Gelechiidae Moths Are Capable of Chemically Dissolving the Pollen of Their Host Plants

Background: Many insects feed on pollen surface lipids and contents accessible through the germination pores. Pollen walls, however, are not broken down because they consist of sporopollenin and are highly resistant to physical and enzymatic damage. Here we report that certain Microlepidoptera chemically dissolve pollen grains with exudates from their mouthparts. Methodology/Principal Findings: Field observations and experiments in tropical China revealed that two species of Deltophora (Gelechioidea) are the exclusive pollinators of two species of Phyllanthus (Phyllanthaceae) on which their larvae develop and from which the adults take pollen and nectar. DNA sequences placed the moths and plants phylogenetically and confirmed that larvae were those of the pollinating moths; molecular clock dating suggests that the moth clade is younger than the plant clade. Captive moths with pollen on their mouthparts after 2-3 days of starvation no longer carried intact grains, and SEM photographs showed exine fragments on their proboscises. GC-MS revealed cis-b-ocimene as the dominant volatile in leaves and flowers, but GC-MS analyses of proboscis extracts failed to reveal an obvious sporopollenindissolving compound. A candidate is ethanolamine, which occurs in insect hemolymphs and is used to dissolve sporopollenin by palynologists. Conclusions/Significance: This is the first report of any insect and indeed any animal chemically dissolving pollen

<i>Aporosa</i> Blume from the paleoequatorial rainforest of Bikaner, India: Its evolution and diversification in deep time

The Gondwanan origin, northward migration and subsequent collision with Asia means that the Indian subcontinent is of particular interest regarding the origin and dispersal of numerous plants and animal species. With this in mind, we describe a fossil leaf of Aporosa Blume (Phyllanthaceae) from the Paleogene of the Indian subcontinent and discuss its evolution and diversification with respect to the moving Indian plate and its connection with Southeast Asia since the early Cenozoic. At present, Aporosa Blume is confined to Southeast Asia with a few species in India and New Guinea. It is represented by six endemic species growing in the evergreen forests of India and Sri Lanka, including Aporosa acuminata Thwaites, which is morphologically close to the here described fossil from Bikaner, Rajasthan, India. From the age of the fossil and the distribution of its modern comparable form, it is assumed that Aporosa originated on the Indian subcontinent and then was distributed to Southeast Asia, supporting the ‘Out of India’ hypothesis. Diversification of the genus might have taken place either in the Paleogene or Neogene. Our fossil leaf material also indicates the existence of palaeoequatorial (< 10° N) tropical rain forests in western India during the Paleogene in contrast to dry and desertic climate occurring today

Duodichogamy and androdioecy in the Chinese Phyllanthaceae Bridelia tomentosa

Flowering plants commonly separate male and female function in time, but rarely are the two stages synchronized within and among individuals. One such temporal mating system is duodichogamy in which each plant produces two batches of male flowers that are temporally separated by a batch of female flowers, with within-individual synchrony and among-individual asynchrony to ensure mating partners. Duodichogamy is known only from a few species in four genera in unrelated families. We report on duodichogamy in the Chinese tree species Bridelia tomentosa (Phyllanthaceae), a common colonizer of disturbed habitats. In three populations monitored over 2 yr, most trees flowered in the order male → female → male, and resting periods between flowering bouts precluded selfing almost completely. Individuals flowered for several weeks, with the onset of flowering slightly asynchronous among trees. Pollination was by flies, and experimental pollen supplementation of a subset of a tree’s flowers did not increase fruit set, suggesting high levels of insect visitation and possible resource limitation. Nineteen percent of the 166 trees monitored skipped the first male phase, and another 13% skipped the female phase, remaining male in both years (and also a third year). The regular presence of pure males, if genetically fixed, would make B. tomentosa androdioecious in addition to duodichogamous. Comparison of duodichogamous taxa known so far shows that all have few ovules, fitting with the hypothesis that duodichogamy may result from male competition for access to a small supply of ovules

Comparative Chloroplast Genomics in Phyllanthaceae Species

Family Phyllanthaceae belongs to the eudicot order Malpighiales, and its species are herbs, shrubs, and trees that are mostly distributed in tropical regions. Here, we elucidate the molecular evolution of the chloroplast genome in Phyllanthaceae and identify the polymorphic loci for phylogenetic inference. We de novo assembled the chloroplast genomes of three Phyllanthaceae species, i.e., Phyllanthus emblica, Flueggea virosa, and Leptopus cordifolius, and compared them with six other previously reported genomes. All species comprised two inverted repeat regions (size range 23,921–27,128 bp) that separated large single-copy (83,627–89,932 bp) and small single-copy (17,424–19,441 bp) regions. Chloroplast genomes contained 111–112 unique genes, including 77–78 protein-coding, 30 tRNAs, and 4 rRNAs. The deletion/pseudogenization of rps16 genes was found in only two species. High variability was seen in the number of oligonucleotide repeats, while guanine-cytosine contents, codon usage, amino acid frequency, simple sequence repeats, synonymous and non-synonymous substitutions, and transition and transversion substitutions were similar. The transition substitutions were higher in coding sequences than in non-coding sequences. Phylogenetic analysis revealed the polyphyletic nature of the genus Phyllanthus. The polymorphic protein-coding genes, including rpl22, ycf1, matK, ndhF, and rps15, were also determined, which may be helpful for reconstructing the high-resolution phylogenetic tree of the family Phyllanthaceae. Overall, the study provides insight into the chloroplast genome evolution in Phyllanthaceae

Tree Species Composition and Forest Stratification along the Gradients in the Dry Deciduous Forests of Godavari Valley, Telangana, India

It is important to understand the tree species composition, abundance, species diversity and stratification in&nbsp;tropical dry deciduous forests that are under threat. A quadrat study was attempted in the dry deciduous forests&nbsp;along the ecological gradients in the Godavari Valley of northern Telangana, India. The study records the presence&nbsp;of 110 flowering plant taxa belonging to 82 genera and 37 families in 120 sampled plots, and there was&nbsp;enumeration of 15,192 individuals of ≥10 cm girth at breast height. Tectona grandis (teak) is the principal forest&nbsp;cover component in the region, which often formed pure stands in Adilabad and, to some extent, in Nizamabad&nbsp;districts. Further down to the Warangal district, teak was gradually replaced by Terminalia alata. Twenty tree&nbsp;species were found dominant at one place to the other, and the top 10 dominant taxa have shared nearly 41%&nbsp;of the total density of the forest cover. The tree relative density ranged from 0.007% to 20.84%. The values of&nbsp;Importance Value Index were between 0.245 (12 spp. including some exotics) and 32.6 (teak). These baseline&nbsp;data help to know the change detection along the gradients in the tropical forest ecosystem of a major river&nbsp;valley in the region and the drivers of change

Suku Phyllanthaceae pada Rawa Bakau dan Tambak di Telang Asri, Kabupaten Bangkalan, Pulau Madura: Phyllanthaceae of Mangrove Swamp and Fishpond in Telang Asri, Bangkalan Regency, Madura Island

Madura island is known as a mixed deciduous forest area with dry seasons and limestone soil. The island has unique plant species compared to the mainland Java. However, most of the mangrove forest areas have been converted into ponds and housing. One of the remaining mangrove swamps is located at Telang Asri village, Kamal Subdistrict, Bangkalan Regency. Several species of mangroves have been reported here, along with other groups of plants from the Phyllanthaceae family, found numerously at the time of observation. In 1963, CA Backer and RC Bakhuizen van den Brink Jr. have already listed 16 species of Phyllanthaceae from Madura Island. Since then, the updated information on the Phyllanthaceae of Madura has not been available. Therefore, this study aimed to collect the members of Phyllanthaceae family in the mangrove swamp areas of Telang Asri village. The field study was carried out using the exploratory method, while specimen preparation was conducted in Herbarium Bandungense (FIPIA). In this study, seven species were collected from Telang Asri, namely Glochidion littorale Blume, G. zeylanicum (Gaertn.) A. Juss., Phyllanthus amarus Schumach. and Thonn., P. debilis Klein ex Willd., P. reticulatus Poir., P. urinaria L., and P. virgatus G. Forst

Comparative Chloroplast Genomics in Phyllanthaceae Species

Family Phyllanthaceae belongs to the eudicot order Malpighiales, and its species are herbs, shrubs, and trees that are mostly distributed in tropical regions. Here, we elucidate the molecular evolution of the chloroplast genome in Phyllanthaceae and identify the polymorphic loci for phylogenetic inference. We de novo assembled the chloroplast genomes of three Phyllanthaceae species, i.e., Phyllanthus emblica, Flueggea virosa, and Leptopus cordifolius, and compared them with six other previously reported genomes. All species comprised two inverted repeat regions (size range 23,921–27,128 bp) that separated large single-copy (83,627–89,932 bp) and small single-copy (17,424–19,441 bp) regions. Chloroplast genomes contained 111–112 unique genes, including 77–78 protein-coding, 30 tRNAs, and 4 rRNAs. The deletion/pseudogenization of rps16 genes was found in only two species. High variability was seen in the number of oligonucleotide repeats, while guanine-cytosine contents, codon usage, amino acid frequency, simple sequence repeats, synonymous and non-synonymous substitutions, and transition and transversion substitutions were similar. The transition substitutions were higher in coding sequences than in non-coding sequences. Phylogenetic analysis revealed the polyphyletic nature of the genus Phyllanthus. The polymorphic protein-coding genes, including rpl22, ycf1, matK, ndhF, and rps15, were also determined, which may be helpful for reconstructing the high-resolution phylogenetic tree of the family Phyllanthaceae. Overall, the study provides insight into the chloroplast genome evolution in Phyllanthaceae

A phytosociological study of a lowland forest at the Tesso Nilo National Park, Riau.

A  phytosociological study of a lowland forest was carried out at the Tesso Nilo National Park (TNNP), Riau. The objective of the study was to obtain quantitative data on the floristic composition and structure of the above-mentioned lowland forest. By establishing a plot of 1.0 ha, the quadrat method was used to collect the data. We recorded a total of 1,303 individuals of trees and saplings with diameters ≥ 2 cm, comprising 304 species, 153 genera, and 62 families. Using the dominance and density of two tree species, the forest community in the plot can be designated as Sloetia elongata-Pimelodendron griffithianum Association. The species sharing the dominance were Sloetia elongata (Importance Value, IV = 14.43), Pimelodendron griffithianum (IV = 6.17), Santiria laevigata (IV = 5.45) and Xylopia caudata (IV = 5.17). Diameter records showed that 80% of trees in the plot were dominated by small individuals with diameters between 10-30 cm. Trees with diameters 30 cm were Dracaena cf. porteri (diam. 75.6 cm), Artocarpus elasticus (63.3 cm), and Ctenolophon parviflorus (62.1 cm).  Dipterocarp species was not important since they contributed only 4%, while non-dipterocarps shared 96% comprising 61 families. The highest basal area was shared by nine species, including one dipterocarp, Shorea leprosula. Several dipterocarp species occurring in TNNP have been listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, including Anisoptera megistocarpa, Hopea ferruginea, Hopea pachycarpa, Shorea atrinervosa, Shorea faguetiana,   Shorea lepidota and Vatica gamosepala. The presence of a large number of small trees and a few large trees indicated that the forest in the plot was regenerating after heavy disturbances. Regenerating species were divided into five categories, in which 13 species were regenerating well with Sloetia elongata being the best regenerating species while dipterocarps were represented by Shorea acuminata. The occurrence of the majority of trees with a height of 20 m further confirmed the dynamic status of the forest. The importance of primary and secondary forests in TNNP was discussed. Restoration to the original forest was recommended by planting primary forest species, including endemic, rare, and endangered tree species

Soil Seed Bank of Two Karst Ecosystems in Bogor, Indonesia: Similarity with the Aboveground Vegeta-tion and Its Restoration Potential

Karst ecosystem in Bogor is currently threatened by mining activities. Restoration of the disturbed karst areas is urgently required. Seed banks are considered as an important potential seed sources for restoration. This study was conducted to quantify the composition and species diversity of the aboveground vegetation and the seed bank. The study determined the correspondence between the seed bank with the aboveground vegetation in relation with ecosystem restoration. Twenty 6 m × 6 m vegetation plots were established. A total of sixty soil samples were taken from the study sites. The seed bank was studied using germination experiment. All plant species in the vegetation plots and seedlings growing from all soil samples were identified and the number was counted to determine the composition, index of diversity, and index of similarity. There were 80 species from 41 families found in the seed bank in Mt. Nyungcung, dominated by Clidemia hirta (Melastomataceae), whereas 50 species from 29 families found in Mt. Kapur with Cecropia peltata (Urticaceae) dominated the site. Diversity index of Mt. Nyungcung and Mt. Kapur seed banks were 2.09 ± 0.21 and 1.78 ± 0.47 respectively. The similarity index between seed bank and the aboveground vegetation in the two study sites were 32.86% and 27.66% respectively. Mt. Nyungcung seed bank was more diverse than Mt. Kapur. The similarity between the seed bank with the aboveground vegetation in the two study sites were low. Further assessment is needed to determine the role of the seed bank of Mt. Nyungcung and Mt. Kapur in the restoration of the ecosystems

Tumbuhan Sumber Pangan yang Dimanfaatkan oleh Masyarakat Sekitar Hutan Tembawang Desa Nanga Kompi Kecamatan Nanga Sayan Kabupaten Melawi

The research aims to determine the types of plants food sources available and used by communities in Tembawang forest Nanga Sayan subdistrict Melawi District. The benefits of this research can provide information about food sources and utilization of plant communities that exist around the village of Nanga Kompi, as well as the basis for management and development of the region by the agencies involved in the protection, conservation and utilization of plant food resources in the future. This study uses snowball sampling technique or performed in sequence by asking for information on people who have been interviewed or contacted prior to interview, observation, and literature study. Based on the results of the study found as many as 92 plants classified to 45 famili. Most is family Arecaceae and Anacardiaceae 6 species (6.52%). Parts used are part of the fruit that is as much as 67 species (72.83%). How to use it by way of direct consumption 41 species (45%), processing methods with cooked 35 species (38%), the most widely used is derived from the group of fruits that 52 species (56.52%), vegetables 38 species (41.30%), as much as 55 species (59.78%) is a wild plant. Keywords : food plants, Nanga Kompi village, tembawang fores