RNA viral communities are structured by host plant phylogeny in oak and conifer leaves

Wild plants can suffer devastating diseases, experience asymptomatic, persistent infections, and serve as reservoirs for viruses of agricultural crops, yet we have a limited understanding of the natural plant virosphere. To access representatives of locally and globally distinct wild plants and investigate their viral diversity, we extracted and sequenced dsRNA from leaves from 16 healthy oak and conifer trees in the UC Davis Arboretum (Davis, California). From de novo assemblies, we recovered 389 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) gene sequences from 384 putative viral species, and a further 580 putative viral contigs were identified with virus prediction software followed by manual confirmation of virus annotation. Based on similarity to known viruses, most recovered viruses were predicted to infect plants or fungi, with the highest diversity and abundance observed in the Totiviridae and Mitoviridae families. Phyllosphere viral community composition differed significantly by host plant phylogeny, suggesting the potential for host-specific viromes. The phyllosphere viral community of one oak tree differed substantially from other oak viral communities and contained a greater proportion of putative mycoviral sequences, potentially due to the tree's more advanced senescence at the time of sampling. These results suggest that oaks and conifers harbor a vast diversity of viruses with as-yet unknown roles in plant health and phyllosphere microbial ecology.

The semantics of the Dyirbal avoidance style

Alongside the everyday speech style, Dyirbal had an avoidance style called Jalnguy, which had to be used in the presence of relatives with whom direct contact should be avoided. The two styles had identical grammar, phonology, and phonetics, but every lexeme was different. Jalnguy was pitched at a more general level so that, in many cases, several lexemes in the everyday style would be grouped under one term in Jalnguy. For example, six varieties of oak tree would each have its own name in the everyday style, but fell together under one Jalnguy term.Examination of the Jalnguy correspondences given for adjectives shows that the Jalnguy lexicon is less rich and less well-developed when dealing with adjectives than with verbs and nouns. There are, of course, Jalnguy correspondents Ev adjectives expressing the most common qualities, found across languages world-wide. There are a number of many-to-one everyday-to-Jalnguy correspondences, which can be semantically revealing. Speakers provided sentential definitions for some adjectives (in terms of verbs), often quite ingenious. But for many everyday style adjectives referring to rather recondite qualities, my consultants could offer no appropriate Jalnguy term. What they did instead was provide an evaluative judgment, most often 'not good', sometimes 'good' (or occasionally a dimensional description, 'big' or 'little'). The principle of not using any everyday style words in Jalnguy discourse was thus maintained by commenting on the worth of a quality, rather that specifying what the quality is.

Nutrient resorption strategies of three oak tree species in response to interannual climate variability

Background Nutrient resorption is critical for plants toward balancing their nutritional requirements and adapting to environmental variabilities, which further impacts litter quality and nutrient cycling. However, the interannual variability of nutrient resorption under climate change remains unclear. Methods We investigated the five-year nutrient resorption efficiencies (NuRE, %) of 14 elements in three deciduous oak tree species (Quercus aliena var. acuteserrata, Q. glandulifera, and Q. variabilis) in a warm-temperate forest of Central China and assessed their relationships with interannual climate and soil factors. Results Nutrient resorption did not differ between species but varied significantly between different years. For each year, N, P, S, K, C, Mg, and Zn were preferentially resorbed in all of the oak species in contrast to Ca, Na, Mn, Ba, Al, Fe, Cu, which were to some extent discriminated. Among the 14 elements, the NuRE of C, N, P, S, Ca, and Mg was more sensitive to interannual climate variations in the three oak species. The carbon resorption efficiency was significantly increased during the driest year of the study (2014); N resorption efficiency was reduced with temperature; whereas N and P resorption efficiency initially decreased and then increased with precipitation. Moreover, the elements with higher NuREs typically had lower coefficient of variation (CV) in all three oak species. Conclusions Different oak species exhibited analogous nutrient conservation strategies in response to annual climate variabilities, and interannual climate variations strongly impacted plant nutrient resorption. Deciduous plants may establish a tradeoff mechanism to rebalance somatic nutrients for regrowth at the end of the growing season.

Greenway House, Coral Gables, Florida

The Greenway House is a new residence located in the Garden City of Coral Gables, Florida, inspired by the early revival architecture of the City and traditional architecture. The residence is located in an in-fill site and designed to incorporate a specimen oak tree which is seen from the main house and the carriage house. Unlike typical houses in the neighborhood whose massing is parallel to the street with front and rear yards defined by property setbacks, the orientation of the Greenway main house and carriage house is perpendicular to the street. This orientation allows one to experience the garden, the courtyard with its pool, and the prominent oak tree as part of the architectural ensemble of subtropical components appropriate to the site’s geographic and urban setting. The Greenway House is specifically designed as requested by the clients to be at once traditional in terms of place-making, spatial sequences and the making of the rooms that are identifiable; while still considering contemporary, domestic living where spaces are visually connected and fairly open to the natural environment.

Ormyrus labotus Walker (Hymenoptera: Ormyridae): another generalist that should not be a generalist is not a generalist

Several recent reappraisals of supposed generalist parasite species have revealed hidden complexes of species, each with considerably narrower host ranges. Parasitic wasps that attack gall-forming insects on plants have life history strategies that are thought to promote specialization, and though many species are indeed highly specialized, others have been described as generalist parasites. Ormyrus labotus Walker (Hymenoptera: Ormyridae) is one such apparent generalist, with rearing records spanning more than 65 host galls associated with a diverse set of oak tree species and plant tissues. We pair a molecular approach with morphology, host ecology, and phenological data from across a wide geographic sample to test the hypothesis that this supposed generalist is actually a complex of several more specialized species, though we identify no single unifying axis of specialization. We find 16-18 putative species within the morphological species O. labotus, each reared from only 1-6 host gall types. We also find cryptic habitat specialists within two other named Ormyrus species. Our study suggests that caution should be applied when considering host ranges of parasitic insects described solely by morphological traits, particularly given their importance as biocontrol organisms and their role in biodiversity and evolutionary studies.

The Arthropod Fauna of Oak (Quercus spp., Fagaceae) Canopies in Norway

(1) We document the invertebrate fauna collected from 24 oak canopies in east and west Norway as a contribution to the Norwegian Biodiversity Information Centre’s ‘The Norwegian Taxonomy Initiative’. (2) A snap-shot inventory of the canopies was recorded by means of emitting a mist of natural pyrethrum into the canopies at night using a petrol-driven fogger and collecting the specimens in butterfly nets spread on the ground under the canopy. (3) Almost the entire catch of more than 6800 specimens was identified to 722 species. Out of 92 species new to the Norwegian fauna, 21 were new to science and, additionally, 15 were new to the Nordic fauna. Diptera alone constituted nearly half of the species represented, with 61 new records (18 new species). Additionally, 24 Hymenoptera (one new species), six oribatid mites (two new species) and one Thysanoptera were new to the Norwegian fauna. (4) Our study emphasizes the importance of the oak tree as a habitat both for a specific fauna and occasional visitors, and it demonstrates that the canopy fogging technique is an efficient way to find the ‘hidden fauna’ of Norwegian forests. The low number of red listed species found reflects how poor the Norwegian insect fauna is still studied. Moreover, the implication of the IUCN red list criteria for newly described or newly observed species is discussed.