First record of the alien pest Rhaponticum repens (Compositae) in the Iberian Peninsula

First record of the alien pest Rhaponticum repens (Compositae) in the Iberian Peninsula.- Rhaponticum repens is reported for the first time for the flora of the Iberian Peninsula. The species is native from Central Asia and has become invasive in Argentina, Canada, Europe and the USA. It was detected for the first time in abandoned fields from Vilablareix, near the city of Girona (Catalonia, Spain) and in the valley of the Vinalopó in Alicante (Valencia, Spain), where it was collected as early as in 1959 but misdentified. Molecular data, based on nrDNA region ITS, suggest that the reported populations may be closely related to plants from the United States. Due to the extremely noxious character of the species and the possible relationship of Spanish plants with the invasive American populations, some kind of monitoring is recommended.Rhaponticum repens (Compositae), una nueva planta alóctona para la Península Ibérica.- Se cita por primera vez la especie Rhaponticum repens para la flora de la Península Ibérica. Rhaponticum repens es una especie nativa de Asia central que actúa como invasora en diversos países como Argentina, Canadá o los Estados Unidos. Se ha encontrado por primera vez en campos de cultivo abandonados en el pueblo de Vilablareix, cerca de la ciudad de Girona (Cataluña, España) y en el valle del Vinalopó (Valencia, España), donde fue recolectada y mal identificada en 1959. Los datos moleculares, obtenidos a partir de la región ITS del nrDNA, sugieren que estas poblaciones podrían estar relacionadas con plantas invasoras de Estados Unidos. Debido al carácter extremadamente invasor de la especie, y a su posible origen secundario a partir de las poblaciones norteamericanas, se recomienda el seguimiento de estas poblacione

A new subtribal classification of cardueae: a happy pairing of next-generation-sequencing and morphology

Trabajo presentado en el XII Congreso Latinoamericano de Botánica, celebrado en Quito (Ecuador), el 20 de octubre de 2018Peer reviewe

Dipterocome, an addition to the second-order headed genera in Compositae?

Trabajo presentado en el XII Congreso Latinoamericano de Botánica,The International Compositae Alliance (TICA), celebrado en Quito (Ecuador), el 20 de octubre de 2018The genus Dipterocome Fisch. & C. A. Mey. has a quite complicated history. It was escribed as Dipterocome and as Jaubertia, and even included in Koelpinia. All the attempts of establishing firmly its tribal ascription in the Compositae failed for 150 years: it was placed tentatively in tribe Calenduleae by Bentham, Boissier and Hoffmann, but it was clear that the similarities to Calendula were superficial. De Candolle was so frustrated that he ranked Dipterocome among the unclassified genera of the Compositae acknowledging that it was an impossible task. Thanks to the use of molecular markers, Anderberg finally placed the genus in the Cardueae. Using next-generation sequencing, we have confirmed that Dipterocome belongs to the Cardueae and constitutes a monotypic subtribe Dipterocominae with affinities to the subtribe Xerantheminae. In our presentation, we will discuss the morphology and structure of the capitulum. Based on the excellent drawings by Jaubert & Spach and new histological evidence, we will challenge the traditional interpretation as achenes of the peculiar, spiny structures in the heads. Rather, they should be interpreted as diaspores; the achene is enclosed in a sheat of fused spiny bracts that would be hard to derive from receptacular scales. Our hypothesis is that the heads of Dipterocome are syncephalies or second-order inflorescences, and the “florets” are actually individual heads; the female ones have horned bracts enclosing the achenes, and the male ones show only a tiny basal sheat. It is worth mentioning that at least four of the genera with second-order inflorescences in the Compositae, Dipterocome, Echinops, Gundelia, and Hecastocleis, are plants from extremely dry habitats.Peer reviewe

Island-like mountain radiations in Asia: The case study of the genera Saussurea and Jurinea

Trabajo presentado en el XIX International Botanical Congress (IBC 2017), celebrado en Shenzhen (China) del 23 al 29 de julio de 2017Evolutionary radiations represent events in which many species or lineages evolved from a common ancestor in a short period of time. Many plant radiations have been triggered by island-like ecological opportunities following mountain uplift; the mountain ranges with the steepest and widest environmental gradients, such as the Andes, are home of exceptional regional species pools (and also exceptional endemism rates), mainly derived from evolutionary radiations. The Himalayan-Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (HQTP) and the adjacent Hengduan Mountains (HM) are considered one of the main biodiversity hotspots of the world thanks to its richness in species and endemics. Both regions show extreme altitudinal ranges compressed in short distances as a consequence of the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates, and thus constitute ideal evolutionary scenarios to study diversification processes in mountain regions. We have identified two possible cases of alpine radiations in the Saussurea-Jurinea complex (Compositae-Cardueae), involving some 550 species in total. Saussurea shows an amazing number of species (more than 300) in the HQTP and Hengduan mountains, although a considerable number of species are also found on the west side of the mountains of Middle Asia (Tian Shan and Pamir-Alay). Jurinea, in contrast, has the highest number of species (150 sp.) in the Tian Shan and Pamir-Alay. Our general objectives are the following: a) To carry out an extensive sampling of Saussurea and Jurinea, especially centred in the two main radiation areas in the HQTP and Tian Shan mountains; b) To generate well-resolved phylogenies of both genera using a multi-loci approach through next-generation-sequencing (NGS) analyzed by Bayesian inference and parsimony, and explore coalescent-based species tree estimation with our NGS data set; c) On the basis of the new phylogenies, conduct phylogenetic comparative analyses and multi-model biogeographical inference to address the following questions: Do the alpine species of both genera in Asian mountains constitute clades with clearly higher rates of diversification than their lowland relatives? How many independent radiations took place in the complex? If several, did they occur at the same period, and are they comparable in terms of speciation rates? Which factors (intrinsic or extrinsic) shape species radiations, i.e., do the radiations follow a geographical model, an adaptive model, or a mixed model? Our results will be a major contribution to the study of alpine radiations especially in the HQTP, and will open a methodological pathway for the analysis of very large radiations in other genera.Peer reviewe

Comunicación corta. Eficacia de la fosfina como fumigante contra Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) en palmeras

The red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier) (Coleoptera, Curculionidae), the major pest of palms in the Mediterranean, has mainly spread through movement of infested plants. The aim of this work was to determine the possibility of using aluminium phosphide in palms as a safe quarantine treatment against this pest. Laboratory tests were carried out on eggs, young and old larvae, pupae and adults of R. ferrugineus with different doses of Eurofume® and mortality was assessed. Fumigations of infested canary palms were carried out in a hermetic container and subsequently palms were carefully dissected and all R. ferrugineus specimens found, either dead or alive, were counted. Results suggest that a dose of 1.14 g aluminium phosphide m–3 for 3 days is enough to kill all stages of R. ferrugineus in an infested palm tree. Provided that applied dose of aluminium phosphide is not phytotoxic for palms, this treatment could significantly reduce at low cost the enormous risks that palm imports suppose worldwide.El picudo rojo de las palmeras, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier) (Coleoptera, Curculionidae), la principal plaga de las palmeras en el Mediterráneo, se ha extendido básicamente a través de palmeras infestadas. El objetivo de este trabajo fue determinar la posibilidad de usar fosfuro de aluminio en palmeras como un tratamiento de cuarentena contra esta plaga. Se realizaron ensayos de laboratorio sobre huevos, larvas jóvenes, larvas maduras, pupas y adultos con diferentes dosis de Eurofume® y se evaluó la mortalidad. Se hicieron fumigaciones de palmeras canarias infestadas en un contenedor hermético y seguidamente se diseccionaron las palmeras y se contaron todos los R. ferrugineus vivos o muertos encontrados. Los resultados sugieren que una dosis de 1,14 g m3 de fosfuro de aluminio durante 3 días es suficiente para matar a todos los estados de R. ferrugineus en una palmera infestada. Si la dosis de fosfuro de aluminio a aplicar no resulta fitotóxica para las palmeras, este tratamiento podría, a bajo coste, reducir significativamente el enorme riesgo que supone la importación de palmeras en todo el mundo

¿Qué papel juegan las crisopas y las hormigas en la depredación del minador de las hojas de los cítricos en España?

In a study about the impact of natural enemies of Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton conducted in Spain, predation appeared as the most important mortality factor. Predators responded to changes in flushing, and this was attributed to continuous availability of preferential prey feeding on tender flushes. In this paper the role of aphid-mutualists and generalist predators feeding on aphids as well as on P. citrella (ants and lacewings, respectively), has been investigated. In the laboratory, Chrysoperla carnea Stephens could complete its development when fed on P. citrella third instars only. In the field, highly statistically significant regressions were obtained between prey indicators (aphid density and flush) and C. carnea densities. Nevertheless, using P. citrella density resulted in a negative relationship. In another field trial, predation rates did not change when ants were excluded from P. citrella-infested trees. Therefore, neither ants, nor lacewings could be identified as key-predators of P. citrella. Although we could not prove the efficiency of these predators, these studies have given us the chance to become aware of the existence of an important guild of unidentified generalist natural enemies.En un estudio previo realizado en España, donde se investigó el impacto de los enemigos naturales sobre los estadios inmaduros de Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton, se observó que el factor de mortalidad más importante era la depredación. Este factor respondía a los cambios de brotación, y ello se atribuyó a la disponibilidad de presas sobre los brotes tiernos. En este trabajo se investiga el papel de las hormigas y las crisopas como depredadores del minador. En condiciones de laboratorio, Chrysoperla carnea Stephens pudo completar la totalidad de su ciclo biológico alimentándose exclusivamente de larvas de tercer estadio de P. citrella. En el campo se consiguió relacionar estadísticamente las poblaciones de este depredador con las densidades de pulgones y brotes jóvenes. Sin embargo, no fue posible establecer estas relaciones con las poblaciones del minador. En otro ensayo de campo, los porcentajes de depredación de P. citrella no se vieron afectados cuando se compararon árboles con un alto nivel de infestación con y sin la presencia de hormigas. Por tanto, ni las hormigas ni las crisopas pudieron ser identificadas como depredadoras importantes de P. citrella. Aunque no se pudo probar la eficacia de estos depredadores, el presente trabajo nos ha permitido poner de manifiesto la existencia de enemigos naturales generalistas aún sin determinar y que están presentes en el ecosistema de los cítricos

Computer Aided generation of architectural typologies

The work we present may be considered as the consolidation of a methodology that was already outlined in the paper presented in the second M&D congress held in San Sebastian (1998). We establish that, in architectural design, the computer is only used in the last step in order to achieve the traditional Euclidean design in a more precise and comfortable way and to improve the quality of the handmade designs. Our proposal consists in modifying the process from the very beginning of the creative act. That is, when the design conception is born. If we want to obtain the maximum benefit of the computer possibilities, we ought to support this conception by means of a language tuned with the mentioned tool. Due to the fact that the internal language used by the computer for producing graphics is mathematical, we must incorporate, in some way, this language in the codification of the creative process. In accordance with this setting, we propose a mathematical grammar for the design based on the construction of modulated standard mathematical functions. This grammar is developed independently from the graphical software and it is specified only when a particular computer program for the effective generation on the graphical objects is selected

Comunicación corta. Susceptibilidad de Phoenix theophrasti frente a Rhynchophorus ferrugineus y su control mediante el uso de Steinernema carpocapsae en una formulación con quitosano

The invasive red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Oliv. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is the most destructive pest of palms in the world. It has been reported on 19 palm species belonging to 15 different genera. The host status of theCretan Date Palm, Phoenix theophrasti, remains unclear. Therefore, the present study was carried out to ascertain the host status of this protected palm species. Additionally, the efficacy of entomopathogenic nematodes in a chitosan formulation to control this pest in P. theophrasti was assessed. Our results showed that healthy 4-yr-old P. theophrasti palms were not infested by adult females after 9 days exposure in a population density of 3 adults per plant. However, infestation was successful when neonate larvae were artificially introduced in palms. Therefore, natural populations of P. theophrasti could be at risk. Gummy secretion was observed in both naturally and forced infested palms indicating the existence of antibiosis in this species. Curative applications with the entomopathogenic nematode Steinernema carpocapsae in a chitosan formulation in early infested P. theophrasti palms managed to reduce insect’s activity and could help the palms to recover.El picudo rojo de las palmeras, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Oliv. (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) es la plaga de palmerasmás destructiva del mundo. Se ha citado en 19 especies de palmeras pertenecientes a 15 géneros diferentes. El estatus de la palmera datilera de Creta, Phoenix theophrasti como huésped del picudo rojo no está claro. Este estudio se llevó a cabo para determinar la respuesta de la palmera datilera de Creta frente al ataque de este curculiónido. Además se evaluó la eficacia de una formulación del nematodo entomopatógeno Steinernema carpocapsae con quitosano para su control. Fue imposible infestar palmeras de 4 años de edad con hembras adultas tras 9 días de exposición con 3 hembras por planta. Sin embargo, la infestación fue exitosa cuando las larvas neonatas se introdujeron artificialmente en las palmeras. Por lo tanto, las poblaciones naturales de P. theophrasti podrían estar en riesgo. Se observó una secreción de goma, tanto en las palmeras infestadas de forma natural, como en las forzadas, que indica la existencia de antibiosis. Las aplicaciones curativas con los nematodos entomopatógenos en P. theophrasti redujeron la actividad de los insectos y podrían ayudar a esta especie de palmera en su recuperación