DOCSLIB.ORG

Title Slide. I Want to Thank Dave Watson for Inviting Me to Talk at This Symposium

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Title Slide. I Want to Thank Dave Watson for Inviting Me to Talk at This Symposium Title Slide. I want to thank Dave Watson for inviting me to talk at this Symposium. It’s always a pleasure to speak to an audience that is already pre- selected as being interested in mistletoes! 1 Slide. Studies of Loranthaceae. The largest family of mistletoes is Loranthaceae. And as one might expect, it has been the subject of many scientific studies. This slide shows a variety of subdisciplines within biology that have focused on Loranthaceae, as well as a few areas that to date have not received any attention. 2 Slide. My talk today will focus upon the taxonomy and evolutionary biology of Loranthaceae. As indicated in the title, I want to demonstrate how developing a meaningful taxonomy for a group is best accomplished using the most powerful tool in the systematist’s toolkit: molecular phylogenetics. 3 Slide. Santalales: The Largest Group of Parasitic Plants. Among the twelve orders of flowering plants in which haustorial parasitism evolved, only two have more than three genera: Lamiales and Santalales. Of these, Lamiales contains a single family of hemi- and holoparasitic plants: Orobanchaceae with 93 genera (32%) and 1725 species (39%). Santalales is the largest order of parasitic plants, with 179 genera (61%) and 2407 species (54%). It’s the only order of parasitic plant with more than one family. 4 Slide. Within Santalales, Loranthaceae has by far the highest number of genera (75) with Balanophoraceae coming in second (17). 5 Slide. Loranthaceae also the highest number of species (987) with Viscaceae and Thesiaceae coming in second and third. 6 Slide. This slide has sorted the loranth genera according to size (number of species). Most genera are small, with 49 of the 75 with fewer than 10 species. The largest genus is Psittacanthus with 119 species, followed by Amyema with 92. It should be pointed out that none of these large genera have been subjected to molecular phylogenetic investigation. But in the talk following mine, Marcos Caraballo-Ortiz will present his phylogenetic study of Dendropemon. 7 Slide. Speaking of molecular phylogenetics, I would now like to orient everyone as to the existing knowledge on the phylogeny of Loranthaceae. This slide plots the occurrences of haustorial parasitism on the global angiosperm phylogeny. Among the 12 parasitism evolutionary events, one produced a clade we call Santalales – the sandalwoods. This order is now considered part of the “super-asterids”. 8 Slide. I am currently working on generating an overall phylogeny of Santalales. This seven gene matrix was assembled using mostly published Genbank sequences (most of which came from my lab) as well as some unpublished sequences. The genes are from the chloroplast and nuclear genomes totaling 13,995 characters. The matrix includes 147 genera of the 162 in the order, thus 15 genera are missing (mostly Loranthaceae). A total of 310 ingroup and 4 outgroup species were included. Of the seven genes used here, most have broad sampling and have been used to address intergeneric relationships. For closer (e.g. interspecific) relationships, 26S and trnLF have been used. Alignment of trnLF is problematic in some regions and future analyses will either work with a revised alignment or eliminate ambiguous regions. The matrix was ca. 25% filled. The seven individual genes were aligned by eye using SeAl and these matrices concatenated using Mesquite. 9 Slide. The majority rule consensus tree resulting from the Santalales 7-gene analysis is too large to show on one slide, but this cartoon summarizes the main results. There are many aspects of this tree I could discuss, but I show it mainly to indicate that the result we we reported in our 2010 paper in Taxon still holds. Loranthaceae is sister to a clade composed of Misodendraceae and Schoepfiaceae. Two of the five independent evolutions of aerial parasitism, mistletoes, is represented here. 10 Slide. This slide shows the Bayesian consensus tree reported in the AJB paper published by my doctoral student Romina Vidal-Russell and me in 2008. The tree shows that there are four major groups of loranths: the three root parasite genera with the plesiomorphic base chromosome number of 12, Tribe Elytranthinae (also with X = 12), Psittacanthinae (X = 8) and Loranthinae (X = 9). 11 Slide. This is a summary of our concept of the biogeography of Loranthaceae. The ancestral loranth existed on the supercontinent Gondwana ca. 80 mya (late Cretaceous). One ancestor, from west Gondwana, migrated into what is now southern South America. Some of these members underwent an aneuploid reduction to X = 8 (Tribe Psittacanthinae). Another ancestor, migrated into what is now Australia. Migration out of Australia to New Zealand, Malesia, southeast Asia and finally Africa involved first X=12 loranths but also mistletoes that underwent aneuploid reduction to X=11 and 9. Waves of reinvasion of Australia took place in two groups, tribe Elytrantheae and Subtribe Amyeminae. The X=9 group (Tribe Loranthinae) moved the farthest making it all the way to Africa where it underwent a massive adaptive radiation in conjunction with bird pollinators and seed dispersers. Bear in mind that this biogeographic scenario differs from that proposed by Barlow (1983, 1990) who had the African and Indian loranths in those regions as a result of the breakup of Gondwana. These events occurred too early for there to have been loranths on those supercontinental fragments, thus dispersal is a better explanation than vicariance. 12 Slide. Returning to the loranth phylogenetic tree. You can see that there is a lot of “karyological action” taking place in Tribe Psittacanthinae, with X = 8, 10, 12, and 16. Unresolved at the base of this clade is Tupeia from New Zealand, along with a relictual Andean taxon Desmaria. Further molecular work is needed to sort out these relationships which will provide important information crucial to our understanding of the early biogeographic history of the family. 13 Slide. This slide shows a current taxonomic classification for the X = 8 portion of Tribe Psittacantheae, namely subtribe Psittacanthinae. It consists of two groups: the large-flowered mistletoes in Psittacanthus and Aetanthus and the small-flowered group that contains 11 genera and is also called the Struthanthus complex. Notice that Job Kuijt has published taxonomic papers for most of these genera. 14 Slide. Anyone who looks at the taxonomic history of Loranthaceae would discover that the most of the work in this family since 1900 has been conducted by essentially five people. Bryan Barlow from Australia picked up where Benedictus Danser left off, covering Australia and Malesia. Roger Polhill and Delbert Wiens published the Mistletoes of Africa in 1998. And for the neotropical loranths, Job Kuijt has done the lion’s share of work. This photo of him was taken in 1957 when he worked at the University of California Jepson Herbarium. But because these workers had different taxonomic philosophies, genera are not equivalent in the Old and New World loranths. In other words, Barlow was a lumper and Kuijt a splitter. This is shown in molecular phylogenetic trees where branch lengths (genetic distance) is much shorter between genera of Psittacanthinae compared to genera in Old World tribes. 15 Slide. Job Kuijt’s most famous publication is of the book “Biology of Parasitic Flowering Plants” published in 1969. This book remains a central reference for all students of parasitic plants. Job is a classically trained morphologist who here is acknowledging the work on neotropical Loranthaceae by August Wilhelm Eichler. 16 Slide. As part of Job Kuijt’s revisionary work, a number of species have had complex nomenclatural histories. This volatility is such that generic boundaries are very plastic. This slide shows just two examples. Passovia stelis has been in the genus Loranthus (as have most modern loranth genera), Phthirusa, and even Phoradendron! Peristethium leptostachyum has been in Struthanthus and Phthirusa. 17 Slide. Up until very recently, Kuijt has been reluctant to provide a list of characters that could be used to circumscribe the Struthanthus complex genera. No key was available that included all the genera. Very recently (2012) Kuijt published this table that shows the morphological features he considers diagnostic for the genera. Note that some of these genera share all of the same character states (or are included in the range), such as Maracanthus and Oryctina, Cladocolea and Peristethium, Phthirusa and Pusillanthus, and Dendropemon and Oryctanthus. It is also curious to see Maracanthus included in this table given that Kuijt sunk the genus into Oryctina in 1991 (has he forgotten?!). Tripodanthus is not included in the table. The column “monad bracteoles” is rather artificial and misleading. Those genera with triads also have bracteoles associated with their flowers. All of this taken together makes me question these generic circumscriptions. 18 Slide. Up until very recently, Kuijt has been reluctant to provide a list of characters that could be used to circumscribe the Struthanthus complex genera. No key was available that included all the genera. Very recently (2012) Kuijt published this table that shows the morphological features he considers diagnostic for the genera. Note that some of these genera share all of the same character states (or are included in the range), such as Maracanthus and Oryctina, Cladocolea and Peristethium, Phthirusa and Pusillanthus, and Dendropemon and Oryctanthus. It is also curious to see Maracanthus included in this table given that Kuijt sunk the genus into Oryctina in 1991 (has he forgotten?!). Tripodanthus is not included in the table. The column “monad bracteoles” is rather artificial and misleading. Those genera with triads also have bracteoles associated with their flowers. All of this taken together makes me question these generic circumscriptions. 21 Slide. Kuijt often focuses upon specific morphological features as having special importance. One such example is the Passovian anther.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • "Santalales (Including Mistletoes)"
    Santalales (Including Introductory article Mistletoes) Article Contents . Introduction Daniel L Nickrent, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois, USA . Taxonomy and Phylogenetics . Morphology, Life Cycle and Ecology . Biogeography of Mistletoes . Importance of Mistletoes Online posting date: 15th March 2011 Mistletoes are flowering plants in the sandalwood order that produce some of their own sugars via photosynthesis (Santalales) that parasitise tree branches. They evolved to holoparasites that do not photosynthesise. Holopar- five separate times in the order and are today represented asites are thus totally dependent on their host plant for by 88 genera and nearly 1600 species. Loranthaceae nutrients. Up until recently, all members of Santalales were considered hemiparasites. Molecular phylogenetic ana- (c. 1000 species) and Viscaceae (550 species) have the lyses have shown that the holoparasite family Balano- highest species diversity. In South America Misodendrum phoraceae is part of this order (Nickrent et al., 2005; (a parasite of Nothofagus) is the first to have evolved Barkman et al., 2007), however, its relationship to other the mistletoe habit ca. 80 million years ago. The family families is yet to be determined. See also: Nutrient Amphorogynaceae is of interest because some of its Acquisition, Assimilation and Utilization; Parasitism: the members are transitional between root and stem para- Variety of Parasites sites. Many mistletoes have developed mutualistic rela- The sandalwood order is of interest from the standpoint tionships with birds that act as both pollinators and seed of the evolution of parasitism because three early diverging dispersers. Although some mistletoes are serious patho- families (comprising 12 genera and 58 species) are auto- gens of forest and commercial trees (e.g.
    [Show full text]
  • A Rapid Biological Assessment of the Upper Palumeu River Watershed (Grensgebergte and Kasikasima) of Southeastern Suriname
    Rapid Assessment Program A Rapid Biological Assessment of the Upper Palumeu River Watershed (Grensgebergte and Kasikasima) of Southeastern Suriname Editors: Leeanne E. Alonso and Trond H. Larsen 67 CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL - SURINAME CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL GLOBAL WILDLIFE CONSERVATION ANTON DE KOM UNIVERSITY OF SURINAME THE SURINAME FOREST SERVICE (LBB) NATURE CONSERVATION DIVISION (NB) FOUNDATION FOR FOREST MANAGEMENT AND PRODUCTION CONTROL (SBB) SURINAME CONSERVATION FOUNDATION THE HARBERS FAMILY FOUNDATION Rapid Assessment Program A Rapid Biological Assessment of the Upper Palumeu River Watershed RAP (Grensgebergte and Kasikasima) of Southeastern Suriname Bulletin of Biological Assessment 67 Editors: Leeanne E. Alonso and Trond H. Larsen CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL - SURINAME CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL GLOBAL WILDLIFE CONSERVATION ANTON DE KOM UNIVERSITY OF SURINAME THE SURINAME FOREST SERVICE (LBB) NATURE CONSERVATION DIVISION (NB) FOUNDATION FOR FOREST MANAGEMENT AND PRODUCTION CONTROL (SBB) SURINAME CONSERVATION FOUNDATION THE HARBERS FAMILY FOUNDATION The RAP Bulletin of Biological Assessment is published by: Conservation International 2011 Crystal Drive, Suite 500 Arlington, VA USA 22202 Tel : +1 703-341-2400 www.conservation.org Cover photos: The RAP team surveyed the Grensgebergte Mountains and Upper Palumeu Watershed, as well as the Middle Palumeu River and Kasikasima Mountains visible here. Freshwater resources originating here are vital for all of Suriname. (T. Larsen) Glass frogs (Hyalinobatrachium cf. taylori) lay their
    [Show full text]
  • A Preliminary Survey of Foliar Sclerenchyma in Neotropical Loranthaceae
    BLUMEA 50: 323–355 Published on 14 July 2005 http://dx.doi.org/10.3767/000651905X623012 A PRELIMINARY SURVEY OF FOLIAR SCLERENCHYMA IN NEOTROPICAL LORANTHACEAE J. KUIJT & D. LYE Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8W 3N5, Canada SUMMARY The foliar sclerenchyma of all genera of neotropical Loranthaceae is surveyed by means of cleared leaves, using selected species. Three general categories of sclerenchyma are recognized. Fibers may form discontinuous or continuous bundles associated with veins or, more rarely, occur as individual cells. Sclereids, often of the astrosclereid type, are present in varying concentrations, or may be absent. Cristarque cells are very common, and occasionally extremely abundant, but are lacking in several genera. The survey includes information on terminal tracheids which are almost invariably present. Attention is drawn to the systematic significance of sclerenchyma where warranted. Key words: Neotropical Loranthaceae, cristarque cells, fibers, sclereids, terminal tracheids. INTRODUCTION The Loranthaceae of the New World form an assemblage distinct from those of the Old World, none of the genera of either region occurring in both. In fact, even the re- lationships of genera from one hemisphere to the other have remained enigmatic. The solitary exception to this pattern is the trio of monotypic, undoubtedly primitive genera Atkinsonia, Nuytsia, and Gaiadendron, the first two of which are narrow endemics in eastern and western Australia, respectively, while the last genus ranges from Bolivia mostly through the Andes north to Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Within the neotropical assemblage of genera, relationships are frequently also uncer- tain. There is general agreement on some generic affinities: for example, Dendropemon and Phthirusa, and Aetanthus and Psittacanthus, form two such closely related pairs of genera.
    [Show full text]
  • Plant Press, Vol. 22, No. 4
    THE PLANT PRESS Department of Botany & the U.S. National Herbarium New Series - Vol. 22 - No. 4 October-November 2019 Parasitic plants: Important components of biodiversity By Marcos A. Caraballo-Ortiz arasitic organisms are generally viewed in a negative way itats. Only a few parasitic plants yield economically impor- because of their ability to “steal” resources. However, tant products such as the sandalwood, obtained from the Pthey are biologically interesting because their depend- tropical shrub Santalum album (order Santalales). Other pro- ency on hosts for survival have influenced their behavior, mor- ducts are local and include traditional medicines, food, and phology, and genomes. Parasites vary in their degree of crafts like “wood roses”. Many parasites are also considered necessity from a host, ranging from being partially independent agricultural pests as they can impact crops and timber plan- (hemiparasitic) to being complete dependent (holoparasitic). tations. Some parasites can live independently, but if they find potential It is difficult to describe a typical parasitic plant because hosts, they can use them to supplement their nutritional needs they possess a wide diversity of growth habits such as trees, (facultative parasitism). terrestrial or aerial shrubs, vines, and herbs. The largest Parasitism is not a phenomenon unique to animals, as there Continued on page 2 are plants parasitic to other plants. Current biodiversity esti- mates indicate that approximately 4,700 species of flowering Tropical mistletoes are very plants are parasitic, which account for about 1.2% of the total inferred number of plant species in the world. About half of the diverse but still poorly known.
    [Show full text]
  • 1965) 278-307 Haustorium, (Loranthaceae
    Acta Botanica Neerlandica 14 (1965) 278-307 On the Nature and Action of the Santalalean Haustorium, as exemplified by Phthirusa and Antidaphne (Loranthaceae) Job Kuijt {Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada) (received June 30th, 1965) Abstract The original intent ofthe present study was an inquiry into the architecture of the secondary haustoria of the mistletoes Antidaphne viscoidea and Phthirusa pyrifolia, each representing one of the two subfamilies ofLoranthaceae. In the course of this study it fundamental has become clear that there are similarities uniting the haustoria of the entire order, Santalales. The needfor integration of all knowledge of Santalalean haustoria became the work and more pressing as proceeded has culminatedin this article form. in its present This work, then, represents an integrated review of the structure mechanism of Santalalean and haustoria, introduced by anaccount of the haustoria of Phthirusa and Antidaphne. Phthirusa and Antidaphne the The mistletoe haustorium of temperate zones is a direct out- growth of the radicular apex of the seedling. Even such complex those of absorptive systems as Arceuthobium, Phrygilanthus aphyllus, and some species of Phoradendron can be traced back to their origin from the apical meristem of the primary root. In a large numberof tropical and some subtropical Loranthaceae, however, secondary roots are formed from the base of the plant or from branches. Such roots are known as the the epicortical roots, and follow branches of host, producing secon- dary haustoria at irregular intervals. Secondary haustoria, partly their limited have received little through geographic occurrence, attention from anatomists. The present account of the young secon- dary haustoria of Phthirusa pyrifolia (HBK) Eichl.
    [Show full text]
  • The Mistletoes a Literature Review
    THE MISTLETOES A LITERATURE REVIEW Technical Bulletin No. 1242 June 1961 U.S. DEi>ARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOREST SERVICE THE MISTLETOES A LITERATURE REVIEW by Lake S. Gill and Frank G. Hawksworth Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station Forest Service Growth Through Agricultural Progress Technical Bulletin No. 1242 June 1961 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE WASHINGTON, D.C For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D.C. - Price 35 cents Preface striking advances have been made in recent years in the field of plant pathology, but most of these investigations have dealt with diseases caused by fungi, bacteria, or viruses. In contrast, progress toward an understanding of diseases caused by phanerogamic parasites has been relatively slow. Dodder (Cuscuta spp.) and broom rape {Orohanche spp.) are well-known parasites of agri- cultural crops and are serious pests in certain localities. The recent introduction of witchweed (Striga sp.) a potentially serious pest for corn-growing areas, into the United States (Gariss and Wells 1956) emphasizes the need for more knowledge of phanerogamic parasites. The mistletoes, because of their unusual growth habits, have been the object of curiosity for thousands of years. Not until the present century, however, has their role as damaging pests to forest, park, orchard, and ornamental trees become apparent. The mistletoes are most abundant in tropical areas, but they are also widely distributed in the temperate zone. The peak of destructive- ness of this family seems to be reached in western North America where several species of the highly parasitic dwarfmistletoes (Arceuthobium spp,) occur.
    [Show full text]
  • Mistletoes of North American Conifers
    United States Department of Agriculture Mistletoes of North Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station American Conifers General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-98 September 2002 Canadian Forest Service Department of Natural Resources Canada Sanidad Forestal SEMARNAT Mexico Abstract _________________________________________________________ Geils, Brian W.; Cibrián Tovar, Jose; Moody, Benjamin, tech. coords. 2002. Mistletoes of North American Conifers. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS–GTR–98. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 123 p. Mistletoes of the families Loranthaceae and Viscaceae are the most important vascular plant parasites of conifers in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Species of the genera Psittacanthus, Phoradendron, and Arceuthobium cause the greatest economic and ecological impacts. These shrubby, aerial parasites produce either showy or cryptic flowers; they are dispersed by birds or explosive fruits. Mistletoes are obligate parasites, dependent on their host for water, nutrients, and some or most of their carbohydrates. Pathogenic effects on the host include deformation of the infected stem, growth loss, increased susceptibility to other disease agents or insects, and reduced longevity. The presence of mistletoe plants, and the brooms and tree mortality caused by them, have significant ecological and economic effects in heavily infested forest stands and recreation areas. These effects may be either beneficial or detrimental depending on management objectives. Assessment concepts and procedures are available. Biological, chemical, and cultural control methods exist and are being developed to better manage mistletoe populations for resource protection and production. Keywords: leafy mistletoe, true mistletoe, dwarf mistletoe, forest pathology, life history, silviculture, forest management Technical Coordinators_______________________________ Brian W. Geils is a Research Plant Pathologist with the Rocky Mountain Research Station in Flagstaff, AZ.
    [Show full text]
  • Eocene Loranthaceae Pollen Pushes Back Divergence Ages for Major Splits in the Family
    Eocene Loranthaceae pollen pushes back divergence ages for major splits in the family Friðgeir Grı´msson1,*, Paschalia Kapli2, Christa-Charlotte Hofmann1, Reinhard Zetter1 and Guido W. Grimm1,3,* 1 Department of Palaeontology, University of Vienna, Wien, Austria 2 The Exelixis Lab, Scientific Computing Group, Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies, Heidelberg, Germany 3 Orle´ans, France * These authors contributed equally to this work. ABSTRACT Background: We revisit the palaeopalynological record of Loranthaceae, using pollen ornamentation to discriminate lineages and to test molecular dating estimates for the diversification of major lineages. Methods: Fossil Loranthaceae pollen from the Eocene and Oligocene are analysed and documented using scanning-electron microscopy. These fossils were associated with molecular-defined clades and used as minimum age constraints for Bayesian node dating using different topological scenarios. Results: The fossil Loranthaceae pollen document the presence of at least one extant root-parasitic lineage (Nuytsieae) and two currently aerial parasitic lineages (Psittacanthinae and Loranthinae) by the end of the Eocene in the Northern Hemisphere. Phases of increased lineage diversification (late Eocene, middle Miocene) coincide with global warm phases. Discussion: With the generation of molecular data becoming easier and less expensive every day, neontological research should re-focus on conserved 16 December 2016 Submitted morphologies that can be traced through the fossil record. The pollen, representing Accepted 4May2017 Published 7 June 2017 the male gametophytic generation of plants and often a taxonomic indicator, can be such a tracer. Analogously, palaeontological research should put more effort Corresponding authors Friðgeir Grı´msson, into diagnosing Cenozoic fossils with the aim of including them into modern [email protected] systematic frameworks.
    [Show full text]
  • A Brief Taxonomic History of Neotropical Mistletoe Genera, with a Key to the Genera
    Blumea 58, 2013: 263–266 www.ingentaconnect.com/content/nhn/blumea RESEARCH ARTICLE http://dx.doi.org/10.3767/000651913X676664 A brief taxonomic history of neotropical mistletoe genera, with a key to the genera J. Kuijt1 Key words Abstract A brief chronological account is provided of the discovery and recognition of the genera of the New World mistletoes, with a key to the genera. generic history mistletoes Published on 11 December 2013 Neotropics When European botanists were first faced with mistletoes of and later placed in Santalaceae by Bentham (1880), but was the New World they interpreted them, not surprisingly, within earlier recognized as representing a distinct American family the framework of the mistletoes they knew from their own (Agard 1858). continent. The new discoveries were thus initially placed in No additional American genera appeared in print until 1868, either Loranthus Jacq. or Viscum L. It was to be a long time when Eichler published his monumental account of Brazilian before it was realized that neither of these genera occur in the mistletoes, an account that also contained much information New World, and that a fresh look was needed; even Bentham concerning other neotropical countries. It is difficult not to have (1880), for example, continued to place all Loranthaceae (in the greatest admiration for Eichler’s contribution, especially the modern sense) in Loranthus, with the singular exception of since it was the only contribution to mistletoe taxonomy he the extraordinary Australian genus Nuytsia R.Br. published; a century and a half later, it is still necessary to The first New World mistletoe recognized (and illustrated) as consult its contents in our work.
    [Show full text]
  • Haustorium #57, July 2010
    HAUSTORIUM 57 July 2010 1 HAUSTORIUM Parasitic Plants Newsletter ISSN 1944-6969 Official Organ of the International Parasitic Plant Society (http://www.parasiticplants.org/) July 2010 Number 57 CONTENTS Page Message from the IPPS President (Jim Westwood)....………………………………………………………………2 Rafflesia in the Philippines: an era of discovery (Dan Nickrent)…………………….……………………………...2 Literature highlights: Evidence for nuclear theft (Ken Shirasu)……………………………...................................................................4 Cellular interactions at the host-parasite and pollen-pistil interfaces in flowering plants (Chris Thorogood)…………………………………………………….............................5 Obituary: Alfred M. Mayer (1926-2010) (Danny Joel)……………………………………..…………………………..…..6 Congratulations: Bristol botanist (Chris Thorogood) wins Linnean Society prize …………………………………………...……7 News: Striga quarantine lifted in South Carolina after a half century (Jim Westwood and Al Tasker)…………………7 Press releases: Affordable solution to costly pests (‘push-pull’/ stalk-borer/ Striga )…………………………………………..….8 Drought-tolerant and Striga-resistant maize for Ghana……………………………………………………..….…9 New varieties to boost maize output in West and Central Africa…………………………………..……………..9 Striga-resistant varieties to boost sorghum yields………………………………………………………………....9 Nigerian scientists introduce two new cowpea varieties…………………………………………………………10 Africa: scientists develop drought-resistant cowpea……………………………………………………………..10 Wetlands organization says rival group’s planting of parasite akin to a ‘restoration
    [Show full text]
  • Dissecting the Contributions of Dispersal and Host Properties to the Local Abundance of a Tropical Mistletoe
    Journal of Ecology doi: 10.1111/1365-2745.12795 Dissecting the contributions of dispersal and host properties to the local abundance of a tropical mistletoe Marcos A. Caraballo-Ortiz*,1 , Aaron Gonzalez-Castro 1,2, Suann Yang3, Claude W. dePamphilis1 and Tomas A. Carlo1,4 1Biology Department, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA; 2Island Ecology and Evolution Research Group (IPNA-CSIC), Calle Astrofısico Francisco Sanchez 3, E38206 La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain; 3Biology Department, State University of New York Geneseo, 1 College Circle, Geneseo, NY 14454, USA; and 4Ecology Intercollege Graduate Degree Program, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA Summary 1. The interplay between dispersal and adaptation to local environments ultimately determines the distribution of plant species, but their relative contribution remains little understood. Tropical mistle- toes provide the opportunity to dissect these contributions of dispersal and adaptation, because as hemiparasitic plants, they are typically adapted to grow on a handful of species within diverse tropi- cal communities and are non-randomly dispersed by mutualistic frugivorous birds. 2. Here we hypothesized that the primary determinant of the abundance of a tropical mistletoe (Den- dropemon caribaeus, Loranthaceae) in Puerto Rico will be the compatibility between the mistletoe and plant species in a community. Alternatively, the mistletoe’s abundance could be primarily shaped by other factors such as the availability of potential host plants, or factors that determine how mistletoe seeds are dispersed by avian frugivores. We conducted surveys and experiments to assess the capacity of this mistletoe to grow on trees available in the local community, and mea- sured the monthly phenology and seed dispersal patterns of the mistletoe and other bird-dispersed plants in the community over a period of 4 years.
    [Show full text]
  • A Nomenclatural Summary of the Plant and Animal Names Based on Images in Mark Catesby’S Natural History (1729–1747)
    Reveal, J.L. 2012. A nomenclatural summary of the plant and animal names based on images in Mark Catesby’s Natural History (1729–1747). Phytoneuron 2012-11: 1–32. Published 1 February 2012. ISSN 2153 733X A NOMENCLATURAL SUMMARY OF THE PLANT AND ANIMAL NAMES BASED ON IMAGES IN MARK CATESBY’S NATURAL HISTORY (1729–1747) JAMES L. REVEAL L.H. Bailey Hortorium Department of Plant Biology Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-4301 e-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT The English naturalist Mark Catesby is best known for his two volume work entitled Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands wherein he described and illustrated numerous plants and animals found mainly in the eastern North American English colonies of Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia, and the Bahamas. This monumental work, published in parts from 1729 until 1747, became an important source of new species described by the Swedish natural Carl Linnaeus in the 1750s and 1760s. The summary presented here attempts to account for all instances where a new taxon was proposed wherein a reference was made by the author of the name to a published plate in Catesby. The nomenclatural status of each image is evaluated with a footnote providing a reference to both where the name was proposed and who, in the case of plants, designated a lectotype. Images are not considered to be types under the rules governing zoological nomenclature. No attempt is made here to account for the subsequent neotypification of names established under that code. KEY WORDS: Mark Catesby, nomenclature, typification, North America The English naturalist and artist, Mark Catesby, was born on 24 March 1683 (Julian) in the village of the Castle Hedingham, Essex, as the fifth son of John Catesby, a lawyer, and Elizabeth Jekyll, the daughter of a prosperous family of lawyers.
    [Show full text]