High Interspecific Variability Research Articles

Do root secondary xylem functional traits differ between growth forms in Fabaceae species in a seasonally dry Neotropical environment?

Whole-plant performance in water-stressed and disturbance-prone environments depends on a suitable supply of water from the roots to the leaves, storage of reserves during periods of shortage, and a morphological arrangement that guarantees the maintenance of the plants anchored to the soil. All these functions are performed by the secondary xylem of roots. Here, we investigate whether different growth forms of Fabaceae species from the seasonally dry Neotropical environment have distinct strategies for water transport, mechanical support and non-structural carbon and water storage in the root secondary xylem. We evaluated cross-sections of root secondary xylem from species of trees, shrubs and subshrubs. We applied linear models to verify the variability in secondary xylem anatomical traits among growth forms. Secondary xylem with larger vessels and lower vessel density was observed in tree species. Vessel wall thickness, vessel grouping index, potential hydraulic conductivity and cell fractions (vessels, fibres, rays and axial parenchyma) were not statistically different between growth forms, owing to the high interspecific variation within the groups studied. Our results showed that the variability in anatomical traits of the secondary xylem of the root is species specific. In summary, the cellular complexity of the secondary xylem ensures multiple functional strategies in species with distinct growth forms, a key trait for resource use in an environment with strong water seasonality.

Detection and characterization of nuclear mitochondrial DNA (NUMTs) in the alpaca genome

NUMTs are mitochondrial DNA sequences that are inserted into the nuclear genome of almost all eukaryotic organisms, although high interspecific variability regarding abundance, size, and location is observed. In particular, the NUMT amount is highly dependent on the detection method utilized. The aim of this study was to provide the first comprehensive description and annotated collection of NUMTs for the alpaca. We have examined different detection strategies and obtained 267 hits, representing 0.011% of the genome (233,411 bp aligned). By merging these hits, we have identified and characterized 158 NUMTs across the alpaca genome. We found copies from all the mtDNA with variable identity values and two particularly large NUMTs that covered 72–83% of the mitogenome with a mean identity of 80%. Results showed that NUMTs were preferentially inserted in the non-coding region of the nuclear genome and were flanked by repetitive elements. Besides, the main mechanism for NUMT generation in this species seems to be independent insertion events, rather than duplication. Furthermore, we have selected and validated by PCR the presence of four NUMTs in the alpaca genome and proved their presence in the other three South American Camelid species. The results generated by this work represent a useful resource for curating databases and can be used to avoid co-amplification of NUMTs in studies involving mtDNA, like phylogenetics, populations or evolution studies.

Resin Canal Traits Variation in Pinus spp. with Different Susceptibility to the Pine Wood Nematode

Different studies have emphasized the influence of resin canal traits in the susceptibility of pine trees to the pine wood nematode (PWN) Bursaphelenchus xylophilus. Resin canals can facilitate the PWN migration through the stem and are involved in the accumulation of volatile terpenes in the xylem in response to the pathogen, inducing tracheid embolisms. In this work, we conducted a PWN inoculation experiment under greenhouse conditions to investigate the anatomical traits of constitutive resin canals among seven Pinus species with different degrees of susceptibility to the PWN: P. canariensis, P. halepensis, P. pinea and P. taeda were grouped into a ‘low-susceptible group’, and P. pinaster, P. radiata, and P. sylvestris were grouped into a ‘high-susceptible group’. The high-susceptible group presented higher xylem radial growth, wider constitutive canals in the cortex, lower frequency of constitutive canals in the cortex, and smaller constitutive canals in the xylem than the low-susceptible group. The size of constitutive cortical canals was positively related to the number of seedlings colonized by the PWN, suggesting that wider canals facilitated migration. The inoculation of the PWN increased the frequency and diminished the mean area of canals in the xylem, and the high-susceptible group showed more frequency of induced xylem canals than the low-susceptible group. Additionally, the high-susceptible group presented larger radial growths in the xylem than the low-susceptible group. These results suggest a role of resin canal traits on Pinus spp. susceptibility to the PWN. Nevertheless, the high interspecific variability found in these traits within each susceptibility group evidences the importance of other factors in the susceptibility to the PWN.

Seasonal temperature and precipitation regimes drive variation in the wood of oak species (Quercus) along a climatic gradient in western Mexico

Summary To achieve optimal balance among wood’s support, storage, and transport functions, tree species present adaptive variation in wood anatomical traits. Oaks (Quercus) are woody plants that are dominant in many ecosystems, possess wide variation in wood traits, and can tolerate water stress in diverse habitats. Mountain regions contain steep climatic gradients that exert strong environmental pressures on wood traits. The aims of this study were: (1) to quantify the anatomical variation in 21 oak species distributed along an environmental gradient and (2) to analyze the interspecific variation among the studied species. Fibres and parenchyma fractions were the most abundant cell types. We found a trade-off between total fibre fraction and total parenchyma fraction modulated by the precipitation during the warmest quarter in which oak species in drier areas invested more in support cells. The 21 oak species studied showed vasicentric tracheids, which could be essential to compensate for the transport system in drier areas. Wood density was negatively correlated with the axial parenchyma fraction and fibre lumen width. Oak species have high interspecific variation in the total vessel fraction and vessel diameter. Anatomical variation in oak species along a climatic gradient showed a broad continuum of fibre characteristics from wide to narrow wall and lumen, abundant to scarce parenchyma, and wide to narrow vessels. These variations imply a diversification of ecological strategies within the genus that includes the vascular design of the stem to define the tolerance and competitiveness of the oak species.

Estimation of stomatal density of leaves with hierarchical reticulate venation

ABSTRACT Stomatal density (SD) is important to photosynthetic rates. However, it is time-consuming to measure SD. Here, we provide a method for estimating SD based on the scaling relationship between SD and mean nearest neighbour distance (MNND) of sampled stomatal centres. 397 leaves from eight Magnoliaceae species were used for this study. For each leaf, three 1.2 mm × 0.9 mm lamina sections, positioned equidistantly between leaf left margin and midrib, were examined (in total 1189 sections). SD and MNND were calculated for each section. Regression protocols were used to test for a negative SD vs. MNND scaling relationship at the species and family levels. Additionally, 10 to 200 stomata from each section were randomly sampled to check for the prediction accuracy of SD using the SD vs MNND scaling relationship. There were significant differences in SD among the different lamina positions for 7 of 8 species. The inverse SD vs MNND scaling relationship was validated at the species and family levels. For the pooled data, the MNND values using 14, 25 and 50 stomata accounted for >80%, 85% and 90% of the variance in SD on a log-log scale, respectively. SD was characterized by high interspecific variability, and within-leaf variability, decreasing from the position near the midrib to that near the leaf margin. SD scaled inversely with MNND for the eight species. Thus, using the rapidly estimated trait MNND significantly simplifies and expedites the estimation of SD.

Adult male birds advance spring migratory phenology faster than females and juveniles across North America.

Advances in spring migratory phenology comprise some of the most well-documented evidence for the impacts of climate change on birds. Nevertheless, surprisingly little research has investigated whether birds are shifting their migratory phenology equally across sex and age classes-a question critical to understanding the potential for trophic mismatch. We used 60 years of bird banding data across North America-comprising over 4million captures in total-to investigate both spring and fall migratory phenology for a total of 98 bird species across sex and age classes, with the exact numbers of species for each analysis depending on season-specific data availability. Consistent with protandry, in spring (n= 89 species), adult males were the first to arrive and immature females were the last to arrive. In fall (n= 98), there was little difference between sexes, but adults tended to depart earlier than juveniles. Over 60 years, adult males advanced their phenology the fastest (-0.84 days per decade, 95 CrI=-1.22 to -0.47, n= 36), while adult and immature females advanced at a slower pace, causing the gap in male and female arrival times to widen over time. In the fall, there was no overall trend in phenology by age or sex (n= 57), driven in part by high interspecific variation related to breeding and molt strategies. Our results indicate consistent and predictable age- and sex-based differences in the rates at which species' springtime phenology is shifting. The growing gap between male and female migratory arrival indicates sex-based plasticity in adaptation to climate change that has strong potential to negatively impact current and future population trends.

Taxonomy and molecular phylogeny analysis of the genus Diogenes “Edwardsii group” (Decapoda: Anomora: Diogenidae) based on mitochondrial DNA sequences

Abstract. Fitrian T, Madduppa H, Ismet MS, Rahayu DL. 2022. Taxonomy and molecular phylogeny analysis of the genus Diogenes “Edwardsii group” (Decapoda: Anomora: Diogenidae) based on mitochondrial DNA sequences. Biodiversitas 23: 5302-5313. Many variations of morphological characters differ from one species to another, showing high interspecific variation within the genus Diogenes Dana, 1851. Subtle morphological differences among certain species make it difficult to identify diagnostic characters. Although the genus is very speciose, the study on the molecular is poorly reported. This study aimed to evaluate the taxonomy and phylogeny of the genus Diogenes using morphological and molecular features. The molecular phylogeny of 15 species of Diogenes included in the "Edwardsii group" was constructed based on two mitochondrial genes COI and 16S rRNA. The results of the phylogeny tree construction based on concatenated mitochondrial genes COI and 16S rRNA mtDNA formed 5 clades of monophyletic. Phylogenetic relationships of Diogenes species based on concatenated mitochondrial genes COI and 16S rRNA sequenced suggest that the morphological and molecular analyses of the species in this study corroborated one another. Among 15 species studied, three species were challenging to identify due to their resemblance to other species traits. The phylogenetic tree demonstrates that the three taxa denoted by 'sp.' were different from the known species of Diogenes so far. Diogenes sp.1 was closely related to Diogenes moosai Rahayu & Forest, 1995, Diogenes sp.2 resembles Diogenes laevicarpus Rahayu, 1996, while Diogenes sp.3 was closely related to Diogenes goniochirus Forest, 1956.

Interspecific variation in fish spatial synchrony relates to reproductive traits in a highly fragmented river

AbstractSpatial synchrony occurs when the abundance of populations in different locations rise and fall together. This pattern is caused mainly by dispersal and spatially correlated environmental stochasticity. The levels of spatial synchrony can vary between species, yet little is known about which species traits can explain this interspecific variation. In addition, traits may have different degrees of influence on spatial synchrony levels because of their differences in plasticity. We hypothesized that conservative traits—reproductive and morphological—will best explain interspecific variation in synchrony, while those that may vary according to the environment—feeding and habitat preference—will be weakly related to this interspecific variation. We evaluated the spatial synchrony of freshwater fish species in a highly fragmented river in the Neotropical region and related the levels of synchrony to seven predictors: diet, reproductive traits (migration, fecundation, parental care and spawning), position in the water column, niche breadth, body size, body shape and average temporal occurrence of each species. The fish species showed low levels of spatial synchrony but a high interspecific variation (correlation values ranging from −0.11 to 0.41). We found that this variation was mainly related to species' reproductive traits, that is, sedentary species with partial spawning and without parental care had higher mean spatial synchrony than species with the opposite characteristics. In contrast, more plastic traits (diet and habitat preferences) were poor predictors of mean spatial synchrony. We speculate that, despite the low spatial synchrony found, if extreme impacts continue to occur in the basin at the regional scale, it may negatively affect local fish populations in a synchronous manner, resulting in increased risk of simultaneous declines.

A seasonal pulse of ungulate neonates influences space use by carnivores in a multi-predator, multi-prey system.

The behavioral mechanisms by which predators encounter prey are poorly resolved. In particular, the extent to which predators engage in active search for prey versus incidentally encountering them has not been well studied in many systems and particularly not for neonate prey during the birth pulse. Parturition of many large herbivores occurs during a short and predictable temporal window in which young are highly vulnerable to predation. Our study aims to determine how a suite of carnivores responds to the seasonal pulse of newborn ungulates using contemporaneous global positioning system (GPS) locations of four species of predators and two species of prey. We used step‐selection functions to assess whether coyotes, cougars, black bears, and bobcats encountered parturient adult female ungulates more often than expected by chance in a low‐density population of mule deer and a high‐density population of elk. We then assessed whether the carnivore species that encountered parturient prey more often than expected by chance did so by shifting their habitat use toward areas with a high probability of encountering neonates. None of the four carnivore species encountered GPS‐collared parturient mule deer more often than expected by chance. By contrast, we determined that cougar and male bear movements positioned them in the proximity of GPS‐collared parturient elk more often than expected by chance which may provide evidence of searching behavior. Although both male bears and cougars exhibited behavior consistent with active search for neonates, only male bears used elk parturition habitat in a way that dynamically tracked the phenology of the elk birth pulse suggesting that maximizing encounters with juvenile elk was a motivation when selecting resources. Our results suggest that there is high interspecific and intersexual variability in foraging strategies among large mammalian predators and their prey.

Screening and functional validation of lipid metabolism-related lncRNA-46546 based on the transcriptome analysis of early embryonic muscle tissue in chicken.

The study was conducted to screen differentially expressed long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) in chickens by high-throughput sequencing and explore its mechanism of action on intramuscular fat deposition. Herein, Rose crown and Cbb broiler chicken embryo breast and leg muscle lncRNA and mRNA expression profiles were constructed by RNA sequencing. A total of 96 and 42 differentially expressed lncRNAs were obtained in Rose crown vs Cobb broiler chicken breast and leg muscle, respectively. lncRNA-ENSGALT00000046546, with high interspecific variability and a potential regulatory role in lipid metabolism, and its predicted downstream target gene 1-acylglycerol-3-phosphate-O-acyltransferase 2 (AGPAT2), were selected for further study on the preadipocytes. lncRNA-46546 overexpression in chicken preadipocyte 2 cells significantly increased (p<0.01) the expression levels of AGPAT2 and its downstream genes diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1 and diacylglycerol acyltransferase 2 and those of the fat metabolism-related genes peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ, CCAAT/enhancer binding protein α, fatty acid synthase, sterol regulatory element-binding transcription factor 1, and fatty acid binding protein 4. The lipid droplet concentration was higher in the overexpression group than in the control cells, and the triglyceride content in cells and medium was also significantly increased (p<0.01). This study preliminarily concludes that lncRNA-46546 may promote intramuscular fat deposition in chickens, laying a foundation for the study of lncRNAs in chicken early embryonic development and fat deposition.

Interspecific Analysis of Sea Urchin Adhesive Composition Emphasizes Variability of Glycans Conjugated With Putative Adhesive Proteins

Sea urchins possess specialized adhesive organs, tube feet. Although initially believed to function as suckers, it is currently accepted that they rely on adhesive and de-adhesive secretions to attach and detach repeatedly from the substrate. Given the biotechnological potential of their strong reversible adhesive, sea urchins are under investigation to identify the protein and glycan molecules responsible for its surface coupling, cohesion and polymerization properties. However, this characterization has only focused on a single species, Paracentrotus lividus. To provide a broader insight into sea urchins adhesion, a comparative study was performed using four species belonging to different taxa and habitats: Diadema africanum, Arbacia lixula, Paracentrotus lividus and Sphaerechinus granularis. Their tube feet external morphology and histology was studied, together with the ultrastructure of their adhesive secretory granules. In addition, one antibody and five lectins were used on tube foot histological sections and extracts, and on adhesive footprints to detect the presence of adhesion-related (glyco)proteins like those present in P. lividus in other species. Results confirmed that the antibody raised against P. lividus Nectin labels the adhesive organs and footprints in all species. This result was further confirmed by a bioinformatic analysis of Nectin-like sequences in ten additional species, increasing the comparison to seven families and three orders. The five tested lectins (GSL II, WGA, STL, LEL, and SBA) demonstrated that there is high interspecific variability of the glycans involved in sea urchin adhesion. However, there seems to be more conservation among taxonomically closer species, like P. lividus and S. granularis. In these species, lectin histochemistry and lectin blots indicated the presence of high molecular weight putative adhesive glycoproteins bearing N-acetylglucosamine residues in the form of chitobiose in the adhesive epidermis and footprints. Our results emphasize a high selective pressure for conservation of functional domains in large putative cohesive proteins and highlight the importance of glycosylation in sea urchin adhesion with indications of taxonomy-related conservation of the conjugated glycans.

Comprehensive analytical approaches reveal species‐specific search strategies in sympatric apex predatory sharks

Animals follow specific movement patterns and search strategies to maximize encounters with essential resources (e.g. prey, favourable habitat) while minimizing exposures to suboptimal conditions (e.g. competitors, predators). While describing spatiotemporal patterns in animal movement from tracking data is common, understanding the associated search strategies employed continues to be a key challenge in ecology. Moreover, studies in marine ecology commonly focus on singular aspects of species' movements, however using multiple analytical approaches can further enable researchers to identify ecological phenomena and resolve fundamental ecological questions relating to movement. Here, we used a set of statistical physics‐based methods to analyze satellite tracking data from three co‐occurring apex predators (tiger, great hammerhead and bull sharks) that predominantly inhabit productive coastal regions of the northwest Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. We analyzed data from 96 sharks and calculated a range of metrics, including each species' displacements, turning angles, dispersion, space‐use and community‐wide movement patterns to characterize each species' movements and identify potential search strategies. Our comprehensive approach revealed high interspecific variability in shark movement patterns and search strategies. Tiger sharks displayed near‐random movements consistent with a Brownian strategy commonly associated with movements through resource‐rich habitats. Great hammerheads showed a mixed‐movement strategy including Brownian and resident‐type movements, suggesting adaptation to widespread and localized high resource availability. Bull sharks followed a resident movement strategy with restricted movements indicating localized high resource availability. We hypothesize that the species‐specific search strategies identified here may help foster the co‐existence of these sympatric apex predators. Following this comprehensive approach provided novel insights into spatial ecology and assisted with identifying unique movement and search strategies. Similar future studies of animal movement will help characterize movement patterns and also enable the identification of search strategies to help elucidate the ecological drivers of movement and to understand species' responses to environmental change.

Can bryophyte groups increase functional resolution in tundra ecosystems?

The relative contribution of bryophytes to plant diversity, primary productivity, and ecosystem functioning increases towards colder climates. Bryophytes respond to environmental changes at the species level, but because bryophyte species are relatively difficult to identify, they are often lumped into one functional group. Consequently, bryophyte function remains poorly resolved. Here, we explore how higher resolution of bryophyte functional diversity can be encouraged and implemented in tundra ecological studies. We briefly review previous bryophyte functional classifications and the roles of bryophytes in tundra ecosystems and their susceptibility to environmental change. Based on shoot morphology and colony organization, we then propose twelve easily distinguishable bryophyte functional groups. To illustrate how bryophyte functional groups can help elucidate variation in bryophyte effects and responses, we compiled existing data on water holding capacity, a key bryophyte trait. Although plant functional groups can mask potentially high interspecific and intraspecific variability, we found better separation of bryophyte functional group means compared with previous grouping systems regarding water holding capacity. This suggests that our bryophyte functional groups truly represent variation in the functional roles of bryophytes in tundra ecosystems. Lastly, we provide recommendations to improve the monitoring of bryophyte community changes in tundra study sites.

Morphological and palynological assessment of some taxa of genus Echinochloa through light and scanning electron microscopy

The present study was undertaken to gather information on selected species of Echinochloa based on their morphological and palyonological examination through light and scanning electron microscopy. As the Echinochloa species are most problematic grass weeds and exhibit high interspecific and intraspecific variability so due to their great morphological diversity it is difficult to recognize them. A lot of variation was observed in morphological features of studied taxa. In the present study, E. colona had more or less spreading dense racemes whereas in E. crus-galli racemes were linear to ovate. Upper glume surface was pubescent in E. colona, hispid in E. crus-galli and spinose in E. walteri. E. colona was comprised of five-nerved glumes whereas in E. crus-galli glumes were three-nerved. Although pollen basic characters in family Poaceae remains consistent but great variation was observed in pollen of studied taxa. The pollen size was quite variable among the species of genus Echinochloa. In polar view, the size of pollen grains ranged from 27.5 (20-35) μm to 40 (30-50) μm. E. crus-galli was appeared to be the smallest in size whereas E. colona was the largest.). P/E ratio ranged from 0.84 to 1.15 μm among the species. The highest value of pollen fertility was found in E. colona as 93.33% and lowest was in E. crus-galli as 87.50%. The morphological key of studied taxa is also given to study variations. In conclusion, it was observed that microscopy of morphological and palynological assessment can play a vital role in identification of taxonomically problematic taxa.

Impact of long‐term water level drawdown on functional plant trait composition of northern peatlands

Abstract Understanding how plant communities respond to increased evaporation and consequent water level drawdown (WLD) is critical for predicting the functioning of northern peatlands under climate change. Functional traits provide a quantitative link between vegetation and ecosystem functions and, therefore, constitute a useful concept for predicting responses to climate change. We studied the impact of long‐term experimental WLD on vascular plant and moss traits at a rich fen, poor fen and bog. Vegetation change was followed over a 15‐year period. In the final study year, the traits of the most common plant species were measured from control and WLD areas at each peatland type. We found equally high interspecific trait variation for Sphagnum mosses and vascular plants while the intraspecific variation was greater in the mosses. Community‐weighted mean (CWM) traits varied between sites; WLD had the strongest impact on those traits that the dominant plant group originally had high values for, and in most cases, WLD further increased these values. In the vascular‐plant‐dominated rich fen, WLD led to taller plants with a greater specific leaf area, features that under the prevailing water table were also greatest at that site. In the bog, characterized by dense Sphagnum moss stands with small individuals, WLD further enhanced these properties that increase the ability of a moss stand to remain moist under drier conditions. The poor fen was transitional between the two extremes, both in its vegetation composition and in its trait responses. Structural equation models (SEM) showed that WLD in the fens, indirectly via other traits, increased photosynthetic capacity while the impact in the bog site was the opposite. In the poor fen and bog, WLD directly increased vascular plant respiration while the increase in the rich fen was through other traits. WLD directly increased and decreased Sphagnum respiration in the poor fen and bog, respectively. Overall, the traits of the vascular plant and Sphagnum communities in the bog were more dependent on each other than they were in the fens. Based on these findings, it is evident that fens and bogs respond differently to WLD. This should be considered when predicting the effects of climate change on peatland carbon cycling. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

Analysis of the protein profile of the venoms of snakes Bothrops asper, Bothrocophias myersi and Crotalus durissus from the Colombian Andean Region obtained by RP-HPLC

Snake venoms comprise a highly complex mixture of proteins, and there is also a high interspecific and intraspecific variability in their composition, even in the same region. Our aim was to compare the composition of the venoms of Bothrocophias myersi, Crotalus durissus and Bothrops asper, snakes from the Andean region in Colombia by Reverse-Phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (RP-HPLC). The venoms were given to the research group under an agreement with the Fundación Zoológica de Cali. The venoms pool was obtained by manual extraction, lyophilized and refrigerated. The protein found in the venoms was quantified by spectrophotometry using the Bradford and Lowry methods and direct measurement by Nanodrop®. The protein composition was stablished by RP-HPLC, using a Lichosper 100 RP, C18 column (250X4 mm) with a pore size of 5µm, as well as by Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate-Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The highest quantity of protein was found in the venom of B. myersi (108,6 mg/mL) followed by C. durissus (78,1 mg/mL) and B. asper (74.1 mg/mL). All venoms showed bands of 15 and 50 KDa by SDS-PAGE; The most important finding is the abundance of PLA2 and svMP in the venom of B. myersi. Chromatographic analyses revealed a very similar venom composition profile, but also certain differences in toxins abundance. We conclude that the process of separating the venom proteins by RP-HPLC and SDS-PAGE are very important as a first step to know the venoms profiles, which in turn could allow medical staff to elucidate the clinical syndrome produced by snakebites.

Systematic analysis of the genus Eriocaulon L. in India based on molecular and morphological evidence

The present study is the first-ever comprehensive molecular systematic study of Indian Eriocaulon species based on the critical appraisal of the freshly collected 552 accessions of 66 Eriocaulon spp. The genus Eriocaulon L. (Eriocaulaceae) is one of the most diverse genera of Eriocaulaceae and around one-quarter of the world’s representation is in India. The taxonomy of the genus has been challenging due to high intraspecific and low interspecific variation. With about 70% of Indian species endemic to the country, sparse representation in earlier phylogenetic studies did not provide phylogenetic resolution of Indian species. A critical analysis of morphology including microscopic seed surface characters of 55 species is presented here for the first time. Phylogenetic analyses based on ITS and trnL–F data yielded three major clades of Indian Eriocaulon species. Based on the morphological and molecular data, Eriocaulon baramaticum, E. govindiana, E. gulnarparianum, E. idukkianum, E. maharashtrense and E. pradeepii have been synonymized. Also, Eriocaulon rhodae has been reinstated. Molecular data exhibited little congruence with the earlier available taxonomic treatments for Indian species. Several morphological characters were mapped onto a phylogeny and none were found to characterize monophyletic groups.

Fertilization and seasonality influence on the photochemical performance of tree legumes in forest plantation for area recovery in the Amazon.

N-fixing leguminous species can reach atmospheric dinitrogen gas (N2), having an advantage under N-limited degraded environments. These N-fixers are constantly used as facilitative species. Chlorophyll a fluorescence (ChF) acknowledges how different species take up and use light energy during photosynthesis. These techniques assess stress and performance responses to photosynthesis and are used for the selection of species with potential for reforestation. Six Fabaceae species were selected for this study: three nonfixing species (Cenostigma tocantinum, Senna reticulata and Dipteryx odorata) and three N-fixing species (Clitoria fairchildiana, Inga edulis and Acacia spp.). Variations in chlorophyll fluorescence under high vs. low water and nutrient conditions were studied. Multivariate analysis was performed to detect the effects of seasonality and fertilization on dark-adapted ChF two years after the experiment was established. The correlation among ChF variables and growth, photosynthesis and foliar nutrient concentrations was evaluated. Under high water- and nutrient-availability conditions, plants exhibited an enhanced performance index on absorption basis values correlated with electron transport fluxes. Under drought and nutrient-poor conditions, most species exhibit increased energy dissipation as photoprotection. High interspecific variation was found; therefore, species-specific responses should be considered in future ChF studies. Corroborating the ability to colonize high-light environments, N-fixers showed an increased performance index correlated with electron transport and Zn and N foliar concentrations. Negative correlations were found between photosynthesis and trapped fluxes. Diameter growth was positively correlated with electron transport fluxes. Given the different responses among species, ChF is an effective technique to screen for seasonality, fertilization and species effects and should be considered for use during forest restoration. Finally, the addition of fertilization treatments may facilitate tropical forest restoration due to the importance of nutrients in physiological processes. N-fixers showed high photochemical performance and tolerance to abiotic stress in degraded areas and therefore should be included to support ecosystem biomass restoration.

Characterization of New Molecular Markers of Three Botflies Parasitizing Cervid Hosts.

Specific identification of oestrid larvae is usually problematic not only when using morphobiometric features, but also when applying molecular criteria, since very few molecular markers have been described for this group of flies. New molecular markers for oestrid are needed for more reliable species identification, diagnostic purposes, and epidemiological surveys; moreover, they can help in phylogenetic reconstruction. Here, we report the characterization of COI, 28S rDNA, ITS1, and ITS2 in Cephenemyia stimulator from roe deer and in Cephenemyia auribarbis and Pharyngomyia picta from red deer. The COI and 28S rDNA are very uniform in length, while the ITSs sequences are highly variable at both intraspecific and interspecific levels. The described ITSs sequences were longer than those described for other dipteran species by the presence of simple repeats and tandem repeat sequences. In C. auribarbis both ITS1 and ITS2 appeared as two variants, one short and the other long. In general, the analyzed markers present low intraspecific genetic variation and high interspecific variation. ITSs showed the greatest amount of intraspecific and interspecific variation. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that the characterized sequences differentiate the species and genera of Oestridae.

Growth plasticity in response to shading as a potential key to the evolution of angiosperm herbs

In angiosperms, herbs evolved from ancestral woody growth form. A number of hypotheses on what was the driver of their evolution have been proposed, but none of them has received clear support so far. We are putting forward a new hypothesis that an important advantage of the herbaceous growth form lies in its greater capacity for plastic response to neighbour shading. Since most herbs form aboveground structures only for 1 year, they can respond to light heterogeneity more plastically than woody plants with long-living structures which need to pursue long-term goals such as stability and upward growth. To test the hypothesis, we carried out an experiment comparing plastic response to directional green shading of 21 species of young herbaceous and woody plants. We measured change of their tilt and length and compared it between herbs and woody plants using phylogenetic techniques. Both herbs and woody plants in our experiment responded to directed green shading by growing away from the shading plastic film. Overall response of herbs was, in agreement with the hypothesis, slightly stronger than response of woody plants, although there was high interspecific variation. The data indicate that herbs indeed have greater plasticity of stem growth in response to neighbour shading than woody plants, although the overall difference is not very strong. This capacity for plastic response might have played a role as one of the drivers of the evolution of the herbaceous growth form.