Specialization on Ficus Supported by Genetic Divergence and Morphometrics in Sympatric Host-Populations of the Camellia Aphid, Aphis aurantii

Adaptation to different host plants is considered to be an important driver of the divergence and speciation of herbivorous insects. The application of molecular data and integrated taxonomic practices in recent years may contribute to our understanding of population divergence and speciation, especially for herbivorous insects considered to be polyphagous. Aphis aurantii is an important agricultural and forestry pest with a broad range of host plants. In this study, samples of A. aurantii feeding on different host plants in the same geographical area were collected, and their population genetic divergence and morphological difference were analyzed. Phylogenetic analysis and haplotype network analysis based on five genes revealed that the population on Ficus exhibited significantly genetic divergence from populations on other host plants, which was also supported by the statistical analysis based on measurements of 38 morphological characters. Our results suggest that A. aurantii has undergone specialized evolution on Ficus, and the Ficus population may represent a lineage that is experiencing ongoing sympatric speciation.

A Comparative Study of Pyrenophora Teres Drechs. F. Teres and Pyrenophora Teres Drechs. F. Maculata Smedeg. Cause of "Net" and "Spot" Type Net Blotch Respectively on New Zealand Barley

<p>Net blotch is caused by Pyrenophora teres Drechs. (stat. conid. Drechslera teres (Sacc.) Shoem., syn. Helminthosporium teres Sacc). P. teres produces symptoms which appear initially as small necrotic spots and streaks on the leaf. These increase to produce the characteristic net-like symptoms, which have given rise to the name net blotch. Sometimes, lesions develop from small necrotic spots, to form elliptical lesions. This is the "spot" type of P. teres and was first noticed in 1967 in isolates from North America, Mexico, Israel and Holland. It was thought that these isolates were mutants of P. teres. Since 1969 however, other workers have reported similar observations widely occurring in Norway, Denmark and Finland. Based on minor morphological differences, Ito and Kuribayashi proposed a new species, called P. japonica. Smedegård-Petersen disagreed, and showed that the spot-producing isolate represents a deviating type of P. teres, only differing from the usual "net" type in the symptoms induced on barley plants. He based his reasoning on morphological, cultural and genetical investigations. Consequently, Smedegård-Petersen described two new forms of the fungus, Pyrenophora teres Drechs. f. teres Smedeg., which produces the usual net lesions, and Pyrenophora teres Drechs. f. maculata Smedeg., which produces well defined dark brown circular or elliptical lesions without netting. The aim of the research undertaken in the present study was to conduct a comparative study on the morphology and fitness of a range of New Zealand "net" and "spot" type isolates. An attempt was also made at crossing a "net" type with a "spot" type. Although Smedegård-Petersen had stated that there was no morphological difference between the "net" and "spot" types, this project was undertaken because no research had been done on New Zealand isolates. Furthermore, different features were studied using different methods not used by other workers in studying P. teres. The only morphological difference that was distinctive was that the "spot" types of P. teres formed coremial strands, which were fan-like in morphology, which produced conidia in culture, and the "net" types did not. There was no way to tell the "net" isolates apart from the "spot" isolates, based on conidia colour, length, width, volume or the number of cells per conidium. One fact that did emerge, was that the longest conidia had the greatest number of cells per conidium and the reverse was also true. The germination of monoconidial isolates showed that there were no major differences in branching between the two types of P. teres. However, it was revealed that two germ tubes were capable of emerging from one cell in the "spot" isolates. All cells in a conidium in both the "net" and "spot" types were able to germinate, cells that germinated tended to be at opposite ends, and the first cell to germinate in a conidium was usually the cell at the hilum. Examination of the growth rates showed that there were no significant differences in the growth rates of the "net" and "spot" types when grown on MEA+B. The "spot" types were able to penetrate cellulose faster than the "net" types and hence may produce cellulose faster as well. ANT148, which had previously been an unknown type, was proved to be a "spot" type in the pathogenicity tests. It may have been the source of the New Zealand "spot" type inoculum because the seed it came from was imported into New Zealand in 1984, two years prior to the discovery of the "spot" type of P. teres in the South Island. Both forms of P. teres penetrated the leaf through the epidermal cell wall, and occasionally entered through the stomata. Even though the "spot" type may be present inside the leaf, the symptoms are not usually manifested until later, compared with the "net" type where the symptoms tend to be an indication of the amount of hyphae present in the leaf. In the screening of the progeny from the crossing, the "spot" type of P. teres had lost up to 78.9% of its resistance to triadimenol and flutriafol, when compared to the sensitivity tests carried out in 1986 and 1987. It is hypothesised that 13Y, the "net" type is dominant, and the "spot" type, KF2, recessive, as none of the progeny had any resistance to triadimenol or flutriafol, after undergoing somatic recombination. It was concluded that the "spot" and "net" types are two types of the same species, and there was not enough evidence to suggest otherwise. Further studies should be done, using more current isolates of the "net" and "spot" types of P. teres, and the old D. japonica isolates from New Zealand, to establish if the cultures identified as D. japonica, are different in any way.</p>

A Comparative Study of Pyrenophora Teres Drechs. F. Teres and Pyrenophora Teres Drechs. F. Maculata Smedeg. Cause of "Net" and "Spot" Type Net Blotch Respectively on New Zealand Barley

<p>Net blotch is caused by Pyrenophora teres Drechs. (stat. conid. Drechslera teres (Sacc.) Shoem., syn. Helminthosporium teres Sacc). P. teres produces symptoms which appear initially as small necrotic spots and streaks on the leaf. These increase to produce the characteristic net-like symptoms, which have given rise to the name net blotch. Sometimes, lesions develop from small necrotic spots, to form elliptical lesions. This is the "spot" type of P. teres and was first noticed in 1967 in isolates from North America, Mexico, Israel and Holland. It was thought that these isolates were mutants of P. teres. Since 1969 however, other workers have reported similar observations widely occurring in Norway, Denmark and Finland. Based on minor morphological differences, Ito and Kuribayashi proposed a new species, called P. japonica. Smedegård-Petersen disagreed, and showed that the spot-producing isolate represents a deviating type of P. teres, only differing from the usual "net" type in the symptoms induced on barley plants. He based his reasoning on morphological, cultural and genetical investigations. Consequently, Smedegård-Petersen described two new forms of the fungus, Pyrenophora teres Drechs. f. teres Smedeg., which produces the usual net lesions, and Pyrenophora teres Drechs. f. maculata Smedeg., which produces well defined dark brown circular or elliptical lesions without netting. The aim of the research undertaken in the present study was to conduct a comparative study on the morphology and fitness of a range of New Zealand "net" and "spot" type isolates. An attempt was also made at crossing a "net" type with a "spot" type. Although Smedegård-Petersen had stated that there was no morphological difference between the "net" and "spot" types, this project was undertaken because no research had been done on New Zealand isolates. Furthermore, different features were studied using different methods not used by other workers in studying P. teres. The only morphological difference that was distinctive was that the "spot" types of P. teres formed coremial strands, which were fan-like in morphology, which produced conidia in culture, and the "net" types did not. There was no way to tell the "net" isolates apart from the "spot" isolates, based on conidia colour, length, width, volume or the number of cells per conidium. One fact that did emerge, was that the longest conidia had the greatest number of cells per conidium and the reverse was also true. The germination of monoconidial isolates showed that there were no major differences in branching between the two types of P. teres. However, it was revealed that two germ tubes were capable of emerging from one cell in the "spot" isolates. All cells in a conidium in both the "net" and "spot" types were able to germinate, cells that germinated tended to be at opposite ends, and the first cell to germinate in a conidium was usually the cell at the hilum. Examination of the growth rates showed that there were no significant differences in the growth rates of the "net" and "spot" types when grown on MEA+B. The "spot" types were able to penetrate cellulose faster than the "net" types and hence may produce cellulose faster as well. ANT148, which had previously been an unknown type, was proved to be a "spot" type in the pathogenicity tests. It may have been the source of the New Zealand "spot" type inoculum because the seed it came from was imported into New Zealand in 1984, two years prior to the discovery of the "spot" type of P. teres in the South Island. Both forms of P. teres penetrated the leaf through the epidermal cell wall, and occasionally entered through the stomata. Even though the "spot" type may be present inside the leaf, the symptoms are not usually manifested until later, compared with the "net" type where the symptoms tend to be an indication of the amount of hyphae present in the leaf. In the screening of the progeny from the crossing, the "spot" type of P. teres had lost up to 78.9% of its resistance to triadimenol and flutriafol, when compared to the sensitivity tests carried out in 1986 and 1987. It is hypothesised that 13Y, the "net" type is dominant, and the "spot" type, KF2, recessive, as none of the progeny had any resistance to triadimenol or flutriafol, after undergoing somatic recombination. It was concluded that the "spot" and "net" types are two types of the same species, and there was not enough evidence to suggest otherwise. Further studies should be done, using more current isolates of the "net" and "spot" types of P. teres, and the old D. japonica isolates from New Zealand, to establish if the cultures identified as D. japonica, are different in any way.</p>

SCS313 Serrano, a big trefoil selected for flowering ability and seed production

SCS313 Serrano is a tetraploid cultivar of Lotus uliginosus developed by the Research and Rural Extension Company of Santa Catarina, Brazil, to improve flowering ability and seed production in low-latitude regions. SCS313 Serrano was developed from the selection of individual plants of the cultivar Grasslands Maku. Seeds from the initial breeding population was bulked and used to establish a field trial with spaced plants. The plants were selected and classified as late or early, regarding the beginning of flowering, through visual evaluations based on the time for the beginning of flowering. Selected plants were transplanted to crossing blocks and seed harvested on individual plants; a progeny test was conducted, with four replications, through the establishment of approximately 100 genotypes in a field. This process was repeated for three consecutive cycles of recurrent selection. Considering the mean time for the beginning of flowering and vigor performance, the best five genotypes were selected as parental lines for the synthetic cultivar SCS313 Serrano. A morphological difference between SCS313 Serrano and Grasslands Maku is that SCS313 Serrano has absence of hairs in stems whereas Grasslands Maku has a medium stem hair density. In addition, SCS313 Serrano exhibits profuse flowering ability while Grasslands Maku exhibits very sparse seedhead formation. SCS313 Serrano exhibited good persistence under wet conditions and similar forage yields compared to other lotus commercial cultivars. Thus, SCS313 Serrano is recommended to be used as pasture in mixtures with grass in livestock systems, mainly on wet soils.

Lung lesions caused by COVID-19 in comparison with bacterial pneumonia and influenza pneumonia: pathomorphological features

This review aimed to summarize the literature data regarding the pathomorphology of lung lesions in COVID-19 and compare it with lung lesions in bacterial pneumonia and pneumonia caused by influenza virus. The analysis of scientific literature containing studies of domestic and foreign authors of different years related to morphology and anatomical pathology of lung injury was carried out. Special attention was paid to the data devoted to COVID-19 obtained between 2019 and 2021. Based on the study, the main aspects of lung lesions were identified and grouped into blocks depending on the etiology of the process. The review collects and summarizes information on etiology, pathogenesis and stages of disease development, outcomes and morphological picture during the autopsy of patients with bacterial pneumonia, influenza pneumonia and COVID-19 pneumonia. The common features and differences in the course, outcomes and typical morphological findings, most characteristics for each of the diseases were presented in the table. There is a great similarity of morphological findings in influenza pneumonia and COVID-19 pneumonia despite the background of the difference in their epidemiology. Most Russian and foreign authors agree that a key factor in the pathogenesis of the development of COVID-19 is the presence of a specific receptor-mediated pathway of penetration into the cells of the respiratory epithelium. According to most authors, the main morphological difference that determines the severity and unfavorable outcome of COVID-19 is angiopathy and microthrombosis of the pulmonary capillary bed, which aggravate the typical picture of viral pneumonia.

Reflectance transformation imaging for documenting changes through treatment of Joseon dynasty coins

We present reflectance transformation imaging (RTI) as a documentation tool for visualizing and recording the treatment of coins. RTI—a computational photograph technique that calculates light positions—allows interactive relighting for vision. Virtual light enhances surface details for examining morphological difference. By applying Dome RTI method, stages of conservation treatment were recorded to enhance the overall characteristic features of the relief upon the coin surface, and then detect and identify weathered characters. Patina removal and consolidation were documented along with the original state; a significant difference in the coin’s surface was observed using different filters of the RTI viewer. Specular enhancement and normal visualization results were most effective for detecting the change in morphology and reflectivity. Microscopic RTI was applied to visualized minimal changes of characters between treatment stages. Character “常” of coin 1 showed changes in the cleaning of dirt and removal of alumina powder. The character “元” of coin 3, originally covered by a thick patina, revealed clear strokes using virtual relighting through RTI. These documentation images indicate that RTI is a promising tool to support manual recording of conservation stages and, furthermore, allow detection of areas difficult to visualize through the human eye.

Molecular Cloning and Expression Profile of Class E Genes Related to Sepal Development in Nelumbo nucifera

The lotus (Nelumbo Adans.) is an important aquatic plant with ornamental, medicinal and edible values and cultural connotations. It has single-, semi-double-, double- and thousand-petalled types of flower shape and is an ideal material for developmental research of flower doubling. The lotus is a basal eudicot species without a morphological difference between the sepals and petals and occupies a critical phylogenetic position in flowering plants. In order to investigate the genetic relationship between the sepals and petals in the lotus, the class E genes which affect sepal formation were focused on and analyzed. Here, SEPALLATA 1(NnSEP1) and its homologous genes AGAMOUS-LIKE MADS-BOXAGL9 (NnAGL9) and MADS-BOX TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR 6-like (NnMADS6-like) of the class E gene family were isolated from the flower buds of the Asian lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.). The protein structure, subcellular localization and expression patterns of these three genes were investigated. All three genes were verified to locate in the nucleus and had typical MADS-box characteristics. NnSEP1 and NnMADS6-like were specifically expressed in the sepals, while NnAGL9 was highly expressed in the petals, suggesting that different developmental mechanisms exist in the formation of the sepals and petals in the lotus. The significant functional differences between NnSEP1, NnMADS6-like and NnAGL9 were also confirmed by a yeast two-hybrid assay. These results expand our knowledge on the class E gene family in sepal formation and will benefit fundamental research on the development of floral organs in Nelumbo.

Study of storage on seed germination of Chresta sphaerocephala DC. – Asteraceae

High-altitude fields have been subjected to an intense anthropization process. Due to this, studies on germination, seed storage and propagation of species that compose this plant formation become fundamental. Among such species is the Chresta sphaerocephala DC., Asteraceae. The purpose of this work was to study different temperatures for germination and storage of this species. Four germination temperatures (15°C, 20°C, 25°C and 30°C) and two storage temperatures (-5°C and +5°C) were tested. In order to assess seed vigor, the germination speed index (GSI) and average seed germination time were calculated. ANOVA and Tukey's test were performed at a 5% significance level. In addition, a morphological difference was observed in the analyzed Chresta sphaerocephala seeds, with these being classified as C1 (small seeds), C2 (long thin seeds), C3 (thicker seeds) and C4 (dark colored seeds). As for the storage temperature, 5°C was shown to be the best. When correlated with the germination temperature, 20°C resulted in a statistically higher number of germinated seeds.

Frontal Sinus “Hump”: An Anatomical Risk Factor for Anterior Skull Base Injury in the Endoscopic Modified Lothrop Approach (Outside-In Frontal Drill-Out)

Skull base injuries caused by the outside-in frontal drill-out technique have not been reported. In this report, we chose an outside-in approach to open the frontal sinus for olfactory neuroblastoma resection. Although we identified the first olfactory fibre, the anterior skull base was damaged while drilling into the frontal sinus on the tumour side. We reconstructed the skull base in multiple layers using fascia and cartilage. Postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leakage or intracranial haemorrhage was not observed. In this case, a morphological difference existed in the posterior wall of the frontal sinus between the right and left sides, like a “hump” in the posterior wall of the frontal sinus. This case of damage to the anterior skull base that could not be avoided by identifying the first olfactory fibre alone is the first published case of skull base injury caused by the outside-in approach due to morphological variations of the frontal sinus and skull base. In this approach, the posterior wall of the frontal sinus cannot be observed because the intraoperative landmark is limited to the first olfactory fibre. Therefore, morphological variations of the posterior wall of the frontal sinus should be analysed in advance to prevent cranial base injury.

Overview of PCR Methods Applied for the Identification of Freshwater Toxigenic Cyanobacteria

Although cyanobacteria are essential microorganisms on earth, some cyanobacteria produce toxins known as cyanotoxins, threatening humans and animals’ health. Hence, it is imperative to rapidly and accurately identify those toxic cyanobacteria. Unfortunately, traditional microscopic methods have limitations for accurate identification due to the lack of discernable morphological difference between toxic and non-toxic strains within the same cyanobacterial species or genus. In contrast, their genetic profiles are inherently conserved; therefore, nucleic acid-based assays can be more reliable for precise identification. Furthermore, molecular assays can provide high throughput and significantly reduce the turnaround time of test results. Such advantages make those assays a preferred method for rapid detection and early warning of potential toxicity. Toxigenic cyanobacterial species have synthetase genes (DNAs) for toxin production, which can be excellent marker genes. Numerous molecular assays targeting cyanotoxin synthetase genes have been developed for the identification of toxigenic cyanobacteria at various taxonomic levels. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assays are the most prevailing. Among different versions of PCR assays, the real-time quantitative PCR can be utilized to quantify the genes of interest in samples, fulfilling the purpose of both taxonomic recognition and biomass estimation. Reverse transcription (RT)-PCR assays can be used to detect transcripts (i.e., mRNAs) from toxin synthetase genes, probably enhancing the predictive value of PCR detection for toxin production from observed cyanobacterial species. Nevertheless, the utility of toxin synthetase gene- or its transcript-based PCR assays for routine cyanotoxin monitoring needs to be further evaluated on a large scale.