Nelsonioideae (Lamiales: Acanthaceae): Revision of Genera and Catalog of Species

A taxonomic account of Acanthaceae subfamily Nelsonioideae based on morphological and phylogenetic data treats five genera with 172 species: Anisosepalum (3), Elytraria (21), Nelsonia (2), Saintpauliopsis (1), and Staurogyne (145). Two other currently recognized genera, Gynocraterium and Ophiorrhiziphyllon, are included within Staurogyne, and the new combinations, Staurogyne guianensis and S. macrobotrya, are proposed. Probable apomorphic and other diagnostic macro- and micromorphological characters are discussed relative to the subfamily and genera. Characters of the inflorescence, androecium (especially pollen), and seed show important phylogenetic and diagnostic signal. A key to genera, generic descriptions and discussions, illustrations, and distribution maps are provided. Lists of currently recognized species for each genus include synonymies and distributions by country

Time-Calibrated Phylogenies of Hummingbirds and Hummingbird-Pollinated Plants Reject a Hypothesis of Diffuse Co-Evolution

Neotropical ecosystems house levels of species diversity that are unmatched by any other region on Earth. One hypothesis to explain this celebrated diversity invokes a model of biotic interactions in which interspecific interactions drive diversification of two (or more) lineages. When the impact of the interaction on diversification is reciprocal, diversification of the lineages should be contemporaneous. Although past studies have provided evidence needed to test alternative models of diversification such as those involving abiotic factors (e.g., Andean uplift, shifting climatological regimes), tests of the biotic model have been stymied by lack of evolutionary time scale for symbiotic partners. In this study, we infer timescales for diversification of hummingbirds and a species-rich plant lineage that is ~50% hummingbird pollinated, Ruellia (Acanthaceae). Results demonstrate that hummingbirds originated about 20 million years before New World Ruellia and that all but one major hummingbird clade was extant before the plant group originated. Thus, the classic model of “diffuse co-evolution” between hummingbirds and this group of plants is rejected by our data. However, together with the observation that the Neotropical clade of Ruellia (~350 species) is far more species rich than its Old World sister group (~75 species), our results are consistent with the hypothesis that plant diversification in the Neotropics has been facilitated in part by a pre-existing diversity of hummingbirds. This hypothesis may find support in other lineages of Neotropical plants that similarly exhibit asymmetrical partitioning of species diversity in the Paleo- vs. Neotropics

Phylogeny of Dyschoriste (Acanthaceae)

The pantropical and poorly known genus Dyschoriste (Acanthaceae) is sister to Strobilanthopsis within subtribe Petalidiinae. The present study included 38 accessions of 28 species as sources of DNA data for one nuclear (nrITS) and four chloroplast (intergenic spacers: psbA-trnH, trnS-trnG, ndhF-rpl32, rpl32- trnL(uag)) regions to provide an estimate of the phylogeny of the genus. We found that Dyschoriste is strongly supported as monophyletic inclusive of Apassalus, Chaetacanthus, and Sautiera. Within Dyschoriste, three geographically cohesive lineages were recovered with moderate to strong support: a mainland African clade, a Caribbean and southeastern United States clade, and a South and Central America clade. A third New World clade composed of accessions from the south central through southwestern US to Mexico is weakly supported and corresponds to the D. linearis species complex recognized by previous researchers (six of the ten taxa putatively part of this complex were sampled). A second Old World clade unites taxa from across the Old World tropics (mainland Africa, Madagascar and southeast Asia). Some aspects of relationships among these main clades were unresolved or not strongly supported, and two Old World taxa, south Asian D. dalzellii and the wide-ranging D. nagchana, were not placed with confidence in any of these clades. The simplest explanation for the current distribution of the genus is that there was a single dispersal event of Dyschoriste from the Old to the New World, with a subsequent radiation in the New World

New Species, New Combinations and New Synonymies Towards a Treatment of Acanthaceae for the Manual de Plantas de Costa Rica

In preparation for the publication of the Manual de Plantas de Costa Rica, new species, names, combinations, and synonymies are provided in six genera of Acanthaceae: Anisacanthus, Chamaeranthemum, Dicliptera, Justicia, Ruellia and Stenostephanus. The new species are A. grace-woodiae, J. altior, J. lithophila and S. chavesii. A new name at the species level, R. leonardiana, is provided for R. tubiflora var. hirsuta. With Habracanthus, Hansteinia, Kalbreyeriella and Razisea being subsumed within Stenostephanus, the new combinations S. blepharorhachis, S. citrinus, S. leiorhachis (= Razisea spicata non S. spicatus), S. strictus, S. ventricosus, S. villosus and S. wilburii are formalized. Seven new synonymies are presented for species of Chamaeranthemum, Dicliptera, Justicia and Stenostephanus, as well as lectotypifications in the first and latter two genera

Systematics Agenda 2020: The Mission Evolves

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Licens

Plant Science Decadal Vision 2020–2030: Reimagining the Potential of Plants for a Healthy and Sustainable Future

Plants, and the biological systems around them, are key to the future health of the planet and its inhabitants. The Plant Science Decadal Vision 2020–2030 frames our ability to perform vital and far‐reaching research in plant systems sciences, essential to how we value participants and apply emerging technologies. We outline a comprehensive vision for addressing some of our most pressing global problems through discovery, practical applications, and education. The Decadal Vision was developed by the participants at the Plant Summit 2019, a community event organized by the Plant Science Research Network. The Decadal Vision describes a holistic vision for the next decade of plant science that blends recommendations for research, people, and technology. Going beyond discoveries and applications, we, the plant science community, must implement bold, innovative changes to research cultures and training paradigms in this era of automation, virtualization, and the looming shadow of climate change. Our vision and hopes for the next decade are encapsulated in the phrase reimagining the potential of plants for a healthy and sustainable future. The Decadal Vision recognizes the vital intersection of human and scientific elements and demands an integrated implementation of strategies for research (Goals 1–4), people (Goals 5 and 6), and technology (Goals 7 and 8). This report is intended to help inspire and guide the research community, scientific societies, federal funding agencies, private philanthropies, corporations, educators, entrepreneurs, and early career researchers over the next 10 years. The research encompass experimental and computational approaches to understanding and predicting ecosystem behavior; novel production systems for food, feed, and fiber with greater crop diversity, efficiency, productivity, and resilience that improve ecosystem health; approaches to realize the potential for advances in nutrition, discovery and engineering of plant‐based medicines, and green infrastructure. Launching the Transparent Plant will use experimental and computational approaches to break down the phytobiome into a parts store that supports tinkering and supports query, prediction, and rapid‐response problem solving. Equity, diversity, and inclusion are indispensable cornerstones of realizing our vision. We make recommendations around funding and systems that support customized professional development. Plant systems are frequently taken for granted therefore we make recommendations to improve plant awareness and community science programs to increase understanding of scientific research. We prioritize emerging technologies, focusing on non‐invasive imaging, sensors, and plug‐and‐play portable lab technologies, coupled with enabling computational advances. Plant systems science will benefit from data management and future advances in automation, machine learning, natural language processing, and artificial intelligence‐assisted data integration, pattern identification, and decision making. Implementation of this vision will transform plant systems science and ripple outwards through society and across the globe. Beyond deepening our biological understanding, we envision entirely new applications. We further anticipate a wave of diversification of plant systems practitioners while stimulating community engagement, underpinning increasing entrepreneurship. This surge of engagement and knowledge will help satisfy and stoke people\u27s natural curiosity about the future, and their desire to prepare for it, as they seek fuller information about food, health, climate and ecological systems

Three New Species of Aphelandra (Acanthaceae) from Central America

Volume: 69Start Page: 402End Page: 41

Systematics and Reproductive Biology of the Central American Species of the Aphelandra pulcherrima Complex (Acanthaceae)

Volume: 71Start Page: 104End Page: 16