Selective predation favouring cryptic individuals of marine snails (Littorina)

Many gastropods have inherited conspicuous shell colour polymorphisms. A challenging question is, are colour frequencies under selection or is polymorphism owing to random evolutionary processes? The intertidal species Littorina saxatilis (a rock‐dweller) and L. obtusata (confined to macroalgae) both have genetically determined shell colour variation. In Iceland, Littorina obtusata are mostly cryptic on brown macroalgae by having brown or yellow shells (~95% of the snails), while Littorina saxatilis often appears conspicuous to the background of dark rocks owing to non‐cryptic colours (15–20%). This difference may be due to selective elimination of conspicuously coloured L. obtusata by visual predators, while L. saxatilis, largely living in another habitat, is not under a similarly intense colour selection. To test this hypothesis we increased the frequencies of conspicuous L. saxatilis in experimental populations (from <12 to 55%) and placed these in the seaweed zone, the main habitat of L. obtusata. Fifteen populations were released on isolated spots of seaweed and three of these were covered by net cages to exclude bird predators. One month later, yellow snails had increased in frequency within the patches, and to our surprise the result did not differ between bare and caged patches. This suggests selection favouring a colour that matches the background of fucoid seaweeds by visual predators able to enter the cages. Birds acted as important predators by picking 16% of the experimental snails in the uncaged spots, but were unable to enter the caged spots. However, the bird predation was non‐selective with respect to snail colour. For various reasons the most likely predators able to enter the cages were intertidal fish, these were thus responsible for the selection of non‐cryptic snails. © 2002 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2002, 76 , 137–144.     

MICRODISTRIBUTION IN THE FIELD AND HABITAT CHOICE IN AQUARIA BY COLOUR MORPHS OF LITTORINA MARIAE SACCHI & RASTELLI

The microdistributions of yellow and brown morphs of adult andjuvenile Littorina mariae were investigated in the field onFucus plants. On F. vesiculosus in autumn, yellow adults werefound more frequently than expected on laminae and brown adultsmore frequently than expected on stipes. In spring there wasno difference in distribution between adult morphs. There wasno difference in microdistribution betweenjuvenile morphs oneither F. vesiculosus or F. serratus in autumn. Yellow and brown adults were allowed to choose between an artificialbrown and an artificial yellow background, and between stipeand lamina of F. serratus in aquarium experiments. Both morphspreferred the yellow rather than the brown background. In mostcases, the morphs climbed upwards on F. serratus, regardlessof algal orientation (lamina upwards or stipe upwards) or lightregime (lights on or off). A significant difference in microdistributionbetween morphs was found with the lamina placed upwards andthe lights on. Brown snails then preferred stipe, while yellowsnails did not show a preference for either stipe or lamina. (Received 16 June 1994; accepted 31 October 1994)     

Anatomical and molecular systematics of Asteliaceae and Hypoxidaceae

The astelioid group of asparagoid lilies (Lilianae - Asparagales) comprises Hypoxidaceae, Asteliaceae, Blandfordia and Lanaria. New information is presented on astelioid anatomy, together with a review of other systematic characters. These data are analysed in the context of recent evidence from rbc L nucleotide sequences that astelioids are related to orchids, and that astelioids and orchids (plus Alania and Borya ) form a clade that is sister to all other asparagoid taxa. Hypoxidaceae and Asteliaceae differ from each other in several respects, but there are certain characters linking the two families, notably branched hairs and mucilage canals, unusual characters in Lilianae. Family diagnoses are upheld, but the precise relationships of Blandfordia and Lanaria are still poorly supported within the astelioid clade.     

Soil and burrow temperatures, and the resource characteristics of the social mole-rat Cryptomys damarensis (Bathyergidae) in the Kalahari Desert

The diel temperatures of the soils and burrows of the Damara mole-rat Cryptomys damarensis were measured during winter and summer in the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, South Africa. Also, the subterranean resource characteristics of C. damarensis , such as food abundance, spatial dispersion patterns and quality, were measured. The mean temperatures of the primary burrows were 33.5 C and 18.8 C during summer and winter, respectively. These temperatures were higher and lower than the upper and lower limits of thermoneutrality of C. damarensis , respectively. Resource characteristics were found to be habitat-specific. Where geophytes occurred in high densities, such as the bulbs of Dipcadi gracillimum (40–118 bulbs.m^-2), they were small (0.41–5.17 g), but represented a good quality diet. Where densities were low, such as for the tubers of Acanlhosicyos naudinianus (0.17-0-407 tubers.m^-2), they were considerably larger (670 g), but represented a poor quality diet. These patterns confirm a general trend with increasing aridity, of increased geophyte sizes and decreased geophyte densities. In the Bathyergidae, these trends are accompanied by increased sociality and decreased body sizes.     

Support for an expanded family concept of Malvaceae within a recircumscribed order Mai vales: a combined analysis of plastid atpB and rbcL DNA sequences

Sequence analyses of the plastid genes atpB and rbcL support an expanded order Malvales. Within this alliance, core Malvales are clearly supported and comprise most genera that have previously been included in Sterculiaceae, Tiliaceae, Bombacaceae, and Malvaceae. Additional well supported malvalean alliances include the bixalean clade (Bixaceae, Diego-dendraceae, and Cochlospermaceae), the cistalean clade (Cistaceae, Dipterocarpaceae, and Sarcolaenaceae) and Thymelaeaceae (including Gonystyloideae and Aquilarioideae). Our results indicate sister-group relationships between (1) Neuradaceae and the cistalean clade; (2) Sphaerosepalaceae and Thymelaeaceae; (3) these two clades (1 and 2); and (4) all these and an alliance comprising the bixalean clade and core Malvales, but this pattern is weakly supported by the bootstrap. The affinities of Muntingiaceae and Petenaea are especially ambiguous, although almost certainly they are Malvales s.l. The traditional delimitation of families within core Malvales is untenable. Instead, we propose to merge Sterculiaceae, Tiliaceae and Bombacaceae with Malvaceae and subdivide this enlarged family Malvaceae into nine subfamilies based on molecular, morphological, and biogeographical data: (1) Byttnerioideae, including tribes Byttnerieae, Lasiopetaleae and Theobromeae (all of which have cucullate petals) and Hermannieae; (2) Grewioideae, including most genera of former Tiliaceae; (3) Tilioideae, monogeneric in our analysis; (4) Helicteroideae, comprising most of the taxa previously included in Helictereae, plus Mansonia, Triplochiton (indicating that apocarpy evolved at least twice within Malvaceae) and possibly Durioneae; (5) Sterculioideae, defined by apetalous, apocarpous, usually unisexual flowers with androgynophores; (6) Brownlowioideae, circumscribed as in previous classifications; (7) Dombeyoideae, expanded to include Burretiodendron, Eriolaena, Pterospermum, and Schoutmia; (8) Bombacoideae, corresponding to former Bombacaceae (without Durioneae) but including Fremontodendreae     

Systematics of Vitaceae from the viewpoint of plastid rbcL DNA sequence data

A phylogenetic analysis of plastid rbcL DNA sequences for 20 species of Vitaceae s.l. (including Leeaceae) and eight outgroups from Dilleniaceae and Santalales is presented. Patterns of floral and vegetative morphology and ontogeny within the family are compared to the phylogenetic trees produced. Despite the limited sampling of large and variable genera, there is a good correspondence with hypothesized floral and vegetative ontogenetic trends, with Leea and Ampelopsis ancestral, Cissus and Ampelocissus intermediate and Vitis most derived. A clade containing Parthenocissus , Tetrastigma , Cyphostemma and Vitis is found in all shortest trees. Cyphostemma and Parthenocissus are shown to be closely related to Vitis , to which clade Tetrastigma and Cayratia comprise the sister clade. © 2002 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2002, 138 , 421–432.