High genetic diversity among and within bitter manioc varieties cultivated in different soil types in Central Amazonia

Although manioc is well adapted to nutrient-poor Oxisols of Amazonia, ethnobotanical observations show that bitter manioc is also frequently cultivated in the highly fertile soils of the floodplains and Amazonian dark earths (ADE) along the middle Madeira River. Because different sets of varieties are grown in each soil type, and there are agronomic similarities between ADE and floodplain varieties, it was hypothesized that varieties grown in ADE and floodplain were more closely related to each other than either is to varieties grown in Oxisols. We tested this hypothesis evaluating the intra-varietal genetic diversity and the genetic relationships among manioc varieties commonly cultivated in Oxisols, ADE and floodplain soils. Genetic results did not agree with ethnobotanical expectation, since the relationships between varieties were variable and most individuals of varieties with the same vernacular name, but grown in ADE and floodplain, were distinct. Although the same vernacular name could not always be associated with genetic similarities, there is still a great amount of variation among the varieties. Many ecological and genetic processes may explain the high genetic diversity and differentiation found for bitter manioc varieties, but all contribute to the maintenance and amplification of genetic diversity within the manioc in Central Amazonia. © 2017, Sociedade Brasileira de Genética

Hymenoptera “parasitica” no estado do Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil

A checklist composed of 105 species of parasitic Hymenoptera, which includes the non-aculeate Apocrita, recorded in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul (MS), Brazil, is presented. A new list, containing 153 genera obtained in recent surveys is also presented; out of these 131 are new records. The major knowledge gaps for these organisms in the State and the prospects for future studies for these organisms are discussed. © 2017, Fundacao Zoobotanica do Rio Grande do Sul. All rights reserved

Audouinella macrospora (Acrochaetiaceae, Rhodophyta) is the Chantransia stage of Batrachospermum (Batrachospermaceae)

Twelve field and culture populations of freshwater acrochaetioid algae were examined to compare a bluish species of Audouinella. A. macrospora (Wood) Sheath et Burkholder, with the Chantransia stage of Batrachospermum and to test the validity of criteria used to distinguish freshwater Audouinella species from Chantransia. Six populations were identified as A. macrospora and six were unequivocally identified as Chantransia stages owing either to produciton of juvenile gametophytes of Batrachospermum attached to the apices of filaments or to derivation from Bate=rachospernum gametophytes and therfore were reinterpreset as Chantransia. Because analysis of morphological variation (ANOVA) did not distinguish between polulations of A. macrospora and Chantransia, all polulations were concluded to be similar to one another and all are interpreted as Chantransia stages. Such thalli have the following general characteristics: based system composed mostly of well-developed rhizoids, narrow branching angles, and large monosporangia. Early features in the development of gametophytes of Batrachospermum, including the shape of apical cells of the Chantransia stage filament, produciton of eliminaiton cellls, and formation of fascicle cells of the young gametophyte, were examined in detail in one population grown in culture. This work raises the possibility that all bluish freshwater acrochaetioid thalli are Chantransia stages and that all reddish ones are true Audouinella species.Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP

A Set Of Microsatellite Markers For Arrabidaea Chica (bignoniaceae), A Medicinal Liana From The Neotropics.

• Microsatellite markers were developed, optimized, and characterized for Arrabidaea chica (Humb. & Bonpl.) Verl. (Bignoniaceae), a Neotropical liana extensively used in folk medicine. The aim of this study was to develop molecular tools to investigate the genetic structure and diversity of natural populations and germplasm collections of this species. • Eight highly polymorphic microsatellite markers revealed a multibanded pattern, suggesting that the species is polyploid. The total number of bands per locus ranged from 9 to 17, revealing high levels of polymorphism. • The high level of polymorphism detected with these markers indicates their utility in devising conservation strategies and rational exploitation of A. chica.97e63-