The phylogeny and biogeography of Thamnochortus (Restionaceae)

Parsimony analysis of morphological data was used to demonstrate the existence of five groups in Thamnochortus (Restionaceae). Although the most parsimonious trees have a resolved relationship among these groups, there appears to be little support for this resolution. The composition of the terminal groups, and the relationships among the species making up these groups, is more robust. The distribution patterns of Thamnochortus differ only in detail from the general patterns ascribed to the Cape Flora (southern South Africa). Within the Cape Floristic Region four centres can be recognized, and more than half of the Thamnochortus species are endemic to these centres. Embedded in these centres (or phytochoria) are small centres of endemism: in the Cedarberg, Bokkeveld mountains, Cape Peninsula, Overberg, Bredasdorp plain and the Langeberg. These centres are best demonstrated by mapping the distributions of range-restricted species, rather than using parsimony analysis of endemicity. There are two major patterns within the phytogeographical elements: an arid group, which ranges from the West Coast to the Klein Swartberg, and a mesic coastal group. The coastal group can be further subdivided. A cladistic biogeographic analysis indicates that the first division follows the divide between all-year rainfall and summer drought, and the second division suggests greater aridity. This implies that geographical differentiation within the genus has followed climatic patterns, suggesting that some of the speciation may be a consequence of climatic change in southern Africa. Curiously, centres of endemism appear to be defined too narrowly for effective cladistic biogeographic analysis, and more success is obtained using wider areas.     

New Plasma Autoantigen and its Role in Autoimmune Disease of New Zealand Black Mice

THE New Zealand Black (NZB) strain of mice is an important experimental model for the study of autoimmune diseases¹. These mice are immunologically hyper-responsive to a number of antigens^2,3 and spontaneously initiate autoantibody responses to various autologous tissue antigens, including DNA and an erythrocyte antigen^1,3,4. The significance of anti-DNA⁵ and anti-murine leukaemia virus (MuLV)⁶ responses relative to the pathogenesis of the glomerulonephritis observed in this strain has been the subject of rather concerted inquiry and a proposed immune complex pathogenetic process has been substantiated^5–7. The anti-erythrocyte autoantibody response seems to be immunochemically and pathogenetically distinct^4,6.     

Ion Uptake Efficiency of Sunflower Roots

The term ion uptake efficiency is used for the rate of uptake of a particular ion from nutrient solutions holding a standard concentration of that ion (0.5 mM sulphate, 1.5 mM phosphate or 2.0 mM rubidium). The uptake efficiency for rubidium and phosphate in roots of intact sunflower plants depended on the salt status of the plants and on the concentration of the ion under investigation in pretreatment solutions. The effect of pretreatment was a rapid process causing differences of more than 300% in ion uptake efficiency within 1 h, depending on the composition of the pretreatment solution. At concentrations above 0.1 mM the rate of uptake of rubidium in the root was higher than the net potassium uptake necessary for adequate growth. The rate of sulphate uptake was related to potassium uptake but not to phosphate uptake. It is suggested that ion uptake of the roots is regulated by internal factors as well as by direct interactions between the medium and the absorbing surfaces.     

Allosteric Regulation of Potassium Uptake in Plant Roots

In uptake experiments from nutrient solutions containing 2.0 mM K⁺ labelled with ⁸⁶Rb⁺, the relationship between potassium uptake efficiency and internal potassium concentration of the roots, [K⁺]_i was found to be partly sigmoidal for intact plants of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), glasshouse cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), birch (Betula verrucosa Ehrh.), lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.), Scots pine (Pinus silvestris L.) and Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.), The results were interpreted in terms of sigmoidal enzyme kinetics for allosteric regulation. Hill plots of the data gave straight lines at specific [K⁺]_i intervals for the species. The slopes of the lines are the Hill coefficient, which could be regarded as a measure of the minimal number of allosteric sites. The Hill coefficient varied between - 14.4 and - 15.9. When divided by four, these values are fairly consistent with those in the literature. It is suggested that four active uptake sites interact with four groups of allosteric sites, each group containing four such sites, or that one active uptake site interacts with all the allosteric sites. Thus the results are evidence that the mechanism regulating K⁺ uptake is basically similar for the investigated plants. It is the interval of [K⁺]_i mediating highly negatively cooperative allosteric regulation that differs among species. For some of the species, n decreased from about 15 and approached unity at high [K⁺]_i values. This may indicate that only few sites are still available, making cooperativity unimportant. Alternatively high vacuolar [K⁺]_i concentrations may give rise to an incorrect evaluation of data from Hill plots, since the cytoplasmic K⁺ content likely regulates the allosteric mechanism. Moreover, it is suggested that gene-controlled carrier synthesis is responsible for the varying maximum K⁺ uptake efficiency among species.     

Experimental and phylogenetic evidence for floral mimicry in a guild of fly-pollinated plants

Mimicry, as an adaptive explanation for the resemblance between organisms, is not always readily distinguishable from, inter alia , coincidence, shared ancestry, or convergent evolution. We tested the hypothesis that two rare South African orchid taxa Brownleea galpinii ssp. major (nectar-producing) and Disa cephalotes ssp. cephalotes (non-rewarding) are mimics of the nectar-producing flowers of a relatively common species, Scabiosa columbaria (Dipsacaceae), with which they always occur sympatrically. Flowers of the orchids were apparently unscented and had similar dimensions and almost identical spectral reflectance to the flowers of Scabiosa . The orchids were pollinated exclusively by long-proboscid flies (Tabanidae and Nemestrinidae) that feed mainly on nectar in Scabiosa flowers. Choice experiments showed that these flies did not discriminate between the orchids and Scabiosa when alighting on their flat-topped inflorescences. However, flies were not attracted to related orchids dissimilar to Scabiosa , or to inflorescences of B. galpinii that had been artificially reconstructed in the shape of a spike, rather than a flat-topped capitulum. A phylogenetic analysis showed traits that give the orchids a resemblance to Scabiosa , such as a flat-topped inflorescence and cream floral colouration with dark spots and short spurs, to be mostly apomorphic features, and therefore likely to be relatively recent adaptations for mimicry. We caution that the term mimic should not be applied to species whose resemblance to another species is due entirely to plesiomorphic traits that, in all likelihood, evolved prior to the ecological association.  © 2003 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2003, 80 , 289–304.     

Modeled interactive effects of precipitation, temperature, and [CO2] on ecosystem carbon and water dynamics in different climatic zones

Interactive effects of multiple global change factors on ecosystem processes are complex. It is relatively expensive to explore those interactions in manipulative experiments. We conducted a modeling analysis to identify potentially important interactions and to stimulate hypothesis formulation for experimental research. Four models were used to quantify interactive effects of climate warming (T), altered precipitation amounts [doubled (DP) and halved (HP)] and seasonality (SP, moving precipitation in July and August to January and February to create summer drought), and elevated [CO₂] (C) on net primary production (NPP), heterotrophic respiration (R_h), net ecosystem production (NEP), transpiration, and runoff. We examined those responses in seven ecosystems, including forests, grasslands, and heathlands in different climate zones. The modeling analysis showed that none of the three‐way interactions among T, C, and altered precipitation was substantial for either carbon or water processes, nor consistent among the seven ecosystems. However, two‐way interactive effects on NPP, R_h, and NEP were generally positive (i.e. amplification of one factor's effect by the other factor) between T and C or between T and DP. A negative interaction (i.e. depression of one factor's effect by the other factor) occurred for simulated NPP between T and HP. The interactive effects on runoff were positive between T and HP. Four pairs of two‐way interactive effects on plant transpiration were positive and two pairs negative. In addition, wet sites generally had smaller relative changes in NPP, R_h, runoff, and transpiration but larger absolute changes in NEP than dry sites in response to the treatments. The modeling results suggest new hypotheses to be tested in multifactor global change experiments. Likewise, more experimental evidence is needed for the further improvement of ecosystem models in order to adequately simulate complex interactive processes.     

Comparative vegetative anatomy and classification of Diseae (Orchidaceae)

The leaf, stem, root, tuber and dropper anatomy of the orchid tribe Diseae (including the subtribes Satyriinae, Disinae, Brownlecinac, Huttonaeinae and Coryciinae) is reviewed. The study is largely based on investigations of 123 species, and data from several previous publications have also been incorporated. Two characters were identified as being taxonomically valuable: (1) the presence of sclerenchyma caps associated with leaf vascular bundles, and (2) the degree of dissection of the siphonostele of the tuber (‘polystelic’ or ‘monostelic’). The phylogenetic analysis shows that anatomical characters do not change the basic structure of a cladogram that is based on morphological characters. The taxa of Diseae are discussed on the basis of anatomical data. Subtribes Satyriinae (excluding the anatomically unusual genus Pachites), Brownleeinae, Huttonaeinae, and Coryciinae are uniform in. critical anatomical characters. However, subtribe Disinae is rather diverse in vegetative anatomy. Disa sect. Micranthae differs from the rest of the genus in its leaf anatomy. The occurrence of foliar sclerenchyma bundle caps and ‘polystelic’ tubers supports the incorporation of Herschelianthe in Disa sect. Stenocarpa.