NUMERICAL TAXONOMY OF GENUS FICUS L. 1753 (MORACEAE), WITH ADDITION NEW RECORD SPECIES TO EGYPT

The taxonomy of Ficus L., 1753 species is confusing because of the intense morphological variability and the ambiguity of the taxa. This study handled 36 macro-morphological characteristics to clarify the taxonomic identity of the taxa. The study revealed that Ficus is represented in the Egyptian gardens with forty-one taxa; 33 species, 4 subspecies and 4 varieties, and classified into five subgenera: Ficus Corner, 1960; Terega Raf., 1838; Sycomorus Raf., 1838; Synoecia (Miq.) Miq., 1867, and Spherosuke Raf.,1838; out of them seven were misidentified. Amongst, four new Ficus taxa were recently introduced to Egypt namely: F. lingua subsp. lingua Warb. ex De Wild. & T. Durand, 1901; F. pumila L., 1753; F. rumphii Blume, 1825, and F. sur Forssk., 1775. The application of the multivariate analyses in plant systematics namely the two-way clustering analysis and the principal component analysis revealed that the qualitative characters as the presence or absence of lateral peduncular or ostiolar bracts and the leaf margin delimit the differentiation of subgenera within genus Ficus. Whereas the qualitative characters of the leaf as leaf arrangement, lamina shape, length, ratio of length to width, base, apex, number of lateral veins, stipules and figs either pedunculate or sessile, shape, and width are significantly separating the species within the different sections. Seven different identification keys of the studied taxa based on the examined characters are provided. In addition, a diagrammatic key for all the studied taxa is given.

Italian Vascular Flora: New Findings, Updates and Exploration of Floristic Similarities between Regions

The tradition of floristic studies in Italy has made it possible to obtain a good knowledge of plant diversity both on a national and regional scale. However, the lack of knowledge for some areas, advances in plant systematics and human activities related to globalization, highlight the need for further studies aimed at improving floristic knowledge. In this paper, based on fieldwork and herbaria and literature surveys, we update the knowledge on the Italian vascular flora and analyze the floristic similarities between the administrative regions. Four taxa, all exotic, were recorded for the first time in Italy and Europe. In detail, Elaeodendron croceum, Kalanchoë blossfeldiana, and Sedum spathulifolium var. spathulifolium were found as casual aliens, while Oxalis brasiliensis was reported as historical record based on some herbarium specimens. Furthermore, Kalanchoë laxiflora was confirmed as a casual alien species for Italy and Europe. Status changes for some taxa were proposed at both national and regional levels, as well as many taxa were reported as new or confirmed at the regional level. Currently the Italian vascular flora comprises 9150 taxa of which 7547 are native (of which 1598 are Italian endemics) and 1603 are exotic at the national level. The multivariate analysis of updated floristic data on a regional scale showed a clear distribution along the latitudinal gradient, in accordance with the natural geographical location of the regions in Italy. This pattern of plants distribution was not affected by the introduction of alien species. Despite some taxonomic and methodological issues which are still open, the data obtained confirm the important role of floristic investigations in the field and in herbaria, as well as the collaborative approach among botanists, in order to improve the knowledge of the Italian and European vascular flora.

Morphological method and molecular marker determine genetic diversity and population structure in Allochrusa

The Caryophyllaceae family is complex. Several attempts have been carried out in the past to study Caryophyllaceae members. This study mainly focused on Allochrusa Bunge to determine its genetic structure and used ISSR markers, ITS, and rps16 data to classify and differentiate Allochrusa species. We collected 122 Allochrusa specimens. Our analysis included morphological and molecular method approaches. Morphometry analysis indicated that floral characters could assist in the identification of Allochrusa species. A. persica (Boiss.) Boiss. and A. versicolor Fisch. & C.A.Mey. showed affinity to each other. A. bungei Boiss. formed a separate group. Analysis of molecular variance showed significant genetic differentiation in Allochrusa (p= 0.001). The majority of genetic variation was among the Allochrusa population. We recorded minimum gene flow (Nm=0.176) between Allochrusa species. Besides this, isolation by distance occurs in Allochrusa members, as shown in the Mantel test result (r = 0.01, p = 0.0002). STRUCTURE analysis revealed three genetic groups. It is evident that A. persica, A. versicolor, and A. bungei differ genetically from each other. Our current findings have implications in plant systematics and biodiversity management.

Wood micro-morphological characteristics of the Tribe Dalbergieae in Nigeria

The present study examined the wood micro-characters of 18 species of the tribe Dalbergieae across 4 genera in Nigeria, following previously described methods by other authors. The species are distributed across all geo-ecological zones of the country but more abundant in the southern area which is characterized by higher precipitation. Findings clearly showed that members of the tribe Dalbergieae have more generic/tribal characteristics than delimiting characters. The species have certain unifying characters such as diffuse pore porosity, simple perforation plates, oblique to orthogonal vessel transverse wall inclination, prismatic/styloid crystals, and non-septate fibres. Vessels were longest and widest in D. saxatilis, about 197.89x104.23µm. On the contrary, the shortest was observed in D. hostilis - 67.62 µm while the narrowest was in D. oligophylla (28.4 µm). While fibre length was highest in P. mildbraedii (331.22 µm±7.5) and smallest in D. saxatilis (0.69 µm±0.0), the ray cells were longest in D. saxatilis (185µm) and shortest in P. santalinoides (41.82µm) respectively. We confirm here that anatomical studies should not be neglected in plant systematics, even though molecular approaches have been the focus in recent times.

Calea funkiana (Compositae, Neurolaeneae), A New Endemic Species From Serra do Cipó, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abstract— A new species of Calea belonging to sect. Meyeria is described and named as an in memoriam tribute to Vicki Ann Funk (1947‐2019), who dedicated her career to plant systematics, specially focusing on the Compositae. Calea funkiana resembles Calea triantha, but is distinguished by the slightly branched habit, apically acute leaves, glabrous ray florets, and, mainly, the villose indumentum of stems, leaves, peduncle, and outer phyllaries. The new species is described and illustrated, its geographic distribution is mapped, and its taxonomic affinities are discussed. Additionally, a key for the species of Calea from Serra do Cipó, Minas Gerais, Southeastern Brazil, is provided.

Aplikasi mobile berbasis android sebagai media tes prior knowledge mahasiswa biologi

Penelitian ini bertujuan mengembangkan sebuah aplikasi mobile berbasis android yang dapat digunakan sebagai media tes prior knowledge mahasiswa di mata kuliah sistematika tumbuhan. Aplikasi tersebut dinamakan SISTA. Pengembangan SISTA mengikuti model pengembangan 4D yang terdiri dari tahap define, design, develop, dan disseminate. Development software yang digunakan dalam mengembangkan SISTA adalah MIT App Inventor 2 Ultimate versi 4.6. Subyek uji meliputi ahli pembelajaran, ahli media, ahli IT, dan mahasiswa dari tiga angkatan berbeda. Pengumpulan data penelitian menggunakan angket, wawancara, dan tes. Teknik analisis data yang digunakan ialah persentase dan rerata. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa SISTA dinyatakan valid dan dapat digunakan sebagai media tes prior knowledge mahasiswa. Hal ini berdasarkan asil validasi ahli yang menunjukkan persentase 96,19%. Hasil uji keterbacaan oleh mahasiswa terhadap SISTA juga menunjukkan persentase 90,27% sehingga dapat dinyatakan bahwa SISTA valid tanpa revisi. Uji penerapan SISTA di kegiatan pembuka pada mata kuliah sistematika tumbuhan juga menunjukkan bahwa SISTA dapat digunakan sebagai media tes prior knowledge. SISTA sebagai media tes berbasis android memberikan kenyamanan bagi mahasiswa dalam mengerjakan tes, dan memberikan kemudahan bagi pengajar untuk menerima serta menganalisis hasil tes mahasiswa. Mobile App android-based as prior knowledge test media for biology undergraduate students Abstract: This paper discusses developing an android-based mobile application that can be used as a medium for testing students’ prior knowledge in the plant systematics course. That application is named SISTA. The development of SISTA follows the 4D development model, which consists of defining, designing, developing and disseminating stages. The development software used is MIT App Inventor 2 Ultimate version 4.6. The subjects included learning experts, media experts, IT experts, and students from three different grades. The research data was collected using questionnaires, interviews, and tests. The data analysis technique uses percentages and mean. This study showed that SISTA was declared valid and could be used as a medium for a student’s prior knowledge test. This is based on the result of expert validation which shows 96.19%. The results of the student readability test for SISTA also showed 90.27%, so it could be stated that SISTA is valid without revision needed. The test of the application of SISTA in the opening activity in the plant systematics course also shows that SISTA can be used as a medium for testing prior knowledge. SISTA is an android-based test media that provides comfort for students and benefits teachers to accept and analyze student test results.

A REVIEW ON ANATOMICAL METHODS IN PLANT SYSTEMATICS

The comparative study of plant structure, morphology, and anatomy has always been the backbone of plant systematics. Anatomical characteristics are important evidence when elucidating the relationships among higher plants. Therefore the anatomical information can be taxonomically useful without having obvious evolutionary or phylogenetic interpretation. This review is a comprehensive study of the plant anatomical methods used by various researchers using different plant sources like leaf, petiole, and stem

Alkaloids Used as Medicines: Structural Phytochemistry Meets Biodiversity—An Update and Forward Look

Selecting candidates for drug developments using computational design and empirical rules has resulted in a broad discussion about their success. In a previous study, we had shown that a species’ abundance [as expressed by the GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility)] dataset is a core determinant for the development of a natural product into a medicine. Our overarching aim is to understand the unique requirements for natural product-based drug development. Web of Science was queried for research on alkaloids in combination with plant systematics/taxonomy. All alkaloids containing species demonstrated an average increase of 8.66 in GBIF occurrences between 2014 and 2020. Medicinal Species with alkaloids show higher abundance compared to non-medicinal alkaloids, often linked also to cultivation. Alkaloids with high biodiversity are often simple alkaloids found in multiple species with the presence of ’driver species‘ and are more likely to be included in early-stage drug development compared to ‘rare’ alkaloids. Similarly, the success of an alkaloid containing species as a food supplement (‘botanical’) is linked to its abundance. GBIF is a useful tool for assessing the druggability of a compound from a certain source species. The success of any development programme from natural sources must take sustainable sourcing into account right from the start.

Update on the Brassicaceae species checklist

Here we present a revised species checklist for the Brassicaceae, updated from Warwick SI, Francis, A, Al-Shehbaz IA (2006), Brassicaceae: Species checklist and database on CD-ROM, Plant Systematics and Evolution 259: 249─25. This update of the checklist was initiated, based on recent taxonomic and molecular studies on the Brassicaceae that have resulted in new species names, combinations and associated synonyms. New data have been added indicating tribal affiliations within the family and where type specimens have been designated. In addition, information from many early publications has been checked and added to the database. The database now includes information on 14983 taxa, 4636 of which are currently accepted and divided into 340 genera and 52 tribes. A selected bibliography of recent publications on the Brassicaceae is included.