Comparing the identification of southern California juvenile rockfishes (genus Sebastes spp.) by restriction site analysis of the mitochondrial ND3/ND4 region and by morphological characteristics

Rockfish (Sebastes spp.) juveniles are often difficult to identify by using morphological characters. This study independently applies morphological characters and a key based on mitochondrial restriction site variation to identify juvenile rockf ishes collected in southern California during juvenile rockfish surveys. Twenty-four specimens of Sebastes were examined genetically without knowledge of the morphological assignment. Seventeen fish were identified genetically as S. semicinctus, S. goodei, S. auriculatus, S. jordani, S. levis, S. rastrelliger, and S. saxicola. Identities for the remaining fish were narrowed to two or three species: 1) three fish were either S. carnatus or S. chrysomelas; 2) one fish was either S. chlorosticus, S. eos, or S. rosenblatti; and 3) three fish could have been either S. hopkinsi or S. ovalis, the latter for which we now have distinguishing mitochondrial markers. The genetic and morphological assignments concurred except for the identity of one fish that could only be narrowed down to S. hopkinsi or S. semicinctus by using morphological characters. Genetics excluded more species from multispecies groupings than did the morphological approach, especially species within the subgenus Sebastomus. Species in the genetically unresolvable groups may be similar because of recent divergence or because of interspecies introgression.

嵩草属植物的系统学研究

嵩草属隶属于莎草科苔草亚科苔草族，主要分布于北半球温带地区，少数种类为环北极分布，有一种产于泰国清迈，一种产于苏门达腊岛北部高山。本‘文在形态学、微形态学、解剖学和胚胎学研究的基础上，对嵩草属植物进行了全面的分类学修订，根据属内各类群之间的系统演化关系建立了一个新的属下分类系统，确认了世界范围内53种3亚种嵩草属植物，并做出5个种上等级的新组合，描述了一个新亚组。 作者研究了国内外14家标本馆（室）的3000多份腊叶标本并进行多次野外的实地观察，对嵩草属植物的形态学性状进行了详细的比较和分析，评价了它们的系统学价值及其演化趋势。在嵩草属中，花序是由小穗排列成的圆锥花序或穗状花序，花序各部分的形态性状是种及种上等级分类的基础;花序的演化趋势是由圆锥花序到穗状花序，小穗是从由数朵雄花与1朵雌花组成简化到由1朵雌花组成。但是，花序和小穗由复杂到简单的进化在嵩草属中平行地发生于不同的类群中。先出叶的性状状态是分种的主要特征之一，通常认为边缘开裂的先出叶是原始的，边缘合生而为囊状的先出叶是进化的。同样，先出叶由开裂到合生的进化也是多次发生的。此外，根状茎、秆、叶鞘、叶片、柱头及小坚果等的性状状态对于种及种上等级的分类都具有重要的意义。 应用扫描电子显微镜对38种（或亚种）嵩草属植物的小坚果表面进行了观察，证明小坚果纹饰在种及种上等级的分类中具有重要的参考价值，并能揭示种及种下等级的亲缘关系。例如，分布于喜马拉雅东部至横断山地区的3种植物，K．clarkeana、K．curvata和K．fragilis外部形态非常相似，难于区分，而其小坚果的微形态特征却可以提供3种之间关系的证据。K．clarkeana与K．fragilis果实表面的特征完全一致，且与其它植物有显著区别，应为同种植物;K．curvata与它们明显不同，也与其它种有较大差异，应为独立的种。K．gramini folia，K．cercostach ys和K. nepalensis果实表面纹饰具有一些共同的特征，说明它们之间的亲缘关系较近。K．filicina和K．duthiei也存在同样的情形。 通过对秆和叶片的横切面和表皮的解剖学观察比较，发现嵩草属植物秆的横切面表现出由三角形到圆形的一系列变化。秆的横切面明显地分两个区域，中部的髓由较大而无色的细胞组成，其中心常碎裂形成大的气腔;外围的绿色部分，由绿色组织及分布其中的气腔和外韧维管束及与其相伴的厚壁组织组成。秆的表皮与叶片下表皮非常相象。叶片横切面的外形为V形、新月形或半圆形。V形的叶片具有明显发育的中脉并且在远轴面凸起，形成脊;新月形和半圆形的叶片中脉发育不明显，也无脊。叶片的表皮细胞均为长方形，垂周壁波纹状;平列型的气孔器纵向成行排列，多局限于下表皮;上表皮近边缘及脉附近的细胞常常在细胞的一端形成乳突。秆和叶片横切面的形态对于分种及种上等级的划分具有参考价值。 胚胎学研究表明小孢子、胚囊和胚的发育与莎草科其它类群一致。花粉为假单体花粉( pseudomonad)，成熟花粉三核。胚珠倒生，厚珠心，双层珠被，珠孑L由内珠被形成。胚囊的发育为蓼型，原胚的发育为柳叶菜型灯芯草变型。首次观察到，在大孢子四分体时期，合点端和珠孔端两个大孢子细胞开始时体积都增大，而中部两个很快退化，稍后珠孔端一个也退化，合点端一个为功能大孢子，发育成为胚囊。根据胚胎学证据，不支持将嵩草属与苔草族一起另立为嵩草科。 嵩草属中较原始的一个亚属subg. Compositae主要分布于西喜马拉雅至横断山地区，还有一种见于泰国，一种产于苏门达腊，而后2种植物还具有一些最原始的形态性状。结合地史的变化推测，嵩草属可能在第三纪早期起源于古地中海的东部和北部。 根据形态学和解剖学性状的分析表明，许多性状在嵩草属中是平行演化的，如花序和小穗由复杂到简单、秆由圆柱形到三棱形、叶片横切面由V形到半圆形等。该属的属下分类应该追溯这些平行的演化线，而不能像以前的分类那样，将它们横向地划分为几个组或亚属。作者认为嵩草属有3个大的进化分支，据此将其划分为3个亚属。Subg. Compositae，12种，是较原始的一个分支。叶近基生，叶片扁平;花序多疏松圆锥状，少穗状，苞片多为叶状;小穗两性到单性，先出叶多为囊状，少边缘分离，退化小穗轴明显、扁平、较长。Subg. Blysmocarex，仅2种，是较早分化而相对隔离的一个分支。根状茎匍匐状;花序由圆锥状到穗状，小穗两性或单性;柱头2。Subg. Kobresia，种类最多。叶片扁平或内卷;秆三棱形到圆柱形;花序紧密，复杂到简单，苞片不为叶状;小穗两性或单性，先出叶由开裂到合生，退化小穗轴较小而不显著。根据该亚属呈现出的不同的性状演化系列，可以分为3个组。Sect. Kobresia花序圆锥状至穗状，小穗多为两性，少为单性，先出叶边缘分离。含3个亚组：subsect. Kobresia，8种2亚种．植株纤细，秆与叶均为丝状;subsect. Royleanae，8种l亚种，植株较粗壮，叶片扁平或对折;subsect. Sibiri-cae，4种，秆较粗，叶片内卷。Sect. Psmmostachys，仅2种，小穗两性，先出叶完全合生为囊状。Sect．Hemicarex花序一般为穗状，稀圆锥状，小穗多为单性，少两性。分为四个亚组：subsect. Forexeta，6种，叶片内卷或对折，先出叶线形，边缘分离或合生;subsect. Chlorostachys，3种，叶片扁平，小穗两性;subsect. Holmia，4种，叶片扁平，小穗单性;subsect．Utriculatae，5种，叶片丝状，先出叶完全合生为囊状，不为线形。嵩草属的属下分类纲要如下： Subgenus 1. Compositae (Clarke) Kukkonen Type: K. laxa Nees. Subgenus 2. Blysmocarex (Ivanova) S. R. Zhang Type: K. macrantha Boeck. Subgenus 3. Kobresia Section 1. Kobresia Subsection 1. Kobresia Type: K. simpliciuscula (Wahl. ) Mack. Subsection 2. Royleanae (Ivanova) S. R. Zhang Type: K. royleana (Nees) Boeck. Subsection 3. Sibiricae (Ivanova) Egorova Type: K. sibirica (Turcz. ex Ledeb. ) Boeck. Section 2. Psmmostachys Ivanova Type: K. robusta Maxim. Section 3. Hemicarex (Bentham) Clarke Subsection 4. Forexeta (Raffin. ) S. R. Zhang Type: K. cercostachys (Franch. ) C. B. Clarke. Subsection 5. Chlorostachys (Ivanova) S. R. Zhang Type: K. duthiei C B. Clarke. Subsection 6. Holmia (Boern. ) S. R. Zhang Type: K. esenbeckii (Kunth) Noltie. Subsection 7. Utriculatae S. R. Zhang Type: K. prainii Kukenthal.

中国簇毛黄耆亚属的分类修订和系统位置初探

摘要 "簇毛黄耆亚属隶属于豆科黄耆属，主要分布在青藏高原和横断山区，大多数种类都是狭域分布的。由于缺乏野外工作，标本不够丰富，模式标本不易收集齐全等原因，相当一部分种类的划分尚不能令人满意，应予以修订。除此之外，这个亚属的范围及其系统位置也存在一定的争议，还有待于深入的研究。本文对我国簇毛黄耆亚属的种类进行了分类修订，通过形态学和分子系统学两方面的研究，重新界定了该亚属的范围，并对其系统位置进行了探讨。 1. 分类修订 通过查阅文献，标本室研究与野外观察相结合，对簇毛黄耆亚属形态性状的变异式进行了分析，特别调查了性状在居群中的变异幅度。发现茎和花的长短以及果实的形态等是可靠的分类性状。另外，茎和小叶的被毛状况，小叶和小苞片的形状以及花的颜色等对于亚属下种类的划分也有重要的意义。 本文将7种植物从簇毛黄耆亚属中分出，9种处理为异名，确认中国簇毛黄耆亚属植物有23种。多尼尔黄耆是中国分布新记录种，亚东黄耆和单花黄耆都是该种的异名。狭叶黄耆、芒齿黄耆和丽江黄耆是弯齿黄耆的异名，这些种类中存在的分类困难得到了澄清。本文给出了每一个种的形态描述和标本信息以及亚属内的分种检索表。 2. 微形态学 观察了簇毛黄耆亚属植物花柱的发育过程，发现通常使用的术语“柱头具毛”没有准确地描述其中一部分簇毛黄耆的特征。这些植物的毛只是长在花柱的顶端，柱头是光滑无毛的。除毛被直立且向上指外，其它与花粉刷（pollen brush）相关的特征，在这些植物中也出现。所以，这些簇毛黄耆的花柱及其毛被也应该叫做花粉刷。在山羊豆族中，花粉刷正是区分鱼鳔槐亚族的关键特征。因此，这一构造支持将一部分簇毛黄耆从黄耆属（黄耆亚族）中分出，作为一个属放入鱼鳔槐亚族当中。 3. 叶表皮研究 在光学显微镜下观察了代表簇毛黄耆亚属4个组的11种植物的叶表皮。发现所观察种类都具有两种气孔类型，以无规则型为主，放射状细胞型数量很少。 表皮细胞根据细胞轮廊和垂周壁的情况，可以分为三种类型：一是表皮细胞不规则形，垂周壁波状纹或深波状纹，代表为扁荚组植物;二是表皮细胞为多边形，狭长形为主，垂周壁平直，略有浅波状纹，袋果组植物属于这种类型;三是表皮细胞为多边形，垂周壁平直，属于这种类型的有膨果组和背扁组植物。表皮细胞形状对于亚属范围的确定以及亚属下组的划分有一定的意义。 4. 分子系统学 测定了簇毛黄耆亚属植物的ITS序列，并从Genbank中下载了48个种的ITS序列，包括了黄耆属及其临近12个属的代表。以锦鸡儿属（Caragana）为外类群，进行简约性分析，构建簇毛黄耆亚属与其临近类群的系统发育树状图。结果显示，扁荚组与亚属其余类群在系统树上处于不同的分支，亲缘关系较远，表明包括扁荚组的簇毛黄耆亚属不是一个单系类群;膨果组，背扁组和袋果组的代表作为一个单系类群能得到ITS序列的支持，但它们与鱼鳔槐亚族关系更近。这种分支方式能够得到形态证据的支持，说明一部分簇毛黄耆的确与鱼鳔槐亚族有更近的关系，这些种类的分类位置值得重新考虑。"

松属单维管束亚属植物rDNA的染色体定位研究

松属植物的基因组十分庞大（大于20000Mbp），其中约90%是由重复序列组成的，我们对其结构和组成仍知之甚少。松属在系统分类上分为两个亚属:单维管束亚属和双维管束亚属。基因组大小研究发现单维管束亚属植物的基因组更大。rDNA作为一类有功能的多基因家族重复序列，其自身特性决定了它在基因组研究中的重要性。FISH技术为rDNA在染色体上物理定位提供了有力的工具。尽管现在对松属rDNA FISH已有不少报道，但主要集中在双维管束亚属，对单维管束亚属的研究几乎是空白。本研究选择5个单维管束亚属松属植物P. bungeana, P. koraiensis, P. armandii, P. wallichiana, P. strobus，进行rDNA FISH研究。旨在弄清18S-25S rDNA和5S rDNA在单维管束亚属植物染色体上的位点数目和分布模式。结合前人对松属双维管束亚属植物的工作，对单、双维管束亚属植物之间rDNA FISH结果进行比较，从而可以从整体上认识松属植物的18S-25S rDNA和5S rDNA在染色体上的分布式样。在此基础上进一步探讨18S-25S rDNA和5S rDNA这些重复序列在松属植物基因组结构和组成中的地位和作用。本研究主要结果如下： 1.rDNA FISH在松属染色体核型分析中的作用 本研究中5种松属单维管束亚属植物染色体数目均为2n=24，除最短一条染色体为亚中部着丝粒染色体外，其余11条均为中部着丝粒染色体，长度和臂比也十分接近，同源染色体的不容易鉴定，很难排出精确的核型。在我们的研究结果中，5个松属植物中，除了白皮松外，18S-25S rDNA和5S rDNA分布在12对染色体中的10对染色体上，这些位点可作为染色体标记，大大提高了同源染色体鉴定的准确度，但是染色体之间排序问题依然没有很好地解决。核型比较认为种间是否存在部分同源染色体关系也不是十分明确，仅Ⅺ号和Ⅻ号染色体有这种关系，这主要由于Ⅺ号和Ⅻ号染色体容易准确地鉴别出来。核型分析的精确仍有待增加标记来提高。 2．rDNA位点数目在松属两个亚属间的比较及其与基因组大小的关系 松属植物18S-25S rDNA位点通常为5-10个，5S rDNA位点为1-4个。其中单维管束亚属18S-25S rDNA位点通常为9-10个（除白皮松为4个外），5S rDNA位点为2- 4个;双维管束亚属为18S-25S rDNA位点通常为5-10个，5S rDNA位点通常为1-2个。而二倍体被子植物18S-25S rDNA位点通常为1-5个5S rDNA位点为1-3个。暗示18S-25S rDNA和5S rDNA位点数目多少和基因组大小还是有一定的相关性。因为松属植物的基因组比典型的二倍体被子植物大得多，单维管束亚属植物的的C-值又普遍比双维管束亚属植物的高。白皮松虽有些例外，18S-25S rDNA位点数目少，但信号强度大得多，代表拷贝数高，因此其基因组大小可以从rDNA拷贝数上得到解释。 3．18S-25S rDNA和5S rDNA位点在松属两个亚属之间的分布模式比较 18S-25S rDNA和5S rDNA位点在松属两个亚属染色体上的分布方式有明显不同，每个亚属均有两种分布形式，并形成各自稳定的分布模式。在单维管束植物中，18S-25S rDNA和5S rDNA位点或相邻分布于同一染色体同一臂上，5S rDNA位于臂的远端;或两位点分布于不同的染色体。而在双维管束植物中18S-25S rDNA和5S rDNA或相邻分布于同一染色体同一臂上，18S-25S rDNA在臂的远端;或两位点分布于同一染色体两条臂上。在两个亚属中，当18S-25S rDNA和5S rDNA位点位于同一条染色体臂上时，相对位置正好相反。这完全不同的rDNA分布模式的形成，可能与松属这两个亚属植物的物种形成和分化过程中染色体发生倒位或易位有关，暗示这两个亚属的基因组结构存在分化。但这各自的分布模式是否可以作为判断亚属的特征依据仍有待加大样本量证实。 4．rDNA 位点分布及变异具有系统学意义 rDNA FISH 结果符合分类中亲缘关系越近，分布模式越相似的原则，因而认为rDNA 位点在染色体上的分布模式，具有系统学意义。基于已知的松属植物rDNA FISH结果构建的系统关系，符合传统分类系统中对亚组划分。rDNA FISH结果与分子系统学的研究结果相比较认为，松属单维管亚属5种松中，以乔松和北美乔松关系最近，与同一个亚组的华山松稍远，与另一个亚组的红松更远。而白皮松作为一个特有的孑遗类群，系统位置比较特殊，分子系统学研究认为其处于基部的位置，本研究表明其rDNA位点有明显的特点：位点数目少，但信号强，反映了拷贝数多。那是否它就代表了祖先类群的位点分布模式，需要更多的基部类群的rDNA FISH结果支持。

Phylogenetic relationships of five pika species (genus Ochotona) based on mitochondrial DNA restriction maps

Restriction site mapping of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) with 16 restriction endonucleases was used to examine the phylogenetic relationships of Ochotona cansus, O. huangensis, O. thibetana, O. curzoniae and O. erythrotis. A 1-kb length variation between O. erythrotis of subgenus Pika and other four species of subgenus Ochotona was observed, which may be a useful genetic marker for identifying the two subgenera. The phylogenetic tree constructed using PAUP based on 61 phylogenetically informative sites suggests that O. erythrotis diverged first, followed by O. cansus, while O. curzoniae and O. huangensis are sister taxa related to O. thibetana, The results indicate that both O. cansus and O. huangensis should be treated as independent species. If the base substitution rate of pikas mtDNA was 2% per million years, then the divergence time of the two subgenera, Pika and Ochotana, is about 8.8 Ma ago of late Miocence, middle Bao-dian of Chinese mammalian age, and the divergence of the four species in subgenus Ochotona would have occurred about 2.5 - 4.2 Ma ago, Yushean of Chinese mammalian age. This calculation appears to be substantiated by the fossil record.

Mitochondrial cytochrome b gene sequences of Old World monkeys: With special reference on evolution of Asian colobines

The classification and phylogenetic relationships of the Old World monkeys are still controversial. For Asian colobines, from three to nine genera were recognized by different primatologists. In the present study, we have sequenced a 424 bp mitochondrial tRNA(Thr) gene and cytochrome b gene fragment from Macaca mulatta, Mandrillus sphinx, Mandrillus leucophaeus, Semnopithecus entellus, Trachypithecus vetulus, T. johnii, T. phayrei, T. francoisi, Pygathrix nemaeus, Rhinopithecus roxellanae, R. bieti, R. avunculus, Nasalis larvatus, and Colobus polykomos in order to gain independent information on the classification and phylogenetic relationships of those species. Phylogenetic trees were constructed with parsimony analysis by weighting transversions 5 or 10 fold greater than transitions. Our results support the following conclusions: (1) the Old World monkeys are divided into two subfamilies; (2) that among the colobines, Colobus, the African group, diverged first, and Nasalis and Rhinopithecus form a sister clade to Pygathrix; (3) that there are two clades within leaf monkeys, i.e. 1) S. entellus, T. johnii, and T. vetulus, and 2) T, phayrei and T. francoisi; (4) that Rhinopithecus avunculus, R. roxellanae, and R. bieti are closely related to each other, and they should be placed into the same subgenus; (5) that Rhinopithecus is a distinct genus; and (6) that the ancestors of Asian colobines migrated from Africa to Asia during the late Pliocene or early Pleistocene.

THE PHYLOGENETIC-RELATIONSHIPS AND CLASSIFICATION OF THE DOUCS AND SNUB-NOSED LANGURS OF CHINA AND VIETNAM

The taxonomy of the douc and snub-nosed langurs has changed several times during the 20th century. The controversy over the systematic position of these animals has been due in part to difficulties in studying them: both the doucs and the snub-nosed langurs are rare in the wild and are generally poorly represented in institutional collections. This review is based on a detailed examination of relatively large numbers of specimens of most of the species of langurs concerned. An attempt was made to draw upon as many types of information as were available in order to make an assessment of the phyletic relationships between the langur species under discussion. Toward this end, quantitative and qualitative features of the skeleton, specific features of visceral anatomy and characteristics of the pelage were utilized. The final data matrix comprised 178 characters. The matrix was analyzed using the program Hennig86. The results of the analysis support the following conclusions: (1) that the douc and snub-nosed langurs are generically distinct and should be referred to as species of Pygathrix and Rhinopithecus, respectively; (2) that the Tonkin snub-nosed langur be placed in its own subgenus as Rhinopithecus (Presbytiscus) avunculus and that the Chinese snub-nosed langur thus be placed in the subgenus Rhinopithecus (Rhinopithecus); (3) that four extant species of Rhinopithecus be recognized: R. (Rhinopithecus) roxellana Milne Edwards, 1870; R. (Rhinopithecus) bieti Milne Edwards, 1897; R. (Rhinopithecus) brelichi Thomas, 1903, and R. (Presbytiscus) avunculus Dollman, 1912; (4) that the Chinese snub-nosed langurs fall into northern and southern subgroups divided by the Yangtze river; (5) that R. lantianensis Hu and Qi, 1978, is a valid fossil species, and (6) the precise affinities and taxonomic status of the fossil species R. tingianus Matthew and Granger, 1923, are unclear because the type specimen is a subadult.

Stegana (Oxyphortica) nigripennis species-group, with descriptions of four new species from southeast Asia (Insecta : Diptera : Drosophilidae)

The nigripennis species-group is established within the subgenus Stegana (Oxyphortica), consisting of five species distributed in the Oriental Region, Stegana (O.) nigripennis (Hendel) from southern Japan, S. (O.) aotsukai, new species and S. (O.) prigenti, new species from southern China and Thailand, and S. (O.) trisetosa, new species and S. (O.) yapingi, new species, from eastern Malaysia. A key to all the species in this group is provided.

Phylogenetic analyses of Saussurea sect. Pseudoeriocoryne (Asteraceae : Cardueae) based on chloroplast DNA trnL-F sequences

The genus Saussurea is distributed mainly in the temperate and subarctic regions of Eurasia and consists of about 300 species classified into six subgenera and 20 sections. Sect. Pseudoeriocoryne in the subgenus Eriocoryne comprises four species, and is delimited mainly by acaulescence and an inflorescence with congested capitula surrounded by a rosette of leaves. All of these species are endemic to the and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Sequences from the chloroplast DNA trnL-F region were obtained for the four species in this section and 26 other species from four subgenera of Saussurea to resolve phylogenetic relationships among these species and to determine whether the shared characters that define sect. Pseudoeriocoryne are synapomorphic or were acquired by convergent evolution. The resulting phylogenies indicated that Saussurea sect. Pseudoeriocoryne as traditionally defined does not constitute a monophyletic group and that each of its species belongs to separate clades. Furthermore, none of these species showed a close relationship with the other species of subgenus Eriocoryne. Our results further indicated that none of the investigated subgenera are monophyletic, and that species from different subgenera clustered together. All these conclusions are provisional and their confirmation would require stronger phylogenetic support. Two possible explanations are suggested for low sequence divergence, poor resolution of internal clades and clustering of species with the rather distinct morphology of Saussurea detected in the present study. The first is rapid radiation and diversification triggered by fast habitat fragmentation due to the recent lifting of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the Quaternary climate oscillations. This could have led to rapid morphological divergence while sequences diverged very little, and also caused the convergent acquisition of similar characteristics in unrelated lineages due to similar selection pressures. The second possible explanation is that both introgressive hybridization and reticulate evolution might have caused the transferring of cpDNA sequences between morphologically dissimilar species, thus leading to homogenization of sequences between lineages. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Phylogenetic relationships of five pika species (genus Ochotona) based on mitochondrial DNA restriction maps

Restriction site mapping of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) with 16 restriction endonucleases was used to examine the phylogenetic relationships of Ochotona cansus, O. huangensis, O. thibetana, O. curzoniae and O. erythrotis. A 1-kb length variation between O. erythrotis of subgenus Pika and other four species of subgenus Ochotona was observed, which may be a useful genetic marker for identifying the two subgenera. The phylogenetic tree constructed using PAUP based on 61 phylogenetically informative sites suggests that O. erythrotis diverged first, followed by O. cansus, while O. curzoniae and O. huangensis are sister taxa related to O. thibetana, The results indicate that both O. cansus and O. huangensis should be treated as independent species. If the base substitution rate of pikas mtDNA was 2% per million years, then the divergence time of the two subgenera, Pika and Ochotana, is about 8.8 Ma ago of late Miocence, middle Bao-dian of Chinese mammalian age, and the divergence of the four species in subgenus Ochotona would have occurred about 2.5 - 4.2 Ma ago, Yushean of Chinese mammalian age. This calculation appears to be substantiated by the fossil record.

Cryptic species diversity in a widespread bumble bee complex revealed using mitochondrial DNA RFLPs

Cryptic species diversity is thought to be common within the class Insecta, posing problems for basic ecological and population genetic studies and conservation management. Within the temperate bumble bee (Bombus spp.) fauna, members of the subgenus Bombus sensu stricto are amongst the most abundant and widespread. However, their species diversity is controversial due to the extreme difficulty or inability morphologically to identify the majority of individuals to species. Our character-based phylogenetic analyses of partial CO1 (700 bp) from 39 individuals spread across their sympatric European ranges provided unequivocal support for five taxa (3-22 diagnostic DNA base pair sites per species). Inclusion of 20 Irish specimens to the dataset revealed >= 2.3% sequence divergence between taxa and 200 m) whilst B. cryptarum was relatively more abundant at higher altitudes. Bombus magnus was rarely encountered at urban sites. Both B. lucorum and B. terrestris are nowadays reared commercially for pollination and transported globally. Our RFLP approach to identify native fauna can underpin ecological studies of these important cryptic species as well as the impact of commercial bumble bees on them.

Coevolution of Heliconius spp. and Passiflora spp. : a phylogenetic comparison

Although a substantial amount of research has been done on all aspects ofHeliconius biology and their ecological interactions with Passiflora, there has not hitherto been a phylogenetic examination of this association for coevolution. To test the HeliconiuslPassilfora association for coevolutionary congruence, phylogenies for each group were established and compared. The phylogeny for 14 species ofHeliconiinae from Costa Rica was based on combined sequence data from rRNA ITS 2 and partial EF-1a gene regions. For the Passifloraceae, 17 host plant species were utilized to establish a phylogeny based on tRNALeucine and ITS 1/5.8S1 ITS 2 sequence data. The phylogenies for both groups were largely in agreement with current classification (for Passifloraceae) and previously established phylogenies. Associations with the large subgenera Passiflora and Decaloba correspond with the two major Advanced Radiation groups in Heliconius. Although strict congruence above subgenus level was not observed, broad scale congruence was evident. One main host shift as well as other possible explanations for lack of strict congruence are suggested.

A Validated Methodology for Genetic Identification of Tuna Species (Genus Thunnus)

Tuna species of the genus Thunnus, such as the bluefin tunas, are some of the most important and yet most endangered trade fish in the world. Identification of these species in traded forms, however, may be difficult depending on the presentation of the products, which may hamper conservation efforts on trade control. In this paper, we validated a genetic methodology that can fully distinguish between the eight Thunnus species from any kind of processed tissue. Methodology: After testing several genetic markers, a complete discrimination of the eight tuna species was achieved using Forensically Informative Nucleotide Sequencing based primarily on the sequence variability of the hypervariable genetic marker mitochondrial DNA control region (mtDNA CR), followed, in some specific cases, by a second validation by a nuclear marker rDNA first internal transcribed spacer (ITS1). This methodology was able to distinguish all tuna species, including those belonging to the subgenus Neothunnus that are very closely related, and in consequence can not be differentiated with other genetic markers of lower variability. This methodology also took into consideration the presence of introgression that has been reported in past studies between T. thynnus, T. orientalis and T. alalunga. Finally, we applied the methodology to cross-check the species identity of 26 processed tuna samples. Conclusions: Using the combination of two genetic markers, one mitochondrial and another nuclear, allows a full discrimination between all eight tuna species. Unexpectedly, the genetic marker traditionally used for DNA barcoding, cytochrome oxidase 1, could not differentiate all species, thus its use as a genetic marker for tuna species identification is questioned

Phylogeny, biogeography, and ecology of Ficus section Malvanthera (Moraceae)

We conducted the first molecular phylogenetic study of Ficus section Malvanthera (Moraceae; subgenus Urostigma) based on 32 Malvanthera accessions and seven outgroups representing other sections of Ficus subgenus Urostigma. We used DNA sequences from the nuclear ribosomal internal and external transcribed spacers (ITS and ETS), and the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G3pdh) region. Phylogenetic analysis using maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods recovered a monophyletic section Malvanthera to the exclusion of the rubber fig, Ficus elastica. The results of the phylogenetic analyses do not conform to any previously proposed taxonomic subdivision of the section and characters used for previous classification are homoplasious. Geographic distribution, however, is highly conserved and Melanesian Malvanthera are monophyletic. A new subdivision of section Malvanthera reflecting phylogenetic relationships is presented. Section Malvanthera likely diversified during a period of isolation in Australia and subsequently colonized New Guinea. Two Australian series are consistent with a pattern of dispersal out of rainforest habitat into drier habitats accompanied by a reduction in plant height during the transition from hemi-epiphytic trees to lithophytic trees and shrubs. In contradiction with a previous study of Pleistodontes phylogeny suggesting multiple changes in pollination behaviour, reconstruction of changes in pollination behaviour on Malvanthera, suggests only one or a few gains of active pollination within the section. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.