Genetic diversity, speciation and evolutionary relationships in Pozoa (Apiaceae), Nassauvia, and the Hypochaeris apargioides complex (Asteraceae) in southern South America

Prozesse wie die Kolonisierung neuer, vegetationsloser Gebiete, Artbildung und adaptive Radiation wurden bislang in Pflanzen des südlichen Südamerika relativ wenig erforscht und es wurden dabei kaum molekulare Methoden angewandt. Das Ziel dieser Doktorarbeit besteht darin, die genetische Diversität der Blütenpflanzen dieser Region während Populationsdivergenz und Artbildung zu untersuchen. Das Hauptaugenmerk wurde dabei auf ausgewählte Arten der Gattungen Nassauvia, Pozoa und Hypochaeris gelegt. Um dieses Vorhaben zu realisieren, wurden morphometrische Analysen und AFLP-Untersuchungen verwendet, die mit hoher Effizienz Variationsmuster innerhalb und zwischen natürlichen Populationen aufzeigen können. Die erste Studie beschäftigt sich mit der Genetik kolonisierender Arten. Die ökologische Lücke, die als Folge der vulkanischen Aktivität des Vulkans Lonquimay im südlich-zentralen Chile am 25.12.1988 entstand, bietet eine hervorragende Gelegenheit, um die genetische Diversität und Struktur etablierter und neu kolonisierender Populationen von Nassauvia lagascae var. lanata (Asteraceae, Mutisieae) in den Gebieten um den Vulkankegel Navidad zu untersuchen. Es konnte bei den kolonisierenden Populationen ein geringerer Grad an genetischer Divergenz und Variation festgestellt werden. Dies spiegelt einen Gründereffekt wider, der noch nicht durch nachfolgendes Populationswachstum und Migration kompensiert wurde. Die zweite Studie konzentriert sich auf Artbildungsmechanismen. Die Vorfahre-Abkömmling-Artbildung („progenitor-derivative speciation“) ist eine spezielle Form der allopatrischen Artbildung, wobei eine neue, abgeleitete Art durch Divergenz einer isolierten, peripheren Population der Vorfahren-Art entsteht. Die Gattung Pozoa (Apiaceae, Azorelloideae) besteht aus nur zwei Arten (Pozoa coriacea und Pozoa volcanica) und ist daher gut geeignet, um dieses Phänomen zu untersuchen. Durch die Sequenzanalyse von Chloroplastenmarkern wurde die Monophylie der Gattung bestätigt und die molekulare Analyse deutet darauf hin, dass sich P. volcanica neu aus ihrem Vorfahren P. coriacea entwickelt hat. Die AFLP-Ergebnisse zeigen im Fall von P. volcanica eine geringere genetische Variation und eine niedrigere Anzahl einzigartiger Allele. Außerdem zeigt P. volcanica Divergenz in ein unterschiedliches Habitat. Die dritte Studie untersucht die adaptive Radiation in einem Artenkomplex mit kontinentaler Verbreitung. Unter adaptiver Radiation versteht man die Bildung einer evolutionären Gruppe, in der eine extrem schnelle Diversifikation in eine Vielzahl ökologischer Nischen stattgefunden hat. Eine der Gattungen in Südamerika, bei der dieser Prozess wiederholt stattgefunden hat, ist Hypochaeris (Asteraceae, Cichorioideae). Die Gattung kolonisierte nach ihrer Einwanderung aus Nordwestafrika eine Vielfalt an ökologischen Zonen. Die Untersuchung des aus vier eng verwandten Arten (H. apargioides, H. gayana, H. spathulata und H. thrincioides) bestehenden Hypochaeris apargioides-Komplexes weist darauf hin, dass Salzgehalt und Höhe die hauptsächlichen Umwelteinflüsse sind, die die Verteilung der Arten und ihre morphologischen Anpassungen beeinflussen. Das Vorhandensein zahlreicher Merkmale mit intermediären Ausprägungen und der geringe Grad an genetischem Zusammenhalt sowohl innerhalb als auch zwischen den Arten deuten auf ein frühes Stadium adaptiver Radiation hin.  The processes involving colonization of new open areas, speciation, and adaptive radiation in plants of southern South American have been little investigated, and very few molecular methods have been applied. The aim of this thesis is to examine genetic diversity during populational divergence and speciation in flowering plants of this region, focusing on selected species of the genera Nassauvia, Pozoa and Hypochaeris. To achieve these objectives, morphometric analysis and Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) have been employed, due to their known efficacy in revealing patterns of genetic variation within and among natural populations. The first study deals with the genetics of colonizing species. The ecological gap created as a result of volcanic activity on Volcán Lonquimay on December 25, 1988 in south-central Chile, offers an excellent opportunity for studying the genetic diversity and structure of established and recently colonized populations of Nassauvia lagascae var. lanata (Asteraceae, Mutisieae) in areas on and around the Navidad cone. A reduced level of genetic divergence and genetic variation within colonizing populations has been found, reflecting a founder effect that has not yet been compensated by subsequent population growth and migration. The second investigation focuses on modes of speciation. Progenitor-derivative speciation is a particular type of allopatric speciation, whereby an isolated peripheral population diverges to form a derivative species. The genus Pozoa (Apiaceae, Azorelloideae) is a good model to examine for this phenomenon, because it contains only two species, Pozoa coriacea and Pozoa volcanica. Sequences of chloroplast markers confirm monophyly of the genus, and molecular analysis suggests P. volcanica as newly derived from its progenitor P. coriacea. AFLP analysis reveals that the former harbors less genetic variation and lower levels of unique alleles, as well as having diverged into a distinct habitat. The third study examines adaptive radiation in a species complex of continental distribution. Adaptive radiation refers to the formation of an evolutionary group that has undergone an extremely rapid diversification into a variety of ecological niches. One of the genera in South America where this process has occurred repeatedly is Hypochaeris (Asteraceae, Cichorioideae), which after arrival from northeastern Africa, has colonized a wide variety of ecological zones. Study of the Hypochaeris apargioides complex, consisting of four closely related species, H. apargioides, H. gayana, H. spathulata, and H. thrincioides, suggests that the principal environmental conditions influencing distributions of species and morphological adaptations are salinity and elevation. The presence of numerous characters with intermediate stages, and the low levels of genetic cohesion within and among species, suggest an early stage of adaptive radiation

Factors driving adaptive radiation in plants of oceanic islands: A case study from the Juan Fernández Archipelago

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.Adaptive radiation is a common evolutionary phenomenon in oceanic islands. From one successful immigrant population, dispersal into different island environments and directional selection can rapidly yield a series of morphologically distinct species, each adapted to its own particular environment. Not all island immigrants, however, follow this evolutionary pathway. Others successfully arrive and establish viable populations, but they remain in the same ecological zone and only slowly diverge over millions of years. This transformational speciation, or anagenesis, is also common in oceanic archipelagos. The critical question is why do some groups radiate adaptively and others not? The Juan Fernández Islands contain 105 endemic taxa of angiosperms, 49% of which have originated by adaptive radiation (cladogenesis) and 51% by anagenesis, hence providing an opportunity to examine characteristics of taxa that have undergone both types of speciation in the same general island environment. Life form, dispersal mode, and total number of species in progenitors (genera) of endemic angiosperms in the archipelago were investigated from literature sources and compared with modes of speciation (cladogenesis vs. anagenesis). It is suggested that immigrants tending to undergo adaptive radiation are herbaceous perennial herbs, with leaky self-incompatible breeding systems, good intra-island dispersal capabilities, and flexible structural and physiological systems. Perhaps more importantly, the progenitors of adaptively radiated groups in islands are those that have already been successful in adaptations to different environments in source areas, and which have also undergone eco-geographic speciation. Evolutionary success via adaptive radiation in oceanic islands, therefore, is less a novel feature of island lineages but rather a continuation of tendency for successful adaptive speciation in lineages of continental source regions.Austrian Science Fund Grant number P21723-B16National Fund for Scientific and Technological Development Grant number 1160794Japan Society for the Promotion of Science under Open Partnership Joint Projec

Significados que le atribuyen un grupo de trabajadoras sexuales pertenecientes a la agrupación Transfemenina Traves en la comuna de Concepción en torno a la organización social como ocupación colectiva desde una mirada de género y patriarcado

Tesis (Terapeuta Ocupacional)En la siguiente investigación se trabajó con una agrupación de mujeres transexuales que ejercen el trabajo sexual. El objetivo principal de este estudio fue conocer y entender los significados de esta organización social como una ocupación colectiva, desde una mirada de género y patriarcado que le atribuye la agrupación Transfemenina Traves de Concepción. Este estudio se realizó porque no existen investigaciones desde la Terapia Ocupacional que aborden las temáticas del trabajo sexual desde una perspectiva social, sino que las investigaciones encontradas sólo se enfocan en la funcionalidad y no en las problemáticas expresadas desde las mismas mujeres que ejercen el trabajo sexual. En el presente trabajo, se pudo evidenciar cómo el sistema patriarcal influye en la cotidianidad de las trabajadoras sexuales debido al estigma y prejuicios existentes hacia ellas, provocando un malestar psicosocial en las integrantes de la agrupación. El principal resultado de la investigación fue entender que la agrupación Transfemenina Traves se convirtió en una ocupación colectiva, ya que las participantes se organizaron bajo un mismo objetivo para lograr el bienestar psicosocial, a pesar de que existen componentes socioculturales perjudiciales para ellas. Este trabajo se basó en el método cualitativo, ya que en el estudio de la agrupación se consideraron sus cualidades y características. Con esta metodología se enfatizó la subjetividad de las integrantes y el significado que éstas le atribuyen a la forma que tienen de organizarse dentro de la agrupación. Con el objetivo de dar coherencia con la metodología cualitativa, se utilizaron entrevistas semiestructuradas y observación de los miembros.In the following research, we worked with a group of transsexual women who practice sex work. The main objective of this work was to know and understand the meaning of a social organization as a collective occupation from a gender and patriarchal perspective, attributed by the group “Transfemenina Traves” from the city of Concepción. This study was conducted because of the nonexistence of research in the Occupational Therapy field addressing the issues of sex work from a social perspective. Past researches only focused on the functionality and not on the problems concerning the women performing sex work. This investigation presents evidence how the patriarchal system influences the daily life of the sex workers due to the stigma and prejudices existing in the society, causing a psychosocial discomfort in the members of the group. The main result of this research was to understand that the group “Transfemenina Traves” became a collective occupation, because the members were organized under a same objective with the aim to achieve a psychosocial wellbeing, even though the sociocultural components harming them. This work was based on a qualitative method, meaning that while studying the group, their qualities and characteristics were considered. With this methodology, the subjectivity of each member was emphasized and the meaning attributed by them to the way they have to organize inside the group. In order of coherence with the qualitative methodology, semistructured interviews and observation of the members were use

Efectos de la disminución de temperatura sobre el desarrollo de la pared de la antera y el grano de polen en Oryza sativa L.

The effect of decreasing temperature from 30/20 ºC to 16 ºC during the reproductive stage on the development of the anther and pollen in rice ‘Diamante-INIA’, ‘Brillante-INIA’ and ‘Zafiro-INIA’, was studied. The objectives were to determine the relative tolerance of cultivars to low temperature and to describe cellular and ultrastructural damages caused by temperature stress. Plants were grown at 30/20 °C, day/night (optimum temperature), and at panicle initiation some of these were moved to 16 °C until anthesis. Spikelets were obtained at tetrad, free microspores and mature pollen stages, and sections were prepared for light and transmission electron microscopy. Normal development of the four layers of the anther wall (epidermis, endothecium, middle layer and tapetum) and of pollen grains were observed at 30/20 °C, while at 16 °C tapetal hypertrophy, atrophied locules, malformed grains, delayed anthesis and reduced pollen viability occurred. ‘Diamante-INIA’ was the less tolerant cultivar at 16 °C and ‘Zafiro-INIA’ the most tolerant to temperature stress.Se estudió el efecto de la disminución de temperatura de 30/20 ºC (temperatura óptima) a 16 ºC (temperatura baja) durante la etapa reproductiva en el desarrollo de la antera y el polen en los cultivares de arroz ‘Diamante-INIA’, ‘Brillante-INIA’ y ‘Zafiro-INIA’. Los objetivos fueron describir los daños causados por estrés térmico a nivel ultraestructural y determinar la tolerancia relativa de los cultivares a la baja temperatura. Se cultivaron plantas en macetas a 30/20 °C (día/noche) y al iniciarse la formación de la panícula parte de éstas se trasladaron a 16 ºC hasta antesis. Se recolectaron espiguillas en etapa de tétrada, micrósporas libres y polen maduro, y se realizaron cortes para microscopía óptica y electrónica de transmisión. A 30/20 °C se observó un desarrollo normal de los cuatro estratos de la pared de la antera (epidermis, endotecio, capa media y tapete) y de los granos de polen, mientras que a 16 ºC se observó hipertrofia del tapete, lóculos atrofiados, granos malformados, retraso de la antesis y disminución de la viabilidad. ‘Diamante-INIA’ se presentó como el cultivar menos tolerante a 16 ºC y ‘Zafiro-INIA’ como el más tolerante

Genetic consequences of cladogenetic vs. anagenetic speciation in endemic plants of oceanic islands

Adaptive radiation is a common mode of speciation among plants endemic to oceanic islands. This pattern is one of cladogenesis, or splitting of the founder population, into diverse lineages in divergent habitats. In contrast, endemic species have also evolved primarily by simple transformations from progenitors in source regions. This is anagenesis, whereby the founding population changes genetically and morphologically over time primarily through mutation and recombination. Gene flow among populations is maintained in a homogeneous environment with no splitting events. Genetic consequences of these modes of speciation have been examined in the Juan Fernández Archipelago, which contains two principal islands of differing geological ages. This article summarizes population genetic results (nearly 4000 analyses) from examination of 15 endemic species, involving 1716 and 1870 individuals in 162 and 163 populations (with amplified fragment length polymorphisms and simple sequence repeats, respectively) in the following genera: Drimys (Winteraceae), Myrceugenia (Myrtaceae), Rhaphithamnus (Verbenaceae), Robinsonia (Asteraceae, Senecioneae) and Erigeron (Asteraceae, Astereae). The results indicate that species originating anagenetically show high levels of genetic variation within the island population and no geographic genetic partitioning. This contrasts with cladogenetic species that show less genetic diversity within and among populations. Species that have been derived anagenetically on the younger island (1–2 Ma) contain less genetic variation than those that have anagenetically speciated on the older island (4 Ma). Genetic distinctness among cladogenetically derived species on the older island is greater than among similarly derived species on the younger island. An important point is that the total genetic variation within each genus analysed is comparable, regardless of whether adaptive divergence occurs

Plastid Phylogenomics of Dendroseris (Cichorieae; Asteraceae): Insights Into Structural Organization and Molecular Evolution of an Endemic Lineage From the Juan Fernández Islands

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.Dendroseris D. Don comprises 11 species endemic to the Juan Fernández islands in Chile. They demonstrate spectacular and unusual growth forms of rosette trees with extremely variable morphology and occupy wide ecological ranges on the islands. These unique plants are now highly threatened with extinction with very small population sizes, typically consisting of 10 or fewer individuals in wild. Despite morphological and ecological divergence among species of Dendroseris, their monophyly has been supported in previous studies, but with little resolution among subgeneric groups. We assembled seven complete plastome sequences from seven species of Dendroseris, including representatives from three subgenera, and carried out comparative phylogenomic analyses. The plastomes are highly conserved in gene content and order, with size ranging from 152,199 to 152,619 bp and containing 130 genes (87 coding genes, 6 rRNA genes, and 37 tRNA genes). Plastid phylogenomic analyses based on both the complete plastome sequences and 81 concatenated coding genes only show Dendroseris nested within Sonchus sensu lato, and also that inter-subgeneric relationships are fully resolved. Subg. Phoenicoseris is resolved as sister to the remaining species of the genus and a sister relationship between the two subgenera Dendroseris and Rea. Ten mutation hotspots from LSC and SSC regions and variable SSRs are identified as potential chloroplast markers for future phylogenetic and phylogeographic studies of Sonchus and related groups.Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) (NRF-2019R1A2C2009841

Role of age and comorbidities in mortality of patients with infective endocarditis

[Purpose]: The aim of this study was to analyse the characteristics of patients with IE in three groups of age and to assess the ability of age and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) to predict mortality. [Methods]: Prospective cohort study of all patients with IE included in the GAMES Spanish database between 2008 and 2015.Patients were stratified into three age groups:<65 years,65 to 80 years,and ≥ 80 years.The area under the receiver-operating characteristic (AUROC) curve was calculated to quantify the diagnostic accuracy of the CCI to predict mortality risk. [Results]: A total of 3120 patients with IE (1327 < 65 years;1291 65-80 years;502 ≥ 80 years) were enrolled.Fever and heart failure were the most common presentations of IE, with no differences among age groups.Patients ≥80 years who underwent surgery were significantly lower compared with other age groups (14.3%,65 years; 20.5%,65-79 years; 31.3%,≥80 years). In-hospital mortality was lower in the <65-year group (20.3%,<65 years;30.1%,65-79 years;34.7%,≥80 years;p < 0.001) as well as 1-year mortality (3.2%, <65 years; 5.5%, 65-80 years;7.6%,≥80 years; p = 0.003).Independent predictors of mortality were age ≥ 80 years (hazard ratio [HR]:2.78;95% confidence interval [CI]:2.32–3.34), CCI ≥ 3 (HR:1.62; 95% CI:1.39–1.88),and non-performed surgery (HR:1.64;95% CI:11.16–1.58).When the three age groups were compared,the AUROC curve for CCI was significantly larger for patients aged <65 years(p < 0.001) for both in-hospital and 1-year mortality. [Conclusion]: There were no differences in the clinical presentation of IE between the groups. Age ≥ 80 years, high comorbidity (measured by CCI),and non-performance of surgery were independent predictors of mortality in patients with IE.CCI could help to identify those patients with IE and surgical indication who present a lower risk of in-hospital and 1-year mortality after surgery, especially in the <65-year group

Parches invadidos por Ugni molinae en isla Robinson Crusoe: ¿Hay plantas nativas y endémicas capaces de vivir en ellos?

It is unknown if any Juan Fernández native plants may tolerate the aggressive invasion of the introduced shrub Ugni molinae. We found sixteen native species growing within these highly invaded patches. The endemic shrub Gaultheria racemulosa (syn. Pernettya rigida) was the most important species according to vegetation cover in invaded patches, therefore relevant in future control management options