The taxonomy of the lichen Fuscidea cyathoides (Fuscideaceae, Umbilicariomycetidae, Ascomycota) in Europe

Based on morphometric and molecular methods, the taxonomy of the infraspecific taxa of Fuscidea cyathoides (Ach.) V. Wirth & Vězda, var. corticola (Fr.) Kalb and var. sorediata (H. Magn.) Poelt, has been assessed. No formal taxonomic recognition should be attributed to the morphological and ecological variation. Accordingly, var. corticola and var. sorediata are synonymized with F. cyathoides var. cyathoides. New synonyms at the specific level are Fuscidea fagicola (Zschacke) Hafellner & Türk and F. stiriaca (A. Massal.) Hafellner.acceptedVersio

Is It Hop? Identifying Hop Fibres in a European Historical Context

Hop (Humulus lupulus L .) is an ancient perennial crop plant, native to the Northern Hemisphere. The archaeological evidence dates back to at least the sixth century ad in Europe. Hop has been used for beer brewing, in sleeping draughts, as bedding and for antibacterial purposes. Less known is that hop fibres have also been used for textiles and paper. However, it is difficult to distinguish hop from other bast fibres. Here, we present a set of fibre features, which, when found together in an archaeological/historical material within a European context, provide a strong indication that the fibres are hop.publishedVersio

Detecting destabilizing species in the phylogenetic backbone of Potentilla (Rosaceae) using low-copy nuclear markers

The genus Potentilla (Rosaceae) has been subjected to several phylogenetic studies, but resolving its evolutionary history has proven challenging. Previous analyses recovered six, informally named, groups: the Argentea, Ivesioid, Fragarioides, Reptans, Alba and Anserina clades, but the relationships among some of these clades differ between data sets. The Reptans clade, which includes the type species of Potentilla, has been noticed to shift position between plastid and nuclear ribosomal data sets. We studied this incongruence by analysing four low-copy nuclear markers, in addition to chloroplast and nuclear ribosomal data, with a set of Bayesian phylogenetic and Multispecies Coalescent (MSC) analyses. A selective taxon removal strategy demonstrated that the included representatives from the Fragarioides clade, P. dickinsii and P. fragarioides, were the main sources of the instability seen in the trees. The Fragarioides species showed different relationships in each gene tree, and were only supported as a monophyletic group in a single marker when the Reptans clade was excluded from the analysis. The incongruences could not be explained by allopolyploidy, but rather by homoploid hybridization, incomplete lineage sorting or taxon sampling effects. When P. dickinsii and P. fragarioides were removed from the data set, a fully resolved, supported backbone phylogeny of Potentilla was obtained in the MSC analysis. Additionally, indications of autopolyploid origins of the Reptans and Ivesioid clades were discovered in the low-copy gene trees.publishedVersio

Natural Products from Leaves of the Ancient Iranian Medicinal Plant Echium amoenum Fisch. & C. A. Mey.

For several millennia, leaves of Echium amoenum Fisch. & C. A. Mey., an important Iranian medicinal plant with nutritional value as nutraceutical, have been used as tea for the treatment of several conditions, including inflammation. The nutritional value of intake of E. amoenum tea has mainly been correlated to its rich content of mainly water-soluble antioxidants. Although the entire plant is utilized, only natural products of the flowers have previously been thoroughly investigated. The rare natural products bis(3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-1-methoxy-1-oxopropan-2-yl)-1-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-6,7-dihydroxy-1,2-dihydronaphthalene-2,3-dicarboxylate, 4-Oxy-(E)-caffeoyl-2,3-dihydroxybutanoic acid methyl ester and 4-Oxy-(Z)-caffeoyl-2,3-dihydroxybutanoic acid methyl ester, in addition to the widely distributed compounds rosmarinic acid methyl ester and (E)-caffeic acid, were purified and characterized from leaves of Echium amoenum. The structures were determined by a combination of several 2D NMR spectroscopic techniques, circular dichroism spectroscopy and high-resolution mass spectrometry. The fact that bis(3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-1-methoxy-1-oxopropan-2-yl)-1-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-6,7-dihydroxy-1,2-dihydronaphthalene-2,3-dicarboxylate belongs to a rare group of natural products which have previously been patented for their significant anti-inflammatory activity may rationalize the traditional treatment of inflammations with E. amoenum.publishedVersio

Årsmeldinger for Universitetshagene 2019–2021

Annual reports for the Bergen University Gardens 2019–2021. The (annual) report of the Bergen University Gardens covers the years 2019–2021. It includes the gardens’ aims, organisation, personnel, partner organisations, and funding. A summary of research aims and activities includes published work, students, and external research. Teaching is described both at university level and for schools. Developments in the collections include important jubilees for each of the gardens, achievements in conservation, new accessions, and improvements to the infrastructure. Public communication includes numerous events, courses, digital resources, and information in the gardens. A full bibliography of peer reviewed publications and selected popular literature produced in the period is provided

En vurdering av økologisk risiko ved bruk av introduserte bartreslag i Norge. Erfaringer ved bruk av kriteriesettet for Norsk svarteliste 2007

Artsdatabanken har etablert en arbeidsgruppe (Treslagsgruppen) som har vurdert økologisk risiko for et utvalg av introduserte bartreslag. Arbeidet tok utgangspunkt i kriteriesettet for risikovurdering som lå til grunn for Norsk svarteliste 2007. Gruppen har dernest vurdert egnetheten av dette kriteriesettet for trær, og har trukket følgende hovedkonklusjoner: • Vurderinger av 11 utvalgte bartreslag viste høy eller ukjent risiko for flere arter, men resultatet var mer knyttet til egenskaper ved kriteriene enn vitenskaplig dokumentasjon. Arbeidsgruppen utelukker likevel ikke at introduserte bartrær kan ha noen av de negative effektene som er beskrevet i Norsk svarteliste 2007. • Gruppen mener at gjeldende kriteriesett ikke følger naturvitenskapelige prinsipper og arbeidsmåter og derfor ikke er egnet for økologisk risikovurdering av bartrær. Flere av kriteriene fremstår som upresise, og viktige definisjoner mangler. • Når dokumentasjon mangler må dette fremgå eksplisitt, og systemene bør være transparente slik at det fremgår klart hvilke vurderinger som er dokumentert, og hvilke som baseres på faglig skjønn. • Det anbefales at fremtidige vurderinger graderer risiko i flere klasser for å gi et mer presist forvaltningsverktøy. • Et fremtidig kriteriesett for trær bør i sterkere grad vektlegge spredning og populasjonsendringer, og vurderes innen definerte arealrammer og i forhold til definerte, målbare effekter. • For å unngå for stor grad av subjektivitet anbefaler gruppen at risikovurderingene i fremtiden gjennomføres i paneler med minimum tre fagpersoner med solid kunnskap om de artene som skal vurderes. • Treslagsgruppen har sammenstilt økologisk informasjon om elleve introduserte bartrær (VITEN, Skog og landskap, 1/09). Informasjonen kan være et utgangspunkt for risikovurderinger etter et nytt kriteriesett. • Gruppen påpeker at det er betydelig kunnskapsmangel knyttet til spredning og effekter for flere introduserte treslag og at det er behov for en større FoU-innsats på fagfeltet

Miriquidica majae, a new lichen species from oldgrowth Picea abies forests in central Norway

The new species Miriquidica majae Tønsberg is described from northern boreal forests in Central Norway where it is restricted to trunks of Picea abies, mainly in oldgrowth forests. Chemically M. majae recalls Myochroidea porphyrospoda, but is distinct by the combination of the endosubstratal or indistinct, white thallus in non-sorediate parts, the scattered, effuse soralia, and the lack of areoles that are not completely sorediate. The apothecia are rare and usually poorly developed. The sequences from the ITS2 region of the two species differ markedly

Miriquidica majae, a new lichen species from oldgrowth Picea abies forests in central Norway

The new species Miriquidica majae Tønsberg is described from northern boreal forests in Central Norway where it is restricted to trunks of Picea abies, mainly in oldgrowth forests. Chemically M. majae recalls Myochroidea porphyrospoda, but is distinct by the combination of the endosubstratal or indistinct, white thallus in non-sorediate parts, the scattered, effuse soralia, and the lack of areoles that are not completely sorediate. The apothecia are rare and usually poorly developed. The sequences from the ITS2 region of the two species differ markedly

Growing with dinosaurs: natural products from the Cretaceous relict Metasequoia glyptostroboides Hu & Cheng - a molecular reservoir from the ancient world with potential in modern medicine

After the sensational rediscovery of living exemplars of the Cretaceous relict Metasequoia glyptostroboides—a tree previously known exclusively from fossils from various locations in the northern hemisphere, there has been an increasing interest in discovery of novel natural products from this unique plant source. This article includes the first complete compilation of natural products reported from M. glyptostroboides during the entire period in which the tree has been investigated (1954–2014) with main focus on the compounds specific to this plant source. Studies on the biological activity of pure compounds and extracts derived from M. glyptostroboides are reviewed for the first time. The unique potential of M. glyptostroboides as a source of bioactive constituents is founded on the fact that the tree seems to have survived unchanged since the Cretaceous era. Since then, its molecular defense system has resisted the attacks of millions of generations of pathogens. In line with this, some recent landmarks in Metasequoia paleobotany are covered. Initial spectral analysis of recently discovered intact 53 million year old wood and amber of Metasequoia strongly indicate that the tree has remained unchanged for millions of years at the molecular level