Chasmogamous and Cleistogamous Pollination in Salpiglossis sinuata

Pollen from chasmogamous flowers of Salpiglossis sinuata L. could not be induced to germinate in vitro unless stigmatal extract was applied to the culture medium. The substance that induces pollen germination in the stigmatal extract is water-soluble and heat-stable. Crosses could not be achieved between chasmogamous and cleistogamous flowers because of structural incompatibility. Pollinated pistils of chasmogamous flowers release a large amount of ethylene. The burst of ethylene release is due to an interaction between pollen tubes and stylar tissue and is directly proportional to the quantity of pollen placed on the stigma. Cleistogamous flower buds also produce a burst of ethylene at the time of pollination within the closed flower. The ethylene release may be a cause of reduced corolla development associated with cleistogamous flowers.     

The Role of Malate, Oxalate, and Mustard Oil Glucosides in the Evolution of Zinc-Resistance in Herbage Plants

Malate, oxalate and mustard oils were analysed in zinc-resistant and zinc-sensitive ecotypes of Silene cucubalus Wib., Rumex acetosa L., Thlaspi alpestre L. and Agrostis tenuis Sibth. The effect of zinc on the activities of carbonic anhydrase and peroxidase in Siiene cucubalus was tested. Carbonic anhydrase of the zinc-resistant ecotypes was stimulated by addition in vivo of high amounts of zinc. The high activity of peroxidase in the non-zinc-resistant ecotypes after the addition of zinc documented a poisoning of the sensitive plants by zinc. The amount of oxalate differed greatly between ecotypes. There was, however, no direct correlation between zinc-resistance and oxalate. When applying zinc to the nutrient medium, the synthesis of oxalate was inhibited in zinc-sensitive, but stimulated in zinc-resistant ecotypes of Silene cucubalus and Rumex acetosa. In Thlaspi alpestre high concentrations of mustard oil glucosides were found. Zinc-resistant plants produced twice as much glucosides as sensitive ones. A possible role of mustard oils in zinc-resistance is discussed. In the content of malate there were great quantitative differences between zinc-resistant and zinc-sensitive plants. All zinc-resistant ecotypes of all the species contained much higher concentrations in their green organs than the sensitive ones. It is assumed that malate is a major factor in the evolution of zinc-resistance. Malate may act as a complexing agent for zinc within the plasma, whereas oxalate and mustard oils may function as “terminal acceptors” of large amounts of zinc. The role of malate may be extended by a special transport mechanism, by which zinc is eliminated from the plasma into the vacuole.     

Enzymes of Heavy-Metal-Resistant and Non-Resistant Populations of Silene cucubalus and Their Interaction with Some Heavy Metals in vitro and in vivo

The in vitro and in vivo effects of copper, zinc, cadmium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese on nitrate reductase, malate dehydro-genase, isocitrate dehydrogenase, and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase of zinc-, copper- and non-resistant populations of Silene cucubalus were investigated. During the in vitro experiments no resistant enzyme could be detected; enzymes of resistant and non-resistant ecotypes had a similar sensibility to all the metals. Nitrate reductase was the most sensitive enzyme. During the in vivo experiments remarkable differences were found. The nitrate reductase and the isocitrate dehydrogenase of the zinc-resistant population were activated when adding zinc to the culture medium, especially the nitrate reductase showed high activities at zinc concentrations where the nitrate reductase of the non-zinc-resistant populations was nearly completely inhibited. The zinc-resistant ecotype had a real need for zinc.     

There and back again: switching between host orders by avian body lice (Ischnocera: Goniodidae)

Studies of major switches by parasites between highly divergent host lineages are important for understanding new opportunities for parasite diversification. One such major host switch is inferred for avian feather lice (Ischnocera) in the family Goniodidae, which parasitize two distantly‐related groups of birds: Galliformes (pheasants, quail, partridges, etc.) and Columbiformes (pigeons and doves). Although there have been several cophylogenetic studies of lice at the species level, few studies have focused on such broad evolutionary patterns and major host‐switching events. Using a phylogeny based on DNA sequences for goniodid feather lice, we investigated the direction of this major host switch. Unexpectedly, we found that goniodid feather lice have switched host orders, not just once, but twice. A primary host switch occurred from Galliformes to Columbiformes, leading to a large radiation of columbiform body lice. Subsequently, there was also a host switch from Columbiformes back to Galliformes, specifically to megapodes in the Papua–Australasian region. The results of the present study further reveal that, although morphologically diagnosable lineages are supported by molecular data, many of the existing genera are not monophyletic and a revision of generic limits is needed. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 102 , 614–625.