scholarly journals When xylarium and herbarium meet: linking Tervuren xylarium wood samples with their herbarium specimens at Meise Botanic Garden

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Vanden Abeele ◽  
Hans Beeckman ◽  
Tom De Mil ◽  
Cecile De Troyer ◽  
Victor Deklerck ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central Africa ◽  
Reference Value ◽  
Current Data ◽  
Reference Database ◽  
Global Changes ◽  
Herbarium Specimens ◽  
Botanic Garden ◽  
African Species ◽  
Wood Trait ◽  
Plant Collections

The current data paper aims to interlink the African plant collections of the Meise Botanic Garden Herbarium (BR) and the Royal Museum for Central Africa Xylarium (Tw). Complementing both collections strengthens the reference value of each institutional collection, as more complete metadata are made available and it enables increased quality control for the identification of wood specimens. Furthermore, the renewed connection enables the linking of available wood trait data with data on phenology, leaf morphology or even molecular information for many tree species, allowing assessments of performance of individual trees. In addition to studies at the interspecific level, comparisons at the intraspecific level become possible, which could lead to important new insights into resilience to and impact of global change, as well as biodiversity conservation or forest management of Central African forest ecosystems. By interlinking the Tervuren Xylarium Wood database with the recently digitised herbarium of Meise Botanic Garden, we were able to establish a link between 6,621 xylarium and 9,641 herbarium records for 6,953 plant specimens. Both institutional databases were complemented with reliable specimen metadata. The Tervuren xylarium now profits from taxonomic revisions made by botanists at Meise Botanic Garden and a list of phenotypical features for woody African species can be extended with wood anatomical descriptors. New metadata from the Tw xylarium records were used to add the country of collection to 50 linked BR herbarium specimens for which this information was missing. Furthermore, metadata available from the labels on digitised BR herbarium specimens was used to update Tw xylarium records with the date of collection (817 records), collection locality (698 records), coordinates (482 records) and altitude (817 records). In conclusion, we created a reference database with reliable botanic identities which can be used in a range of studies, such as modelling analyses, community assessments or trait analyses, all framed in a spatiotemporal context. Furthermore, the linked collections hold historical reference data and specimens that can be studied in the context of global changes.

THREE NEW SPECIES OF CHASSALIA AND PSYCHOTRIA (RUBIACEAE) FROM CENTRAL AFRICA

2010 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 219-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Lachenaud ◽  
D. J. Harris
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Central African Republic ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽  
Central Africa ◽  
Corolla Tube ◽  
Herbarium Specimens ◽  
African Species ◽  
Republic Of Congo ◽  
Three New Species

Three new species of Rubiaceae from Central Africa are described and illustrated. Chassalia lutescens O.Lachenaud & D.J.Harris (widespread from Cameroon to Democratic Republic of Congo) is recognised inter alia by the T-shaped ventral furrow of the seeds and the orange-yellow discoloration of inflorescences in herbarium specimens. Psychotria nodiflora O.Lachenaud & D.J.Harris (Central African Republic, Congo-Brazzaville and Democratic Republic of Congo), belonging to Psychotria subgen. Psychotria sect. Involucratae, is unique among African species of the genus in having paired axillary inflorescences. Psychotria pteropus O.Lachenaud & D.J.Harris (Central African Republic and Democratic Republic of Congo) belongs to Psychotria subgen. Tetramerae; it is closely related to P. leptophylla Hiern but differs in its narrow corolla tube and globose to ellipsoid fruits.

scholarly journals Taxonomic monograph of Oxygyne (Thismiaceae), rare achlorophyllous mycoheterotrophs with strongly disjunct distribution

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e4828 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Cheek ◽  
Hirokazu Tsukaya ◽  
Paula J. Rudall ◽  
Kenji Suetsugu
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Extinction Risk ◽  
Cloud Forest ◽  
Central Africa ◽  
Ex Situ ◽  
Disjunct Distribution ◽  
Herbarium Specimens ◽  
African Species ◽  
Japanese Species ◽  
In The Wild

Oxygyne Schltr. (Thismiaceae) is a rare and little-known genus of achlorophyllous mycoheterotrophic perennial herbs with one of the most remarkable distributions of all angiosperm plant genera globally, being disjunct between Japan and West–Central Africa. Each species is known only from a single location, and in most cases from a single specimen. This monographic study names, describes and maps two new species, Oxygyne duncanii Cheek from cloud forest in SW Region Cameroon and O. frankei Cheek from gallery forest in the Central African Republic, representing the first new Oxygyne species described from Africa in 112 years, and raising the number of described Oxygyne species from four to six. Oxygyne duncanii is remarkable for sharing more morphological characters with two of the three Japanese species (O. hyodoi C.Abe & Akasawa, O. shinzatoi (H. Ohashi) Tsukaya) than with the geographically much closer type species of the genus, O. triandra from Mt Cameroon. Based mainly on herbarium specimens and field observations made in Cameroon and Japan during a series of botanical surveys, we provide descriptions, synonymy, mapping and extinction risk assessments for each species of Oxygyne, together with keys to the genera of Thismiaceae and the species of Oxygyne. The subterranean structures of African Oxygyne are described for the first time, and found to be consistent with those of the Japanese species. We review and reject an earlier proposal that the Japanese species should be segregated from the African species as a separate genus, Saionia Hatus. The only character that separates the two disjunct species groups is now flower colour: blue or partly-blue in the Japanese species compared with orange-brown in the African species. Studies of the pollination biology and mycorrhizal partners of Oxygyne are still lacking. Two of the six species, O. triandra Schltr. and O. hyodoi, appear to be extinct, and the remaining four are assessed as Critically Endangered using the IUCN 2012 criteria. To avoid further extinction, an urgent requirement is for conservation management of the surviving species in the wild. Since few achlorophyllous mycoheterotrophs have been successfully cultivated from seed to maturity, ex situ conservation will not be viable for these species and protection in the wild is the only viable option. While natural habitat survives, further botanical surveys could yet reveal additional new species between Central Africa and Japan.

Data Capture Project at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

2009 ◽  
pp. 77-82
Author(s):  
Natacha Frachon ◽  
Martin Gardner ◽  
David Rae
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Resources ◽  
Research Community ◽  
Royal Botanic Garden ◽  
Data Capture ◽  
Plant Biodiversity ◽  
Botanic Gardens ◽  
Botanic Garden ◽  
The World ◽  
Plant Collections ◽  
Field Notes

Botanic gardens, with their large holdings of living plants collected from around the world, are important guardians of plant biodiversity, but acquiring and curating these genetic resources is enormously expensive. For these reasons it is crucial that botanic gardens document and curate their collections in order to gain the greatest benefit from the plants in their care. Great priority is given to making detailed field notes and the process of documentation is often continued during the plants formative years when being propagated. However, for the large majority of plants this process often stops once the material is planted in its final garden location. The Data Capture Project at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is an attempt to document specific aspects of the plant collections so that the information captured can be of use to the research community even after the plants have died.

scholarly journals Malaria continues to select for sickle cell trait in Central Africa

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (22) ◽  
pp. 7051-7054 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Elguero ◽  
Lucrèce M. Délicat-Loembet ◽  
Virginie Rougeron ◽  
Céline Arnathau ◽  
Benjamin Roche ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sickle Cell ◽  
Sickle Cell Trait ◽  
Genetic Disorder ◽  
Central Africa ◽  
The United States ◽  
Malaria Prevalence ◽  
Current Data ◽  
World Health ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Health Organization

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic disorder that poses a serious health threat in tropical Africa, which the World Health Organization has declared a public health priority. Its persistence in human populations has been attributed to the resistance it provides to Plasmodium falciparum malaria in its heterozygous state, called sickle cell trait (SCT). Because of migration, SCT is becoming common outside tropical countries: It is now the most important genetic disorder in France, affecting one birth for every 2,400, and one of the most common in the United States. We assess the strength of the association between SCT and malaria, using current data for both SCT and malaria infections. A total of 3,959 blood samples from 195 villages distributed over the entire Republic of Gabon were analyzed. Hemoglobin variants were identified by using HPLCy (HPLC). Infections by three species of Plasmodium were detected by PCR followed by sequencing of a 201-bp fragment of cytochrome b. An increase of 10% in P. falciparum malaria prevalence is associated with an increase by 4.3% of SCT carriers. An increase of 10 y of age is associated with an increase by 5.5% of SCT carriers. Sex is not associated with SCT. These strong associations show that malaria remains a selective factor in current human populations, despite the progress of medicine and the actions undertaken to fight this disease. Our results provide evidence that evolution is still present in humans, although this is sometimes questioned by scientific, political, or religious personalities.

scholarly journals Prevalence of Mutations in the pfcoronin Gene and Association with Ex Vivo Susceptibility to Common Quinoline Drugs against Plasmodium falciparum

Pharmaceutics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1273
Author(s):  
Océane Delandre ◽  
Mathieu Gendrot ◽  
Isabelle Fonta ◽  
Joel Mosnier ◽  
Nicolas Benoit ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plasmodium Falciparum ◽  
Sanger Sequencing ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Central Africa ◽  
Artemisinin Resistance ◽  
Current Data ◽  
Artemisinin Derivative ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Low Prevalence

Background: Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) was recommended to treat uncomplicated falciparum malaria. Unlike the situation in Asia where resistance to ACT has been reported, artemisinin resistance has not yet emerged in Africa. However, some rare failures with ACT or patients continuing to be parasitaemic on day 3 after ACT treatment have been reported in Africa or in travellers returning from Africa. Three mutations (G50E, R100K, and E107V) in the pfcoronin gene could be responsible for artemisinin resistance in Africa. Methods: The aims of this study were first to determine the prevalence of mutations in the pfcoronin gene in African P. falciparum isolates by Sanger sequencing, by targeting the 874 samples collected from patients hospitalised in France after returning from endemic areas in Africa between 2018 and 2019, and secondly to evaluate their association with in vitro reduced susceptibility to standard quinoline antimalarial drugs, including chloroquine, quinine, mefloquine, desethylamodiaquine, lumefantrine, piperaquine, and pyronaridine. Results: The three mutations in the pfcoronin gene (50E, 100K, and 107V) were not detected in the 874 P. falciparum isolates. Current data show that another polymorphism (P76S) is present in many countries of West Africa (mean prevalence of 20.7%) and Central Africa (11.9%) and, rarely, in East Africa (4.2%). This mutation does not appear to be predictive of in vitro reduced susceptibility to quinolines, including artemisinin derivative partners in ACT such as amodiaquine, lumefantrine, piperaquine, pyronaridine, and mefloquine. Another mutation (V62M) was identified at low prevalence (overall prevalence of 1%). Conclusions: The 76S mutation is present in many African countries with a prevalence above 10%. It is reassuring that this mutation does not confer in vitro resistance to ACT partners.

scholarly journals The Oman Botanic Garden (2)

2009 ◽  
pp. 83-97
Author(s):  
Annette Patzelt ◽  
Khalid Al Farsi ◽  
Leigh Morris ◽  
Andrew Spalton
Keyword(s):  
Botanic Garden ◽  
Mature Tree ◽  
Policy Construction ◽  
Plant Collections

The first paper in this series outlined the vision for the oman botanic garden and detailed the early plant collections and propagation. this paper focuses on the oman botanic garden collections policy, construction of a new nursery on the site, subsequent expanded production and initial attempts at mature tree translocation.

scholarly journals Propagation of Dry Habitat Fern Species Using Spore Collections from Historic Herbarium Specimens

2011 ◽  
pp. 43-54
Author(s):  
Gunnar Ovstebo
Keyword(s):  
Royal Botanic Garden ◽  
Herbarium Specimens ◽  
Botanic Garden ◽  
Spore Viability ◽  
Living Plant ◽  
Herbarium Material ◽  
Plant Collection ◽  
Fern Species ◽  
Herbarium Collections ◽  
Horticultural Research

Spores sourced from historic herbarium specimens have been used to introduce wild-collected material to the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) living plant collection. The ability of dry habitat ferns to maintain spore viability for prolonged periods makes it possible to grow plants from the historically important RBGE herbarium collections. The factors that affect the ability of spores to germinate from herbarium collections are described. Three fern species from the Pteridaceae – Actiniopteris semiflabellata, Anogramma leptophylla and Aleuritopteris scioana – which were not previously in cultivation at RBGE were germinated from herbarium material of different ages. Germination was observed from all three species. Plants produced in this experiment were accessed into the RBGE living plant collection for future horticultural research and germination trials.

scholarly journals Orchid Flora of Laos: findings from a survey of limestone karst vegetation in Vang Vieng, Vientiane Province, Laos

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 9397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pankaj Kumar Sahani ◽  
Stephan W. Gale ◽  
André Schuiteman ◽  
Somsanith Bouamanivong ◽  
Gunter A. Fischer
Keyword(s):  
Monsoon Season ◽  
Lao Pdr ◽  
Primary Forest ◽  
Conservation Priorities ◽  
Herbarium Specimens ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Northeast Monsoon ◽  
Botanic Garden ◽  
The Family ◽  
Major Project

A major project to study the phytodiversity of the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot was initiated by Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden, Hong Kong, in 2011, with the aim of surveying primary forest fragments and identifying conservation priorities within this expansive but highly threatened ecoregion. The Vang Vieng area of Vientiane Province, northern Laos, was chosen as a focus for a pilot expedition, since it features an extensive karst landscape that has barely been explored. Together with officials from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of Lao PDR, surveys of three sites were conducted in April 2012, at the end of the dry northeast monsoon season. A total of 283 herbarium specimens were collected. These collections comprised nearly 180 specimens from the family Orchidaceae, of which approximately 136 were unique taxa. At least one of these is a species new to science and a further nine represent new distributional records for Laos. A list of the species encountered during the study is presented and the significance of the findings is discussed. Major threats to the natural environment in northern Laos are highlighted.

scholarly journals A taxonomic evaluation of the Thesium confine species complex (Santalaceae)

Bothalia ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kagiso S. Mashego ◽  
M. Marianne Le Roux
Keyword(s):  
Species Complex ◽  
Growth Form ◽  
Taxonomic Revision ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Research Strategy ◽  
Herbarium Specimens ◽  
African Species ◽  
Separate Species ◽  
Distribution Ranges ◽  
The Family

Background: Thesium L. is the largest genus in the family Santalaceae (sandalwood family). The last taxonomic revision of the southern African species dates back to 1925. An urgent revision of the genus is required as indicated in a recent national biosystematics research strategy for South Africa.Objectives: To revise the Thesium confine species complex (Thesium durum, T. confine and Thesium spartioides) and to update the typification, nomenclature, descriptions and distribution ranges.Method: Morphological characters were studied using own field collections as well as herbarium specimens from K, NU, PRE and PRU and images on Global Plants (JSTOR). Distribution ranges of the studied species were updated.Results: An examination of morphological characters revealed great similarity between T. spartioides and T. confine. Both species have an herbaceous habit, decumbent growth form, terminal (or less frequently axillary) inflorescences and a sympatric northern distribution in South Africa. Thesium durum differs from T. spartioides and T. confine in having a shrubby habit, erect growth form and axillary inflorescences and occurs in the southern part of South Africa.Conclusion: Thesium spartioides is synonymised under T. confine, and T. durum is retained as a separate species.

scholarly journals The Development of the New University of Bristol Botanic Garden

2009 ◽  
pp. 19-41
Author(s):  
Nicholas Wray
Keyword(s):  
Useful Plants ◽  
Botanic Garden ◽  
The Third ◽  
Detailed Explanation ◽  
International Policies ◽  
Current Location ◽  
Plant Collections ◽  
Plant Collection ◽  
University Of Bristol ◽  
The University

in 2002 the decision was made to move the university of bristol botanic garden (ubbg) from its then current location. this move would be the third in the garden’s history. the four core collections for the new garden were selected in line with modern international policies on botanic garden management, recent research and the university of bristol’s teaching needs. the themes of these collections are evolution, rare and threatened native and local flora, useful plants and Mediterranean-type flora. this paper describes the development of the plant collection policy, the vision and concept for the new garden, together with a detailed explanation of the work to relocate the existing plant collections, and the design and establishment of the new garden.

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