The complete plastome of Hyacinthoides non-scripta (L.) Chouard ex Rothm. (Asparagaceae)

The whole plastome sequence ofHyacinthoides non-scripta, was assembled and annotated in this study.This is the first complete plastid genome for the genusHyacinthoides. The plastome is 155,035 bp longand consists of a large single-copy (LSC) region spanning 83,947 bp, a small single-copy (SSC) regionspanning 18,496bp, and two inverted repeat (IR) regions, each of which is 26,296bp in length. Thereare 132 genes annotated in the plastome, of which the protein-coding geneinfAhas pseudogenized

The complete chloroplast genome of Narcissus poeticus L. (Amaryllidaceae: Amaryllidoideae)

The first complete chloroplast genome sequence for Narcissus is assembled and annotated in this study. The total length of the N. poeticus chloroplast genome is 160,099 bp and comprises the large single copy (LSC) spanning 86,445 bp, the small single copy (SSC) spanning 16,434 bp, and two inverted repeat regions each of 28,610 bp length. The truncated copy of ycf1 before the junction between IRB and SSC was 1,277 – 2,428 bp longer than in other included Asparagales samples. A potential pseudogene, cemA, was also identified. This is the first reported plastome for Amaryllidaceae subfamily Amaryllidoideae

The complete plastome of the South African species, Amaryllis belladonna L. (Amaryllidaceae)

The complete plastome sequence of Amaryllis belladonna L. is assembled and annotated. This is the type species of Amaryllis and therefore the type of the family Amaryllidaceae and as such, is important to document the phylogenetic position of the family. The plastome sequence has a length of 158,145 bp, with the large single copy (LSC) regions comprising 85,963 bp, the small single copy (SSC) 18634 bp and two identical inverted repeats (IR) regions each of 26,774 bp. Phylogenetic analysis fully resolved Amaryllis in a clade with Crinum L. in the Amaryllidoideae, as expected, with the Allioideae as a sister group. Agapanthus (Agapanthoideae) is a sister to the other two subfamilies in the Amaryllidaceae. The phylogenetic tree produced corresponds to previous topologies based on plastome molecular markers including matK, ndhF and rbcL. This is the first paper reporting the whole plastome comparison of the type genera of all three subfamilies in the Amaryllidaceae

Comparative plastomics of Amaryllidaceae: inverted repeat expansion and the degradation of the ndh genes in Strumaria truncata Jacq.

Amaryllidaceae is a widespread and distinctive plant family contributing both food and ornamental plants. Here we present an initial survey of plastomes across the family and report on both structural rearrangements and gene losses. Most plastomes in the family are of similar gene arrangement and content however some taxa have shown gains in plastome length while in several taxa there is evidence of gene loss. Strumaria truncata shows a substantial loss of ndh family genes while three other taxa show loss of cemA, which has been reported only rarely. Our sparse sampling of the family has detected sufficient variation to suggest further sampling across the family could be a rich source of new information on plastome variation and evolution

An investigation of large-leaved Gunnera L. (Gunneraceae) grown outside in Britain and Ireland

A molecular investigation of large-leaved Gunnera growing outside in Britain and Ireland was conducted. Two low-copy nuclear CYCLOIDEA-like genes (CYC-like 1 and CYC-like 2) and two chloroplast DNA regions (matK and psbD-trnT) were sequenced for 271 samples of Gunnera. While it was confirmed that genuine G. tinctoria is growing both in cultivation and in the wild, the results support recently published morphological and historical findings that the species G. manicata appears no longer to be present in Britain and Ireland. Instead, the plant under this name is G. × cryptica, a hybrid between G. manicata and G. tinctoria. The implication of this discovery for legislation on invasive non-native species where G. manicata and G. tinctoria are listed is explored

Population, Land Use and Deforestation in the Pan Amazon Basin: a Comparison of Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Perú and Venezuela

This paper discusses the linkages between population change, land use, and deforestation in the Amazon regions of Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Perú, and Venezuela. We begin with a brief discussion of theories of population–environment linkages, and then focus on the case of deforestation in the PanAmazon. The core of the paper reviews available data on deforestation, population growth, migration and land use in order to see how well land cover change reflects demographic and agricultural change. The data indicate that population dynamics and net migration exhibit to deforestation in some states of the basin but not others. We then discuss other explanatory factors for deforestation, and find a close correspondence between land use and deforestation, which suggests that land use is loosely tied to demographic dynamics and mediates the influence of population on deforestation. We also consider national political economic contexts of Amazon change in the six countries, and find contrasting contexts, which also helps to explain the limited demographic-deforestation correspondence. The paper closes by noting general conclusions based on the data, topics in need of further research and recent policy proposals.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/42720/1/10668_2003_Article_6977.pd

Towards a monograph in Narcissus, problems and challenges in the N. minor complex

Narcissus is a genus of well-known and widely grown garden plants that shows conflict between morphological and molecular taxa. This is compounded by complex breeding programmes that have given rise to over 30,000 registered cultivars, themselves difficult to tell apart. Current identification methods require meticulous study of morphological characters that are available only seasonally. Many of the modern cultivars are a result of hybridization of species from subsection Pseudonarcissi including the Narcissus minor group. Population-level sampling was used to study genetic variation within the N. minor group and to explore the congruence of genetic and taxonomic-morphological boundaries. More than 600 individuals were collected from 56 populations across the geographic range of the species, and a reference living collection for Narcissus established. A combination of microsatellite markers, Sanger and Next-Generation sequencing were used to generate data. Strong geographic structure to population genetics of the N. minor group is revealed using microsatellite analysis and plastid DNA sequencing, that is incongruent with the current taxonomic treatment. Further to this, microsatellite markers were applied to the study of cultivar identification. Successful transferability of microsatellites to cultivated daffodils ranged from 39-100%. Despite the complex interbreeding history of daffodil cultivars genetic patterns recovered were able to distinguish the cultivars studied. As expected, many of these cultivars did not form genetic groups that were congruent with the horticultural daffodil Divisions in which those cultivars occur. However, the utility of microsatellites is demonstrated, distinguishing most cultivars and highlighting mislabelled stocks. Ten new complete plastomes for Narcissus are presented, as a first step in quantifying levels of differences across the genus and the variation among these genomes is compared. The data gathered from genome skimming will provide a valuable resource for marker development for future classification of species and cultivar identification. Overall, both microsatellite and genomic approaches have been shown to resolve taxa however the taxa recovered do not match those currently recognised using morphology

Dating daffodils to save species

In previous yearbooks we have written about the PhD research that makes up the Narcissus Monograph project (Könyves, David, and Culham, 2011; Könyves and Bilsborrow, 2016). Following on from two previous PhD projects which focused on Narcissus sections Bulbocodii and Meridionalis, and part of subsection Pseudonarcissi, the RHS is co-funding a third Narcissus PhD project at the University of Reading. In this PhD project, Zoë will investigate the effect of past climatic changes on Narcissus evolution and distribution patterns to better understand modern diversity. The aim is to enhance our understanding of current day species distributions and provide insights into the effect of future climate change on Narcissus distributions and habitat availability following the construction of species distribution models

Migration and Parental Absence: A Comparative Assessment of Transnational Families in Latin America

Despite growing research on transnational families and children’s welfare in migrant-sending countries, there is a dearth of information about the prevalence of, what we call, parental absence via migration, especially relative to other sources of parental absence, and a lack of estimates that are comparable across populations and places. This makes it difficult to determine the scale for policy interventions, and to justify future research on transnational families and children’s welfare. Using harmonized surveys covering eight Latin American countries and Puerto Rico, validated by nationally representative census and survey data, we provide the first estimates of the prevalence parental absence via migration that are comparable across populations in contemporary Latin America. We show that between 7 and 21 percent of children live in transnational families where parents are absent because of migration. We compare our estimates to similar estimates of parental absence from other sources, and show that, in several populations, more children are experiencing parental absence due to migration than to union dissolution or parental mortality. Finally, we link our descriptive work to children’s welfare by examining the characteristics of children’s home environments when parents migrate. Children living in families with absent parents due to migration are less likely to coreside with extended family members, and to fare better in terms of household assets, relative to children living in other family forms. We conclude by highlighting the limitations of the data, and underscore the value of attempts to estimate the prevalence of parental absence via migration