Genetic variation in the Afromontane tree Prunus africana,an endangered medicinal species

An understanding of the patterns of variation within and among populations of tropical trees is essential for devising optimum genetic management strategies for their conservation and sustainable utilization. Here, random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis was used to partition variation within and among 10 populations of the endangered Afromontane medicinal tree, Prunus africana, sampled from five countries across the geographical range of the species (Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar and Uganda). Analysis of molecular variance ( AMOVA ) employed 48 RAPD markers and revealed most variation among countries (66%, P < 0.001). However, variation among individuals within populations and among populations within Cameroon and Madagascar was also highly significant. Analysis of population product frequency data indicated Ugandan material to be more similar to populations from Cameroon than populations from Kenya and Ethiopia, while Malagash populations were most distinct. The implications of these findings for determining appropriate approaches for conservation of the species, particularly in Cameroon and Madagascar, are discussed.     

Molecular phylogeography of Dryas integrifolia: glacial refugia and postglacial recolonization

Chloroplast DNA variation in the Arctic plant species Dryas integrifolia (Rosaceae) was analysed in relation to both the present-day geographical distribution of populations and to Pleistocene fossil records of this species. The phylogeographical structure was weak but the analysis of haplotype diversity revealed several groups of haplotypes having present-day geographical ranges that overlap locations postulated from geographical and fossil evidence to have been glacial refugia. Based on this information we infer that two important refugial sources of Arctic recolonization by this species were Beringia and the High Arctic. Two other putative refugia, located southeast of the ice sheet and along coastal regions of the eastern Arctic may have served as sources for recolonization of smaller portions of the Arctic. The genetic substructure in the species is mostly due to variation among populations regardless of the ecogeographical region in which they are found. Spatial autocorrelation at the regional scale was also detected. High levels of diversity both within populations and ecogeographical regions are probably indicative of population establishment from several sources possibly combined with recent gene flow.     

陕西省汉中地区中国种子植物特有属的分析

汉中地区种子植物区系自然分布有中国特有属48属,隶属于33科,包括裸子植物1属,被子植物47属,其中单种属24属,少种属18属,多种属6属,从其生活习性上看,木本习性有25属,草本习性的有23属。本文主要分析了汉中地区分布的中国种子植物特有属的地理分布及特点,分析结果表明：其特点主要为显著的温带性质,众多的特有属和丰富的珍稀濒危物种,在地理分布上与华中,西南地区联系密切。     

Phytogeographical and community similarities of alpine tundras of Changbaishan Summit,China, and Indian Peaks,USA

Abstract. We compared the diversity, phytogeography, and plant communities in two mid-latitude alpine tundras with comparable aerial and elevational extents: Changbaishan Summit in eastern Asia and Indian Peaks in western North America. Despite wide separation, the two areas shared 72 species. In all, 43% of the species on Changbaishan Summit are also distributed in the alpine zones of western North America, while 22% of the species on Indian Peaks are also distributed in the alpine zones of eastern Asia. Almost all the shared species also occur in the Beringian region. Phytogeographical profiles of species and genera showed that 69% of species and over 90% of genera in both alpine tundras belong to the three phytogeographical categories: cosmopolitan, circumpolar, and Asian-North American. We attributed the current floristic relationship between these widely separated areas to the periodic past land connection between the two continents during the Tertiary and Pleistocene. Indian Peaks has a closer floristic relationship with the Arctic tundra than does Changbaishan Summit. Indian Peaks also has 45% higher species richness and lower vegetation cover than Changbaishan Summit. Plant communities from the two areas were completely separated in the two-way indicator species analysis and non-metric multidimensional scaling on floristic data at both species and generic levels, whereas ordination of communities by soil data produced a greater overlap. The plant communities on Changbaishan Summit in general have lower alpha diversity, higher beta diversity (lower between-community floristic similarity), and more rare species than does Indian Peaks. Mosaic diversity does not differ in the two alpine tundras, although the analysis suggests that Changbaishan Summit communities are more widely spaced on gradients than the Indian Peaks communities.     

Vegetation development in dune slacks: the role of persistent seed banks

Abstract. The soil seed bank composition was determined at four sites in the dune slack ‘Koegelwieck’ on the Dutch Wadden Sea island of Terschelling. At three different sites in the slack, where sod-cutting experiments down to the mineral sand had been carried out, the established vegetation and seed bank were assessed after 5, 9 and 39 yr of undisturbed development, respectively. In addition, a fourth site in the slack was investigated, where vegetation development had proceeded for 80 yr since plant colonization of bare soil and where nowadays a vegetation dominated by Calamagrostis epigejos and Salix repens occurs. Together these four sites can be regarded as a chronosequence of dune slack formation. Clear time sequences were detected in the seed bank data. Many late successional species showed a significant increase in the number of seeds during the succession. Some of the early successional basiphilous pioneer species such as Anagallis minima, Centaurium littorale, Littorella uniflora, Radiola linoides and Samolus valerandi, showed either a decrease during the time of succession or an optimum in the vegetation while remaining present in the seed bank in low but detectable numbers. They could, therefore, play a role in re-establishment of the vegetation after sod-cutting. One of the target species, Schoenus nigricans, established within a few years after removal of the sod. However, no seeds of this species have been detected in the soil below either of the successional stages. Based on the species disappearance from the established vegetation and based on the independent data of Thompson et al. (1997) an estimation of seed longevity could be made for several Red List species of wet dune slacks.     

Biodiversity,habitat and range-size aspects of a flora from a winter-rainfall desert in north-western Namaqualand,South Africa

We examined patterns of richness and endemism in relation to phylogeny (family membership), growth form and habitat in the flora of an arid (<60 mm annual rainfall), sandy coastal belt between Port Nolloth and Alexander Bay on the north-west coast of Namaqualand, South Africa. This region forms part of the species-rich Succulent Karoo biome. In an area of 750 km₂, 300 plant species were recorded with 24% endemnicity. This level of diversity and endemism is exceptionally high for a desert region. Plant distribution is strongly influenced by habitat type. Diversity, especially of endemic species, was concentrated on rocky or unusual (lag-gravel pavements) habitats. Endemics were not random phylogenetic nor biological assemblages. Dwarf leaf-succulent shrubs, especially Mesembryanthemaceae, were significantly over-represented amongst the endemic component. The results are discussed in terms of a model for plant diversification in an arid environment with relatively predictable sources of moisture.     

Application of Discriminant Analysis in Distinguishing Plant Photosynthetic Types-A Case Study in Northeast China Transect (NECT) Area

Discriminant analysis is an important method in multivariate statistic analysis to distinguish whatever type an individual should belong to. Based on the field actual photosynthetic data obtained from the research platform--Northeast China Transect (NECT), the concept and principle of discriminant analysis were used to distinguish the different plant photosynthetic types. A number of indices related to plant photosynthetic rate measured by a LCA4 photosynthesis system were selected to build the discriminant model. In this case study, 15 plant species from C4 plant functional groups and 51 from C3 plant functional groups were selected to build a discriminant model. The rate of accuracy, of returned classification using methods of squared Mahalanobis distances from group centroids and posterior probabilities, reached to 98.48 %. With the help of this model, any plants' photosynthetic types could be distinguished simply by using their four related parameters, viz., photosynthetic rate, transpiration, stomatal conductance and the temperature difference between leaf surface and atmosphere.     

IaaL基因的维管束特异表达导致烟草茎和根外植体分化能力的改变

我们利用水稻苯丙氨酸解氨酶启动子(AQ630)和吲哚乙酰胺赖氨酸酯合成酶基因(iaaL)构建了维管束特异表达的植物表达载体pBAL1并导入烟草基因组中。比较了对照植株、转基因植株的幼茎和根外植体在组织培养中分化能力的变化,结果表明转基因植株茎外植体的不定芽形成明显受到促进,而转化植株根外植体在不定根发生方面对外源IAA的敏感性下降。     

The impact of changing the season in which cereals are sown on the diversity of the weed flora in rotational fields in Denmark

1. Surveys have shown that there has been a dramatic decrease in the weed flora of fields under rotational cultivation during the last 30 years. This trend has been particularly noticeable in winter cereals, a crop of increasing importance in the landscape.
2. The weed flora of spring and winter cereals was compared in 19 unsprayed fields during a 5-year study to test the hypothesis that cereal type exerts no effect on the flora or on the absolute and relative abundance of single species.
3. Plant and species densities, and accumulated species richness, were lower in winter than in spring cereals.
4. Floristic similarity was greater among spring cereal fields and between spring and winter cereals within the same fields than among winter cereal fields.
5. Species that occurred with unequal density in spring and winter cereals occurred at higher densities in the spring cereals; these species germinated mainly in the spring. However, for a few species the relative plant abundance was highest in winter cereals; these species were able to germinate both in the spring and autumn.
6. Some species – on the relative scale – occurred indifferently of season of sowing; all but one of these species were able to germinate both in the spring and autumn.
7. Plant species and taxa that are important food resources for arthropod herbivores occurred at greater densities in spring than in winter cereals and, in addition, occurred with the highest relative abundance in spring cereals.
8. Change in land use from spring to winter cereals involves not only an immediate reduction of more than 25% in the density of plants and species, but also a change and increased uncertainty in the composition of the weed flora. These findings may have serious implications for the ecology of wildlife in the agricultural landscape.     

Study on Tissue Cultures of Legume Plants

Plant regenerations were achieved from tissue cultures of 31 species of 15 genus of legume plants on A and B media. Various factors including medium composition (major elements, minor element:s, organic components and phytohormones), seed germination rate, illumination and temperature conditions were tested for their effects on callus differentiation in tissue cultures. Combinations of major elements of A or B medium, minor elements and organic components of B5 medium, illumination of 1500–2500 lx, and temperature of 18–27℃ were found suitable for callus differentiation of most legume plants. The calli induced from freshly collected seeds had higher differentiation capacity than from seeds sored for three years. Four types(a,b,c and d) of callus were morphologically distinguished during the differentiation in legume plant tissue cultures. Generally, calli from plants of the same genus belonged to the same type.