Utricularia gaagudju, a new species for the Northern Territory, and a recircumscription of U. kimberleyensis C.A.Gardner

A new species of Utricularia (Lentibulariaceae) is recognised for the Northern Territory. A description of Utricularia gaagudju R.W.Jobson & Cherry is provided along with a new circumscription for the Western Australian species U. kimberleyensis to which it was previously assigned. Diagnostic features are illustrated, and distribution, habitat, and conservation status are discussed

Molecular phylogenetic study of Utricularia section Oligocista in Australia and a new Cape York endemic species

Utricularia section Oligocista A.DC. (Lentibulariaceae) is distributed across the old and new world tropics. Wepresent a molecular phylogeny using a matrix of the nuclear ITS and two chloroplast markers that includes 19of the 37 recognised species sampled across the range of each species. The phylogenetic study also includesmembers of the closely allied sections Enskide (Raf.) P.Taylor (including section Minutae Lowrie, Cowie &Conran) and Stomoisia (Raf.) Kuntze from across each of their distributions. The phylogeny shows that Australiacontains species from the two major clades of section Oligocista, with each involving ancestors with yellow andpurple/mauve corolla colours. This study provides morphological and molecular evidence for recognition of anew species, Utricularia irwinica R.W.Jobson & Baleeiro, from Cape York Peninsula, Queensland. A lectotypeis designated for the name Utricularia cyanea var. alba Benth. We also recommend changes to the taxonomyof sections Enskide and Oligocista based on the phylogenetic results and morphology

Recircumscription of Utricularia leptorhyncha and U. lasiocaulis and three related new species for northern Australia

The Utricularia lasiocaulis F.Muell. complex (subg. Polypompholyx; sect. Lasiocaules) is a morphologically and ecologically variable group of closely related taxa with a mostly tropical distribution across northern Australia. A recent molecular phylogenetic study placed the recognised species U. kamienskii F.Muell. sister to a clade of accessions relegated to either U. leptorhyncha O. Schwarz or U. lasiocaulis, with the latter previously circumscribed as an assemblage of highly variable morphological forms. We have expanded the previous study to include populations representing the known distributions of all three species and have attempted to include all morphological variants; 55 ingroup accessions were used in the full phylogenetic analysis based on two non-coding chloroplast regions (rps16, trnD–T) and the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS). We found that the pink corolla form of the usually white flowered U. kamienskii is not sufficiently different, and we retain it under that species. We also found strong support for a paraphyletic U. leptorhyncha, with the smaller flowered accessions matching the type material placed sister to all other U. lasiocaulis forms, including a grouping previously assigned as a larger flowered U. leptorhyncha. Within the U. lasiocaulis clade we found that much of the variation sorts into well-supported clades that we find are sufficiently morphologically and genetically differentiated from the type clade for recognition at the specific rank, namely Utricularia brennanii R.W.Jobson & Baleeiro from Northern Territory and Queensland, Utricularia cowiei R.W.Jobson & Baleeiro from the Kimberley region of Western Australia, and U. disjuncta R.W.Jobson & Baleeiro restricted to the Darwin and Gulf region of the Northern Territory

Did RNA editing in plant organellar genomes originate under natural selection or through genetic drift?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The C↔U substitution types of RNA editing have been observed frequently in organellar genomes of land plants. Although various attempts have been made to explain why such a seemingly inefficient genetic mechanism would have evolved, no satisfactory explanation exists in our view. In this study, we examined editing patterns in chloroplast genomes of the hornwort <it>Anthoceros formosae </it>and the fern <it>Adiantum capillus-veneris </it>and in mitochondrial genomes of the angiosperms <it>Arabidopsis thaliana</it>, <it>Beta vulgaris </it>and <it>Oryza sativa</it>, to gain an understanding of the question of how RNA editing originated.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found that 1) most editing sites were distributed at the 2^ndand 1^stcodon positions, 2) editing affected codons that resulted in larger hydrophobicity and molecular size changes much more frequently than those with little change involved, 3) editing uniformly increased protein hydrophobicity, 4) editing occurred more frequently in ancestrally T-rich sequences, which were more abundant in genes encoding membrane-bound proteins with many hydrophobic amino acids than in genes encoding soluble proteins, and 5) editing occurred most often in genes found to be under strong selective constraint.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These analyses show that editing mostly affects functionally important and evolutionarily conserved codon positions, codons and genes encoding membrane-bound proteins. In particular, abundance of RNA editing in plant organellar genomes may be associated with disproportionately large percentages of genes in these two genomes that encode membrane-bound proteins, which are rich in hydrophobic amino acids and selectively constrained. These data support a hypothesis that natural selection imposed by protein functional constraints has contributed to selective fixation of certain editing sites and maintenance of the editing activity in plant organelles over a period of more than four hundred millions years. The retention of genes encoding RNA editing activity may be driven by forces that shape nucleotide composition equilibrium in two organellar genomes of these plants. Nevertheless, the causes of lineage-specific occurrence of a large portion of RNA editing sites remain to be determined.</p> <p>Reviewers</p> <p>This article was reviewed by Michael Gray (nominated by Laurence Hurst), Kirsten Krause (nominated by Martin Lercher), and Jeffery Mower (nominated by David Ardell).</p

Redescription of the suspended aquatic Utricularia aurea Lour. (sect. Utricularia) and a new species U. adamsii for northern Australia

Australia has seven species in Utricularia L. section Utricularia, with the habit for all members of either affixed or suspended aquatic. Of the six recognised Australian species, one is endemic, one is pantropical, three are also distributed across Asia or Papua New Guinea - with U. australis R.Br. extending into Europe, and one other, U. stellaris L.f. into Africa. We present a molecular phylogeny based on two plastid and the nuclear ITS sequences for members of the subgenus Utricularia representing U. aurea Lour. and closely allied species from across each of their distributions. The molecular phylogeny provides strong support for recognition of a new species Utricularia adamsii R.W.Jobson & Davies-Colley (Lentibulariaceae), here described as new member of section Utricularia. This taxon was previously included within U. aurea, however, our molecular phylogeny and morphology supports a sister relationship with U. muelleri Kamienski. We provide a revised concept of U. aurea, and a description of the new species. The morphological differences between U. adamsii, U. muelleri, U. aurea and closely related species are here discussed, and an identification key provided. Distributions and habitat preferences of these taxa are discussed

Redescription of Utricularia singeriana and a new species Utricularia baliboongarnang Baleeiro & R.W.Jobson for north-eastern Western Australia

A new species of Utricularia (Lentibulariaceae) is recognised for north-eastern Western Australia. A description of Utricularia baliboongarnang Baleeiro & R.W.Jobson is provided along with a new circumscription for the Northern Territory species U. singeriana F.Muell. to which it was previously assigned. We also provide comparison with U. hamiltonii F.E.Lloyd.; a Northern Territory species for which U. baliboongarnang was recently found to be the phylogenetic sister, and the distantly related western Kimberley species U. byrneana R.W.Jobson & Baleeiro of which it superficially shares a similar corolla. Diagnostic features are illustrated, and distribution, habitat, and conservation status are discussed

Lechenaultia peregrina, a new species of Goodeniaceae from northern Australia, New Guinea and the Moluccas

Morphological studies of Lechenaultia filiformis R.Br. have determined that more than one taxon is presently included under that name. We here recognise disjunct populations from north-east Queensland, north-east Northern Territory, New Guinea and the Moluccas as a new species, Lechenaultia peregrina R.W.Jobson & R.L.Barrett. This is the third tropical species of Lechenaultia currently recognised, however further studies are required to assess the status of about five additional entities in the Northern Territory and Western Australia currently included in L. filiformis s.l. Seed article morphology is critical for species delimitation in tropical Lechenaultia, but seed articles are often absent from collections, or only immature, as they fall quickly once ripe

Patersonia rosea (Iridaceae, Patersonioideae) a new species from the New South Wales central and lower north coast regions

Patersonia rosea Branwhite sp. nov. is described and illustrated, and notes provided on distribution, conservation status and habitat. Morphological differences that distinguish it from similar species of Patersonia are discussed and molecular data indicating relationships presente

Drosera stipularis, a new species for the D. petiolaris complex from Cape York Peninsula, Queensland

Across tropical northern Australia 14 Drosera species are recognised within the D. petiolaris complex. The complex is placed in section Lasiocephala; a group of perennial sundews mostly characterised by an indumentum of white hairs upon the petiole. Here we describe a new species for the complex, D. stipularis Baleeiro, R.W.Jobson & R.L.Barrett, which is known only from white-sand habitats on Cape York Peninsula, Queensland. The new species is allied to D. petiolaris R.Br. ex DC. and D. lanata K.Kondo

Lysimachia nummularia (Primulaceae) naturalised in New South Wales, Australia

In November 2015 the first naturalised collection of Lysimachia nummularia L. (Primulaceae) was made for New South Wales from the Apsley River on the Northern Tablelands. This creeping, perennial herb is native to Eurasia and previously recorded as naturalised in Australia in Victoria and Tasmania. It has the potential to be an invasive weed, particularly in wetland and other damp habitats. A description of L. nummularia is provided as well as a key to Lysimachia taxa occurring in New South Wales