Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Phylogenetics Of Andropogoneae (Poaceae: Panicoideae) Based On Nuclear Ribosomal Internal Transcribed Spacer And Chloroplast Trnl–F Sequences, Elizabeth M. Skendzic, J. Travis Columbus, Rosa Cerros-Tlatilpa

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Phylogenetic relationships among 85 species representing 35 genera in the grass tribe Andropogoneae were estimated from maximum parsimony and Bayesian analyses of nuclear ITS and chloroplast trnL–F DNA sequences. Ten of the 11 subtribes recognized by Clayton and Renvoize (1986) were sampled. Independent analyses of ITS and trnL–F yielded mostly congruent, though not well resolved, topologies. Arundinella is sister to Andropogoneae in the trnL–F phylogeny and is nested within the tribe in the ITS and combined data trees. Tristachya is sister to Andropogoneae + Arundinella in the ITS phylogeny. Four clades are common to the ITS and …

Phylogenetic Relationships Of The Decumbentes Group Of Paspalum, Thrasya, And Thrasyopsis (Poaceae: Panicoideae: Paniceae), Silvia S. Denham, Fernando O. Zuloaga

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Paspalum (Poaceae: Panicoideae: Paniceae) includes 330 species distributed mainly in tropical and subtropical regions of America. Due to the large number of species and convergence in many characters, an adequate infrageneric classification is still needed. Studies on Paniceae based on molecular and morphological data have suggested that Paspalum is paraphyletic, including the genus Thrasya, but none of these analyses have included a representative sample of these two genera. In this study, phylogenetic relationships among the informal group Decumbentes of Paspalum, plus subgenera and other informal groups, and the genera Thrasya and Thrasyopsis were estimated. A cladistic analysis under …

Phylogenetics Of Chloridoideae (Gramineae): A Preliminary Study Based On Nuclear Ribosomal Internal Transcribed Spacer And Chloroplast Trnl–F Sequences, J. Travis Columbus, Rosa Cerros-Tlatilpa, Michael S. Kinney, Maria Elena Siqueiros-Delgado, Hester L. Bell, M. Patrick Griffith, Nancy F. Refulio-Rodriguez

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

The phylogeny of Chloridoideae (Gramineae) was inferred from parsimony analyses of DNA sequences from two genomes—the chloroplast trnL intron, trnL 3' exon, and trnL–F intergenic spacer, and the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region (ITS1 + 5.8S + ITS2). Eighty species representing 66 chloridoid genera were sampled, including all but four of the native New World genera. Analyses of the individual and combined data sets were performed. The phylogenies were found to be highly congruent. Of the four tribes and seven subtribes of Chloridoideae sensu Clayton and Renvoize (1986) whose phylogenetic status could be tested with our …

Classification And Biogeography Of New World Grasses: Chloridoideae, Paul M. Peterson, J. Travis Columbus, Susan J. Pennington

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Subfamily Chloridoideae (Poaceae) in the New World includes 72 genera (61 native, 11 introduced), 678 species (607 native), and, including intraspecific taxa, 817 total taxa. The five largest genera are Muhlenbergia (147 species), Eragrostis (111), Sporobolus (76), Bouteloua (57), and Chloris (35). Three tribes are recognized in this study: Cynodonteae, Eragrostideae, and Zoysieae, with ten, three, and two subtribes, respectively. Cynodonteae, the largest tribe, comprise 58 genera and 451 species (67% of all New World chloridoids), including 25 genera (98 species, 22% of all New World Cynodonteae) with unknown affinities (incertae sedis). In Mexico, the USA, and Canada there are …

Eragrostis (Poaceae): Monophyly And Infrageneric Classification, Amanda L. Ingram, Jeff J. Doyle

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Eragrostis is a large genus in subfamily Chloridoideae of Poaceae. Recent phylogenetic analyses have suggested that the genus may not be monophyletic, that some of its segregate genera may be better placed within Eragrostis, and that current infrageneric classifications may not represent monophyletic groups. We have used molecular sequence data from the plastid locus rps16 and the nuclear gene waxy from a broad sample of Eragrostis species and representatives of six of the seven segregate genera to address these issues. We found that Eragrostis is monophyletic with the inclusion of several of the segregates, including Acamptoclados, Diandrochloa …

Dicliny In Bouteloua (Poaceae: Chloridoideae): Implications For The Evolution Of Dioecy, Michael S. Kinney, J. Travis Columbus, Elizabeth A. Friar

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

The New World grass genus Bouteloua (Chloridoideae: Cynodonteae) comprises 57 species, 13 of which produce unisexual spikelets and hence are diclinous. Andromonoecy, gynodioecy, monoecy, trimonoecy, and dioecy all occur in the genus, and ten species are known to express more than one of these breeding systems. Employing a phylogenetic estimate based on parsimony analysis of DNA sequences from the ITS (nrDNA) and trnL–F (cpDNA) regions representing 35 species of Bouteloua, including ten of 13 diclinous species, we used parsimony character state reconstructions to investigate the evolution of unisexual spikelets and breeding systems. Our specific goals were to estimate …

The Jeweled Armor Of Tillandsia—Multifaceted Or Elongated Trichomes Provide Photoprotection, Simon Pierce

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Foliar trichomes of gray-leaved Tillandsioideae (Bromeliaceae) are highly reflective, suggesting a role in protecting the leaf against direct sunlight in exposed niches. The performance of photosystem II, as denoted by the chlorophyll fluorescence characteristic F_v /F_m , was determined for seven Tillandsia species and Vriesea barclayana that were exposed to excessive light, with trichomes either present or removed. Additionally, trichome structure and interaction with light was recorded using extended depth-of-field photomicrography, and reflectance quantified using a novel photographic technique. Trichomes of mesomorphic Type IV life forms (T. cryptantha, T. cyanea) and of the intermediate life …

Classification And Biogeography Of New World Grasses: Anomochlooideae, Pharoideae, Ehrhartoideae, And Bambusoideae, Emmet J. Judziewicz, Lynn G. Clark

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Molecular data support Anomochlooideae and Pharoideae as the two most basal extant clades within Poaceae. Anomochlooideae are endemic to the New World and have two tribes and two genera including the widespread Streptochaeteae (3–4 spp.) and the critically endangered Anomochloeae (1 sp.) of coastal Bahia, Brazil. Pharoideae are pantropical with one tribe, three genera, and 14 species; all eight species of Pharus occur only in the New World. Bambusoideae and Ehrhartoideae are sister groups and together form a clade sister to Pooideae, although support for this set of relationships is low. Ehrhartoideae are a worldwide subfamily represented in the New …

Phylogenetic Relationships Among The One-Flowered, Determinate Genera Of Bambuseae (Poaceae: Bambusoideae), Lynn G. Clark, Soejatmi Dransfield, Jimmy Triplett, J. Gabriel Sánchez-Ken

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Bambuseae (woody bamboos), one of two tribes recognized within Bambusoideae (true bamboos), comprise over 90% of the diversity of the subfamily, yet monophyly of the tribe is generally only moderately supported, and phylogenetic relationships within the tribe are poorly understood. In addition, there appears to be some level of conflict between morphological and molecular data within the tribe. We conducted a parsimony analysis of 43 species of Bambuseae, three of Olyreae (herbaceous bamboos), and two outgroup taxa using morphological and plastid rpl16 intron sequence data to (1) further test the monophyly of Bambuseae, (2) test the monophyly of Chusqueinae …

Phylogeny And Biogeography Of Endemic Festuca (Poaceae) From New Zealand Based On Nuclear (Its) And Chloroplast (Trnl–Trnf) Nucleotide Sequences, Kelvin M. Lloyd, Angela M. Hunter, David A. Orlovich, Suzanne J. Draffin, Alan V. Stewart, William G. Lee

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

We investigated the phylogenetic relationships of the endemic New Zealand (NZ) species of Festuca (Poaceae, Pooideae) by assessing sequence variation from the nuclear internal transcribed spacers (ITS) and a chloroplast intergenic spacer (trnL–trnF) and by measuring DNA content using flow cytometry. The ITS and trnL–trnF data sets were congruent in showing that the NZ species of Festuca have two origins. One group, containing F. coxii, F. luciarum, F. multinodis, and F. ultramafica, is closely related to Festuca sect. Aulaxyper. The other group includes a clade of five endemic …

Molecular Phylogenetics Of Bromus (Poaceae: Pooideae) Based On Chloroplast And Nuclear Dna Sequence Data, Jeffery M. Saarela, Paul M. Peterson, Ryan M. Keane, Jacques Cayouette, Sean W. Graham

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

We conducted a phylogenetic analysis to characterize relationships among Bromus and test the monophyly of five of the seven morphologically distinct groups within Bromus (Poaceae: Pooideae) that have been treated as sections, subgenera, or genera. We sequenced the chloroplast trnL (UAA) intron, the 3'-end of the chloroplast ndhF gene, and the internal transcribed spacers (ITS) of the nuclear ribosomal DNA region for 46 species that represent a large proportion of the morphological and geographical diversity in the genus. Independent analyses of plastid and nuclear ribosomal data identified several lineages in Bromus, but there is some evidence of …

Relationships Among Some Populations Of Anthoxanthum Alpinum And A. Odoratum (Poaceae, Pooideae): A Morphological/Anatomical Approach, Manuel Pimentel, Elvira Sahuquillo

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

The genus Anthoxanthum s.l. (including Hierochloë) (Poaceae, Pooideae, Aveneae) comprises 35–50 species and has a cosmopolitan distribution. Anthoxanthum alpinum was described as a diploid perennial that is distributed in northern Eurasia and in the high mountains of central and eastern Europe. Difficulties in finding reliable morphological differences between this taxon and the widespread tetraploid A. odoratum have resulted in taxonomists treating them as conspecific, despite the cytological differentiation. The purpose of this study was to provide information that may help clarify the relationships between these taxa. Macromorphologial, micromorphological, and anatomical data were gathered and analyzed for 14 populations representing …

Age-Structured Population Model With Cannibalism, Mmohammed El-Doma

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

An age-structured population model with cannibalism is investigated. We determine the steady states and study the local asymptotic stability as well as the global stability. The results in this paper generalize previous results.

Stability Analysis For The Gurtin-Maccamy’S Age-Structured Population Dynamics Model, Mohammed El-Doma

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

The stability of the Gurtin-MacCamy’s age-structured population dynamics model is investigated. We determine the steady states and study their stability. The results in this paper generalize previous results.

Correlation Of Eastern Wild Turkey Poult:Hen Ratios With Population Indices To Detect Reproductive Density Dependence, Jay D. Mcghee, Jim Berkson

Virginia Journal of Science

Knowledge of how density affects population growth is important for the harvest management of wild turkey. Unfortunately, available time-series are often too short for statistical detection of density dependence. The correlation between wild turkey recruitment and population size was assessed using data from 7 state wildlife agencies, circumventing the problem of short time-series by using multiple datasets. Correlation coefficients were calculated between surveyed poult:hen ratios and harvest-based population indices for 31 geographic or harvest management regions. Estimated correlation coefficients were tested for homogeneity to determine if an average correlation could be calculated. Correlation coefficients for the 29 regions ranged from …

Wood Anatomy Of Crossosomatales: Patterns Of Wood Evolution With Relation To Phylogeny And Ecology, Sherwin Carlquist

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

The seven families hypothesized by Sosa and Chase to comprise Crossosomatales possess relatively long vessel elements with scalariform perforation plates and scalariform to opposite vessel-ray pitting; tracheids; diffuse axial parenchyma; and heterogeneous rays. These and other primitive character states do not indicate relationships, but they do not offer any evidence against the idea that Crossosomatales are a natural order. Departures from the primitive character states are related to ecological adaptations. Crossosomataceae have simple perforation plates (scalariform briefly at the beginning of the secondary xylem), a feature correlated with the seasonal aridity of habitats occupied by the family, the sole family …

Reassessment Of Yucca Brevifolia And Recognition Of Y. Jaegeriana As A Distinct Species, Lee W. Lenz

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

A brief historical account of the Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia, Agavaceae) is presented. The geographical distribution, morphological and pollinator differences between subsp. brevifolia and subsp. jaegeriana are examined and the latter is raised to specific rank. The fossil Protoyucca and its possible relationship to the Joshua trees are considered together with implications as to the possible origin of the genus.

Distribution Patterns Of Great Basin Conifers: Implications Of Extinction And Immigration, David A. Charlet

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Factors influencing the distribution of scattered montane conifers on mountaintops in the Great Basin of North America were investigated. The sources of data were collections and observations on more than 300 mountain ranges in the region. All mountains in the region with at least one montane conifer species and all adjacent source areas were included in the data set. In all, 164 montane island sites and 40 mainland sites were used in the analyses. Physical data for each site were compiled and regression analyses were conducted to test the predictions of three island biogeography models: immigration, extinction, and equilibrium. These …

A Brief Nomenclatural Review Of Genera And Tribes In Theaceae, Linda M. Prince

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

The angiosperm family Theaceae has been investigated extensively with a rich publication record of anatomical, cytological, paleontological, and palynological data analyses and interpretation. Recent developmental and molecular data sets and the application of cladistic analytical methods support dramatic changes in circumscription at the familial, tribal, and generic levels. Growing interest in the family outside the taxonomic and systematic fields warrants a brief review of the recent nomenclatural history (mainly 20th century), some of the classification systems currently in use, and an explanation of which data support various classification schemes. An abridged bibliography with critical nomenclatural references is provided.

One Nation, Under … The Watchmaker?: Intelligent Design And The Establishment Clause, Nicholas A. Shuneman

Brigham Young University Journal of Public Law

No abstract provided.

Editor's Note, Padraig O'Malley

New England Journal of Public Policy

This issue of the New England Journal of Public Policy that deals with issues of climate change, oil, and water and the interconnection of the three with the future of the planet.

Initially our topic was conceived as “Oil & Water” only. We planned to present the proceedings of an Institute for Global Leadership symposium held at Tufts University in 2005. There was then still a debate about global warming, although the Kyoto Treaty was in place. But without the world’s preeminent manufacturer of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the United States (20 percent of the total emissions with 5 percent …

Climate. A Period Of Consequence: Environmental Literature Of 2006, Shaun O'Connell

New England Journal of Public Policy

The author talks about the consequences of not respecting the climate and understanding global warming will cause ecocide and our own extinction.

Resources And The Rise & Fall Of Civilizations, Fred Pearce

New England Journal of Public Policy

This article is about the world's climate and how it has changed from the beginning of time. The author contributes these changes to political moves, nature, and the effects of humanity.

An Age-Structured Resource-Consumer Dynamical Model, Jean M. Tchuenche

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

Many dynamical systems in population biology in which agents compete for resources may exhibit chaotic fluctuations. This short letter develops Gamarra and Solé's previous work. We briefly review a classical model of population with complex dynamics, and proceed to study the dynamics of an age-structured resource-consumer model, in which the fertility coefficients are density independent. Implicit or first integral solutions of the model are obtained, and conditions for which they are stable given. It is observed that resource availability at any time depends on the number of potential consumers present.

A Checklist Of The Amphibians And Reptiles Of México, Ernest A. Liner

Occasional Papers of the Museum of Natural Science, Louisiana State University

No abstract provided.

Preserving The Chesapeake: Law, Ecology, And The Bay, Hon. Gerald L. Baliles

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Origins And Mariner 10 (Faith & Science Update), John T. Baldwin

Perspective Digest

No abstract provided.

Phytoplankton Productivity In The Tidal Regions Of Four Chesapeake Bay (U.S.A.) Tributaries, Kneeland K. Nesius, Harold G. Marshall, Todd A. Egerton

Virginia Journal of Science

Monthly and annual phytoplankton productivity rates of four Virginia tidal rivers were determined based on a 12-year monitoring study that included sampling stations from tidal freshwater, oligohaline, and mesohaline regions in these rivers. The mean monthly rates and range at these locations were 5.52 (Dec.) to 175.12 (Aug.) mg C m^-3 h^-1 for tidal freshwater, 12.21 (Jan.) to 149.90 (May) mg C m^-3 h^-1 in oligohaline regions, and 16.20 (Jan.) to 151.33 (May) mg C m^-3 h^-1 for the mesohaline. The estimated mean annual 12 year productivity for the different Virginia river sites in …

Stormwater Influence On Phytoplankton Composition And Dynamics In Lake Joyce, Virginia, Lewis F. Affronti Jr., B. Thomas Duquette

Virginia Journal of Science

A three year study of Lake Joyce, Virginia revealed relationships between the timing, duration, and amount of stormwater runoff and phytoplankton abundance and composition. Major phytoplankton taxa were identified and cyanophytes dominanted during periods of decreased rainwater input and increased lake water retention times. Increased freshwater input was associated with the growth of a diverse assemblage of both chlorophytes and diatoms. Phytoplankton dynamics as a result of significant rain events (i.e., hurricanes Floyd and Irene, 1999) were documented and specific taxa involved in nuisance algal blooms were identified.