Plant Taxa Research Articles

Plio–Pleistocene vicariance across arid Australia in the ‘Spiny Knob-tailed Geckos’ (

Across Australia’s monsoon tropics and vast arid zone isolated regions or ‘islands’ of upland or rocky habitat are home to disjunct populations of many taxa of plants and animals. Comparative analyses of lineages that occur across these habitat islands provide opportunities to understand when and how environmental change drove isolation and diversification across arid Australia. Here we present an analysis of mitochondrial genetic diversity across disjunct populations of geckos in the Nephrurus asper group. Dating analyses suggest that disjunct and genetically divergent populations spanning the northern half of Australia diverged through the Plio–Pleistocene. Based on the timing of divergence and current habitat associations we hypothesise that species in this lineage were isolated by the expansion of unsuitable arid-zone habitats from the late Pliocene onwards. Across most areas, these barriers appear to be sandy or stony deserts. However, in eastern Australia genetically divergent populations are separated by grassland on flat vertisol-dominated soils (‘blacksoils’), suggesting that these habitats also expanded during the late Pliocene aridification. Finally, we show that western Queensland populations formerly referred to N. asper are genetically divergent and diagnosable on the basis of colour pattern and, herein, recognise these populations as a distinct species. https://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:9508CAAA-D014-452D-A3DA-325851615FA7

Long-term fungus–plant covariation from multi-site sedimentary ancient DNA metabarcoding

Climate change has a major impact on arctic and boreal terrestrial ecosystems as warming leads to northward treeline shifts, inducing consequences for heterotrophic organisms associated with the plant taxa. To unravel ecological dependencies, we address how long-term climatic changes have shaped the co-occurrence of plants and fungi across selected sites in Siberia.We investigated sedimentary ancient DNA from five lakes spanning the last 47,000 years, using the ITS1 marker for fungi and the chloroplast P6 loop marker for vegetation metabarcoding. We obtained 706 unique fungal operational taxonomic units (OTUs) and 243 taxa for the plants. We show higher OTU numbers in dry forest tundra as well as boreal forests compared to wet southern tundra. The most abundant fungal taxa in our dataset are Pseudeurotiaceae, Mortierella, Sordariomyceta, Exophiala, Oidiodendron, Protoventuria, Candida vartiovaarae, Pseudeurotium, Gryganskiella fimbricystis, and Trichosporiella cerebriformis. The overall fungal composition is explained by the plant composition as revealed by redundancy analysis. The fungal functional groups show antagonistic relationships in their climate susceptibility. The advance of woody taxa in response to past warming led to an increase in the abundance of mycorrhizae, lichens, and parasites, while yeast and saprotroph distribution declined. We also show co-occurrences between Salicaceae, Larix, and Alnus and their associated pathogens and detect higher mycorrhizal fungus diversity with the presence of Pinaceae. Under future warming, we can expect feedbacks between fungus composition and plant diversity changes which will affect forest advance, species diversity, and ecosystem stability in arctic regions.

Species delimitation of the liquorice tribe (Leguminosae: Glycyrrhizeae) based on phylogenomic and machine learning analyses

AbstractThe liquorice tribe Glycyrrhizeae is a leguminous herbaceous group of plants comprised of the genera Glycyrrhiza and Glycyrrhizopsis. Some Glycyrrhiza taxa contain glycyrrhizin, a pharmacologically significant sweet substance that also has applications in crafting industrial materials. Here, we utilized an expanded taxon sampling of Glycyrrhizeae to reconstruct the phylogenetic relationships in the tribe based on genome skimming data, including whole chloroplast genomes, nuclear ribosomal DNA, and low‐copy nuclear DNA. We also launched machine learning analysis (MLA) for one species pair with controversial taxonomic boundary. The integrated results indicated Glycyrrhizopsis should be split from Glycyrrhiza, while the former genus Meristotropis should be treated as part of Glycyrrhiza. Glycyrrhizopsis includes two species, Glycyrrhizopsis asymmetrica and Glycyrrhizopsis flavescens, and we recognize 13 species in Glycyrrhiza: Glycyrrhiza acanthocarpa, Glycyrrhiza astragalina, Glycyrrhiza bucharica, Glycyrrhiza echinata, Glycyrrhiza foetida, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Glycyrrhiza gontscharovii, Glycyrrhiza lepidota, Glycyrrhiza macedonica, Glycyrrhiza pallidiflora, Glycyrrhiza squamulosa, Glycyrrhiza triphylla, and Glycyrrhiza yunnanensis. We propose a broader G. glabra that includes former Glycyrrhiza aspera, G. glabra s.s., Glycyrrhiza inflata, and Glycyrrhiza uralensis, and represents the glycyrrhizin‐contained medicinal group. Our ancestral state inferences show the ancestor of Glycyrrhiza lacked glycyrrhizin, and the presence of glycyrrhizin evolved twice within Glycyrrhiza during the last one million years. Our integrative phylogenomics‐MLA study not only provides new insights into long‐standing taxonomic controversies of Glycyrrhizeae, but also represents a useful approach for future taxonomic studies on other plant taxa.

Trait-based prediction of extinction risk across terrestrial taxa

Species differ in their biological susceptibility to extinction, but the set of traits determining susceptibility varies across taxa. It is yet unclear which patterns are common to all taxa, and which are taxon-specific, with consequences to conservation practice. In this study we analysed the generality of trait-based prediction of extinction risk across terrestrial (including freshwater) vertebrates, invertebrates and plants at a global scale. For each group, we selected five representative taxa and within each group we explored whether risk can be related to any of 10 potential predictors. We then synthesized outcomes across taxa using a meta-analytic approach. High habitat specificity was a consistent predictor across vertebrates, invertebrates and plants, being a universal predictor of risk. Slow life-history traits – large relative offspring size, low fecundity, long generation length –, and narrow altitudinal range were also found to be good predictors across most taxa, but their universality needs to be supported with additional data. Poor dispersal ability was a common predictor of extinction risk among invertebrate and plant taxa, but not consistently among vertebrates. The remaining traits (body size, microhabitat verticality, trophic level, and diet breadth) were useful to predict extinction risk but only at lower taxonomical levels. Our study shows that despite the idiosyncrasies among taxa, universal susceptibility to extinction exists and several traits might influence extinction risk for most taxa. Informing conservation prioritization at lower taxonomic scales should however include taxon-specific trait-based predictors of extinction risk.

Allometry of behavior and niche differentiation among congeneric African antelopes

AbstractSize‐structured differences in resource use stabilize species coexistence in animal communities, but what behavioral mechanisms underpin these niche differences? Behavior is constrained by morphological and physiological traits that scale allometrically with body size, yet the degree to which behaviors exhibit allometric scaling remains unclear; empirical datasets often encompass broad variation in environmental context and phylogenetic history, which complicates the detection and interpretation of scaling relationships between size and behavior. We studied the movement and foraging behaviors of three sympatric, congeneric spiral‐horned antelope species (Tragelaphusspp.) that differ in body mass—bushbuck (26–40 kg), nyala (57–83 kg), and kudu (80–142 kg)—in an African savanna ecosystem where (i) food was patchily distributed due to ecosystem engineering by fungus‐farming termites and (ii) predation risk was low due to the extirpation of several large carnivores. Because foraging behavior is directly linked to traits that scale allometrically with size (e.g., metabolic rate, locomotion), we hypothesized that habitat use and diet selection would likewise exhibit nonlinear scaling relationships. All three antelope species selected habitat near termitaria, which are hotspots of abundant, high‐quality forage. Experimental removal of forage from termite mounds sharply reduced use of those mounds by bushbuck, confirming that habitat selection was resource driven. Strength of selection for termite mounds scaled negatively and nonlinearly with body mass, as did recursion (frequency with which individuals revisited locations), whereas home‐range area and mean step length scaled positively and nonlinearly with body mass. All species disproportionately ate mound‐associated plant taxa; nonetheless, forage selectivity and dietary composition, richness, and quality all differed among species, reflecting the partitioning of shared food resources. Dietary protein exhibited the theoretically predicted negative allometric relationship with body mass, whereas digestible‐energy content scaled positively. Our results demonstrate cryptic size‐based separation along spatial and dietary niche axes—despite superficial similarities among species—consistent with the idea that body‐size differentiation is driven by selection for divergent resource‐acquisition strategies, which in turn underpin coexistence. Foraging and space‐use behaviors were nonlinearly related to body mass, supporting the hypothesis that behavior scales allometrically with size. However, explaining the variable functional forms of these relationships is a challenge for future research.

A genome‐wide phylogeny and the diversification of genus Liriomyza (Diptera: Agromyzidae) inferred from anchored phylogenomics

AbstractThe genus Liriomyza Mik (Diptera: Agromyzidae) is a diverse and globally distributed group of acalyptrate flies. Phylogenetic relationships among Liriomyza species have remained incompletely investigated and have never been fully addressed using molecular data. Here, we reconstruct the phylogeny of the genus Liriomyza using various phylogenetic methods (maximum likelihood, Bayesian inference, and gene tree coalescence) on target‐capture‐based phylogenomic datasets (nucleotides and amino acids) obtained from anchored hybrid enrichment (AHE). We have recovered tree topologies that are nearly congruent across all data types and methods, and individual clade support is strong across all phylogenetic analyses. Moreover, defined morphological species groups and clades are well‐supported in our best estimates of the molecular phylogeny. Liriomyza violivora (Spencer) is a sister group to all remaining sampled Liriomyza species, and the well‐known polyphagous vegetable pests [L. huidobrensis (Blanchard), L. langei Frick, L. bryoniae. (Kaltenbach), L. trifolii (Burgess), L. sativae Blanchard, and L. brassicae (Riley)]. belong to multiple clades that are not particularly closely related on the trees. Often, closely related Liriomyza species feed on distantly related host plants. We reject the hypothesis that cophylogenetic processes between Liriomyza species and their host plants drive diversification in this genus. Instead, Liriomyza exhibits a widespread pattern of major host shifts across plant taxa. Our new phylogenetic estimate for Liriomyza species provides considerable new information on the evolution of host‐use patterns in this genus. In addition, it provides a framework for further study of the morphology, ecology, and diversification of these important flies.

Metabarcoding of fecal DNA reveals the broad and flexible diet of a globally endangered bird.

Knowing the diet of endangered wild animals is a prerequisite for species-specific conservation and habitat management. The Sichuan partridge Arborophila rufipectus is a globally endangered Galliformes species endemic to the mountains of southwest China. Existing information on the diet of this species is biased and fragmented owing to traditional observation methods. Little is known about their dietary composition or how they respond to temporal variations in food resources throughout the year. In this study, a dietary analysis was performed on 60 fecal samples using DNA Metabarcoding of invertebrates and plants to determine the primary animal and plant components of the diet across 3 critical periods of adult life history (breeding, postbreeding wandering, and overwintering). Preys from the dipteran order, followed by the lepidopteran and araneaen spp., were the predominant, animal-derived foods. Symplocos, Rubus, Celastrus, Holboellia, and Actinidia spp. supply a large abundance of fruits and seeds for this omnivorous bird. Substantial temporal dietary changes among the 3 periods and a general shift toward lower dietary diversity during the breeding season were observed, suggesting that the Sichuan partridge can adjust their diet according to the availability of food resources and their own needs. Characterizing the composition and seasonal changes in Sichuan partridge diets informs the habitat management of native flora (the plant taxa that can generate berries and seeds, such as Symplocos, Rubus, Celastrus, and Holboellia, which are likely of conservation interest) to achieve full life-cycle conservation.

Extensive nrDNA ITS polymorphism in Lycium: Non-concerted evolution and the identification of pseudogenes.

The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) is one of the most extensively sequenced molecular markers in plant systematics due to its generally concerted evolution. While non-concerted evolution has been found in some plant taxa, such information is missing in Lycium. Molecular studies of six species and two variants of the genus Lycium revealed high levels of intra- and inter-individual polymorphism in the ITS, indicating non-concerted evolution. All genomic DNA ITS paralogues were identified as putative pseudogenes or functional paralogues through a series of comparisons of sequence features, including length and substitution variation, GC content, secondary structure stability, and the presence of conserved motifs in the 5.8S gene, and the rate of evolution. Approximately, 60% of ITS pseudogenes could be easily detected. Based on phylogenetic analysis, all pseudogenes were highly distinct from their corresponding functional copies, tended to evolve neutrally, and clustered randomly together in the evolutionary tree. The results probably suggest that this ITS non-concerted evolution is related to the recent divergence between tandem repeats within the Lycium genome and hybridization between species. Our study complements those of pseudogenes in plant taxa and provides a theoretical basis for the phylogeny and genetic origin of the genus Lycium while having important implications for the use of ITS molecular markers for phylogenetic reconstruction.

Morphometric Identification of Starch Granules From Archaeological Contexts: Diagnostic Characteristics of Seven Major North American Plant Families

Starch-rich plants have played an important role in human evolution and societal development. Collected, grown, and consumed to support ever-increasing populations, such plants are integral to understanding past human diets. With the advent of starch granule analysis, plant resources that were invisible in the archaeological record can now be revealed in the cracks and crevices of artifacts. Widespread application of this technique, however, has stalled due to a lack of rigorous and standardized protocols. For example, taxonomic identification of starch granules using consistent diagnostic characteristics is still a challenge as there are no comprehensive surveys across important (i.e., dietary) plant taxa, especially at the levels of families, genera, and species. This study provides characteristics for identifying starch granules of seven major North American plant families (Amaranthaceae, Apiaceae, Fagaceae, Liliaceae, Pinaceae, Poaceae, and Solanaceae) based on systematic, morphometric studies of modern reference materials. A dichotomous key to starch granules of the seven families was also generated to aid in identification of those from archaeological contexts. Although we have focused on plants from western North America, these families occur across the globe and have had dietary significance throughout prehistory.

A method for making Red List assessments with herbarium data and distribution models for species‐rich plant taxa: Lessons from the Neotropical genus Guatteria (Annonaceae)

Societal Impact StatementDespite its importance, biodiversity is declining rapidly. To adequately prioritise conservation efforts, we need to know how threatened species actually are. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List is the most widely recognised tool for assessing extinction risk. Unfortunately, many lesser‐known species are not yet represented, such as those that are rarely collected or are in species‐rich taxon groups. This is potentially due to low data availability, although Red List assessments can still be made with little data. We present a method to rapidly assess the conservation status of species that have low data availability, which will speed up the inclusion of species from large groups into the IUCN Red List.Summary• The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List is the most widely recognised tool to assess the extinction risk of species. For it to be effective in directing conservation effort, it is important that as many species as possible are represented, but many are unfortunately not. A lack of data is often the main reason for this, especially for lesser‐studied species. However, this does not mean assessments cannot be made.• We examine the use of georeferenced herbarium data in combination with species distribution modelling for assessing plants on the IUCN Red List, with Guatteria (Annonaceae), a genus of Neotropical trees, as a case study. We focus on differences between preliminary and officially published assessments, show the final conservation status of all Guatteria species and provide a roadmap for compiling Red List assessments for species‐rich plant groups in the future.• We found that species‐distribution models aid in compiling Red List assessments, especially for taxa that lack data, but expert opinion remains an important source of information. Half of Guatteria species (48.0%) are Least Concern, and 13.1% of species are near threatened or threatened. The remaining species are Data Deficient or Not Evaluated. Most of our preliminary assessments remained unchanged upon review and publication on the IUCN Red List.• Our method allows for assessing a large group of taxa in a relatively short amount of time. We argue that this benefit outweighs the potential disadvantage of a lack of detail in these assessments, emphasising the potential of this method for future Red List assessments.

Predicting medicinal resources in Ranunculaceae family by a combined approach using DNA barcodes and chemical metabolites

Plant taxonomy based on molecular phylogenetic study and/or chemosystematics study has become increasingly important in exploring and utilizing medicinal resources due to the advent of big data era. In this study, we proposed a classifying approach combining DNA and chemical metabolites for the prediction of new medicinal resources. Specifically, we obtained 104 ITS2 barcodes and 847 chemical metabolites from 104 species in Ranunculaceae. Then, phylogenetic tree based on the ITS2 barcode and clustering tree based on structural similarity of metabolites were separately constructed. In addition, we tested the classifying accuracy of the two methods by Baker`s correlation coefficient and the result showed that phylogenetic tree based on the ITS2 barcode was more accurate, giving a higher score of 0.627, whereas clustering tree based on chemical metabolites obtained a lower score of 0.301. Therefore, the natural products of plants might be described using these clades found by ITS2-based methods, and thus new metabolites of plants might be predicted due to the close relationships in a given clade. Using this combined method, 53 plants with structurally similar metabolites were included in 9 plant groups and currently unknown species-metabolite relations were predicted. Finally, 26.92% species in Ranunculaceae were found to contain the predicted metabolites after verification using two alternative KNApSAcKCore and ChEBI databases. As a whole, the combined approach can successfully classify plants and predict specialized natural products based on plant taxa.

Measuring the Invisible: The Sequences Causal of Genome Size Differences in Eyebrights (Euphrasia) Revealed by k-mers.

Genome size variation within plant taxa is due to presence/absence variation, which may affect low-copy sequences or genomic repeats of various frequency classes. However, identifying the sequences underpinning genome size variation is challenging because genome assemblies commonly contain collapsed representations of repetitive sequences and because genome skimming studies by design miss low-copy number sequences. Here, we take a novel approach based on k-mers, short sub-sequences of equal length k, generated from whole-genome sequencing data of diploid eyebrights (Euphrasia), a group of plants that have considerable genome size variation within a ploidy level. We compare k-mer inventories within and between closely related species, and quantify the contribution of different copy number classes to genome size differences. We further match high-copy number k-mers to specific repeat types as retrieved from the RepeatExplorer2 pipeline. We find genome size differences of up to 230Mbp, equivalent to more than 20% genome size variation. The largest contributions to these differences come from rDNA sequences, a 145-nt genomic satellite and a repeat associated with an Angela transposable element. We also find size differences in the low-copy number class (copy number ≤ 10×) of up to 27 Mbp, possibly indicating differences in gene space between our samples. We demonstrate that it is possible to pinpoint the sequences causing genome size variation within species without the use of a reference genome. Such sequences can serve as targets for future cytogenetic studies. We also show that studies of genome size variation should go beyond repeats if they aim to characterise the full range of genomic variants. To allow future work with other taxonomic groups, we share our k-mer analysis pipeline, which is straightforward to run, relying largely on standard GNU command line tools.

Introduction of Herbarium and Identification of Plants Based on School Environments in MTs. Negeri 2 Gorontalo Regency

The introduction of herbariums in schools as a medium to concrete material and support science learning and plant identification based on a school environment that makes it easier to teach material on the structure and function of plants in class VIII at Madrasah Tsanawiyah Negeri 2 Gorontalo district is the goal in this service activity. The stages of activities using an active participatory approach consist of 4 stages, namely 1) preparation; 2) coordination; 3) implementation; 4) evaluation. The number of students who took part in the activity was 30 people and was attended by the principal and 3 teachers. The herbarium introduction and plant identification activities based on the school environment went smoothly and wisely, as seen from the enthusiasm of the participants in participating in the activity from start to finish. The introduction of the herbarium gives meaning and impression to MTs students. Negeri 2 Gorontalo district because it is able to provide knowledge to students about one method/media to determine plant taxon. Identification of plants based on the school environment provides knowledge and skills to MTs students. Negeri 2 Gorontalo district in supporting learning activities in schools regarding the introduction and description of plants.

Genome-wide characterization and analysis of Golden 2-Like transcription factors related to leaf chlorophyll synthesis in diploid and triploid Eucalyptus urophylla.

Golden 2-Like (GLK) transcription factors play a crucial role in chloroplast development and chlorophyll synthesis in many plant taxa. To date, no systematic analysis of GLK transcription factors in tree species has been conducted. In this study, 40 EgrGLK genes in the Eucalyptus grandis genome were identified and divided into seven groups based on the gene structure and motif composition. The EgrGLK genes were mapped to 11 chromosomes and the distribution of genes on chromosome was uneven. Phylogenetic analysis of GLK proteins between E. grandis and other species provided information for the high evolutionary conservation of GLK genes among different species. Prediction of cis-regulatory elements indicated that the EgrGLK genes were involved in development, light response, and hormone response. Based on the finding that the content of chlorophyll in mature leaves was the highest, and leaf chlorophyll content of triploid Eucalyptus urophylla was higher than that of the diploid control, EgrGLK expression pattern in leaves of triploid and diploid E. urophylla was examined by means of transcriptome analysis. Differential expression of EgrGLK genes in leaves of E. urophylla of different ploidies was consistent with the trend in chlorophyll content. To further explore the relationship between EgrGLK expression and chlorophyll synthesis, co-expression networks were generated, which indicated that EgrGLK genes may have a positive regulatory relationship with chlorophyll synthesis. In addition, three EgrGLK genes that may play an important role in chlorophyll synthesis were identified in the co-expression networks. And the prediction of miRNAs targeting EgrGLK genes showed that miRNAs might play an important role in the regulation of EgrGLK gene expression. This research provides valuable information for further functional characterization of GLK genes in Eucalyptus.

Plant foods in the Late Palaeolithic of Southern Italy and Sicily: Integrating carpological and dental calculus evidence

Several caves from Southern Italy and Sicily provided invaluable evidence, including several human burials, for reconstructing human adaptations and subsistence in the area during the Upper Palaeolithic. A wealth of information is available concerning the exploitation of animal resources as food. However, little is still known about the role of plants in the diet of the ancient hunter-gatherers of the region. By combining the carpological data with vegetal micro-debris entrapped in human dental calculus, we provide new clues about the dietary role of plant foods in the analysed area during the Late Glacial. Our study focused on five key sites from Southern Italy and Sicily: Grotta della Serratura in Campania, Grotta del Romito in Calabria, Grotta del Cavallo in Apulia, Grotta di San Teodoro and Grotta d’Oriente in Sicily. Our results demonstrate that several plant resources were exploited at these sites, including seeds, grasses, and fruits. Amongst the carpological remains recovered, several plant taxa are known for their medical properties. Overall, our study explores how critical climatic and environmental changes characterising the timeframe between the end of the Last Glacial Maximum and the beginning of the Holocene affected Late Upper Palaeolithic dietary habits. Moreover, it shows the methodological relevance of combining different strands of archaeological evidence for reconstructing the Palaeolithic diet.

Discovery of Early Cretaceous Sinuiju Biota in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and comparison with Jehol Biota in China

In recent years, some important fossils of the Jehol Biota of Early Cretaceous age in north-eastern China have been recorded from the Lower Cretaceous Sinuiju Formation in the Sinuiju area (north-western part of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. This discovery indicates that the biota from the Sinuiju Formation can be related to those from the Yixian Formation in western Liaoning Province, China. The palaeontological evidence in the Sinuiju Basin shows that the Jehol Biota is more widely distributed than previously thought and the fossils composing the Jehol Biota include a greater variety of animal and plant taxa than earlier known. In previous studies, the age of the Sinuiju Formation was considered to be Late Jurassic–earliest Cretaceous on the basis of limited fossil evidence. In contrast, it is now considered to be earliest Cretaceous based on the new fossil finds. During a recent field survey, abundant fossils were collected from the lacustrine deposits of this formation. The discovery of the Sinuiju Biota adds significant new data to the study of the geographical distribution and diversity of the Jehol Biota in north-eastern Asia.

Colonization Efficacy of the Endophytic Insect-Pathogenic Fungus, Beauveria bassiana, Across the Plant Kingdom: A Meta-Analysis

The insect-pathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana (Bb) colonizes several plant species as an endophyte. However, the diversity of plants colonized and the extent of colonization by this fungus have not been summarized comprehensively across all plant species. To fill this knowledge gap, a meta-analysis of published studies (years 2002–2018) on the percentage of B. bassiana plant colonization across the plant kingdom was conducted. We collected 232 published papers from which 1,051 studies (individual treatments) were extracted and analyzed with Comprehensive Meta-Analysis, Version 3 (CMA) software. Factors (n = 26) influencing plant colonization by B. bassiana were identified. Across all studies, the mean endophytic colonization of B. bassiana was 29% in different plant taxa. Plant colonization by B. bassiana was highest for isolates collected from insects. Most studies applied B. bassiana at 1 × 108 conidia/ml; however, plant colonization was greatest with an application rate of 1 × 1012 conidia/ml. Among all plant hosts, colonization percentage was highest in faba bean, plants in the family Brassicaceae, angiosperms (eudicots, annuals), plants classified with a forb/herb/vine growth habit, and plants with fibrous or tap root systems. As an inoculant, B. bassiana was most frequently applied to the whole plant after true leaves had developed. The foliar spray was the most studied inoculation method, but the application of solid grain substrate to foliage gave higher plant colonization. Studies conducted in controlled environments resulted in higher endophytic colonization with B. bassiana than field studies. Endophytic B. bassiana presence was confirmed primarily with microscopy, rather than molecular methods. High heterogeneity (I 2 = 97%) across studies was identified with large variability in endophytic B. bassiana colonization across a diversity of plant species. These findings increase our understanding and knowledge of the endophytic lifestyle of B. bassiana, which will facilitate the development of novel, sustainable, and eco-friendly disease management strategies with B. bassiana.

Therapeutic Source: Plants

Plants are used to cure many diseases due to their therapeutic properties. The history of phytotherapeutic applications using plants for treatment goes back thousands of years. The reason plants have been used for treatment for so long is that they have produced secondary compounds with thousands of different structures that have therapeutic properties. Many of the secondary metabolites produced by plants have been converted into drugs through rational phytotherapeutic applications. The demand for herbal medicines is increasing day by day all over the world because the synthetic drugs used for treatment have serious side effects, are not sufficiently effective and there are diseases for which there is no cure yet. In our country there are almost 13 thousand plant taxa, and very few of these plants are used for medicinal purposes. In fact, thousands of plants and tens of thousands of secondary compounds that can be used for treatment are waiting to be discovered. The discovery of new, effective and safe herbal medicines is a remarkable field of research today, and the discovery of effective and safe alternative medicines will bring great benefits to human health.

Weed flora of selected farms in Al-Wadi Al-Shargi in Ain Zara District Southwest of Tripoli- Libya

The present study was designed to explore the species diversity and floristic analysis of the weed flora of selected farms in the Al-Wadi Al-Shargi in Ain Zara district southwest of Tripoli- Libya. A total of 85 different plant taxa have been collected and recorded from the study area representing 29 families of which 27 families and 67 species are belonging to dicotyledons, 2 families, and 18 species belonging to monocotyledons. The results of this study show that the dominance of the family Poaceae with 17 species followed by the family Asteraceae with 16 species, then the family Fabaceae and Brassicaeae with 8 species each. The rest families were represented by three species or less. The result has also shown the dominance of the genus Sisymbrium with three species. Lifeform spectrum analysis has shown the absolute dominance of therophytes with 80 species. Simpson’s Diversity index showed that the weed flora of the studied farms was highly diversified.

Entomopathogenic Fungi Infecting Lepidopteran Larvae: A Case from Central Argentina.

Immature stages of insects are vulnerable to various antagonists, including pathogens. While the abiotic factors affecting pathogen prevalence in insect populations are reasonably well documented, much less is known about relevant ecological interactions. We studied the probability of the larvae of three lepidopteran species to die from fungal infection as a function of insect species and food plants in central Argentina. Local free-growing food plants were used to feed the lepidopteran larvae. The prevalence of entomopathogenic fungi remained low (about 5%), which is a value well consistent with observations on similar systems in other regions. Eight fungal species recorded, primarily belonging to Fusarium and Aspergillus, add evidence to the reconsideration of the nutritional modes in these genera in distinguishing the role of some species (complexes) to cause insect infections. Food plant species were found to have a substantial effect on the prevalence of entomopathogenic fungi. This was especially clear for the most abundant fungal species, a representative of the Fusarium fujikuroi complex. Feeding on a particular plant taxon can thus have a specific fitness cost. Compared to the data collected from Northern Europe, the Argentinian assemblages from the families Aspergillaceae and Nectriaceae overlapped at the genus level but did not share species. It remains to be confirmed if this level of divergence in the composition of assemblages of entomopathogenic fungi among distant regions represents a global pattern.