Evolution of the genus Aristolochia (Aristolochiaceae) in the Eastern Mediterranean including the Near East and Caucasia

The Aristolochiaceae are one of the largest angiosperm families, the family has been divided into two subfamilies: Asaroideae, which include Asarum and Saruma, and Aristolochioideae, which includes Thottea sensu lato and Aristolochia sensu lato (Kelly and Gonzales, 2003). Aristolochia sensu lato comprise between 450 and 600 species, distributed throughout the world with centers of diversities in the tropical and subtropical regions (Neinhuis et al., 2005, Wanke et al., 2006a, 2007). However, the extended Mediterranean region including Turkey, the Caucasus and the Near East is likely to be the only diversity hotspot of the genus Aristolochia in the northern hemisphere were up to 60 species and subspecies could be observed (Wanke 2007). Most important contributions to the knowledge of these species were published by Nardi (1984, 1988, 1991, 1993) and Davis & Khan (1961, 1964, 1982), all of these studies were based on morphological characters only. In recent years, with the progress of molecular techniques and in light of the systematic chaos, a detailed study was needed to unravel the evolutionary history prior to a taxonomic revision of this group. The first chapter of my thesis should be regarded as the starting point for more detailed investigation on population level. Preliminary molecular phylogenitic analysis recovered the Mediterranean Aristolochia species as monophyletic (de Groot et al 2006). However, only very few members were included in that study. The latest phylogenetic study by Wanke (2007) dealed with west Mediterranean Aristolochia species and sampled also few members belonging to the east Mediterranean and Caucasian species (3 from Greece, 2 from Georgia and 1 from Turkey). This study reported the Mediterranean Aristolochia species as two molecular and morphologically well supported clades, which were sister to each other. Furthermore, the two closely related species A. sempervirens and A. baetica which have an east west vicariance and are known as Aristolochia sempervirens complex has been recovered as sister group to the remaining west Mediterranean species. A detailed investigation of the evolutionary history of this group is the topic of the second chapter of my thesis (Chapter 2). The Aristolochia sempervirens complex is characterized by an unusual growth form and has a circum Mediterranean distribution. The investigation of these species complex seem to be of great importance to understand speciation and colonization of the Mediterranean by the genus Aristolochia and might shade light in historical evolutionary processes of other plant lineages in the Mediterranean. Furthermore, I test applicability and phylogenetic power of a nuclear single copy gene (nSCG) region to reconstruct well resolved and highly supported gene genealogies as a prerequisite to study evolutionary biology questions in general. Furthermore, a comprehensive overview of leaf epicuticular waxes, hairs and trichomes of 54 species from the old and new world taxa of the genus Aristolochia were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to clarify taxonomic status of theses species in contrast to their molecular position. Also this study which is the third chapter of this thesis (Chapter 3), has a strong focus on Mediterranean Aristolochia and tries to provide additional support for molecular findings based on epicuticular waxes and to test them as synapomorphies. Each chapter has its own introduction and abstract resulting in a short general introduction here

Effect of Some Thermal Treatments in the Growth and Development Of Seedlings Carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.), تأثير بعض المعاملات الحرارية في نمو وتطور بادرات الخرنوب Ceratonia siliqua L.

This research was conducted at the Scientific Agricultural Research Center (Lattakia/Syria), during the first half of 2015 In order to increase knowledge about the impact of several thermal treatments on some qualitative and quantitative indicators for the growth of shoot and root system of carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) seedlings. three places were selected with different temperatures degree. The first (Lab, 25±0.5°C ) the second ( Room growth, 20.66±0.5°C ) the third (Open Field, 17.3±0.5°C ). And a private agricultural vessels (Minirhizotron) were used to follow the growth of seedlings roots. The results showed a superiority of Laboratory treatment at the Room growth and Field treatments in the quantity rates for the growth of root and shoot system and the curves for three treatments specialized of taproot and stem growth\u27s speeds was coincident on each other to a large and generally with somewhat similar paths. In addition to a clear consensus somewhat between the taproot growth and high and low temperature unlike the growth and development of the main stem. The general track of the growth\u27s rate of the taproot and stem is the same for the three treatments and was not affected by the influence of temperature and this leads us to mind genetic characteristics belonging to the type of the carob that isn\u27t affected by the environmental studied factor. نفذ البحث في مركز البحوث العلمية الزراعية في اللاذقية / سورية، خلال النصف الأول من عام 2015م، بهدف زيادة المعرفة حول تأثير عدة معاملات حرارية في بعض المؤشرات الكمية والنوعية لنمو الجهاز الجذري والهوائي لبادرات الخرنوب Ceratonia siliqua L.. تم اختيار 3 أماكن ذات درجات حرارة مختلفة، الأول (المخبرL الحرارة = 25 ± 0.5 ºم )، والثاني ( صالة النمو R الحرارة = 20.66 ± 0.5 ºم )، والثالث ( الحقل المكشوف F الحرارة = 17.3 ± 0.5 ºم)، وتم استخدام أوعية زراعية خاصة (ميني ريزوترونات) لمتابعة نمو جذور بادرات الخرنوب. أظهرت النتائج تفوق معاملة المخبر (L) على معاملتي صالة النمو (R) والحقل (F) في المعدلات الكمية لنمو المجموعين الجذري والهوائي، وكانت المنحنيات الخاصة بقيم سرعات نمو الجذر الرئيس والساق الرئيسة للمعاملات الثلاث متراكبة على بعضها البعض إلى حد كبير وذات مسارات متشابهة عموماً. بالإضافة إلى وجود توافق واضح نوعاً بين نمو الجذر الرئيس وارتفاع وانخفاض الحرارة على عكس نمو وتطور الساق الرئيسة. وكان المسار العام لمعدل نمو الجذر الرئيس والساق الرئيسة هو نفسه للمعاملات الثلاث، ولم يتأثر بتأثير درجة الحرارة، وهذا يقود لاعتبارها صفة وراثية تابعة لنوع الخرنوب ولا تتأثر بالعامل البيئي المدروس

Flowers of Deceptive Aristolochia microstoma Are Pollinated by Phorid Flies and Emit Volatiles Known From Invertebrate Carrion

Deceptive flowers decoy pollinators by advertising a reward, which finally is not provided. Numerous deceptive plants are pollinated by Diptera, but the attractive cues and deceptive strategies are only identified in a few cases. A typical fly-deceptive plant genus is Aristolochia, which evolved sophisticated trap flowers to temporarily capture pollinators. Though rarely demonstrated by experimental approaches, Aristolochia species are believed to chemically mimic brood sites, food sources for adult flies, or utilize sexual deception. Indeed, for most species, studies on scent composition and attractive signals are lacking. In this study, we focused on Aristolochia microstoma, a peculiar Greek endemic with flowers that are presented at ground level in the leaf litter or between rocks and are characterized by a unique morphology. We analyzed flower visitor and pollinator spectra and identified the floral scent composition using dynamic headspace and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Female and male phorid flies (Phoridae) are the exclusive pollinators, although the flowers are also frequently visited by Sciaridae, as well as typical ground-dwelling arthropods, such as Collembola and arachnids. The carrion-like floral scent mainly consists of the oligosulphide dimethyldisulfide and the nitrogen-bearing compound 2,5-dimethylpyrazine. These compounds together are known to be released from decomposing insects, and thus, we conclude that pollinators are likely deceived by chemical imitation of invertebrate carrion, a deceptive strategy not described from another plant species so far.</jats:p

Evolution of the genus Aristolochia (Aristolochiaceae) in the Eastern Mediterranean including the Near East and Caucasia

The Aristolochiaceae are one of the largest angiosperm families, the family has been divided into two subfamilies: Asaroideae, which include Asarum and Saruma, and Aristolochioideae, which includes Thottea sensu lato and Aristolochia sensu lato (Kelly and Gonzales, 2003). Aristolochia sensu lato comprise between 450 and 600 species, distributed throughout the world with centers of diversities in the tropical and subtropical regions (Neinhuis et al., 2005, Wanke et al., 2006a, 2007). However, the extended Mediterranean region including Turkey, the Caucasus and the Near East is likely to be the only diversity hotspot of the genus Aristolochia in the northern hemisphere were up to 60 species and subspecies could be observed (Wanke 2007). Most important contributions to the knowledge of these species were published by Nardi (1984, 1988, 1991, 1993) and Davis &amp; Khan (1961, 1964, 1982), all of these studies were based on morphological characters only. In recent years, with the progress of molecular techniques and in light of the systematic chaos, a detailed study was needed to unravel the evolutionary history prior to a taxonomic revision of this group. The first chapter of my thesis should be regarded as the starting point for more detailed investigation on population level. Preliminary molecular phylogenitic analysis recovered the Mediterranean Aristolochia species as monophyletic (de Groot et al 2006). However, only very few members were included in that study. The latest phylogenetic study by Wanke (2007) dealed with west Mediterranean Aristolochia species and sampled also few members belonging to the east Mediterranean and Caucasian species (3 from Greece, 2 from Georgia and 1 from Turkey). This study reported the Mediterranean Aristolochia species as two molecular and morphologically well supported clades, which were sister to each other. Furthermore, the two closely related species A. sempervirens and A. baetica which have an east west vicariance and are known as Aristolochia sempervirens complex has been recovered as sister group to the remaining west Mediterranean species. A detailed investigation of the evolutionary history of this group is the topic of the second chapter of my thesis (Chapter 2). The Aristolochia sempervirens complex is characterized by an unusual growth form and has a circum Mediterranean distribution. The investigation of these species complex seem to be of great importance to understand speciation and colonization of the Mediterranean by the genus Aristolochia and might shade light in historical evolutionary processes of other plant lineages in the Mediterranean. Furthermore, I test applicability and phylogenetic power of a nuclear single copy gene (nSCG) region to reconstruct well resolved and highly supported gene genealogies as a prerequisite to study evolutionary biology questions in general. Furthermore, a comprehensive overview of leaf epicuticular waxes, hairs and trichomes of 54 species from the old and new world taxa of the genus Aristolochia were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to clarify taxonomic status of theses species in contrast to their molecular position. Also this study which is the third chapter of this thesis (Chapter 3), has a strong focus on Mediterranean Aristolochia and tries to provide additional support for molecular findings based on epicuticular waxes and to test them as synapomorphies. Each chapter has its own introduction and abstract resulting in a short general introduction here

Evolution of the genus Aristolochia (Aristolochiaceae) in the Eastern Mediterranean including the Near East and Caucasia

The Aristolochiaceae are one of the largest angiosperm families, the family has been divided into two subfamilies: Asaroideae, which include Asarum and Saruma, and Aristolochioideae, which includes Thottea sensu lato and Aristolochia sensu lato (Kelly and Gonzales, 2003). Aristolochia sensu lato comprise between 450 and 600 species, distributed throughout the world with centers of diversities in the tropical and subtropical regions (Neinhuis et al., 2005, Wanke et al., 2006a, 2007). However, the extended Mediterranean region including Turkey, the Caucasus and the Near East is likely to be the only diversity hotspot of the genus Aristolochia in the northern hemisphere were up to 60 species and subspecies could be observed (Wanke 2007). Most important contributions to the knowledge of these species were published by Nardi (1984, 1988, 1991, 1993) and Davis &amp; Khan (1961, 1964, 1982), all of these studies were based on morphological characters only. In recent years, with the progress of molecular techniques and in light of the systematic chaos, a detailed study was needed to unravel the evolutionary history prior to a taxonomic revision of this group. The first chapter of my thesis should be regarded as the starting point for more detailed investigation on population level. Preliminary molecular phylogenitic analysis recovered the Mediterranean Aristolochia species as monophyletic (de Groot et al 2006). However, only very few members were included in that study. The latest phylogenetic study by Wanke (2007) dealed with west Mediterranean Aristolochia species and sampled also few members belonging to the east Mediterranean and Caucasian species (3 from Greece, 2 from Georgia and 1 from Turkey). This study reported the Mediterranean Aristolochia species as two molecular and morphologically well supported clades, which were sister to each other. Furthermore, the two closely related species A. sempervirens and A. baetica which have an east west vicariance and are known as Aristolochia sempervirens complex has been recovered as sister group to the remaining west Mediterranean species. A detailed investigation of the evolutionary history of this group is the topic of the second chapter of my thesis (Chapter 2). The Aristolochia sempervirens complex is characterized by an unusual growth form and has a circum Mediterranean distribution. The investigation of these species complex seem to be of great importance to understand speciation and colonization of the Mediterranean by the genus Aristolochia and might shade light in historical evolutionary processes of other plant lineages in the Mediterranean. Furthermore, I test applicability and phylogenetic power of a nuclear single copy gene (nSCG) region to reconstruct well resolved and highly supported gene genealogies as a prerequisite to study evolutionary biology questions in general. Furthermore, a comprehensive overview of leaf epicuticular waxes, hairs and trichomes of 54 species from the old and new world taxa of the genus Aristolochia were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to clarify taxonomic status of theses species in contrast to their molecular position. Also this study which is the third chapter of this thesis (Chapter 3), has a strong focus on Mediterranean Aristolochia and tries to provide additional support for molecular findings based on epicuticular waxes and to test them as synapomorphies. Each chapter has its own introduction and abstract resulting in a short general introduction here

Assessing physicians’ knowledge, attitude, and practice on anticoagulant therapy in non-valvular atrial fibrillation: Syrian insights

Abstract Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most prevalent cardiac condition linked to increased mortality due to complications such as stroke. Oral anticoagulant (OAC) is the mainstay in preventing cerebrovascular accidents in patients with AF. Recent evidence identified gaps in physician’s knowledge in diagnosing and managing patients with AF. This study aims to assess Syrian physicians’ knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding the use of anticoagulant therapy in non-valvular AF (NVAF) patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a validated web-based questionnaire, which included 56 items separated into four sections that collected information about demographics, knowledge, attitude, and practices. Chi-square and Kruskal Wallis were performed to analyze the statistical relationships between the knowledge, attitude, practice, and demographic variables. Results A total of 497 participants completed the survey, of which 62.6% were between the ages of 25 and 35. The average participant scores for knowledge, attitude, and practices were (48.18 ± 21.57), (81.54 ± 9.26), and (62.83 ± 12.42), respectively. Participants who demonstrated good understanding, a positive attitude, and good practices were 22.3%, 87.3%, and 25.4%, respectively. The fear of bleeding was identified as the most significant barrier to initiating anticoagulant medication in AF patients (55.5%). Doctors who attended training had a better knowledge score than those who did not (mean ± S.D. = 57.24 ± 20.7). Participants who stated that over 70% of their AF patients use aspirin received the highest attitude score (mean ± S.D = 86.98 ± 21.17). PhD participants reported higher practice scores than those with other educational backgrounds (mean ± S.D = 73.96 ± 11.3). Conclusion This research showed that primary care physicians in Syria had optimistic views regarding OAC therapy, suggesting that training interventions targeting physicians may lead to improvement in the treatment of patients with NVAF in Syria