Chromosome counts in the genus Festuca L. section Festuca (Poaceae) in the Iberian Peninsula

Chromosome numbers have been counted in 102 populations belonging to 34 taxa of Festuca L. section Festuca from the Iberian Peninsula. Four of these taxa have been counted for the first time and another three for the first time from the Iberian Peninsula. Furthermore, the levels of ploidy for another three taxa have been obtained for new populations within their distribution area, and for another 18 taxa the ploidy levels have been confirmed. Five levels of ploidy have been established for this section: diploid, tetraploid, hexaploid, octoploid and decaploid. There are 17 diploid taxa, eight tetraploid, three octoploid, two octoploid and one decaploid. The three remaining taxa represent polyploid complexes (one tetra-hexa-octoploid and two hexa-octoploids).     

Typification of three taxa of the genus Festuca L. (Poaceae)

Lectotypifications of Festuca infesta Hack. ex Trab., Festuca maroccana Trab. and Festuca rubra L. subsp. scabrescens Hack. ex Trab. are designated here. The principal diagnostic characters and chorology are also presented for each taxon. © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2008, 158 , 342–343.     

Le modalità d'accrescimento degli assoni studiate a contrasto di fase in espianti di tessuto nervoso „in vitro“

Riassunto Le espansioni terminali degli assoni, che crescono in vitro, possono presentare aspetti diversi. La forma più comune é quella, da lungo tempo nota, di ingrossamenti dell'apice del neurite, i quali emettono esili filamenti ameboidi, transitori. Ma, nelle fibre che crescono nell'interfacie tra un mezzo solido e un mezzo liquido, spesso l'espansione risulta di tenui membraneile ialine in continuo movimento, le quali possono avere varia estensione.Le espansioni membraniformi possono venire in breve tempo retratte e sostituite da fini filamenti ameboidi indipendenti e viceversa; tra queste varie strutture esistono forme intermedie.Non risulta però confermata l'opinione di A. HUGHES che i filamenti transitori siano pieghe di una struttura continua.I vari aspetti, che le espansioni possono assumere, sono l'espressione della grande plasticità della sostanza nervosa. L'accrescimento delle fibre nervose a contatto di una superficie solida é verosimilmente condizione indispensabile, ma non sufficiente per la formazione delle espansioni membraniformi; é probabile che la sostanza del neurite si espanda in veli estremamente tenui, soltanto quando é soggetta a fenomeni di imbibizione, associati a diminuzione della tensione superficiale.Membrane ialine possono essere emesse anche all'apice delle collaterali e, in casi più rari, costituirsi transitoriamente persino lungo il decorso del neurite, a spese di tratti più o meno estesi di questo, che si espandono in superficie.Le fibre nervose in accrescimento presentano manifesti fenomeni di pinocitosi. Essi avvengono sia in corrispondenza dell'espansione terminale, sia nelle collaterali, sia infine lungo il decorso del neurite, in zone in cui esso emette esilissimi filamenti transitori, apparentemente privi di espansione terminale.Si ritiene ehe, con l'introduzione di goccioline di liquido, il neurite assuma dall'ambiente materiali disciolti, i quali, insieme alle sostanze che vengono elaborate dal pirenoforo e che fluiscono nel neurite stesso, verranno utilizzati per l'accrescimento della fibra nervosa.Vien prospettata l'ipotesi che il significato dei fini ramuscoli collaterali, transitori, che il neurite in accrescimento emette di continuo lungo tutta la sua lunghezza, sia essenzialmente trofico.Ricerche eseguite con un contributo del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche.     

Natural Occurrence of Pepino mosaic virus in Lycopersicon Species in Central and Southern Peru

Pepino mosaic virus (PepMV), a potexvirus first described in 1980 from pepino ( Solanum muricatum ) plants cultivated in Peru, was isolated from diseased tomato plants in the Netherlands in 1999, and is now the cause of an emerging tomato disease in Europe. In a survey of central and southern Peru, 65 wild and four cultivated populations of Lycopersicon , as well as six populations of other species of Solanaceae , were tested for the presence of PepMV and six other viruses. Of the Lycopersicon population sampled, 23 (35.4%) reacted positively in double antibody sandwich (DAS)-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with antisera to PepMV. DAS-ELISA tests for PepMV of other solanaceous species were negative, except for one sample of pepino ( Solanum muricatum ). Mechanical inoculation of susceptible Lycopersicon esculentum cv. NE-1 plants with crude sap extracts of 20 of these samples confirmed that 15 of them (from the Departments of Apurimac, Arequipa and Moquegua) were infected with PepMV; these inoculated plants were also DAS-ELISA positive and, in most cases, developed symptoms. Thirteen of the infective extracts were obtained from plants of wild Lycopersicon species (three L. chilense , three L. chmielewskii , two L. parviflorum and five L. peruvianum ) and one each from the cultivated species L. esculentum and S. muricatum . The wild Lycopersicon species are newly reported natural hosts of PepMV. Tests for the other six viruses were negative, except that two samples contained Tomato mosaic virus . Thus, PepMV occurs in Lycopersicon species in central and southern Peru, even in isolated wild populations. These results indicate that the virus is not new to the region and has an efficient mechanism of natural transmission.     

Patterns of oviposition by Sandia xami (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae) in relation to food plant apparency

ABSTRACT.

• 1 The butterfly Sandia xami (Reakirt) has a very clumped yearly pattern of oviposition on its food plant Echeveria gibbiflora D.C., and the mean number of eggs per plant is always very low.
• 2 Three features of host plants are highly associated with the probability of being oviposited upon: height of plant; degree of conspicuousness; and degree of isolation from conspecific plants.
• 3 The relative importance of these factors as predictors of the probability of oviposition change according to the time scale considered: height and conspicuousness are more important over short (weekly) time intervals whilst isolation takes precedence over longer (yearly) periods.
• 4 It is hypothesized that the clumped pattern of oviposition is responsible for the low numbers of the butterflies relative to their very abundant food plant.

     

Taphonomy and compositional fidelity of Quaternary fossil assemblages of terrestrial gastropods from carbonate-rich environments of the Canary Islands

Quaternary aeolian deposits of the Canary Islands contain well‐preserved terrestrial gastropods, providing a suitable setting for assessing the taphonomy and compositional fidelity of their fossil record over ~13 kyr. Nine beds (12, 513 shells) have been analysed in terms of multivariate taphonomic and palaeoecological variables, taxonomic composition, and the stratigraphic and palaeontological context. Shells are affected by carbonate coatings, colour loss and fragmentation. Shell preservation is size‐specific: juveniles are less fragmented and show colour preservation more commonly than adults. In palaeosols, the adult shell density correlates negatively with the proportion of fragmented adults, negatively with the proportion of juveniles, and positively with the proportion of adults with coatings. High bioturbation intensity in palaeosols is associated with low shell fragmentation and high proportion of shells with coatings. These relationships imply that high adult density in palaeosols was driven by an increase in shell production rate (related to a decrease in predation rates on adults and a decrease in juvenile mortality) and a decrease in shell destruction rate (related to an increase in durability enhanced by carbonate precipitation). In dunes, the relationships between taphonomic alteration, shell density and bioturbation are insignificant. However, dune assemblages are characterized by a lower frequency of shells with coatings and higher rates of colour loss, indicating lower shell durability in dunes than in palaeosols. Additionally, non‐random differences in the coating proportion among palaeosols imply substantial temporal variation in the rate of carbonate crust formation, reflecting long‐term changes in bioturbation intensity that covaries positively with shell preservation. Dunes and palaeosols do not differ in species abundances despite differences in the degree of shell alteration, suggesting that both weakly and strongly altered assemblages offer data with a high compositional fidelity. Carbonate‐rich terrestrial deposits originating in arid conditions can enhance the preservation of gastropods and result in fossil assemblages that are suitable for palaeoecological and palaeoenvironmental studies of terrestrial ecosystems.     

Foraging by honeybees on Carduus acanthoides: pattern and efficiency

Abstract.

• 1 The relationship between the fluctuation in total quantity of sugar available in the nectar of Carduus acanthoides inflorescences and the foraging behaviour of honeybees Apis mellifera ligustica was studied in a patch under natural conditions.
• 2 Every day, three inflorescence populations coexisted, one for each day of the inflorescence life-span. The maximum availability of sugar occurred in second-day capitula from 12.00 to 15.00 hours.
• 3 Bee arrivals at the patch were positively correlated with the total availability of sugar as determined by sampling.
• 4 Bees responded to variation in the availability of sugar by visiting the inflorescence stage that was most rewarding at that time of day. Early in the morning, when the frequency of visits was low, the bees worked the third-day capitula, which were the best available choice at that time. Similarly, beginning at 12.00 hours, bees switched to second-day capitula. At the end of the day, some bees switched to third-day capitula where a slightly superior quantity of sugar could be obtained from a small number of florets although other bees continued to work the second-day capitula.
• 5 Individual bees switched to another inflorescence stage after a high proportion of their visits to a small number of capitula of one kind had provided a low reward.
• 6 The number of florets visited per minute per bee varied throughout the day and was positively correlated with the availability of sugar.

     

Experimental wood addition in streams: effects on organic matter storage and breakdown

1. Channel complexity affects the physical structure, biotic communities and functioning of stream ecosystems. Large wood (LW) is a key element in the creation and maintenance of physically complex stream channels in forested areas. 2. In an attempt to enhance stream habitat quality and ecosystem functioning and to reduce inputs of organic matter to a downstream reservoir, LW was experimentally introduced into four mountain streams in the Basque Country (northern Spain), ranging in channel width from 3 to 13 m. Following a before–after/control–impact (BACI) design, streams were monitored during 1 year prior to wood addition and during 2 years after addition in one control and one experimental reach per stream. 3. Areal cover of benthic organic matter in the entire channel was measured from regular transects and the mass of stored organic matter from random Surber samples. Breakdown of organic matter was assessed in litter bag experiments performed with black alder leaves. When 50% of the initial mass in the bags remained, invertebrates associated with leaf bags were collected. 4. Wood placement produced a 2‐ to 70‐fold increase in the storage of organic matter, especially in thick deposits upstream from wood jams, with values in excess of 2 kg AFDM per m² in the small streams. The accumulation of organic matter produced by wood introduction decreased with increasing stream size. 5. Despite the large increase in the availability of organic matter, litter breakdown rates were unaffected by the experimental reaches, suggesting large increases in the total amount of organic matter consumed at the reach scale. 6. Numbers of invertebrates and shredders per gram of leaf litter did not respond to wood addition. Average body mass of invertebrates associated with leaf litter showed a non‐significant decreasing trend, which might reflect increased recruitment. 7. Although the effects of wood addition can depend on wood stability and stream size, adding LW to restore channel complexity can improve environmental conditions for invertebrate communities and affect stream ecosystem functioning, enhancing the efficiency to use organic matter inputs on a reach scale.     

Morphological and allozyme variation of Eidolon helvum (Mammalia: Megachiroptera) in the islands of the Gulf of Guinea

Morphological and genetic variation is evaluated among populations of the bat, Eidolon helvum , in the islands of the Gulf of Guinea (Central Africa). The populations from the islands of Bioko, Principe, and Sao Tome do not show significant phenetic differentiation, although a trend towards a reduction of size is found in the latter two islands. The low genetic distances between populations, as well as their values of Wright's fixation indexes, suggest that gene flow has hampered differentiation on these islands. In contrast, the population from Annobon, the smallest and farthermost island, shows remarkable morphological and genetic differentiation. On the mainland, E. helvum displays unique migratory and dispersal behaviours, but migratory behaviour was not found in any of the island populations. The combination of selective forces in harsher oceanic environments and restricted gene flow among populations appears to have favoured the high degree of morphological differentiation of E. helvum on Annobon. Due to the extended length of the dry season in Annobon, an earlier achievement of sexual maturity–and consequently smaller size—may be advantageous in the absence of migration. The differentiation is more marked among females, which also suggests that selection may be linked to the reproductive pattern. The population of the island of Annobon is herein described as a new subspecies, Eidolon helvum annobonensis subsp. nov.