0000000000501406
AUTHOR
Lavinia Robba
Assessing the use of the mitochondrial cox1 marker for use in DNA barcoding of red algae (Rhodophyta)
The red algae, a remarkably diverse group of organisms, are difficult to identify using morphology alone. Following the proposal to use the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) for DNA barcoding animals, we assessed the use of this, ne in the identification of red algae using 48 samples plus 31 sequences obtained from GenBank. The data set spanned six gene orders of red algae: the Bangiales, Ceramiales, Corallinales, Gigartinales, Gracilariales and Rhodymeniales. The results indicated that species could be discriminated. Intraspecific variation was between 0 and 4 bp over 539 bp analyzed except in Mastocarpus stellatus (0-14 bp) and Gracilaria gracilis (0-11 bp). Cryptic dive…
Systematic review of the effects of chemical insecticides on four common butterfly families
Safeguarding crop productivity by protecting crops from pest attacks entails the wide use of plant protection products that provide a quick, easy and cheap solution. The objective of this study is to understand the effects of insecticides used in agriculture on non-target butterflies, specifically on the families Lycaenidae, Nymphalidae, Hesperiidae, and Papilionidae. To achieve this goal, a formal systematic review was performed according to European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) guidelines, by entering a combination of keywords on 3 online databases. Three reviewers independently extracted information on study characteristics and quality. The main results were collected and grouped by the …
Could Europe Apply a Suitable Control Method for the Small Hive Beetle (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae)?
Abstract The European bee, Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae), is a fundamental resource for the pollination of a great variety of botanical species used by humans for sustenance. Over the last few decades, bee colonies have become vulnerable to a new pest that has advanced beyond its native sub-Saharan territory: the small hive beetle, Aethina tumida Murray (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae). This currently presents a pressing problem in the United States and Australia, but it has also been recorded in Portugal and Italy and it is likely to spread in the rest of Europe too. This study represents a systematic review, based on EFSA guidelines, of the various control treatments for small hive bee…
The monophyly and evolution of Cynara L. (Asteraceae) sensu lato: evidence from the Internal Transcribed Spacer region of nrDNA
The monophyly and evolution of Cynara was investigated using ITS sequence data. Parsimony analysis supports the monophyly of Cynara sensu lato, i.e. including the distinctive taxa C. humilis and C. tournefortii. This contradicts the recent decision to create a new monotypic genus Arcyna for C. tournefortii. A hypothesised close relationship between C. tournefortii and Silybum Adans. is also refuted. Four of the five species of Cynara, for which multiple accessions were sequenced, were shown to be monophyletic but C. baetica was found to be non-monophyletic. Free energy estimates for ITS1 secondary structure and conservation of the 5.8S region suggest that this is not due to the occurrence o…
Taxonomy and evolution of the Convolvulus sabatius complex (Convolvulaceae)
A revision of the Convolvulus sabatius complex is presented and five taxa are now recognised. Convolvulus valentinus is re-circumscribed to comprise only blue-flowered individuals. Yellow-flowered plants previously referred to this species are transferred to C. supinus where they are recognised as a distinct variety: C. supinus var. melliflorus, comb nov. Variation in intensity of flower colour, pubescence and leaf shape among blue-flowered C. valentinus is highly variable within populations and in contrast to earlier treatments, no infraspecific taxa based on these traits are recognised. Despite suggestions to the contrary, the delimitation of the cultivated ornamental C. sabatius and its …
Diversity Arrays Technology (DArT) for Pan-genomic Evolutionary Studies of Non-model Organisms
BackgroundHigh-throughput tools for pan-genomic study, especially the DNA microarray platform, have sparked a remarkable increase in data production and enabled a shift in the scale at which biological investigation is possible. The use of microarrays to examine evolutionary relationships and processes, however, is predominantly restricted to model or near-model organisms.Methodology/principal findingsThis study explores the utility of Diversity Arrays Technology (DArT) in evolutionary studies of non-model organisms. DArT is a hybridization-based genotyping method that uses microarray technology to identify and type DNA polymorphism. Theoretically applicable to any organism (even one for wh…
Taxonomic uncertainty and a continental conundrum:Polypodium macaronesicumreassessed
Data from the chloroplast trnL-F region are used to test the delimitation of putative diploid species in the Polypodium cambricum aggregate. In particular, we investigate the distinctiveness of the Macaronesian Polypodium macaronesicum, P. azoricum and the continental P. cambricum, investigate molecular diversity patterns within Macaronesia and establish the identity of putative P. macaronesicum material collected from an area in southern Spain, where it co-occurs with other Macaronesian elements. The analysis supports the distinction of Macaronesian and continental plants, with accessions from Macaronesia resolved as monophyletic. Greater haplotype diversity was found in Macaronesia than o…
Molecular and morphological evidence for hybridization between endemic Canary Island Convolvulus
Morphological data and molecular data from the chloroplast trnH-psbA region and nuclear ribosomal ITS region are used to test the hypothesis that the problematic Canary Island endemic Convolvulus floridus var. virgatus is a hybrid between the endemic species C. floridus and C. scoparius. Analysis of mean leaf length and width of 58 individuals indicates that accessions referable to C. floridus var. virgatus are intermediate between the parental taxa in leaf dimensions. Direct sequencing of the ITS region of C. scoparius and C. floridus revealed two species-specific ribotypes distinguished by 10 base differences. Examination of ITS chromatograms for putative hybrids revealed polymorphisms at…
How do freshwater organisms cross the “dry ocean”? A review on passive dispersal and colonization processes with a special focus on temporary ponds
Lakes and ponds are scattered on Earth’s surface as islands in the ocean. The organisms inhabiting these ecosystems have thus developed strategies to pass the barrier represented by the surrounding land, to disperse and to colonize new environments. The evidences of a high potential for passive long-range dispersal of organisms producing resting stages inspired the idea that there were no real barriers to their actual dispersal, and that their distribution was only limited by the ecological characteristics of the available habitats. The development of genetic techniques allowed to criticize this view and revealed the existence of a more complex and diverse biological scenario governed by an…