Taxonomy, systematics, and biogeography of Ficus subsection Urostigma (Moraceae)

Five research methods were used in Taxonomy, Systematics, and Biogeography of Ficus subsection Urostigma(Moraceae); Morphological characters, leaf anatomy, pollen morphology, molecular phylogeny, and historical biogeography. Seven topics are the result: 1) A revision was made based on morphology in which 27 species are recognized, but which also showed that morphology alone cannot solve all problems because of variation within the species. 2) Leaf anatomy displayed less variation in characters and anatomical characters proved to be useful for the classification of Ficus, especially in combination with morphology. 3) Pollen morphology appeared to be similar for all species and the characters can merely be used for generic recognition. 4) A new classification for subsection Urostigma is proposed in which the circumscription of the subsection and the species is the result of combining molecular phylogenetic information with morphology and leaf anatomy. 5) Ficus cornelisiana, a new species from Sino-Himalayan, was reported based on morphological and leaf anatomical evidence. 6) The historical biogeography was studied by using molecular dating and ancestral area reconstruction. 7) The use of some Thai species within subsect. Urostigma is reported, six of them are used as food, as ornamental, or the uses are related to religion or sacred purposes.UBL - phd migration 201

Conserved community structure and simultaneous divergence events in the fig wasps associated with Ficus benjamina in Australia and China

Localised patterns of species diversity can be influenced by many factors, including regional species pools, biogeographic features and interspecific interactions. Despite recognition of these issues, we still know surprisingly little about how invertebrate biodiversity is structured across geographic scales. In particular, there have been few studies of how insect communities vary geographically while using the same plant host. We compared the composition (species, genera) and functional structure (guilds) of the chalcid wasp communities associated with the widespread fig tree, Ficus benjamina, towards the northern (Hainan province, China) and southern (Queensland, Australia) edges of its natural range. Sequence data were generated for nuclear and mtDNA markers and used to delimit species, and Bayesian divergence analyses were used to test patterns of community cohesion through evolutionary time. Both communities host at least 14 fig wasp species, but no species are shared across continents. Community composition is similar at the genus level, with six genera shared although some differ in species diversity between China and Australia; a further three genera occur in only China or Australia. Community functional structure remains very similar in terms of numbers of species in each ecological guild despite community composition differing a little (genera) or a lot (species), depending on taxonomic level. Bayesian clustering analyses favour a single community divergence event across continents over multiple events for different ecological guilds. Molecular dating estimates of lineage splits between nearest inter-continental species pairs are broadly consistent with a scenario of synchronous community divergence from a shared "ancestral community". Fig wasp community structure and genus-level composition are largely conserved in a wide geographic comparison between China and Australia. Moreover, dating analyses suggest that the functional community structure has remained stable for long periods during historic range expansions. This suggests that ecological interactions between species may play a persistent role in shaping these communities, in contrast to findings in some comparable temperate systems

Adaptation of Fig Wasps (Agaodinae) to their host revealed by large-scale transcriptomic data

Figs and fig wasps are highly species-specific and comprise a model system for studying co-evolution and co-speciation. The evolutionary relationships and molecular adaptations of fig wasps to their fig hosts are poorly understood, and this is in part due to limited sequence data. Here, we present large-scale transcriptomic datasets of 25 fig wasp species with the aim of uncovering the genetic basis for host specificity. Our phylogenetic results support the monophyly of all genera associated with dioecious figs, and two genera associated with monoecious figs, Eupristina and Platyscapa, were revealed to be close relatives. We identified gene loss and gain, potentially rapidly evolving genes, and genes under positive selection. Potentially functional changes were documented and we hypothesize as to how these may determine host specificity. Overall, our study provides new insights into the evolutionary diversification of fig wasps and contributes to our understanding of adaptation in this grou

<i>Ficus pongumphaii</i> (<i>Moraceae</i>), a new species from Thailand, compared with the ambiguous species <i>F. talbotii</i>

A deciduous shrub previously included in Ficus talbotii for many years, is now regarded as a new species, Ficus pongumphaii. It is morphologically distinct from F. talbotii with as typical characters the densely brown pubescent to tomentose or villous on leafy twig; the elliptic, suborbicular to obovate leaf blades that are brown tomentellous on the upper surface and brown floccose tomentose to villous underneath; the pedunculate figs are obovate, brown floccose or villous outside and have internal hairs. The leaf anatomy shows a multiple epidermis on both surfaces; enlarged lithocysts on both sides of the lamina, which are more abundant adaxially and with very few abaxially. The species, endemic to Thailand, is named after the great Thai dendrologist, Associate Professor Somnuek Pongumphai.</jats:p

Ficus pongumphaii (Moraceae), a new species from Thailand, compared with the ambiguous species F. talbotii

A deciduous shrub previously included in Ficus talbotii for many years, is now regarded as a new species, Ficus pongumphaii. It is morphologically distinct from F. talbotii with as typical characters the densely brown pubescent to tomentose or villous on leafy twig; the elliptic, suborbicular to obovate leaf blades that are brown tomentellous on the upper surface and brown floccose tomentose to villous underneath; the pedunculate figs are obovate, brown floccose or villous outside and have internal hairs. The leaf anatomy shows a multiple epidermis on both surfaces; enlarged lithocysts on both sides of the lamina, which are more abundant adaxially and with very few abaxially. The species, endemic to Thailand, is named after the great Thai dendrologist, Associate Professor Somnuek Pongumphai

Ficus cornelisiana, a new species of Ficus subsection Urostigma (Moraceae) from the Sino-himalayan region

International audienceA small fig tree has been misidentified as Ficus orthoneura for a long time. However, morphologically it is distinct from F. orthoneura and F. hookeriana. Typical are the ellipsoid, puberulous receptacle and caducous basal bracts. Leaf anatomy shows a multiple epidermis with the cells in the inner layer much larger than in the outer layer and thus both layers resemble an epidermis with a separate hypodermis. The abaxial cuticle is strongly sculptured, the palisade layer shows some long subdivided cells, and enlarged lithocysts are only present abaxially. Because of these differences we hereby describe it as a new species, named in honour of Cornelis (Cees) Berg: Ficus cornelisiana