Centaurea Diffusa Research Articles

Assessing landscape disturbance in Donbass using phytomonitoring data

The article presents the results of a long-term experimental monitoring (1996-2023) of the condition of indicator plants has been implemented in the territory of Central Donbass. Due to the experiment, it was proved that flowering plants have both indices of non-plasticity in the structure of vegetative and generative parts. Indicator species analyzed: Centaurea diffusa Lam., Cichorium intybus L., Diplotaxis muralis (L.) DC., Echium vulgare L., Reseda lutea L., Senecio vulgaris L. and others. Registration sites with priority pollutants and complex pollution have been established. It was found that the geostrategic pattern obtained by mapping for traits on embryotic teratogenesis and morphological heterogeneity of indicator plants coincide on 93% of the projective coverage area. It was found out that for the period 1996-2013, 32% of the total investigated area of the Central Donbass was technogenically transformed, for the period 2014-2021, this indicator was 36%, and for 2022-2023, 41%.

The importance of principal component analysis for environmental biodiagnostics of Donbass

The ecological situation in the Central Donbas remains tense today and requires timely diagnosis of the state of ecosystems. Major causes of the tense environmental situation in Donbass are high level of industrialization (mining, metallurgical, mining and chemical industries), urbanization, agricultural technologies, landscape transformation and warfare from 2014 to the present. With all the variety of biological and chemical methods in obtaining large numerical information, the importance of mathematical approaches is of particular significance. Using the example of principal component analysis, a method for visualizing data in assessing transformed ecotopes of Donbass has been tested. An attempt has been made to reconstruct some missing data from the list of numerical characteristics. The values of probability and reliability of the data have been established. This allows to have more accurate information in monitoring and assessing the environment in the region. Principal component analysis complements the available cartographic materials, highlights the most significant processes considering general degradation of the state of Donbass ecosystems (by indicator plants Bryum argenteum Hedw., Ceratodon purpureus (Hedw.) Brid, Amblystegium subtile (Hedw.) Schimp., Centaurea diffusa Lam., Cichorium intybus L., Tripleurospermum inodorum (L.) Sch. Bip. et al.). The cause and effect relationships in the peculiarities of landscape transformation are grouped in order to further restore the integrity and functionality of the historical and geographical environment.

Invasive species of the flora of transformed sections of railway tracks in the bottom of the Dnister–Tiligul river

In order to study invasive species as dangerous elements of foreign flora, modern monitoring studies are needed under the conditions of various ecotopes of a wide range of their transformation. According to the «Strategy of biosecurity and biological protection», alien species are a threat to biodiversity at its various levels. Taking into account that railway tracks are one of the main ways of penetration and initial establishment of synanthropic species in new territories, in 2018–2021, the flora of the tracks in the areas of the Dniester floodplain was studied. 34 invasive species from 14 families were noted, they included Asteraceae (26.47% of species), Brassicaceae and Poaceae (17.65% each), Amaranthaceae (8.82%) and others. The majority of species (55.88%) grows both on track sections and (in addition) next to ruderalized sections of overburden. Another 11 species (32.35%) can be found on tracks, ruderalized areas of overburden and on the roadsides of the nearby highway. Only two species (5.88%) are cultivated. Two more species such as Amaranthus powellii S.Watson, Oxybaphus nyctagineus (Michx.) Sweet are noted only on railway tracks and sections of railway infrastructure. According to the life form, nine species (26.47%) are hemicryptophytes. 23 ones are therophytes (67.65%). Two species are fanerophytes (5.88%). According to the chronotype, 41.18% of the species are aschaeophytes. Kenophytes make 58.82%. Among archaeophytes, most plant species have a frequency of occurrence — «scattered» and «abundant» (35.71% each). Among the kenophyres, there are the most species whose plants were «scattered» (40.00%). In general, the majority of invasive species, by frequency of occurrence, belong to the «scattered» (38.25%) and «abundant» (23.53%) categories. Also there are «single» (17.65%), «usually» (11.77%), «single locality» (8.82%). Most species (70.60%) are represented by wide ranges: cosmopolitan (and hemi-cosmopolitan) make 44.12%, Eurasian form 14.71%, Euro-American make 11.77%. Eight species (23.53%) are particularly dangerous for the environment, as they are transformers of local growth. Most of the plants of invasive species of railway tracks were also found on adjacent ruderalized areas. Therophytes, kenophytes and species with a wide range prevail. They are found, mostly «scattered» and «abundant». Eight species (23.53%) are the most dangerous for environment, because they transform ground place (Ambrosia artemisiifolia, Centaurea diffusa, Conyza canadensis, Grindelia squarrosa, Iva xanthiifolia, Elaeagnus angustifolia, Anisantha tectorum, Setaria glauca).

Soil disturbance and invasion magnify CO2 effects on grassland productivity, reducing diversity.

Climate change, disturbance, and plant invasion threaten grassland ecosystems, but their combined and interactive effects are poorly understood. Here, we examine how the combination of disturbance and plant invasion influences the sensitivity of mixed-grass prairie to elevated carbon dioxide (eCO2 ) and warming. We established subplots of intact prairie and disturbed/invaded prairie within a free-air CO2 enrichment (to 600 ppmv) by infrared warming (+1.5°C day, 3°C night) experiment and followed plant and soil responses for 5 years. Elevated CO2 initially led to moderate increases in biomass and plant diversity in both intact and disturbed/invaded prairie, but these effects shifted due to strong eCO2 responses of the invasive forb Centaurea diffusa. In the final 3 years, biomass responses to eCO2 in disturbed/invaded prairie were 10 times as large as those in intact prairie (+186% vs. +18%), resulting in reduced rather than increased plant diversity (-17% vs. +10%). At the same time, warming interacted with disturbance/invasion and year, reducing the rate of topsoil carbon recovery following disturbance. The strength of these interactions demonstrates the need to incorporate disturbance into predictions of climate change effects. In contrast to expectations from studies in intact ecosystems, eCO2 may threaten plant diversity in ecosystems subject to soil disturbance and invasion.

A review of the subtribe Centaureinae (Asteraceae, Cardueae) in Lithuania with information on new alien species

The study’s objective was to overview all Centaureinae species recorded in Lithuania, evaluate the distribution and population state of the newly discovered four alien species and provide information on the residence status, distribution and habitats occupied by all species of the subtribe. The subtribe Centaureinae in Lithuania is now represented by five genera: Centaurea, Leuzea, Psephellus, Serratula and Zoegea. The largest genus in the flora of the country is Centaurea, which includes four native and six alien species. The genus Serratula is represented by one native species, while the genera Leuzea, Psephellus and Zoegea each have one alien species. Tree alien species (an archaeophyte, Centaurea cyanus, and neophytes Centaurea montana and Psephellus dealbatus) are naturalised aliens, whereas Centaurea cheiranthifolia, Centaurea diffusa, Centaurea iberica, Centaurea macrocephala, Leuzea repens and Zoegea crinita are casual aliens. Five species of the subtribe Centaureinae (Centaurea jacea, Centaurea phrygia, Centaurea scabiosa, Centaurea stoebe and Serratula tinctoria) are native to Lithuania. Maps of the distribution of newly discovered alien species in Lithuania are presented.

Genomic Analyses of Phenotypic Differences Between Native and Invasive Populations of Diffuse Knapweed (Centaurea diffusa)

Invasive species represent excellent opportunities to study the evolutionary potential of traits important to success in novel environments. Although some ecologically important traits have been identified in invasive species, little is typically known about the genetic mechanisms that underlie invasion success in non-model species. Here, we use a genome-wide association (GWAS) approach to identify the genetic basis of trait variation in the non-model, invasive, diffuse knapweed [Centaurea diffusa Lam. (Asteraceae)]. To assist with this analysis, we have assembled the first draft genome reference and fully annotated plastome assembly for this species, and one of the first from this large, weedy, genus, which is of major ecological and economic importance. We collected phenotype data from 372 individuals from four native and four invasive populations of C. diffusa grown in a common environment. Using these individuals, we produced reduced-representation genotype-by-sequencing (GBS) libraries and identified 7,058 SNPs. We identify two SNPs associated with leaf width in these populations, a trait which significantly varies between native and invasive populations. In this rosette forming species, increased leaf width is a major component of increased biomass, a common trait in invasive plants correlated with increased fitness. Finally, we use annotations from Arabidopsis thaliana to identify 98 candidate genes that are near the associated SNPs and highlight several good candidates for leaf width variation.

ФИТОТЕСТИРОВАНИЕ ЗАГРЯЗНЕНИЯ ТЯЖЁЛЫМИ МЕТАЛЛАМИ ПОЧВ ДОНБАССА

The article presents the results of phytotesting of soil solutions with high concentrations of heavy metal ions. The sensitivity of Donbass species plant to soil pollution was established by specific transformations in the structures of the embryonic root Achillea nobilis L., Artemisia vulgaris L., Centaurea diffusa Lam., Galinsoga parviflora Cav., Senecio vulgaris L., Tripleurospermum inodorum (L.) Sch. Bip. Model experiments on plant germination were carried out in laboratory conditions with fixed concentrations of individual metals and with joint pollution, as well as when testing soil samples taken in the zones of influence of industrial facilities of Don-bass.

Post-release genetic assessment of two congeneric weed biological control agents

Introductions of biological control agents are unique field experiments to examine the response of novel organisms to new environments. Post-release monitoring is particularly challenging where closely related and morphologically similar biological control agents have been released. Two closely-related phytophagous weevils, Larinus minutus and L. obtusus, were introduced as biological control agents for two major rangeland weeds, diffuse knapweed, Centaurea diffusa and spotted knapweed, C. stoebe subsp. micranthos in North America. The release of the Larinus species coincided with a decline in C. diffusa abundance in many areas. However, it was not clear whether both species of Larinus had become established as they are morphologically very similar. We asked: (1) Could genetic markers be used to identify both the weevil species? (2) Do both weevil species attack both knapweed species in Canada? (3) Are the levels of genetic diversity of the introduced populations of the weevils similar to those of a European source population? (4) Is genetic mixing between the weevil species occurring? Both microsatellite and CO1 mtDNA markers distinguish between the two weevil species. Larinus obtusus was only found on spotted knapweed, while L. minutus was more widely distributed and attacked both weed species. The relatively large initial introductions of weevils to British Columbia (4,300 L. minutus and 5,500 L. obtusus) together with rapid population growth and frequent redistribution among sites has been sufficient to maintain levels of genetic diversity. Results from small samples showed that haplotype, nucleotide diversity and allelic richness of the introduced populations were comparable to those of a European population. We found no evidence for hybridization in the introduced populations.

МЕЛИТТОФИЛЬНЫЙ КОМПЛЕКС РАСТЕНИЙ, ОБЕСПЕЧИВАЮЩИХ КОРМОВУЮ БАЗУ МЕДОНОСНЫХ ПЧЕЛ (APIS MELLIFERA) В ГОРНО-ЛЕСНОЙ ЗОНЕ КРЫМА

For the first time, in the mountain-forest ecosystems of Crimea of parcel organization level adjacent to the beehives of honey bees (Apis mellifera L.), a species composition of plants representing the melittophilic complex has been identified which provides honey bees with pollen and nectar during the entire warm season. The complex includes 57 species of plants where the honey bees that collect pollen or nectar have been registered. The core of the melittophilic complex consisted of 35 species of plants, the proportion of simultaneously flowering (in any period of the season) flowers of each one exceeded 2.5 % of the total number of flowers of all flowering species at this time. In early spring, the list of such species included 15 plant species belonging to 14 genera and 12 families. In this period, the decisive forage value (species whose flower share exceeded 10 % of all flowering flowers) was represented by 4 plant species: Cornus mas L., Corylus avellana L., Dentaria quinquefolia M. B. and Prunus divaricata Ledeb., the important value (the flowers share made <10 %, but >2.5 %) had 4 species: Ficaria verna Huds., Galanthus plicatus M. Bieb., Primula vulgaris Huds. and Scilla bifolia L. In spring, the forage base made up 20 plant species belonging to 18 genera and 7 families. Four species had decisive forage value: Cerasus avium L., Malus sylvestris L., Prunus spinosa L. and Pyrus elaeagrifolia Jacq., 7 species had important value: Crataegus monogyna Jacq., Fragaria vesca L., Lamium purpureum L., Crepis pulchra L., Prunus domestica L., Thlaspi arvense L. and Trifolium ambiguum M. Most of the species belonged to the Rosaceae family (10 species). In summer period, the forage basis comprised 20 species of melittophilic plants belonging to 19 genera and 9 families. 5 species had decisive value: Cichorium intybus L., Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop., Echium vulgare L., Medicago sativa L. and Trifolium ambiguum M., the important value had 7 species: Achillea millefolium L., Betonica officinalis L., Ballota nigra L., Centaurea diffusa Lam., Clematis vitalba L., Linaria vulgaris Mill. and Onobrychis sativa Lam. The representatives of the Asteraceae family (7 species) dominated; the representatives of Fabaceae (5 species) and Lamiaceae (4 species) also played a significant role. In autumn, there were the following food sources for honey bees: Diplotaxis tenuifolia (L.) DC., Centaurea diffusa Lam., Erýngium campéstre L., Carduus crispus L., and on the steppe slopes of the mountains: Scilla autumnalis L. and Crocus speciosus M. B. It has been established that the greatest number of melittophilic plant species in the studied mountain-forest biogeocenoses grow on parcels of forest edges and glades, steppe slopes of the mountains in their natural state. Oak-hornbeam and floodplain tree-shrub parcels have a smaller variety of species, but are essential for bees in early spring and spring..

The study of chemical composition of Centaurea diffusa Lam.

The aim of the work is to study the chemical composition of biologically active compounds of Centaurea diffusa Lam . and the future prospects of its application in the medical and pharmaceutical practice. Materials and methods. The object of the study is the grass of Centaurea diffusa Lam., which was collected in Zaporizhia in July 2018. The method of high-performance gas chromatography on the device Agilent 7890B GC System (Agilent, Santa Clara, CA, USA) with mass spectrometry detector Agilent 5977 BGC / MSD (Agilent, Santa Clara, CA, USA) was used to determine the qualitative and quantitative composition of Centaurea diffusa Lam. Results. It was discovered that raw material of Centaurea diffusa Lam. contains 55 components, which are representatives of different classes of biologically active substances. There are phenols – 9, alcohols – 9, carboxylic acids (saturated and unsaturated) – 8, esters – 7, alkanes – 5, heterocyclic compounds – 4, ketones – 4, terpenes – 3, aldehydes – 2, alkenes – 1, monosaccharides – 2, hydrazides – 1. However, these data differ from the total content of compounds by percentage. Phenols make up 21.45 % and this is the highest indicator, carboxylic acids (saturated and unsaturated) are 19.71 %, and alcohols and esters are 17.63 % and 12.43 % respectively. Retusin constitutes the main part among all found compounds – 15.53 %, 4-hexadecanoic acid (12.25 %) and 2-ethyl-2-(hydroxymethyl)-1,3-propanediol (8.17 %) are on the second and third place. It’s useful to note that hexadecanoic acid 2-hydroxy-1-(hydroxymethyl)ethyl ester is present in quantity 4.3 %. Based on the results obtained, it is possible to consider the further prospects of using Centaurea diffusa Lam. in medical and pharmaceutical practice. Conclusions. The chemical composition of grass of Centaurea diffusa Lam. was first set by the method of gas chromatography with mass spectrometry detector. The presence of 55 biologically active components was determined. The experimental results prove the prospects and relevance of studies the chemical composition of Centaurea diffusa Lam. in order to create new herbal remedies based on it.

Complete chloroplast genome sequence of the medicinal plant Arctium lappa.

Arctium lappa, commonly called burdock, has a long medicinal and edible history. It has recently gained increasing attention because of its economic value. In this study, we obtained the complete chloroplast genome of A. lappa by Illumina Hiseq. The complete chloroplast genome of A. lappa is a typical circular structure with 152 708 bp in length. The GC content in the whole chloroplast genome of A. lappa is 37.7%. A total of 37 tRNA genes, 8 rRNA genes, and 87 protein-coding genes were successfully annotated. And the chloroplast genome contains 113 unique genes, 19 of which are duplicated in the inverted repeat. The distribution of 39 simple sequence repeats was analysed, and most of them are in the large single-copy (LSC) sequence. An inversion comprising 16 genes was found in the LSC region, which is 26 283 bp long. We performed multiple sequence alignments using 72 common protein-coding genes of 29 species and constructed a Maximum Parsimony (MP) tree. The MP phylogenetic result shows that A. lappa grouped together with Carthamus tinctorius, Centaurea diffusa, and Saussurea involucrata. The chloroplast genome of A. lappa is a valuable resource for further studies in Asteraceae.

The complete chloroplast genome of Ageratum conyzoides (Asteraceae)

Ageratum conyzoides L. is an important Chinese medicinal plant. In this study, we reported the complete chloroplast genome of A. conyzoides. The chloroplast genome sequence is 151,309 bp in length and consisted of a large single copy (LSC) region (83,884 bp), a small single copy (SSC) region (17,771 bp), and two inverted repeats (IRs) (24,827 bp). It was composed of 126 genes and they were 81 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNA genes, 8 rRNA genes, and 7 pseudogene. Phylogenetic analysis with reported chloroplast genomes can not only show that A. conyzoides has a close genetic relationship with Centaurea diffusa and Carthamus tinctorius, but also provide new evidence for the identification of Praxelis clematidea and A. conyzoides.

Volatile Components from Aerial Parts of Centaurea diffusa and C. micrantha ssp. melanosticta and Their Biocidal Activity on Microorganisms Affecting Historical Art Crafts

The chemical composition of the essential oils from aerial parts of two taxa of Centaurea belonging to subgenus Acrolophus, Centaurea diffusa Lam. and C. micrantha Hoff. ssp. melanosticta (Lange) Dostàl, respectively collected in Croatia and Spain, were evaluated by GC and GC-MS. The main components of C. diffusa were hexadecanoic acid (31.1%), ( Z,Z)-9,12-octadecadienoic acid (10.7%) and damascenone isomers (6.4%), whereas hexahydrofarnesyl acetone (27.8%), hexadecanoic acid (8.3%) and caryophyllene oxide (6.4%) were the most abundant components of C. micrantha ssp. melanosticta. The oils showed good antibacterial and antifungal activities against some microorganisms that infest historical art works.

The Economic Cost of Noxious Weeds on Montana Grazing Lands

AbstractWe distributed a 16-question survey concerning noxious weed abundance, impacts, and management to livestock producers grazing on privately owned or leased grazing lands in Montana. The noxious weeds most commonly reported as being present on respondents’ grazing units were Canada thistle [Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop.] (64% of grazing units) and leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula L.) (45% of grazing units), and these species also reportedly caused the greatest reductions in livestock forage. Houndstongue (Cynoglossum officinale L.) was more prevalent than either spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe L.) or diffuse knapweed (Centaurea diffusa Lam.) (39% vs. 32% and 10%, respectively, of grazing units), but collectively C. stoebe and C. diffusa were reported to cause greater forage reductions than C. officinale. The top three strategies used to manage noxious weeds were chemical control, grazing, and biological control. Combining survey responses with forage-loss models derived from field data for C. stoebe and E. esula, we estimated the combined cost of noxious weed management and forage losses on privately owned rangeland to be $3.54 ha−1 yr−1, or $7,243 annually for an average size grazing unit (i.e., 2,046 ha [5,055 ac]). Our estimates of economic losses are lower than many estimates from previous studies, possibly because we focused only on direct costs related to private grazing land, while other studies often consider indirect impacts. Nonetheless, our estimates are substantial; for example, our estimated loss equates to 24% of the average per-hectare lease rate for Montana grazing land.

Community-level plant-soil feedbacks explain landscape distribution of native and non-native plants.

Plant–soil feedbacks (PSFs) have gained attention for their potential role in explaining plant growth and invasion. While promising, most PSF research has measured plant monoculture growth on different soils in short‐term, greenhouse experiments. Here, five soil types were conditioned by growing one native species, three non‐native species, or a mixed plant community in different plots in a common‐garden experiment. After 4 years, plants were removed and one native and one non‐native plant community were planted into replicate plots of each soil type. After three additional years, the percentage cover of each of the three target species in each community was measured. These data were used to parameterize a plant community growth model. Model predictions were compared to native and non‐native abundance on the landscape. Native community cover was lowest on soil conditioned by the dominant non‐native, Centaurea diffusa, and non‐native community cover was lowest on soil cultivated by the dominant native, Pseudoroegneria spicata. Consistent with plant growth on the landscape, the plant growth model predicted that the positive PSFs observed in the common‐garden experiment would result in two distinct communities on the landscape: a native plant community on native soils and a non‐native plant community on non‐native soils. In contrast, when PSF effects were removed, the model predicted that non‐native plants would dominate all soils, which was not consistent with plant growth on the landscape. Results provide an example where PSF effects were large enough to change the rank‐order abundance of native and non‐native plant communities and to explain plant distributions on the landscape. The positive PSFs that contributed to this effect reflected the ability of the two dominant plant species to suppress each other's growth. Results suggest that plant dominance, at least in this system, reflects the ability of a species to suppress the growth of dominant competitors through soil‐mediated effects.

Host specificity of Aceria centaureae (Nalepa), a candidate for biological control of Centaurea dίffusa De Lamarck

Filed collected rosettes or twigs of Centaurea diffusa De Lamarck, infested by the gall mite Aceria centaureae, were fixed onto appropriately grown and planted test plants of ten different species in the area of Thessaloniki, Greece, in 1985 and 1986. The test plants were inspected for presence of galls and mites a few to several days after their contact with the infested twigs. Gall formation occurred on all of the Centaurea diffusa test plants, either of Greek or U.S. origin, and on some of the Centaurea solstitialis, L. test plants. No galls or other mite damage could be found on the other test plants, which were Carthamus tinctorius L. (safflower), Cirsiton creticion (De Lamarck) D’Urville, of local origin and six Cirsium species of U.S. origin, i.e. cymosum (Greene) J. T. Howell, occidentals (Nutt) Jeps., pastoris Howell, andersonii (Gray) Petrak, brevistylum Crong; and undulation (Nutt.) Spreng. These results suggest that A. centaureae most probably has a very restricted host plant range, feeding only on weedy Centaurea spp. Thus the mite should be considered as a possible candidate for biological control of diffuse knapweed in the U.S.A. and Canada.

Preemergence Control of Nine Invasive Weeds with Aminocyclopyrachlor, Aminopyralid, and Indaziflam

There are an estimated 400 million hectares of non-cropland in the United States primarily designated as rangeland and pastureland, and there are more than 300 invasive weeds found on these sites, causing an estimated annual loss of $5 billion. Among the most invasive and problematic weeds are Dalmatian toadflax, diffuse knapweed, downy brome, and musk thistle. Currently, herbicides are the most common management strategy for broadleaf weeds and invasive winter annual grasses. Indaziflam, a new herbicide for invasive plant management in non-crop areas, is a cellulose-biosynthesis inhibitor capable of providing residual invasive winter annual grass control up to 3 yr after treatment (YAT). A field experiment was conducted to determine whether residual Dalmatian toadflax and downy brome control by aminocyclopyrachlor, imazapic, and picloram could be extended by tank mixing these herbicides with indaziflam. Indaziflam tank mixed with aminocyclopyrachlor, imazapic, and picloram provided increased Dalmatian toadflax (84% to 91%) and downy brome (89% to 94%) control 4 YAT, compared with treatments excluding indaziflam. Treatments without indaziflam controlled 50% to 68% of Dalmatian toadflax and <25% downy brome 4 YAT. Based on these results, a greenhouse dose–response experiment was conducted with aminocyclopyrachlor, aminopyralid, and indaziflam to compare preemergence control of nine common non-crop weeds. Averaged across species, aminocyclopyrachlor and aminopyralid GR50values (herbicide concentration resulting in 50% reduction in plant biomass) were 29 and 52 times higher compared with indaziflam, respectively. These data suggest that indaziflam could be used for residual control of non-crop weeds as a tank-mix partner with other foliar-applied broadleaf herbicides.

Gene expression and drought response in an invasive thistle

Though rapid phenotypic evolution has been observed in many invasive plant species, less is known about the associated genetic mechanisms. Some hypotheses invoke the evolution of trade-offs in resource allocation to explain phenotypic differences between the native and invaded ranges of a species. Alternately, invasive species may benefit from a generalist strategy and perform well in many environments. Identification of the molecular changes associated with successful invasions can offer clues regarding the mechanistic basis of such hypotheses, even in non-model organisms. To complement studies of phenotypic variation, we investigate gene expression during drought response that might underlie variation in drought tolerance between native and introduced populations of diffuse knapweed (Centaurea diffusa), and possibly contribute to invasion success. Using species-specific microarrays and tissue sampled under drought and control conditions at three time points, we identified genes whose expression either varied constitutively or responded to drought stress differently between ranges. Further, we functionally investigate these genes. Based on these data, invasive populations have constitutively higher levels of expression relating to energy production and lower levels of signal transduction expression relative to native populations. Under drought conditions, invasive populations may maintain energy production and react less strongly to drought than native populations, which may allow them to maintain fitness across moderate environmental variation. This supports the expectation of invasive populations consisting of generalist genotypes capable of fitness homeostasis, which may have facilitated the successful invasion of many environments in North America.

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Saussurea chabyoungsanica (Asteraceae), an endemic to Korea

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Saussurea chabyoungsanica, an endemic species to Korea, was determined by Illumina pair-end sequencing in this study. The total genome size was 152,446 bp in length, containing a pair of inverted repeats of 25,185 bp, which were separated by large single copy and small single copy of 83,397 and 18,679, respectively. 112 genes were annotated, including 80 protein coding genes, 28 tRNA genes and 4 rRNA genes. Among these genes, 18 genes contained one or two introns. The overall GC contents of the plastid genome were 37.7 %. A phylogenetic analysis based on 75 protein coding genes indicated that Saussurea chabyoungsanica is closely related to Centaurea diffusa.

Calcium oxalate crystals in some species of the Tribe Cardueae (Asteraceae)

In this study, calcium oxalate (CaOx) crystals in the tissues and organs of 18 species that belong to tribe Cardueae (Asteraceae), Arctium minus, Silybum marianum, Cirsium vulgare, Cirsium creticum, Cirsium arvense, Carduus nutans, Carduus candicans, Carduus pycnocephalus, Tyrimnus leucographus, Jurinea consanguinea, Centaurea diffusa, Centaurea solstitialis, Centaurea iberica, Centaurea salonitana, Centaurea cyanus, Carthamus lanatus, Carthamus dentatus and Xeranthemum annuum , were investigated, and their morphologies and distribution were determined using a light microscope. Two morphological types of crystals, styloids and prismatics, were the most found crystals in the species examined. Raphides were only observed in the stem cortex and pith parenchyma cells of Silybum marianum, while druses were only viewed in the stem pith cells of Carduus pycnocephalus. Styloids were observed (if present) in the leaf, corolla, anther, filament, and style tissues. Prismatic crystals were seen almost in all the ovaries of the species investigated, except for Xeranthemum annuum. Prismatics, styloids, raphides, and druses were present in the stems of the species. It is considered that crystal formation within the cell is under genetic control. Thus the type, and presence or absence of crystals may be represented as a taxonomic character. In conclusion, it is suggested that the shape and location of CaOx crystals in the Cardueae constitute a diagnostic character and they may have taxonomic significance in this tribe.