Horticultural Protocols to Aid the Conservation of Melampyrum sylvaticum, Orobanchaceae (Small Cow-Wheat), an Endangered Hemiparasitic Plant

Small cow-wheat is an annual, hemiparasitic plant that is endangered in the UK. Attempts at restoration have been hampered by a lack of species-specific horticultural knowledge. This paper outlines the methods used to collect, store and germinate small cow-wheat seed, and to cultivate the plant at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. The germination rates achieved using two different approaches are reported and the factors potentially influencing germination and establishment success are discussed

Conservation genetics of the annual hemiparasitic plant Melampyrum sylvaticum (Orobanchaceae) in the UK and Scandinavia

Melampyrum sylvaticum is an endangered annual hemiparasitic plant that is found in only 19 small and isolated populations in the United Kingdom (UK). To evaluate the genetic consequences of this patchy distribution we compared levels of diversity, inbreeding and differentiation from ten populations from the UK with eight relatively large populations from Sweden and Norway where the species is more continuously distributed. We demonstrate that in both the UK and Scandinavia, the species is highly inbreeding (global F IS = 0.899). Levels of population differentiation were high (F’ST = 0.892) and significantly higher amongst UK populations (F’ST = 0.949) than Scandinavian populations (F’ST = 0.762; P < 0.01). The isolated populations in the UK have, on average, lower genetic diversity (allelic richness, proportion of loci that are polymorphic, gene diversity) than Scandinavian populations, and this diversity difference is associated with the smaller census size and population area of UK populations. From a conservation perspective, the naturally inbreeding nature of the species may buffer the species against immediate effects of inbreeding depression, but the markedly lower levels of genetic diversity in UK populations may represent a genetic constraint to evolutionary change. In addition, the high levels of population differentiation suggest that gene flow among populations will not be effective at replenishing lost variation. We thus recommend supporting in situ conservation management with ex situ populations and human-mediated seed dispersal among selected populations in the UK

Is Australia weird? A cross-continental comparison of biological, geological and climatological features

Australia’s distinctive biogeography means that it is sometimes considered an ecologically unique continent with biological and abiotic features that are not comparable to those observed in the rest of the world. This leaves some researchers unclear as to whether findings from Australia apply to systems elsewhere (or vice-versa), which has consequences for the development of ecological theory and the application of ecological management principles. We analyzed 594,612 observations spanning 85 variables describing global climate, soil, geochemistry, plants, animals, and ecosystem function to test if Australia is broadly different to the other continents and compare how different each continent is from the global mean. We found significant differences between Australian and global means for none of 15 climate variables, only seven of 25 geochemistry variables, three of 16 soil variables, five of 12 plant trait variables, four of 11 animal variables, and one of five ecosystem function variables. Seven of these differences remained significant when we adjusted for multiple hypothesis testing: high soil pH, high soil concentrations of sodium and strontium, a high proportion of nitrogen-fixing plants, low plant leaf nitrogen concentration, low annual production rate to birth in mammals, and low marine productivity. Our analyses reveal numerous similarities between Australia and Africa and highlight dissimilarities between continents in the northern vs. southern hemispheres Australia ranked the most distinctive continent for 26 variables, more often than Europe (15 variables), Africa (13 variables), Asia (12 variables each), South America (11 variables) or North America (8 variables). Australia was distinctive in a range of soil conditions and plant traits, and a few bird and mammal traits, tending to sit at a more extreme end of variation for some variables related to resource availability. However, combined analyses revealed that, overall, Australia is not significantly more different to the global mean than Africa, South America, or Europe. In conclusion, while Australia does have some unique and distinctive features, this is also true for each of the other continents, and the data do not support the idea that Australia is an overall outlier in its biotic or abiotic characteristics

BIOL1800-C3.LAB: Prin of Ecology & Evolutn.F15.Dalrymple,Rhiannon

Goals: This course is designed for potential biology majors and others needing majors-level biology. To introduce ecological and evolutionary principles, and how these relate to understanding the origins and diversity of life on earth. To gain experience in the practice of science by posing research questions, designing and conducting experiments or observations to answer these questions and presenting the results publicly. To develop skills in oral communication, use of the computer as a scientific tool, and functioning as a member of a goal-directed team. To foster a sense of wonder and curiosity about biological diversity. Content: An exploration of ecology and evolution. Topics will include interactions among organisms and with their environment, transmission genetics, micro and macroevolutionary processes, and the origin and diversity of life. Throughout the course, we will discuss examples of how ecological and evolutionary principles can enhance our understanding of environmental and medical issues. The course will introduce skills needed for conducting biological research, with emphasis on development of research questions and experimental design. Taught: Fall term Prerequisites: None; concurrent registration in Chemistry 1130 is recommended. NOTE: Students must concurrently register for a lecture and a corresponding 0-credit lab section of this course. This course is open to first-year students only. Exceptions are made by permission of the instructor. Non-science majors seeking the Hamline Plan \u27N\u27 through Biology should take a course in the Biol 1100 series rather than taking Biol 1800. Credits:

BIOL1800-C5.LAB: Prin of Ecology & Evolutn.F15.Dalrymple,Rhiannon

Goals: This course is designed for potential biology majors and others needing majors-level biology. To introduce ecological and evolutionary principles, and how these relate to understanding the origins and diversity of life on earth. To gain experience in the practice of science by posing research questions, designing and conducting experiments or observations to answer these questions and presenting the results publicly. To develop skills in oral communication, use of the computer as a scientific tool, and functioning as a member of a goal-directed team. To foster a sense of wonder and curiosity about biological diversity. Content: An exploration of ecology and evolution. Topics will include interactions among organisms and with their environment, transmission genetics, micro and macroevolutionary processes, and the origin and diversity of life. Throughout the course, we will discuss examples of how ecological and evolutionary principles can enhance our understanding of environmental and medical issues. The course will introduce skills needed for conducting biological research, with emphasis on development of research questions and experimental design. Taught: Fall term Prerequisites: None; concurrent registration in Chemistry 1130 is recommended. NOTE: Students must concurrently register for a lecture and a corresponding 0-credit lab section of this course. This course is open to first-year students only. Exceptions are made by permission of the instructor. Non-science majors seeking the Hamline Plan \u27N\u27 through Biology should take a course in the Biol 1100 series rather than taking Biol 1800. Credits:

A low watering treatment alters biomass allocation and growth rate but not heteroblastic development in an Acacia species

Key message: TheAcaciaphyllode leaf form is hypothesised to be an adaptation to drought. However, in this experiment, the timing of phyllode development was not related to a low water treatment. Abstract: Acacia species have markedly different leaf forms known as compound leaves, transitional leaves, and phyllodes, also known as heteroblastic development. The different leaf types are thought to confer an advantage under varying moisture regimes, with phyllodes favoured in drier conditions. The hypothesis that phyllodes develop earlier under low water treatment was tested in this experiment. Three watering level treatments (100, 50, and 25\ua0%) were imposed on seedlings of A. implexa to assess developmental traits (leaf emergence, initial onset of transitional leaves, and phyllodes), biomass allocation patterns (root, stem, compound leaf area/mass, transitional leaf area/mass, and phyllode area/mass), and leaf anatomy traits (epidermis, palisade and spongy mesophyll, and stomatal density). Across watering treatments, there was no difference in the developmental onset of transitional leaves or phyllodes (produced at the 6th and 9th nodes, respectively). Under low watering treatment, there was a decrease in stem height per unit stem diameter, shorter internodes, and greater allocation of biomass to roots. There was no significant difference in leaf anatomy traits. Under the low watering treatment, there was less compound leaf area and mass due to leaf shedding. In this experiment, the low watering treatment did not favour phyllode development at the expense of compound leaf development. Rather, it was found that A. implexa responds to a low water treatment similarly to many other plant species: increased allocation to roots, increased stem area per unit stem height, decrease in leaf area through senescence of older leaves, and lower relative growth rates

Macro-ecological patterns in the colours of animals and plants

Colour is one of nature’s most remarkable signal features, and plays crucial roles in numerous biological interactions. This thesis uses modern comparative methods to quantify trends in colouration across macroecological gradients. To advance the study of biogeographical patterns in colour, I needed to establish the best methodological approach for quantitative cross-taxa analyses. Analysis of bird and flower colours revealed that to quantify a species’ colour to within 5% of the true mean, only one sample is really necessary. Brightness is more variable, requiring four samples to achieve this precision. The idea that species in tropical regions are more colourful than those at higher latitudes has endured for more than a century. I provide the first taxonomically and spatially broad, quantitative test of the colourful tropics hypothesis. I measured the colours of 570 bird species, 424 butterfly species and flowers of 339 Angiosperm species using reflectance spectrometry and wave-band limited photography. I calculated colour brightness, saturation, diversity, hue disparity and maximum contrast for each species. Phylogenetic and cross-species analyses showed that birds, butterflies and flowers in tropical regions are not on average more colourful than species in higher latitudes, and formally reject the long-standing hypothesis. Next, I determined which biotic and abiotic factors were most influential in shaping macroecological patterns in colouration, and evaluated the generality of several current hypotheses regarding environmental drivers of colour. Relationships between flower colouration and environmental variables were often opposite to those of bird and butterfly colours. For example, birds and butterflies tend to be less colour-saturated under high solar radiation, while flowers tend to be more colour-saturated. Macroecological gradients in flower colour were best predicted by rainfall and the diversity of plants and of pollinating insects, while bird and butterfly colours were best predicted by bird diversity, solar radiation and temperature. Birds, butterflies and flowers show similar latitudinal gradients in colour, but these are driven by different environmental variables. My thesis substantially advances comparative analysis of colouration. As well as finally quantifying the latitudinal gradients in colour, this research will inform future study design, and enable development of novel hypotheses in colour ecology and evolution

The perceptual similarity of orb-spider prey lures and flower colours

Receiver biases offer opportunities for the evolution of deception in signalling systems. Many spiders use conspicuous body colouration to lure prey, yet the perceptual basis of such deception remains largely unknown. Here we use knowledge of visual perception in key pollinator groups (bees and flies) to test whether colour-based lures resemble floral signals. We addressed this question at two levels: first according to the spectral reflectance of Australian orb-web spiders and flowers across a broad continental range, and second in reference to polymorphic variation in the species Gasteracantha fornicata. Analysis at the community level supported the hypotheses for broad-scale convergence among spider and flower signals. Moreover, data for G. fornicata indicate that each lure morph presents a signal biased towards the colouration of sympatric flowers. This analysis identified fly- and/or bee-pollinated plants whose flowers are likely to be indistinguishable from each G. fornicata colour morph. Our findings support the hypothesis that deceptive colour-based lures exploit prey preferences for floral resources. Further, the evidence implies a greater role for specific model/mimic relationships over generalised resemblance to flower-like stimuli as a driver of lure colouration and diversity.20 page(s

Data from: Roses are red, violets are blue - so how much replication should you do? An assessment of variation in the colour of flowers and birds

After years of qualitative and subjective study, quantitative colour science is now enabling rapid measurement, analysis and comparison of colour traits. However, it has not been determined how many replicates one needs to accurately quantify a species' colours for studies aimed at broad cross-species trait comparison. We address this major methodological knowledge gap. We first quantified and assessed the variance in colour within and between species. Reflectance spectra of flowers from ten plant species and plumage of 20 bird species were measured using a spectrometer, and reflectance (i.e. brightness) and tetrahedral colour-space coordinates were calculated. analysis of variance (ANOVA) analyses indicate that there is far more variation in the colours of birds and flowers between species (> 77%) than within species. A Mean Absolute Deviation from the Mean test was applied to indicate the sampling replication required for each species. Tetrahedral coordinates were sampled precisely with only one individual per species. Greater replication was needed to sample reflectance with the desired precision, particularly for darker coloured species. Our findings will allow researchers to allocate their sampling effort in a way that maximises the precision of their colour data collection. The fact that only a few replicates per species are necessary will greatly facilitate broad cross-species comparisons of colour in the future

Roses are red, violets are blue - so how much replication should you do? an assessment of variation in the colour of flowers and birds

After years of qualitative and subjective study, quantitative colour science is now enabling rapid measurement, analysis and comparison of colour traits. However, it has not been determined how many replicates one needs to accurately quantify a species' colours for studies aimed at broad cross-species trait comparison. We address this major methodological knowledge gap. We first quantified and assessed the variance in colour within and between species. Reflectance spectra of flowers from ten plant species and plumage of 20 bird species were measured using a spectrometer, and reflectance (i.e. brightness) and tetrahedral colour-space coordinates were calculated. analysis of variance (ANOVA) analyses indicate that there is far more variation in the colours of birds and flowers between species (> 77%) than within species. A Mean Absolute Deviation from the Mean test was applied to indicate the sampling replication required for each species. Tetrahedral coordinates were sampled precisely with only one individual per species. Greater replication was needed to sample reflectance with the desired precision, particularly for darker coloured species. Our findings will allow researchers to allocate their sampling effort in a way that maximises the precision of their colour data collection. The fact that only a few replicates per species are necessary will greatly facilitate broad cross-species comparisons of colour in the future.13 page(s