Numerical Taxonomy Research Articles

Alkaloids as taxonomic markers in some species of Magnolia L. and Liriodendron L.

Some <em>Magnoliaceae</em> cultivated in Poland were investigated: <em>Liriodendron tulipifera</em> L. and 6 species of magnolia: <em>Magnolia acuminata</em> L., <em>M. denudata</em> Desr., <em>M. kobus</em> DC., <em>M. obovata</em> Thunb., <em>M. salicifolia</em> Maxim. and <em>M. tripetala</em> L. For alkaloid detection in the leaves thin-,layer chromatography was used. In <em>Liriodendron tulipifera</em> L. and in all the Magnolia species liriodenine which exhibits cytostatic activity was detected. The extract of <em>Liriodendron tulipifera</em> L. leaves showed, beside liriodenine other spots on the chromatogram than did the magnolias. Alkaloids can be utilized in the chemotaxonomy of <em>Magnoliaceae</em> as a diagnostic trait. The results of the investigations indicate a certain distinctiveness of <em>M. acuminata</em> L., in agreement with those obtained by way of numerical taxonomy. Most similar as regards alkaloid content in leaves are <em>M. obovata</em> Thunb. and <em>M. tripetala</em> L.

Phenetic and geographic pattern of Aconitum sect. Napellus (Ranunculaceae) in the Eastern Carpathians - a numerical approach

<em>Aconitum</em> sect. <em>Napellus</em> in the Eastern Carpathians was explored with the use of methods of numerical taxonomy*. The taxon consists of <em>A. bucovinense</em> Zapał. pro hybr., <em>A.firmum</em> Rchb. subsp. <em>firmum</em>, <em>A. firmum</em> subsp. <em>fissurae</em> Nyarady, <em>A. fimum</em> nsubsp.<em>fussianum</em> Starmuhl (<em>A.firmum</em> subsp. <em>firmum</em> x subsp. <em>f'issurae</em>), <em>A.</em> x <em>nanum</em> (Baumg.) Simonk. (<em>A. bucovinense</em> x <em>A. firmum</em>) and a hybrid <em>A. firmum</em> x <em>A.</em> x <em>nanum</em>. The taxi form phenetic continuum in a character hyperspace and their delimitation bases on a few traits, hitherto neglected, e.g. type of hairiness and flower morphology. A key is provided to identify taxa at all ranks within the supplemented of sect. <em>Napellus</em>. There is a regional pattern of particular OTUs distribution, which show local morphological uniqueness within a taxon. The phenomenon was inquired using the concept of "centers of phenetic coherence" (CPC) based on overall morphological similarity. The CPC may be interpreteted as regions of neoendemism and/or may reflect a post-glacial migratory route. High-mountain flora of the Western Bieszczady Mts. (sect. Napelus as its example) has features of neoendemism (schizoendemism), being most probably a result of geographical vicarism.

Presence of flavonoids and intrafamilial ciassification of the Compositae

The structure of flavonoids isolated from plants of the <i>Compositae</i> family was applied for comparision of two classifications (Wagenitz 1976 and Takhtadjan 1987). The methods of numerical taxonomy, both phenetic and phylogenetic, confirm that Takhtadjan's classication based on morphological and anatomical data is more adequate to the flavonoid diversity.

Functional diversity of culturable phosphate solubilizing fluorescent pseudomonads

Fluorescent pseudomonad bacteria were isolated from different strawberry fields in Srinagar and Baramulla districts of Kashmir, India. The isolates were compared with a standard isolate obtained from Biofertilizer Production Laboratory, Marathwarda Agricultural University, Parbani, Maharashtra, India, for various beneficial activities. Screening of the isolates showed that significantly higher IAA (36.08 µ mol ml-1) was produced by isolate PS8, siderophore, HCN and ammonia was produced by all barring PS3, PS7 and PS9. ACC deaminase activity was shown by PS1, PS7 and PS10. Significantly higher protease (516.12 µ mol ml-1), chitinase (6.8 µ mol ml-1) and pectinase (138.16 activity of Polygalacturanase unit ml-1) was exhibited by PS1.The isolate PS2 showed higher antagonistic potential against Fusarium sp. All the isolates except PS3, PS7, PS9 and PS16 solubilized insoluble phosphorus while as 17 isolates barring PS3, PS7 and PS9 solubilized zinc, iron and potassium.Statistically significant quantities 7.42 (µgml-1) and 60.35 (µgml-1) of sparingly soluble phosphate was solubilized by the isolate PS6 after 2 and 10 days of incubation respectively, simultaneously the pH of growing medium was reduced from 6.5 to 5.3 by the isolate PS6 after 10 days of incubation. All the isolates except PS7, PS11 and PS16 utilized eleven different sources of carbon and the numerical taxonomy of isolates depending on their carbon source utilization profile resulted into two major phenons at 0.27 similarity coefficient level.

Numerical Taxonomy of Combretum Loefl. from Southeastern Nigeria

Numerical Taxonomy of Combretum Loefl. from Southeastern Nigeria

Morphometric analyses of the leaf variation within Quercus L. Sect. Cerris Loudon in Turkey

Oaks are classified heavily based on the leaf morphology. However, identification of specimens without acorns is usually controversial in Cerris section. Although members of Cerris section have a broad distribution area, there are only few taxonomic studies. Therefore, the current study is the first to show the discrimination of species in Cerris section based on leaf characters from Turkey. Discrimination among the members of Cerris section over Turkey (Q. cerris L. var. cerris, Q. ithaburensis Decne. subsp. macrolepis (Kotschy) Hedge and Yalt, Q. brantii Lindley, Q. libani Olivier, and Q. trojana P. B. subsp. trojana.) was aimed and variations within and among the species based on 15 qualitative leaf characters was presented. In this work we have studied the natural variability of these species by analysing leaf materials collected from 44 populations around Turkey. Cluster Analysis (CA) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) were performed to assess intra-specific differentiation and to compare the distribution of variance in the individual and population level. The results showed that the leaf characters presented a good discrimination of five Cerris taxa in PCA at the population level, but the relationships between Q. ithaburensis subsp. macrolepis and Q. brantii showed complex groups in CA. Among the studied taxa, the highest variation was found within Q. cerris populations. In this work, we obtained discrimination of Cerris section species from Turkey based on leaf characters which is quite useful for those herbarium specimens without acorns and in other systematic observations. Additional key words: cluster analysis, numerical taxonomy, oak, principal component analysis Address: Abant Izzet Baysal University, Faculty of Science and Art, Department of Biology, Golkoy 14280 Bolu, Turkey; e-mail: uslu_e@ibu.edu.tr

Location optimization of wind power generation–transmission systems under uncertainty using hierarchical fuzzy DEA: A case study

Abstract The use of wind energy as a renewable source of energy is rapidly increasing all over the world as demand for energy is rising. Apart from wind blow, different social and local criteria are important for location optimization of wind power generation–transmission plants. This study presents an integrated fuzzy-DEA approach for decision making on wind plant locations. Besides, an integrated approach incorporating the most relevant indicators of wind plants is introduced. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Numerical Taxonomy (NT) are the two multivariate methods used for verification and validation of the results of the DEA model. The proposed model was tested on 25 nominated cities in Iran with 5 regions in each city. In addition, 20 other cities are considered as the consumers of the generated energy. The obtained results indicate the importance of consumers' proximity in wind plant establishment. Moreover, it is shown that fuzzification of uncertain indicators leads to a more realistic approach to this facility location problem.

Numeric taxonomy of some Apioideae species, based on general morphology and carpological features

The gross morphology as well as fruit morphological and anatomical characters of twenty four taxa of subfamily Apioideae was investigated to show their taxonomic location as compared to Drude's classification (1898). The classification of the studied taxa is summarised as follows: 1) Pimpinella L. of Drude's tribe Ammineae is segregated alone in a separate branch; 2) some of the genera of tribe Ammineae namely Ammi L., Apium L., Petroselinum Hill, Ridolfia Moris and Carum L. are agglomerated in subgroup I of group I; 3) Chaerophyllum L. of tribe Scandicineae subtribe Scandicinae, Torilis Adans. of tribe Scandicineae subtribe Caucalinae and Cuminum L. of tribe Ammineae are separated in the form of separate branches from subgroup I of group I; 4) Bifora Hoffm. and Coriandrum L. of tribe Coriandreae are also separated together in subgroup II of group I; 5) Anethum L. of tribe Ammineae and Malabaila Hoffm. of tribe Peucedaneae subtribe Tordyliinae are clustered with Foeniculum Mill. of tribe Ammineae in subgroup III of group I; 6) Daucus L. of tribe Dauceae and Pseudorlaya (Murb.) Murb. of tribe Scandicineae subtribe Caucalinae are clustered together in group II; and 7) Deverra DC. species and Bupleurum semicompositum L. of tribe Ammineae are clustered together in group III. The obtained data were numerically analyzed by the NTsys-PC program package using the UPGMA clustering method.

Using Numerical Taxonomy and Combined Bulls-Eye–Shapley Weighting Method in Order to Ranking Websites of Iranian Universities by Three-Parameter Interval Gray Numbers

In this paper, we want to rank some websites in Iranian universities by three-parameter interval gray numbers instead of linguistic variables. In this paper, we utilize gray numerical taxonomy method. In this comparison six criteria are intended, which include: the size of web pages, ability of observing by others, accessible files, citation, designing and speed of loading. Also we use new method to weighting attributes that is combination of bulls-eye and Shapley value method. In this paper, ten universities were studied.

Modern pollen rain in heathlands and adjacent forest phytocoenoses in Northern and Central Poland

Differences between modern pollen rains in three types of phytocoenoses were studied in two regions, i.e. Tuchola Forest and Toruń Basin. The phytocoenoses in question were heaths, young pine-birch growths and mature pine tree stands, which form a temporal sequence and spatial mosaic in the landscape. In order to compare the structure of pollen samples, phytocoenoses and the landscape, the methods of numerical taxonomy were applied. An increase in the average number of sporomorphs was recorded, as well as in the taxonomic diversity of the pollen spectrum in this temporal sequence arranged from non-forest communities through young growths to mature forests. In the subsequent developmental stages, also the percentage contribution of Pinus pollen increased, as well as the total contribution of arboreal pollen (AP). The increase in the percentage contribution of arboreal pollen is accompanied by the decrease in the contribution of non-arboreal pollen (NAP), including Calluna and Ericaceae. Also a small increase in the number of species was observed. With the increased pine domination, however, the diversity of pollen types (expressed by rarefaction and Shannon-Wiener indices) decreases. As a result of the performed analyses, it was also found that the species composition of phytocoenoses and a pollen spectrum differs considerably, because the import of pollen from further areas exerts a significant influence on the structure of a palynological sample. The genus Calluna is the only type of plants characterized by a strong relationship between the occurrence in a phytocoenosis and in a surface pollen sample. Similarity between the taxa composition of a pollen spectrum and the landscape structure, consisting of a mosaic of phytocoenoses, seems to be higher than between a pollen sample and a phytocoenosis from which that sample was collected. The latter thesis, however, needs to be confirmed by further researches.

A description of two new species of Ligophorus Euzet & Suriano, (Monogenea: Ancyrocephalidae) from Malaysian mugilid fish using principal component analysis and numerical taxonomy

Ligophorus belanaki n. sp. and Ligophorus kederai n. sp. are described from Liza subviridis Valenciennes, 1836 and Valamugil buchanani Bleeker, 1854, respectively. Ligophorus kederai n. sp. has fenestrated ventral anchors, while in L. belanaki n. sp. the ventral anchor is not fenestrated. Ligophorus belanaki n. sp. is similar to L. careyensis, one of its coexisting congeners, in the overall shape and size of hard parts, but differs in having a flat median piece in the structure of the AMP (antero-median protuberance of the ventral bar), copulatory organ with non-ornamented initial part and longer vaginal tube, compared to raised median piece in the AMP, ornamented initial part and comparatively shorter vaginal tube in L. careyensis. Ligophorus kederai n. sp. is similar to L. fenestrum, a coexisting congener, in having fenestrated ventral anchors, but differs in having longer points and narrower base. Ligophorus fenestrum, unlike L. kederai n. sp., also possesses fenestrated dorsal anchors. The principal component analysis (PCA) scatterplots indicate that the two new and eight known Ligophorus species from Malaysian mugilids can be differentiated based on the morphometries of their anchors, ventral bars and copulatory organ separately and when combined together. Numerical taxonomy (NT) analyses based on Jaccard's Index of Similarity and neighbour-joining clustering, is used to facilitate comparison of these two new species with the 50 known Ligophorus based on morphological and metric characters. The two new species are different from each other and the other 50 species in the overall shapes and sizes of hard parts, as indicated by the NT analyses.

Numerical Taxonomy of Bovine Viral Diarrhea Viruses in the Genus <I>Pestivirus</I>

Numerical Taxonomy of Bovine Viral Diarrhea Viruses in the Genus <I>Pestivirus</I>

Diverse Gene Cassettes in Class 1 Integrons of Facultative Oligotrophic Bacteria of River Mahananda, West Bengal, India

BackgroundIn this study a large random collection (n = 2188) of facultative oligotrophic bacteria, from 90 water samples gathered in three consecutive years (2007–2009) from three different sampling sites of River Mahananda in Siliguri, West Bengal, India, were investigated for the presence of class 1 integrons and sequences of the amplification products.Methodology/Principal FindingsReplica plating method was employed for determining the antibiotic resistance profile of the randomly assorted facultative oligotrophic isolates. Genomic DNA from each isolate was analyzed by PCR for the presence of class 1 integron. Amplicons were cloned and sequenced. Numerical taxonomy and 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses were done to ascertain putative genera of the class 1 integron bearing isolates. Out of 2188 isolates, 1667 (76.19%) were antibiotic-resistant comprising of both single-antibiotic resistance (SAR) and multiple-antibiotic resistant (MAR), and 521 (23.81%) were sensitive to all twelve different antibiotics used in this study. Ninety out of 2188 isolates produced amplicon(s) of varying sizes from 0.15 to 3.45 KB. Chi-square (χ2) test revealed that the possession of class 1 integron in sensitive, SAR and MAR is not equally probable at the 1% level of significance. Diverse antibiotic-resistance gene cassettes, aadA1, aadA2, aadA4, aadA5, dfrA1, dfrA5, dfrA7, dfrA12, dfrA16, dfrA17, dfrA28, dfrA30, dfr-IIe, blaIMP-9, aacA4, Ac-6′-Ib, oxa1, oxa10 and arr2 were detected in 64 isolates. The novel cassettes encoding proteins unrelated to any known antibiotic resistance gene function were identified in 26 isolates. Antibiotic-sensitive isolates have a greater propensity to carry gene cassettes unrelated to known antibiotic-resistance genes. The integron-positive isolates under the class Betaproteobacteria comprised of only two genera, Comamonas and Acidovorax of family Comamonadaceae, while isolates under class Gammaproteobacteria fell under the families, Moraxellaceae, Pseudomonadaceae, Aeromonadaceae and Enterobacteriaceae.ConclusionsOligotrophic bacteria are good sources of novel genes as well as potential reservoirs of antibiotic resistance gene casettes.

Numerical Taxonomy of Species in the Genus Mallomonas (Chrysophyta) from China

Mallomonas is one of the biggest genera of Chrysophyta. In total, 37 species and 2 varieties have been recorded in China. Because of their narrow ecological optimum, species of this genus are considered as valuable bioindicators. However, taxonomy of Mallomonas remains unclear. We studied the numerical taxonomy of all the species and varieties recorded in China using Ward’s method and the furthest neighbor method based on 52 morphological characters. Shown in the phylogenetic trees, those species could be divided into two major clusters. One cluster includes 5 small clusters and another includes 2. The results of numerical taxonomy are partially consistent with the traditional ones with some divergences. Furthermore, the diversity of silicified scales including shapes and structures was confirmed as the most important character for identification of Mallomonas species.

Manufacturing and supply alignment: Are different manufacturing strategies linked to different purchasing practices?

Despite the recognized importance of the horizontal fit between purchasing and manufacturing, empirical research in this area is scarce. In this paper, we investigate whether different manufacturing strategies translate into different supply management practices. To do this, we develop a numerical taxonomy of manufacturing strategies based on ten competitive priorities using survey data from manufacturing plants in developed countries. Cluster analysis identifies three manufacturing strategy types: Quality customizers, Caretakers and Timekeepers. We then use analysis of variance to compare the purchasing practices of members of different manufacturing strategy groups. Results indicate that the size of the supply base and the percentage of strategic suppliers are not significantly different among the three groups. Considering the criteria for selecting suppliers, we find that Quality customizers put significantly more emphasis on all criteria, but firms in the three groups consider the same major criteria when choosing their suppliers. The adoption of coordination mechanisms with suppliers follows a similar pattern. Quality customizers show the highest level of adoption of all mechanisms, but the ranking of the level of adoption of the coordination mechanisms is similar in the three manufacturing groups. Overall, results do not show a strong link between manufacturing and purchasing strategies. Manufacturing plants in our sample do not align their manufacturing strategy with dissimilar purchasing practices. We discuss possible explanations for this unexpected result.

Ocena potencjału kulturalnego największych miast Polski

The article includes an attempt to analyze the cultural potential of Warsaw, Krakow, Lodz, Wroclaw and Poznan. Selected characteristics for the analyze were grouped by categories: cultural resources, activities associated with the cultural sector and effects of development. The study used three different methods in the field of numerical taxonomy: Perkal’s natural Index Method natural, Hellwig’s pattern development method and agglomeration methods. This article aims to examine whether the results are consistent with each other, and if they are, to what extent?

Diversity of waterbird in mangrove forest at Sabar Miokre, Supiori Island, Papua

Abstract. Indrianto AP, Budiharjo A, Sugiyarto. 2013. Diversity of waterbird in mangrove forest at sabar miokre village supiori island Papua. Bonorowo Wetlands 3: 50-54. The diversity of waterbirds of an area is affected by habitat conditions. Supiori Island is a large forest area, and along its coastline is covered by mangrove forest vegetation. Supiori Island, located on the north of Papua island and directly adjacent to the Pacific Ocean, has a dense mangrove ecosystem. The purpose of this research was to know the diversity and relationship of waterbirds in Sabar Miokre harbor area, Koiryakam (Koryakam) Village, Supiori District, Papua. The study was conducted in the mangrove forest. The location of many waterbirds determines the observation station; there are four observation posts. The observation is done between 06.00-09.00 am and 03.00-6.00 pm. Species identification involves beak form, short-term beak, wing types, foot shape, and claw form. The observation of waterbirds is done by sampling method, which records all species of waterbirds found in the observation post. Numerical taxonomy determines the relationship. The results showed five species: Phalacrocorax melanoleucos, Egretta sacra, Clytoceyx rex, Egretta alba, and Limosa limosa. The closest relationship was found between E. sacra and E. alba with a 64.28% similarity index, whereas the farthest relationship was found in P. melanoleucos and L. limosa with a similarity index of 21.42%.

Hierarchical product platform design: a domain-independent approach

In this paper, we present a systematic domain-independent approach for realising hierarchical product platforms using numerical taxonomy and technology diffusion based on the compromise Decision Support Problem (cDSP). Hierarchical product platforms present a form of competitive advantage by introducing standardisation on multiple system levels or scales. In this paper, we focus on how to synthesise numerical taxonomy and technology diffusion in a systematic multi-objective decision-making method based on cDSP templates to develop standardisation in platforms. This domain-independent approach to hierarchical product platform design is applied to develop a hierarchical product platform for a family of offshore vessels. Results of the hierarchical offshore vessel product platform design problem and the domain-independent approach to hierarchical product platform design are critically evaluated. The focus of this paper is on the design method rather than on the specific details of this problem.

Numerical taxonomy of the genus Pestivirus: New software for genotyping based on the palindromic nucleotide substitutions method

The genus Pestivirus from the family Flaviviridae is represented by four established species; Bovine viral diarrhea virus 1 (BVDV-1); Bovine viral diarrhea virus 2 (BVDV-2); Border disease virus (BDV); and Classical swine fever virus (CSFV); as well a tentative species from a Giraffe. The palindromic nucleotide substitutions (PNS) in the 5′ untranslated region (UTR) of Pestivirus RNA has been described as a new, simple and practical method for genotyping. New software is described, also named PNS, that was prepared specifically for this PNS genotyping procedure. Pestivirus identification using PNS was evaluated on five hundred and forty-three sequences at genus, species and genotype level using this software. The software is freely available at www.pns-software.com.

Peter Henry Andrews Sneath. 17 November 1923 — 9 September 2011

Peter Sneath revolutionized the practice of bacterial taxonomy over a 30-year period. He was the first to apply Adansonian principles to bacterial taxonomy, arguing that a robust system required that bacteria should be subjected to many phenotypic (phenetic) tests, all given equal weight, with analysis of the subsequent binary test scores being used to derive groups that could be given taxonomic rank (taxa). The procedures came to be known collectively as ‘numerical taxonomy’. A further innovation was the realization that the then embryonic discipline of computing could be harnessed to derive taxa from these very large sets of data. Computer-aided numerical taxonomy became the method of choice for classifying bacteria by the early 1960s. Much of Peter’s effort as Director of a Medical Research Council (MRC) Research Unit in Leicester in the 1960s and early 1970s was to reassess the taxonomy of most of the medically important bacteria. This information was then interrogated to determine the minimum number of tests required to identify new isolates reliably. The tests available in commercial identification kits in use today directly reflect these original numerical analyses. Later, after appointment to the Foundation Chair of Medical Microbiology at the University of Leicester, he carried out, together with colleagues, the most important revision of bacterial nomenclature for more than a century, the 1980 ‘Approved lists of bacterial names’. He was also a member, Vice Chairman and then Chairman of Bergey’s Trust, the organization responsible for Bergey’s manual of determinative bacteriology (later Bergey’s manual of systematic bacteriology ), the definitive account of bacterial taxonomy and properties. He continued to edit volumes and contribute sections right up to his death.