Electrophoretic karyotyping from Tolypocladium inflatum and six related strains allows differentiation of morpologically similar species

Crossbreeding experiments were used to estimate cryptic species in water bodies of Ukraine and Russia because the most useful criterion in species independence is reproductive isolation. The problem of cryptic species in the genus Eucyclops was examined using interpopulation crosses of populations collected from Baltic Sea basin (pond of Strelka river basin) and Black Sea basin (water-reservoires of Dnieper, Dniester and Danube rivers basins). The results of reciprocal crosses in Eucyclops serrulatus-group are shown that E. serrulatus from different populations but from water bodies belonging to the same river basin crossed each others successfully. The interpopulation crosses of E. serrulatus populations collected from different river basins (Dnipro, Danube and Dniester river basins) were sterile. In this group of experiments we assigned evidence of sterility to four categories: 1) incomplete copulation or absence of copulation; 2) nonviable eggs; 3) absence of egg membranes or egg sacs 4) empty egg membranes. These crossbreeding studies suggest the presence of cryptic species in the E. serrulatus inhabiting ecologically different populations in many parts of its range. The same crossbreeding experiments were carries out between Eucyclops serrulatus and morphological similar species – Eucyclops macruroides from Baltic and Black Sea basins. The reciprocal crossings between these two species were sterile. Thus taxonomic heterogeneity among species of genus Eucyclops lower in E. macruroides than in E. serrulatus. The interpopulation crosses of E. macruroides populations collected from distant part of range were fertile. These crossbreeding studies suggest that E. macruroides species complex was evaluated as more stable than E. serrulatus species complex.

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Two New Species of Aira (Poaceae) from the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands

Systematic Botany ◽

10.1600/036364420x15801369352324 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 45 (1) ◽

pp. 75-84

Author(s):

Llorenç Sáez ◽

Javier López-Alvarado ◽

Pere Fraga ◽

Regina Berjano ◽

M. Ángeles Ortiz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Assessment ◽

New Species ◽

Iberian Peninsula ◽

Diploid Species ◽

Balearic Islands ◽

Similar Species ◽

Chromosome Counts ◽

Two New Species

Abstract—Two new diploid species, Aira minoricensis and Aira hercynica, are described and illustrated, along with chromosome counts, risk assessment, distribution and habitat, phenology, and comparisons with morphologically similar species. A comparative table and a key for the species of Aira for the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands are provided to assist in the identification of these overlooked species, and their relationships to other taxa are discussed.

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Paepalanthus fabianeae (Eriocaulaceae): A New Microendemic Species from a Morphologically Coherent Clade

Systematic Botany ◽

10.1600/036364420x16033963649318 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 45 (4) ◽

pp. 794-801

Author(s):

Caroline Oliveira Andrino ◽

Marcelo Fragomeni Simon ◽

Jair Eustáquio Quintino Faria ◽

André Luiz da Costa Moreira ◽

Paulo Takeo Sano

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Iucn Red List ◽

Phylogenetic Position ◽

Similar Species ◽

Infrageneric Classification ◽

Espinhaço Range ◽

Nuclear Its ◽

Two Populations

Abstract—We describe and illustrate Paepalanthus fabianeae, a new species of Eriocaulaceae from the central portion of the Espinhaço Range in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Previous phylogenetic evidence based on analyses of nuclear (ITS and ETS) and plastid (trnL-trnF and psba-trnH) sequences revealed P. fabianeae as belonging to a strongly supported and morphologically coherent clade containing five other species, all of them microendemic, restricted to the Espinhaço range. Due to the infrageneric classification of Paepalanthus being highly artificial, we preferred not assigning P. fabianeae to any infrageneric group. Paepalanthus fabianeae is known from two populations growing in campos rupestres (highland rocky fields) in the meridional Espinhaço Range. The species is characterized by pseudodichotomously branched stems, small, linear, recurved, and reflexed leaves, urceolate capitula, and bifid stigmas. Illustrations, photos, the phylogenetic position, and a detailed description, as well as comments on habitat, morphology, and affinities with similar species are provided. The restricted area of occurrence allied with threats to the quality of the habitat, mainly due to quartzite mining, justifies the preliminary classification of the new species in the Critically Endangered (CR) category using the guidelines and criteria of the IUCN Red List.

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Alkaliphilic species Euastrum lacustre (Charophyta, Zygnematophyceae), first record from Russia

Novosti sistematiki nizshikh rastenii ◽

10.31111/nsnr/2020.54.2.313 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 54 (2) ◽

pp. 313-320

Author(s):

O. V. Anissimova

Keyword(s):

Cell Wall ◽

New Species ◽

First Record ◽

European Russia ◽

Similar Species ◽

Morphological Differences ◽

First Time ◽

Kursk Region

Euastrum lacustre is reported for Russia for the first time. This alcaliphilic species was found in the periphyton and plankton of three lakes in the Kursk Region (European Russia). A description of morphology, including the relief of cell wall, and habitats where this taxon is found are represented. LM and SEM microphotographs are provided. Morphological differences of E. lacustre from similar species are discussed. New species for region, namely Closterium aciculare, Cosmarium formosulum, C. granatum, C. pseudoinsigne, C. reniforme and Staurastrum pingue, are found in the samples together with E. lacustre.

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Rapid, large-scale species discovery in hyperdiverse taxa using 1D MinION sequencing

BMC Biology ◽

10.1186/s12915-019-0706-9 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Amrita Srivathsan ◽

Emily Hartop ◽

Jayanthi Puniamoorthy ◽

Wan Ting Lee ◽

Sujatha Narayanan Kutty ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dna Sequences ◽

Large Scale ◽

Low Cost ◽

Small Body ◽

Small Subset ◽

Similar Species ◽

Large Species ◽

Morphological Examination ◽

Species Discovery ◽

Short Period

Abstract Background More than 80% of all animal species remain unknown to science. Most of these species live in the tropics and belong to animal taxa that combine small body size with high specimen abundance and large species richness. For such clades, using morphology for species discovery is slow because large numbers of specimens must be sorted based on detailed microscopic investigations. Fortunately, species discovery could be greatly accelerated if DNA sequences could be used for sorting specimens to species. Morphological verification of such “molecular operational taxonomic units” (mOTUs) could then be based on dissection of a small subset of specimens. However, this approach requires cost-effective and low-tech DNA barcoding techniques because well-equipped, well-funded molecular laboratories are not readily available in many biodiverse countries. Results We here document how MinION sequencing can be used for large-scale species discovery in a specimen- and species-rich taxon like the hyperdiverse fly family Phoridae (Diptera). We sequenced 7059 specimens collected in a single Malaise trap in Kibale National Park, Uganda, over the short period of 8 weeks. We discovered > 650 species which exceeds the number of phorid species currently described for the entire Afrotropical region. The barcodes were obtained using an improved low-cost MinION pipeline that increased the barcoding capacity sevenfold from 500 to 3500 barcodes per flowcell. This was achieved by adopting 1D sequencing, resequencing weak amplicons on a used flowcell, and improving demultiplexing. Comparison with Illumina data revealed that the MinION barcodes were very accurate (99.99% accuracy, 0.46% Ns) and thus yielded very similar species units (match ratio 0.991). Morphological examination of 100 mOTUs also confirmed good congruence with morphology (93% of mOTUs; > 99% of specimens) and revealed that 90% of the putative species belong to the neglected, megadiverse genus Megaselia. We demonstrate for one Megaselia species how the molecular data can guide the description of a new species (Megaselia sepsioides sp. nov.). Conclusions We document that one field site in Africa can be home to an estimated 1000 species of phorids and speculate that the Afrotropical diversity could exceed 200,000 species. We furthermore conclude that low-cost MinION sequencers are very suitable for reliable, rapid, and large-scale species discovery in hyperdiverse taxa. MinION sequencing could quickly reveal the extent of the unknown diversity and is especially suitable for biodiverse countries with limited access to capital-intensive sequencing facilities.

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Perspiria boucheri sp. nov. (Nematoda, Desmodorida) from the East China Sea

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.4695.2.10 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4695 (2) ◽

pp. 195-200

Author(s):

JING SUN ◽

HONGXIU ZHAI ◽

YONG HUANG

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

East China Sea ◽

Buccal Cavity ◽

Nematode Species ◽

East China ◽

Similar Species ◽

Marine Nematode ◽

The East China Sea ◽

Free Living ◽

China Sea

A new free-living marine nematode species from marine sediments in the East China Sea, is described here as Perspiria boucheri sp. nov. The new species is characterized by amphideal fovea surrounded partially by body annulations; four cephalic setae stout; conical buccal cavity with a minute dorsal tooth and two ventrosublateral teeth; pharynx with a pyriform terminal bulb; tail elongated, conical with 3/4 posterior cylindrical portion which having distinct coarse annulations; spicules strongly curved with narrow ventral velum, handle-shaped proximally; gubernaculum canoe-shaped, without apophysis. The new species differs from the most similar species Perspiria striaticaudata (Timm, 1962) by strongly curved spicules with handle-shaped proximal end, gubernaculum without dorsal apophysis and relatively shorter tail. Updated key to all species of Perspiria is provided.

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PSI-40 Two mitochondrial lineages revealed in North American yak

Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.1093/jas/skaa278.833 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 98 (Supplement_4) ◽

pp. 477-477

Author(s):

Leah K Treffer ◽

Edward S Rice ◽

Anna M Fuller ◽

Samuel Cutler ◽

Jessica L Petersen

Keyword(s):

Sequence Data ◽

Haplotype Network ◽

Ovis Aries ◽

Similar Species ◽

Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽

Mt Dna ◽

Protein Coding ◽

Sister Clade ◽

Mtdna Sequence ◽

The Impact

Abstract Domestic yak (Bos grunniens) are bovids native to the Asian Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Studies of Asian yak have revealed that introgression with domestic cattle has contributed to the evolution of the species. When imported to North America (NA), some hybridization with B. taurus did occur. The objective of this study was to use mitochondrial (mt) DNA sequence data to better understand the mtDNA origin of NA yak and their relationship to Asian yak and related species. The complete mtDNA sequence of 14 individuals (12 NA yak, 1 Tibetan yak, 1 Tibetan B. indicus) was generated and compared with sequences of similar species from GeneBank (B. indicus, B. grunniens (Chinese), B. taurus, B. gaurus, B. primigenius, B. frontalis, Bison bison, and Ovis aries). Individuals were aligned to the B. grunniens reference genome (ARS_UNL_BGru_maternal_1.0), which was also included in the analyses. The mtDNA genes were annotated using the ARS-UCD1.2 cattle sequence as a reference. Ten unique NA yak haplotypes were identified, which a haplotype network separated into two clusters. Variation among the NA haplotypes included 93 nonsynonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms. A maximum likelihood tree including all taxa was made using IQtree after the data were partitioned into twenty-two subgroups using PartitionFinder2. Notably, six NA yak haplotypes formed a clade with B. indicus; the other four haplotypes grouped with B. grunniens and fell as a sister clade to bison, gaur and gayal. These data demonstrate two mitochondrial origins of NA yak with genetic variation in protein coding genes. Although these data suggest yak introgression with B. indicus, it appears to date prior to importation into NA. In addition to contributing to our understanding of the species history, these results suggest the two major mtDNA haplotypes in NA yak may functionally differ. Characterization of the impact of these differences on cellular function is currently underway.

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Getting the Most From Surveys: How Method Selection and Method Modification Impact Butterfly Survey Data

Annals of the Entomological Society of America ◽

10.1093/aesa/saab004 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Katherine C Kral-O’Brien ◽

Adrienne K Antonsen ◽

Torre J Hovick ◽

Ryan F Limb ◽

Jason P Harmon

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

New Species ◽

Count Data ◽

Distance Sampling ◽

Line Transect ◽

Similar Species ◽

Method Selection ◽

M 10 ◽

Sampling Procedures

Abstract Many methods are used to survey butterfly populations, with line transect and area surveys being prominent. Observers are typically limited to search within 5 or 10 m from the line, while observers are unrestricted in larger specified search regions in area surveys. Although methods differ slightly, the selection is often based on producing defendable data for conservation, maximizing data quality, and minimizing effort. To guide method selection, we compared butterfly surveys using 1) line versus area methods and 2) varying width transects (5 m, 10 m, or unrestricted) using count data from surveys in North Dakota from 2015 to 2018. Between line and area surveys, we detected more individuals with area surveys, even when accounting for effort. However, both methods accumulated new species at similar rates. When comparing transect methodology, we detected nearly 60% more individuals and nine more species when transect width increased from 5 m to unrestricted, despite similar effort across methodology. Overall, we found line surveys slightly less efficient at detecting individuals, but they collected similar species richness to area surveys when accounting for effort. Additionally, line surveys allow the use of unrestricted-width transects with distance sampling procedures, which were more effective at detecting species and individuals while providing a means to correct count data over the same transect length. Methods that reduce effort and accurately depict communities are especially important for conservation when long-term datasets are unavailable.

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Niches, rather than neutrality, structure a grassland pioneer guild

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2005.3084 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 272 (1570) ◽

pp. 1357-1364 ◽

Cited By ~ 48

Author(s):

Lindsay A Turnbull ◽

Liz Manley ◽

Mark Rees

Keyword(s):

Seed Size ◽

Adult Stage ◽

Niche Differentiation ◽

Competitive Dynamics ◽

Similar Species ◽

Adult Density ◽

Pioneer Species ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Very High ◽

Early Establishment

Pioneer species are fast-growing, short-lived gap exploiters. They are prime candidates for neutral dynamics because they contain ecologically similar species whose low adult density is likely to cause widespread recruitment limitation, which slows competitive dynamics. However, many pioneer guilds appear to be differentiated according to seed size. In this paper, we compare predictions from a neutral model of community structure with three niche-based models in which trade-offs involving seed size form the basis of niche differentiation. We test these predictions using sowing experiments with a guild of seven pioneer species from chalk grassland. We find strong evidence for niche structure based on seed size: specifically large-seeded species produce fewer seeds but have a greater chance of establishing on a per-seed basis. Their advantage in establishment arises because there are more microsites suitable for their germination and early establishment and not directly through competition with other seedlings. In fact, seedling densities of all species were equally suppressed by the addition of competitors' seeds. By the adult stage, despite using very high sowing densities, there were no detectable effects of interspecific competition on any species. The lack of interspecific effects indicates that niche differentiation, rather than neutrality, prevails.

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