &Wright, 1999),E. cf.yassensis, E. mitchelli (Rickards &Wright, 1999) andE. pennyae n. sp.      

A new species of Solanum subgenus Leptostemonum (Solanaceae) from northeastern Brazil

Solanum jabrense is apparently rare, and is only known from few collections in the Pico do Jabre of the state of Paraíba, Brazil. It is illustrated and its affinities with the informalErythrotrichum group are discussed.     

First record of the sea anemone Diadumene lineata (Verrill 1871) associated to Spartina alterniflora roots and stems, in marshes at the Bahia Blanca estuary, Argentina

We report the occurrence of the orange-striped green anemone Diadumene lineata (Verrill 1871) (=Haliplanella lineata) in salt marshes at the Bahía Blanca Estuary for the first time in August 2005. We also found this species attached to roots and stems of Spartina alterniflora, an association that has never been registered before. After their determination, sampling was performed during a year to evaluate seasonal abundance of this sea anemone. Results showed that D. lineata was present through the whole year, indicating the existence of a stable population. All individuals sampled were found attached to roots or stems of S. alterniflora, with the higher abundances detected in summer. Further studies are necessary to precise the potential effects of this exotic sea anemone on salt marsh communities.     

Interactive effects of potassium and sodium on root growth and expression of K/Na transporter genes in rice

Sufficient supply of potassium (K) can alleviate the adverse effects of excess sodium (Na) on plant growth. However, it remains unclear if such a beneficial function is related to regulation of root growth and/or expression of K/Na transporters. Herein we report the responses of a rice cultivar, which was pretreated with normal nutrient solution for 1 month, to three levels of Na (0, 25, and 100 mM) without or with supply of K for 9 days. High Na (100 mM) significantly decreased plant growth, root activity, and total K uptake, and increased biomass ratio of roots to shoots. Short-term removal of K supply (9 days) did not affect root morphology and biomass ratio of roots to shoots, but decreased root activity of seedlings grown in high Na solution. K deficiency increased uptake of Na and transport of K from roots to shoots. Moreover, expression of OsHAK1, a putative K transporter gene, was upregulated by low Na (25 mM) and downregulated by high Na (100 mM) in roots. In leaves, its expression was suppressed by the Na treatments when K supply was maintained. Expression of OsHKT2;1, which encodes a protein that acts mainly as a Na transporter, was downregulated by high Na, but was enhanced by K deficiency both in roots and leaves. Expression of five other putative K/Na transporter or Na⁺/H⁺ genes, OsHKT1;1, OsHKT1;2, OsHKT2;3, OsNHX1, and OsSOS1, was not affected by the treatments. The results suggest that OsHAK1 and OsHKT2;1 were involved in the interactive effects of K and Na on their uptake and distribution in rice. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Ecological conditions and the distribution of alpine juniper (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Juniperus communis</Emphasis> subsp. <Emphasis Type="Italic">alpina</Emphasis>) in the Hrubý Jeseník Mts

In the Hruby Jeseník Mts of the Czech Republic, research was carried out from 2001–2005 aimed at completing an up-to-date census of alpine juniper [Juniperus communis subsp. alpine (Smith) Čelakovsky] and an evaluation of the overall health status of the populations, and at investigating the impacts of the main environmental factors on the viability of this species. 13 sites were identified with 283 individuals in total, but the sites differed dramatically in the number of recorded individuals. Comparisons with historical literature sources show that the species has been in decline. The main reasons for this decline include: a lack of suitable sites for colonization connected with a lack of adequate disturbance factors, competition from shading trees, and the presumed high age of the juniper populations combined with zero generative reproduction. More than two thirds of the individuals showed slight damage to their assimilation system. A health status of bad or very bad was determined for 5 % of the alpine juniper individuals. These trees in the Hruby Jeseník Mts are also exposed to pressure from some herbivore insects and mammals. The populations are not yet in a literally critical state, but considering the range of impacts affecting them, it will be necessary to pay significant attention to their conservation strategies. Some recommendations for future management are suggested.     

Patterns of genetic differentiation in the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gymnogeophagus gymnogenys</Emphasis> species complex,a neotropical cichlid from South American basins

The neotropical cichlid genus Gymnogeophagus is distributed in the Río de la Plata basin and in Dos Patos and Merín coastal lagoons on the border between Uruguay and southern Brazil. A phylogeographic approach based on mitochondrial cytochrome b analysis was performed to assess the patterns and processes of differentiation in this taxon. Gymnogeophagus gymnogenys showed high haplotype diversity (H = 0.992) and corrected mtDNA genetic distances ranged from 0 to 5.3%. Our analyses yielded robust support for the existence of four monophyletic groups within G. gymnogenys from the analyzed basins. No correlation between the aforementioned clades and geographic structure was found, since individuals belonging to different phylogenetic clades inhabit the same locality. The phylogeographic approach presented here showed that these four phylogroups (1, 2, 3 and 4) were sister groups. Our present findings would corroborate that G. gymnogenys could be integrated by different phylogenetic lineages, showing an explosive differentiation pattern and confirming the hypothesis that this taxon constitutes a species complex.     

Purification of bovine colostrumβ-galactosideα(2–6)sialyltransferase to near homogeneity by affinity chromatography

Cytidine-5-monophospho-N-acetylneuraminic acid:-galactoside 2-6sialyltransferase was purified from bovine colostrum by two sequential affinity chromatography steps on CDP-ethanolamine-Sepharose and CDP-ethanolamine-(N-caproylamino-)-Sepharose, respectively. While the conditions for elution were those of Paulsonet al. [J Biol Chem (1977) 252:3256–62], the ligand of the second affinity column was coupled to Sepharose by using 6-aminocaproic acid as linker. The ease of this procedure allows rapid synthesis of bulk quantities of ligand.Highly purified preparations of sialyltransferase were obtained which moved on gradient gel electrophoresis as a single band of 76 kDa and on dodecylsulphate electrophoresis as a single band of 54 kDa. The product of the reaction between lactose and CMP-N-acetylneuraminic acid catalyzed by the purified sialyltransferase was identified by high-resolution 500 MHz¹H-NMR spectroscopy as Neu5Ac2-6Gal1-4Glc.     

Post-dispersal predation and scatterhoarding of Dipteryx panamensis (Papilionaceae) seeds by rodents in Panama

In tropical rain forests of Central America, the canopy tree Dipteryx panamensis (Papilionaceae) fruits when overall fruit biomass is low for mammals. Flying and arboreal consumers feed on D. panamensis and drop seeds under the parent or disperse them farther away. Seeds on the ground attract many vertebrate seed-eaters, some of them potential secondary seed dispersers. The fate of seeds artificially distributed to simulate bat dispersal was studied in relation to fruitfall periodicity and the visiting frequency of diurnal rodents at Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama. The frequency of visits by agoutis is very high at the beginning of fruitfall, but in the area close (<50 m) to fruiting trees (Dipteryx-rich area) it declines throughout fruiting, whereas it remains unchanged farther (>50 m) away (Dipteryx-poor and Gustavia-rich area). Squirrels were usually observed in the Dipteryx-rich area. Along with intense post-dispersal seed predation by rodents in the Dipteryx-rich area, a significant proportion of seeds were cached by rodents in the Dipteryx-poor area. Post-dispersal seed predation rate was inversely related to hoarding rate. A significantly greater proportion of seeds was cached in March, especially more than 100 m from the nearest fruiting tree. This correlates with the mid-fruiting period, i.e. during the height of D. panamensis fruiting, when rodents seem to be temporarily satiated with the food supply at parent trees. Hoarding remained high toward April, i.e. late in the fruiting season of D. panamensis. Low survival of scatterhoarded seeds suggests that the alternative food supply over the animal's home-ranges in May–June 1990 was too low to promote survival of cached seeds. Seedlings are assumed to establish in the less-used area of the rodents' home-range when overall food supply is sufficient to satiate post-dispersal predators.     

Epiphytic cyanophytes Xenococcus kerneri and Chamaesiphon minutus on the freshwater red alga Paralemanea catenata (Rhodophyta)

Epiphytes of Paralemanea catenata (Kützing) Vis & Sheath (Rhodophyta) were studied on material from the River Dyje in National Park Podyjí. Longitudinal sections of the thalli were made with help of Cryo Cut Microtome techniques. The epiphytic cyanophytes Xenococcus kerneri Hansgirg and Chamaesiphon minutus (Rostafinski) Lemmermann were recognized on the cortex of the thalli. Our observations of the determined species are discussed.     

Reproduction strategies of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Daphnia pulicaria</Emphasis> population in a high mountain lake of Southern Spain

For three consecutive years, a population study of Daphnia pulicaria was undertaken in Río Seco Lake, a small high-mountain lake, in order to elucidate the reproductive strategies adopted by Daphnia in this system. Daphnia appears to colonize this lake every spring by hatching from ephippia and reproduce by means of subitaneous (non-diapausing) and ephippial (diapausing) eggs. D. pulicaria in this lake is an obligate parthenogenetic population. There is a short time period for subitaneous egg production and a much longer period for ephippial egg production. The contribution of subitaneous eggs to Daphnia population density and structure appears to be low. Diapause onset showed a high temporal synchronization in the three studied years in Río Seco Lake, and day-length emerged as the main cue triggering diapause onset and the main explanatory factor for the proportion of ephippial females observed. The development and reproduction of D. pulicaria in Río Seco Lake involves taking a gamble on resting forms to guarantee inter-annual Daphnia persistence in the lake, giving priority to investment in future generations. Guest editor: Piet Spaak Cladocera: Proceedings of the 7th International Symposium on Cladocera     

Pinus georginae (Pinaceae), a new species from western Jalisco, Mexico

Pinus georginae is described and illustrated as a new endemic species from the valleys in the southern basin of Río Ameca, Jalisco, western Mexico. It is closely related to Pinus praetermissa; however, after studying the cones and anatomy of the leaves in detail, characteristics were revealed that identify P. georginae as a distinct species.

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Resumen  Se describe e ilustra Pinus georginae como una especie nueva, endémica de algunos valles intermontanos al sur del Río Ameca, Jalisco, en el Occidente de México. Los árboles se parecen a Pinus praetermissa; sin embargo, al estudiar con detalle los conos y la anatomía de las acículas lo ubican a Pinus georginae como una entidad biológica con categoría específica independiente.

     

Expression,purification, and characterization of recombinant Chinese shrimp crustin-like protein (CruFc) in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pichia pastoris</Emphasis>

A crustin-like protein (CruFc) from Fenneropenaeus chinensis was expressed in Pichia pastoris and then purified to electrophoretic homogeneity on a Sephacryl S-100 column with a band corresponding to the expected one (13 kDa) shown by 15% SDS-PAGE. Western blot indicated that the rCruFc specifically reacted with polyclonal rabbit anti-Fenneropenaeus chinensis CruFc. Production in a 5 l bioreactor gave 237 mg rCruFc/l. Antimicrobial assay revealed that 4 μM rCruFc inhibited growth of Staphylococcus aureus.     

Three new species of Croton (Euphorbiaceae) from Brazil

Summary   Croton imbricatus L. R. Lima & Pirani from Bahia, C. muellerianus L. R. Lima from Paraná and C. pygmaeus L. R. Lima from Rio Grande do Sul are described and illustrated. They are included in Croton section Lamprocroton (Müll. Arg.) Pax because they are much branched subshrubs or shrubs, bearing leaves with a lepidote indumentum (at least in part), inflorescences lacking bisexual cymules, and pistillate flowers with bifid styles.

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Résumé   Croton imbricatus L. R. Lima & Pirani da Bahia, C. muellerianus L. R. Lima do Paraná e C. pygmaeus L. R. Lima do Rio Grande do Sul s?o descritas e ilustradas. Elas s?o representantes de Croton section Lamprocroton (Müll. Arg.) Pax e tal posicionamento sistemático é devido ao hábito arbustivo ou subarbustivo bastante ramificado, com indumento da folhagem lepidoto pelo menos em parte, inflorescências sem címulas bissexuadas e flores pistiladas com estiletes uma vez bífidos.

     

Chemistry and ethnobotany of commercial incense copals copal blanco, copal oro, and copal negro, of North America

The North American commercial incense copals are derived from species of Bursera, Protium (Burseraceae), and Hymenaea (Caesal-piniaceae) but are also distinguished by the technique of harvesting as well as by species. Sixty-eight compounds were identified in three commercial incense copals. The essential oil of copal bianco (probably from B. bipinnata) is dominated by 14.52 ± 1.28% α-copaene and 13.75 ± 1.06% germacrene D. The essential oil of copal oro (probably from H. courbaril) is dominated by 21.35 ± 5.96% α-pinene and 26.51 ± 1.22% limonene. The essential oil of copal negro (probably from P. copal) is dominated by 17.95 ± 1.35% α-pinene, 12.51 ± 0.08% sabinene, and 16.88 ± 2.02% limonene.

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Química y etnobotánica de los copales comerciales del incienso, copal blanco, copal oro, y copal negro, de norte América

Resumen  Los copales comerciales norteamericanas del incienso se derivan de las especies de Bursera, Protium (Burseraceae),y Hymenaea (Caesalpi-niaceae)pero también son distinguidos por la técnica de cosechar así como por las especies. Sesenta y ocho compuestos fueron identificados en tres copales comerciales del incienso. El aceite esencial del copal bianco (probablemente de B. bipinnata)es dominado por el α-copae-ne (14.52 ± 1.28%)y el germacrene D (13.75 ± 1.06%).El aceite esencial del copal oro (probablemente de H. courbaril)es dominado por el α-pinene (21.35 ± 5.96%)y el limonene (26.51 ± 1.22%).El aceite esencial del copal negro (probablemente de P. copal)es dominado por el a-pinene (17.95 ± 1.35%),el sabinene (12.51 ± 0.08%),y el limonene (16.88 ± 2.02%).

     

Morphology and response of roots of pasture species to phosphorus and nitrogen nutrition

The root morphology of ten temperate pasture species (four annual grasses, four perennial grasses and two annual dicots) was compared and their responses to P and N deficiency were characterised. Root morphologies differed markedly; some species had relatively fine and extensive root systems (Vulpia spp., Holcus lanatus L. and Lolium rigidum Gaudin), whilst others had relatively thick and small root systems (Trifolium subterraneum L. and Phalaris aquatica L.). Most species increased the proportion of dry matter allocated to the root system at low P and N, compared with that at optimal nutrient supply. Most species also decreased root diameter and increased specific root length in response to P deficiency. Only some of the species responded to N deficiency in this way. Root morphology was important for the acquisition of P, a nutrient for which supply to the plant depends on root exploration of soil and on diffusion to the root surface. Species with fine, extensive root systems had low external P requirements for maximum growth and those with thick, small root systems generally had high external P requirements. These intrinsic root characteristics were more important determinants of P requirement than changes in root morphology in response to P deficiency. Species with different N requirements could not be distinguished clearly by their root morphological attributes or their response to N deficiency, presumably because mass flow is relatively more important for N supply to roots in soil.Section editor: H. Lambers     

Agave rzedowskiana, a new species in subgenus Littaea (Agavaceae) from western Mexico

Agave rzedowskiana is described and illustrated from the states of Sinaloa and Jalisco, Mexico. This species is a member of subgenusLittaea (Tagliabue) Baker “groupStriatae” of Baker. It is compared withA. petrophila García-Mend. & E. Martínez andA. dasylirioides Jacobi & Bouché.

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Resumen  Se describe e ilustraAgave rzedowskiana de los estados de Sinaloa y Jalisco, México. La especie pertenece al subgéneroLittaea (Tagliabue) Baker “Grupo Striatae” de Baker. Se le compara conA. petrophila García-Mend. & E. Martínez yA. dasylirioides Jacobi & Bouché.

     

Taxonomic re-assessment of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phaseolus dasycarpus</Emphasis> (Leguminosae): Systematic position,chromosome studies and re-description

Based on new information on floral structures, seedling, fruit, seed, root, and leaflet characters, Phaseolus dasycarpus is re-described and illustrated. Its chromosome number was determined as 2n  = 22, with metacentric and submetacentric chromosomes, and karyotype formula of 9m + 2sm. Previous phylogenetic analyses of ITS and trnK sequence data, and those obtained in the present study, show P. dasycarpus to be aligned within section Pedicellati.

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Resumen  Con nueva información de estructuras florales, plántulas, frutos, semillas, raíz y folíolos, se redescribe e ilustra a Phaseolus dasycarpus. Se determina el número cromosómico 2n  = 22, con cromosomas metacéntricos y submetacéntricos y fórmula cariotípica = 9m + 2sm. Análisis filogenéticos previos con secuencias de ITS y trnK y los resultados obtenidos en el presente estudio, establecen a P. dasycarpus en la sección Pedicellati.