Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

A Systematic Approach To Subtribe Loliinae (Poaceae: Pooideae) Based On Phylogenetic Evidence, Pilar Catalán, Pedro Torrecilla, José A. López-Rodríguez, Jochen Müller, Clive A. Stace

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Loliinae (Poaceae, Pooideae) encompass a large group of genera closely related to Festuca, the largest genus in the subtribe, which as traditionally circumscribed has been shown to be highly paraphyletic. In this investigation we combined molecular and morphological data representing 20 genera of Loliinae and closely related subtribes. Combined analysis of nucleotide sequences from the nuclear ITS and chloroplast trnL–F regions and structural characters recovered a consensus topology that shows Loliinae to be monophyletic and possessing two main clades—the fine-leaved Festuca clade that includes Ctenopsis, Micropyrum, Narduroides, Psilurus, Vulpia, and Wangenheimia, and …

Phylogeny Of Poa (Poaceae) Based On Trnt–Trnf Sequence Data: Major Clades And Basal Relationships, Lynn J. Gillespie, Annie Archambault, Robert J. Soreng

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Poa, the largest genus of grasses (Poaceae) with over 500 species, occurs throughout temperate and boreal regions in both hemispheres. A phylogenetic study of Poa based on trnT–trnF chloroplast DNA sequence data is presented focusing on basal relationships, major clades, generic boundaries, and placement of putatively closely related genera. Results support the monophyly of the main lineage of Poa if subgen. Andinae is excluded and Anthochloa, Austrofestuca, Dissanthelium (at least in part), and Eremopoa are included. The main Poa clade and subgen. Andinae resolve within a strongly supported Poinae–Alopecurinae–Miliinae clade (PAM). The subdivision of …

Variability Of Bluegrass (Poa) In Siberia, Marina V. Olonova

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Siberian bluegrass (Poa) includes a number of polymorphic species such as P. arctica s.l., P. nemoralis s.l., P. palustris s.l., P. pratensis s.l., P. sibirica s.l., and P. smirnovii s.l., plus numerous hybrids and purported derivatives (e.g., P. attenuata s.l., P. glauca s.l., P. urssulensis s.l.). In Siberia Poa is represented by morphologically isolated species and hybrid-apomictic complexes, including both distinct species and taxonomic groups of obscure rank. Section Stenopoa is especially rich in these complexes. Most of the key morphological characters used in the taxonomy of bluegrass vary as much within populations as among populations and thus …

Preliminary Isozyme Evidence On The Hybrid Origin And Diploid Progenitors Of Bromus Pectinatus (Poaceae), Tatjana Oja

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Isozyme electrophoresis was used to study the origin of Bromus pectinatus (Poaceae, Pooideae). The morphological characteristics of B. pectinatus are intermediate between B. japonicus of sect. Bromus and B. tectorum of sect. Genea. Previous authors have suggested that sects. Bromus and Genea may be linked through B. pectinatus, a species that has been classified in sect. Bromus, though this placement has been questioned. Isozyme data support the allotetraploid nature of B. pectinatus and its position between sects. Bromus and Genea. Several heterozymes are consistent with the view that B. pectinatus may have arisen through polyploidization of …

Classification And Biogeography Of Panicoideae (Poaceae) In The New World, Fernando O. Zuloaga, Osvaldo Morrone, Gerrit Davidse, Susan J. Pennington

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Panicoideae (Poaceae) in the New World comprise 107 genera (86 native) and 1357 species (1248 native). As circumscribed herein, Panicoideae include eight tribes: Andropogoneae, Arundinelleae, Centotheceae, Gynerieae, Isachneae, Paniceae, Steyermarkochloeae, and Thysanolaeneae. The two major tribes are Andropogoneae with 230 species (16.95% of all New World panicoids), and Paniceae with 1082 species (79.73%). Andropogoneae are divided into nine subtribes (Andropogoninae, Anthistiriinae, Coicinae, Germainiinae, Ischaeminae, Rottboelliinae, Saccharinae, Sorghinae, and Tripsacinae), while Paniceae are divided into seven subtribes (Arthropogoninae, Cenchrinae, Digitariinae, Melinidinae, Panicinae, Paspalinae, and Setariinae). Brazil is the center of diversity of New World panicoids with 741 species (54.6% of all …

Phylogenetic Relationships Within The Centothecoideae + Panicoideae Clade (Poaceae) Based On Ndhf And Rpl16 Intron Sequences And Structural Data, J. Gabriel Sánchez-Ken, Lynn G. Clark

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

The PACCAD clade (Panicoideae, Arundinoideae, Chloridoideae, Centothecoideae, Aristidoideae, Danthonioideae) is well supported in all recent studies of Poaceae. However, phylogenetic relationships within the clade are still unresolved, although several branches are strongly supported. In this study, we focus on the phylogeny of the Centothecoideae + Panicoideae clade, one of the major lineages within the PACCAD clade, and one of the most diverse in the family. Two previously unsampled tribes, Isachneae and Steyermarkochloeae, are included, as are additional taxa of Centothecoideae. Phylogenetic analyses of plastid genome sequences (ndhF gene and rpl16 intron) and structural data show increased support …

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 …

Designation Of A Neotype For Leptodactylus Gracilis (Duméril And Bibron, 1840) (Amphibia: Leptodactylidae), Rafael O. De Sá, A. Dubois, A. Ohler

Biology Faculty Publications

The examination of the preserved specimens in the herpetological collection of the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, along with a review of the original literature, indicates that no extant specimen can be undoubtedly identified as the holotype of Leptodactylus gracilis (DumCri.l and Bibron, 1840). Furthermore, it revealed that the type locality recently assigned to this taxon is in error.

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.

The Emergence Of Sex, Ursula Goodenough

Biology Faculty Publications & Presentations

Biological traits, the foci of natural selection, are by definition emergent from the genes, proteins, and other “nothing-buts” that constitute them. Moreover, and with the exception of recently emergent “spandrels,” each can be accorded a teleological dimension—each is “for” some purpose conducive to an organism's continuation. Sex, which is “for” the generation of recombinant genomes, may be one of the most ancient and ubiquitous traits in biology. In the course of its evolution, many additional traits, such as gender and nurture, have emerged. Patterns of sexual exchange are the basis for patterns of biological evolution and are central to the …

Occurrence And Biological Effect Of Exogenous Steroids In The Elkhorn River, Nebraska, Usa, Alan S. Kolok, Daniel D. Snow, Satomi Kohno, Marlo K. Sellin, Louis J. Guillette Jr.

Biology Faculty Publications

Recent studies of surface waters in North America, Japan, and Europe have reported the presence of steroidogenic agents as contaminants. The current study has three objectives: 1) to determine if steroidogenic compounds are present in the Elkhorn River, 2) to determine if sediments collected from the Elkhorn River can act as a source of steroidogenic compounds to aquatic organisms, and 3) to determine if site-specific biological effects are apparent in the hepatic gene expression of fathead minnows. Evidence was obtained using three approaches: 1) deployment of polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCIS), 2) deployment of caged fathead minnows, and 3) …

Species Invasion Shifts The Importance Of Predator Dependence, Blaine D. Griffen, David G. Delaney

Faculty Publications

The strength of interference between foraging individuals can influence per capita consumption rates, with important consequences for predator and prey populations and system stability. Here we demonstrate how the replacement of a previously established invader, the predatory crab Carcinus maenas, by the recently invading predatory crab Hemigrapsus sanguineus shifts predation from a species that experiences strong predator interference (strong predator dependence) to one that experiences weak predator interference (weak predator dependence). We demonstrate using field experiments that differences in the strength of predator dependence persist for these species both when they forage on a single focal prey species only (the …

Impacts Of Two Introduced Ladybeetles, Coccinella Septempunctata And Harmonia Axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), On Native Coccinellid Species At Mount St. Helens, Washington And In Southwestern Virginia, Catherine Marie Sheehy

Masters Theses

To assess changes in coccinellid communities subsequent to the introduction of two non-native species, Coccinella septempunctata and Harmonia axyridis, ladybird numbers were monitored over a 20 year period at Mt. Saint Helens, Washington and in three years between 1996 and 2004 in southwestern Virginia. Surveys conducted at Mt. Saint Helens included pre- and post- invasion years for both non-natives. At Mt. Saint Helens, C. septempunctata and H. axyridis both increased in abundance, accompanied by declining numbers of the native ladybird Adalia bipunctata at one of the two Washington sites and of the native ladybird Coccinella transversoguttata at both sites. …

Non-Standard Sources In A Standardized World: Responsible Practice And Ethics Of Acquiring Turtle Specimens For Scientific Use, Edgar Lehr, Russell Burke, Linda Ford, Steve Mockford, Peter Pritchard, Jose Rosado, Darrell Senneke, Bryan Stuart

Edgar Lehr

No abstract provided.

The International Lepidoptera Survey Newsletter, December 2007, International Lepidoptera Survey, Kenneth E. Davenport, Ray E. Stanford, Robert L. Langston

International Lepidoptera Survey Newsletter

Contents (pages 1-66)

Title

Flight Periods of California Butterflies for “Resident Species,” Subspecies and Most Strays to the State (2007)

Authors

Kenneth E. Davenport, Ray E. Stanford and Robert L. Langston

Abstract

Normal flight periods and early/late records for resident species, subspecies and regular strays of butterflies of California are presented below.. Many subspecies or populations in the state are distinctive and may prove to merit species recognition by specialists in the future.

Simpler Mode Of Inheritance Of Transcriptional Variation In Male Drosophila Melanogaster, Marta Wayne, Marina Telonis-Scott, Lisa Bono, Lawrence G. Harshman, Artyom Kopp, Sergey V. Nuzhdin, Lauren Mcintyre

Lawrence G. Harshman Publications

Sexual selection drives faster evolution in males. The X chromosome is potentially an important target for sexual selection, because hemizygosity in males permits accumulation of alleles, causing tradeoffs in fitness between sexes. Hemizygosity of the X could cause fundamentally different modes of inheritance between the sexes, with more additive variation in males and more nonadditive variation in females. Indeed, we find that genetic variation for the transcriptome is primarily additive in males but nonadditive in females. As expected, these differences are more pronounced on the X chromosome than the autosomes, but autosomal loci are also affected, possibly because of X-linked …

Spatial And Temporal Patterns Of Nitrogen Deposition In China: Synthesis Of Observational Data, Chaoqun (Crystal) Lu, Hanqin Tian

Chaoqun (Crystal) Lu

Anthropogenic nitrous pollutant emissions in China significantly increased during the last decades, which contributed to the accelerated nitrogen (N) deposition. In order to characterize spatial pattern of nitrogen deposition, we employed the kriging technique to interpolate sampling data of precipitation chemistry and ambient air concentration from site-network observations over China. The estimation of wet deposition in China was limited to aqueous NO3− and NH4+, while ambient NO2 was the only species involved in the predicted dry deposition fluxes. To obtain wet deposition fluxes, precipitation concentration was multiplied by 20-year mean precipitation amounts with a resolution of 10 × 10 km. …

Distribution And Habitats Of Mosquito Larvae In The Kingdom Of Tonga, Jon S. Harding, Culum Brown, Felicity Jones, Russell Taylor

Ecology Collection

Mosquitoes are a significant pest and human health issue in the Kingdom of Tonga. The occurrence of species and habitats used by mosquito larvae were investigated to determine the potential for control through larval habitat management. Forty-two sites, including 22 villages and 20 farm plantations on the six islands of Tongatapu, Pangaimotu, Vava’u, Pangaimotu (Vava’u group), ‘Utungake and Nuku, were surveyed in April 2006. A total of eight mosquito species were collected: Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus), Ae. horrescens (Edwards), Ae. nocturnus (Theobold), Ae. tongae (Edwards), Culex albinervis (Edwards), Cx. annulirostris (Skuse), Cx. quinquefasciatus (Say) and Cx. sitiens (Wiedemann). Several species were …