Alien aquatic vascular plants in Hungary (Pannonian ecoregion): Historical aspects,data set and trends

Estimating the extent of biological invasions is critical in predicting the effect of exotic species. We investigated the occurrence and number of alien freshwater plants and give information on the composition of alien aquatic flora, their trend in time, invasion pathway, and their invasive character.     

Turnover of plant lineages shapes herbivore phylogenetic beta diversity along ecological gradients

Understanding drivers of biodiversity patterns is of prime importance in this era of severe environmental crisis. More diverse plant communities have been postulated to represent a larger functional trait‐space, more likely to sustain a diverse assembly of herbivore species. Here, we expand this hypothesis to integrate environmental, functional and phylogenetic variation of plant communities as factors explaining the diversity of lepidopteran assemblages along elevation gradients in the Swiss Western Alps. According to expectations, we found that the association between butterflies and their host plants is highly phylogenetically structured. Multiple regression analyses showed the combined effect of climate, functional traits and phylogenetic diversity in structuring butterfly communities. Furthermore, we provide the first evidence that plant phylogenetic beta diversity is the major driver explaining butterfly phylogenetic beta diversity. Along ecological gradients, the bottom up control of herbivore diversity is thus driven by phylogenetically structured turnover of plant traits as well as environmental variables.     

Somatic and Dendritic Encoding of Spatial Variables in Retrosplenial Cortex Differs during 2D Navigation

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Adaptation to salinity at the plant cell level

Summary Various mechanisms of adaptation of plant cells to salinity are reviewed: (1) protection of enzymes and maintenance of turgor by organic solutes; (2) prevention of ion toxicity by compartmentation; and (3) energization of solute transport by the proton pump. All these mechanisms seem to play a role in adaptation. The particular advantages of using salt-adapted cells in suspension culture to identify mechanisms of adaptation are pointed out.     

Leveraging whole genome sequencing data for demographic inference with approximate Bayesian computation

Accounting for historical demographic features, such as the strength and timing of gene flow and divergence times between closely related lineages, is vital for many inferences in evolutionary biology. Approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) is one method commonly used to estimate demographic parameters. However, the DNA sequences used as input for this method, often microsatellites or RADseq loci, usually represent a small fraction of the genome. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) data, on the other hand, have been used less often with ABC, and questions remain about the potential benefit of, and how to best implement, this type of data; we used pseudo‐observed data sets to explore such questions. Specifically, we addressed the potential improvements in parameter estimation accuracy that could be associated with WGS data in multiple contexts; namely, we quantified the effects of (a) more data, (b) haplotype‐based summary statistics, and (c) locus length. Compared with a hypothetical RADseq data set with 2.5 Mbp of data, using a 1 Gbp data set consisting of 100 Kbp sequences led to substantial gains in the accuracy of parameter estimates, which was mostly due to haplotype statistics and increased data. We also quantified the effects of including (a) locus‐specific recombination rates, and (b) background selection information in ABC analyses. Importantly, assuming uniform recombination or ignoring background selection had a negative effect on accuracy in many cases. Software and results from this method validation study should be useful for future demographic history analyses.     

Autofluorescence imaging for recurrence detection in skin cancer postoperative scars

This clinical study is a first attempt to use autofluorescence for recurrence diagnosis of skin cancer in postoperative scars. The proposed diagnostic parameter is based on a reduction in scar autofluorescence, evaluated in the green spectral channel. The validity of the method has been tested on 110 postoperative scars from 56 patients suspected of non‐melanoma skin cancer, with eight patients (13 scars) available for the repeated examination. The recurrence diagnosis within a scar has been made after two subsequent autofluorescence check‐ups, representing the temporal difference between the scar autofluorescence amplitudes as a vector. The recognition of recurrence has been discussed to represent the significant deviations from the value of vector angle θ. This new autofluorescence‐based method can be easily integrated into the postoperative monitoring of surgical scars and can help diagnose the recurrence of skin cancer from the early stage of scar development.     

Host plant growth characteristics as determinants of abundance and phenology in jumping plant-lice on downy willow

1. Salix lapponum host plants at an upper altitudinal site differed significantly in size, structural density, phenology, growth performance, and spatial isolation from those growing at a lower site. 2. Plant differences were paralleled by significant differences in psyllid population density and phenology parameters, with psyllid population density, percentage of catkins occupied, and phenological development relatively lower or retarded at the upper site. Population densities at the upper site, nevertheless, remained high. 3. Plant measurements were good predictors of insect density, often explaining up to 73% of the variance in abundance among plants at a given site. 4. Sets of four plant characters identified by best subsets regression were better predictors of psyllid density and development than single factors, although differences were often not great and the combinations of characters selected by multiple regression sometimes differed from the best single predictors. 5. Best single predictors of psyllid density on catkins were measurements of plant size, particularly height, length, and basal stem diameter. Shoot density and catkin phenology were occasionally important but plant isolation and prior growth performance were less important. 6. By contrast with density, age structure of the psyllid population was predicted best from plant phenological measurements, notably catkin phenology.     

Ecology and biogeography of plant communities associated with the post Plio-Pleistocene relict Rhododendron ponticum subsp. baeticum in southern Spain

Aims Rhododendron ponticum L. is reputed to be a post Plio‐Pleistocene relict plant species with a disjunct distribution that comprises the Iberian Peninsula to the west and the Euxinian region plus some restricted Mediterranean areas to the east. We analysed the ecological range (of subsp. baeticum) in the western area (Aljibe Mountains, north of the Strait of Gibraltar) to understand the factors determining the present area limitation. Location Sierra del Aljibe, north of the Strait of Gibraltar (Iberian Peninsula). Methods We selected 20 riparian sites where R. ponticum is common, and compiled data on the ecological diversity of associated woody species and ferns. We established a 500‐m main transect in each site, along the stream or river course, in which we placed five 20‐m‐long plots at regular intervals. We recorded physiographic habitat features, woody plants and fern abundance, and the number of R. ponticum individuals. Results Rhododendron ponticum in southern Spain is restricted to riparian forests in acidic soils (pH 4.0–6.4), and is mainly found on the banks of inclined and enclosed streams. In our inventory we recorded 59 woody taxa and 12 ferns, with R. ponticum being the dominant species of the understorey (mean abundance 78.6%). The communities are characterized by a high incidence of the humid warm temperate element, both in number of species (18.8 ± 3.7 per site) and abundance; meanwhile, the presence of the modern Mediterranean element (mean number of species 3.4 ± 3.8 per site) appears to be favoured by disturbance. These ecological–historical groups of taxa also show distinct patterns of typological habit, frequency of endemism, infrageneric diversity and geographical range. Populations of R. ponticum are characterized by a very variable density of seedlings in many sites, and the virtual lack of juveniles. Main conclusions Riparian forests of the Aljibe Mountains constitute a refuge for R. ponticum where the species persists, but populations appear to be in decline. The narrow ecological range of R. ponticum in the area strongly contrasts with its wide amplitude in the eastern natural area, mainly the Euxinian region, where R. ponticum probably finds better conditions due to the environmental heterogeneity of the region, and the lack of a hot dry season.