A checklist of the vascular plants of the lowland savannas of Belize, Central America

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Expanding tropical forest monitoring into Dry Forests: The DRYFLOR protocol for permanent plots

This is the final version. Available on open access from Wiley via the DOI in this recordSocietal Impact Statement Understanding of tropical forests has been revolutionized by monitoring in permanent plots. Data from global plot networks have transformed our knowledge of forests’ diversity, function, contribution to global biogeochemical cycles, and sensitivity to climate change. Monitoring has thus far been concentrated in rain forests. Despite increasing appreciation of their threatened status, biodiversity, and importance to the global carbon cycle, monitoring in tropical dry forests is still in its infancy. We provide a protocol for permanent monitoring plots in tropical dry forests. Expanding monitoring into dry biomes is critical for overcoming the linked challenges of climate change, land use change, and the biodiversity crisis.Newton FundNatural Environment Research Council (NERC)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São PauloCYTE

Clinical evaluation of arterial blood pressure in anesthetized dogs by use of a veterinary-specific multiparameter monitor

OBJECTIVE To compare noninvasive blood pressure (NIBP) measurements with invasive blood pressure (IBP) measurements of arterial blood pressure (ABP) in anesthetized dogs as obtained with a veterinary-specific multiparameter monitor. ANIMALS 21 client-owned healthy female dogs anesthetized for routine ovariohysterectomy. PROCEDURES ABP measurements were obtained with a single veterinary-specific multi-parameter monitor via a pneumatic cuff placed over the medial dorsal meta-tarsal artery (NIBP) and a transducer connected to a catheter placed in the contralateral artery (IBP). The 224 paired ABP measurements (complete data set) were categorized into 3 subsets—hypotension, normotension, and hypertension—on the basis of invasive measurements of mean arterial blood pressure (MAP). The NIBP and IBP measurements of systolic and diastolic arterial blood pressure (SAP and DAP, respectively) and MAP were compared. RESULTS NIBP measurements were frequently lower than IBP measurements. The greatest underestimation was for the hypertension subset of NIBP mea-surements, with biases for SAP of 15.7 mm Hg, DAP of 14.1 mm Hg, and MAP of 12.0 mm Hg. Considering the complete data set, precision was acceptable (SD of the differences between paired measurements ≤ 15 mm Hg for DAP [9.0 mm Hg] and MAP [12.1 mm Hg]); however, precision was not acceptable for SAP (SD, 18.6 mm Hg). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE NIBP measurements with the studied veterinary-specific multiparameter monitor generally agreed with IBP measurements during hypotensive and normotensive periods for anesthetized healthy female dogs undergoing routine ovariohysterectomy. However, inaccuracies, frequently under-estimations, were observed during periods of hypertension, and there-fore, NIBP measurements should be interpreted cautiously

Characterizing growth rings in the trees of Perú: A wood anatomical overview for potential applications in dendroecological-related fields

Sustainable forestry requires accurate ecological information such as species composition, growth rates and recruitment dynamics. Tree growth rates are usually obtained through long-term periodic re-measurements of individual trees or through the analysis of tree growth rings in stem cross sections. However, tree growth ring analysis was traditionally thought to be only possible in biomes with strong seasonality such as those found in high latitude temperate regions. A lack of data on the occurrence and characteristics of tree rings in tropical trees may be due to a lack of investigations. Here we characterise the growth rings of 183 tree species from seven forest types across an altitudinal gradient in northern and central Perú at macro- and microscopic levels. A correspondence analysis showed an association between phylogenetic relatedness and the level of distinctiveness in the growth rings. Deciduous species of seasonally dry tropical forests were associated with distinct growth rings and mainly delimited by marginal parenchyma, while indistinct growth rings were associated with evergreen trees from lowland Amazonian and pre-montane wet forests. Additionally, for the first time the presence of growth ring boundaries defined by marginal phloem is reported in two tropical tree species, Gallesia integrifolia (Spreng.) Harms and Vochysia mapirensis Rusby. This contribution represents the most exhaustive record to date of the occurrence and anatomy of growth rings in trees of the Peruvian tropics, which can be used to inform future dendrochronological studies.Fil: Marcelo Peña, José Luis. Universidade de Sao Paulo; Brasil. Universidad de Jaén; EspañaFil: Roig Junent, Fidel Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales; Argentina. Universidad Mayor; ChileFil: Goodwin, Zoë A.. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh; Reino UnidoFil: Tomazello Filho, Mario. Universidade de Sao Paulo; Brasi

Hybridisation and detection of a hybrid zone between mesic and desert ragworts (<i>Senecio</i>) across an aridity gradient in the eastern Mediterranean

<p><b>Background</b>: Hybrid zones provide excellent opportunities for studying plant adaptation and speciation.</p> <p><b>Aims</b>: We tested whether two herbaceous species of <i>Senecio, S. vernalis</i> and <i>S. glaucus</i>, hybridise in the eastern Mediterranean region and form a hybrid zone across an aridity gradient in the Jordan Rift Valley.</p> <p><b>Methods</b>: Allozyme variation surveyed across both species was analysed by the programme STRUCTURE to assign individuals to genetic groups and determine levels of admixture. Populations in the Jordan Rift Valley were subsequently subjected to a cline analysis.</p> <p><b>Results</b>: STRUCTURE showed that interspecific hybrids were produced at low frequency along the Israeli coastal plain where <i>S. glaucus</i> is represented by ssp. <i>glaucus</i>. In contrast, hybrids were more commonly produced in central populations of the Jordan Rift Valley. Here, the two species form a hybrid zone with <i>S. vernalis</i> occurring in mesic sites to the north and <i>S. glaucus</i> (ssp. <i>coronopifolius</i>) in arid sites to the south. Cline analysis showed that the hybrid zone is centred towards the northern end of the Dead Sea, but the analysis failed to distinguish how it is maintained.</p> <p><b>Conclusions</b>: Future detailed genetic and ecological analysis of the <i>Senecio</i> hybrid zone should improve our understanding of plant adaptation and speciation across aridity gradients.</p

How long does it take to discover a species?

The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London 2020. All Rights Reserved. The description of a new species is a key step in cataloguing the World’s flora. However, this is only a preliminary stage in a long process of understanding what that species represents. We investigated how long the species discovery process takes by focusing on three key stages: 1, the collection of the first specimen; 2, the publication of the species name; and 3, the date when a minimum number of 15 accurately named specimens are available. We quantified the time lags associated with these stages for several groups of plants with different numbers of species and from different regions, including the 20 most species-rich Angiosperm families. Our analyses reveal that it takes decades to accumulate a minimum number of specimens to allow subsequent studies of any kind. The time lag between stages 1 and 3 is consistently over 70 years with groups such as the tropical genus Aframomum reflecting an average time lag of over 100 years. In light of our results, we suggest that species discovery is most accurately characterized as a lengthy process of knowledge accumulation, often spanning decades, rather than a one-off event

A predominantly Neolithic origin for European paternal lineages.

none16The relative contributions to modern European populations of Paleolithic hunter-gatherers and Neolithic farmers from the Near East have been intensely debated. Haplogroup R1b1b2 (R-M269) is the commonest European Y-chromosomal lineage, increasing in frequency from east to west, and carried by 110 million European men. Previous studies suggested a Paleolithic origin, but here we show that the geographical distribution of its microsatellite diversity is best explained by spread from a single source in the Near East via Anatolia during the Neolithic. Taken with evidence on the origins of other haplogroups, this indicates that most European Y chromosomes originate in the Neolithic expansion. This reinterpretation makes Europe a prime example of how technological and cultural change is linked with the expansion of a Y-chromosomal lineage, and the contrast of this pattern with that shown by maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA suggests a unique role for males in the transition.noneBalaresque P.; Bowden G.R.; Adams S.M.; Leung H-Y.; King T.E.; Rosser Z.H.; Goodwin J.; Moisan J-P.; Richard C.; Millward A.; Demaine A.G.; Barbujani G.; Previderè C.; Wilson I.J.; Tyler-Smith C.; and Jobling M.A.Balaresque, P.; Bowden, G. R.; Adams, S. M.; Leung, H. Y.; King, T. E.; Rosser, Z. H.; Goodwin, J.; Moisan, J. P.; Richard, C.; Millward, A.; Demaine, A. G.; Barbujani, Guido; Previderè, C.; Wilson, I. J.; Tyler Smith, C.; Jobling, M. A