45 research outputs found
Breeding systems in Tolpis (Asteraceae) in the Macaronesian islands: the Azores, Madeira and the Canaries
Plants on oceanic islands often originate from
self-compatible (SC) colonizers capable of seed set by self fertilization. This fact is supported by empirical studies,
and is rooted in the hypothesis that one (or few) individuals
could find a sexual population, whereas two or more would
be required if the colonizers were self-incompatible (SI).
However, a SC colonizer would have lower heterozygosity
than SI colonizers, which could limit radiation and diver sification of lineages following establishment. Limited
evidence suggests that several species-rich island lineages
in the family Asteraceae originated from SI colonizers with
some ‘‘leakiness’’ (pseudo-self-compatibility, PSC) such
that some self-seed could be produced. This study of Tolpis
(Asteraceae) in Macaronesia provides first reports of the
breeding system in species from the Azores and Madeira,
and additional insights into variation in Canary Islands.
Tolpis from the Azores and Madeira are predominately SI
but with PSC. This study suggests that the breeding sys tems of the ancestors were either PSC, possibly from a
single colonizer, or from SI colonizers by multiple dis seminules either from a single or multiple dispersals. Long distance colonists capable of PSC combine the advantages
of reproductive assurance (via selfing) in the establishment
of sexual populations from even a single colonizer with the
higher heterozygosity resulting from its origin from an
outcrossed source population. Evolution of Tolpis on the
Canaries and Madeira has generated diversity in breeding
systems, including the origin of SC. Macaronesian Tolpis is
an excellent system for studying breeding system evolution
in a small, diverse lineage.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Clinical Summary of Copper Vapor Laser Treatment of Dermatologic Disease: A Private Practice Viewpoint
Treatment of Pseudofolliculitis Barbae Using the Q-Switched Nd:YAG Laser with Topical Carbon Suspension
Optogenetic analysis of synaptic function
We introduce optogenetic investigation of neurotransmission (OptIoN) for time-resolved and quantitative assessment of synaptic function via behavioral and electrophysiological analyses. We photo-triggered release of acetylcholine or γ-aminobutyric acid at Caenorhabditis elegans neuromuscular junctions using targeted expression of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Channelrhodopsin-2. In intact Channelrhodopsin-2 transgenic worms, photostimulation instantly induced body elongation (for γ-aminobutyric acid) or contraction (for acetylcholine), which we analyzed acutely, or during sustained activation with automated image analysis, to assess synaptic efficacy. In dissected worms, photostimulation evoked neurotransmitter-specific postsynaptic currents that could be triggered repeatedly and at various frequencies. Light-evoked behaviors and postsynaptic currents were significantly (P ≤ 0.05) altered in mutants with pre- or postsynaptic defects, although the behavioral phenotypes did not unambiguously report on synaptic function in all cases tested. OptIoN facilitates the analysis of neurotransmission with high temporal precision, in a neurotransmitter-selective manner, possibly allowing future investigation of synaptic plasticity in C. elegans