Molekular-Systematische Untersuchungen an den Familien Nepenthaceae und Ancistrocladaceae sowie verwandter Taxa aus der Unterklasse Caryophyllidae s. l.

In traditionellen Klassifikationssystemen der Angiospermen (Bedecktsamer) werden die Ordnungen der Caryophyllales, Polygonales und Plumbaginales und Polygonales in die Unterklasse Caryophyllidae eingeordnet. Obwohl der Verwandtschaftskreis mehrmals Gegenstand verschiedener Studien war, ist die Abgrenzung der Caryophyllidae und der neuerdings zu ihnen gez?xE4;hlten carnivoren Taxa nach wie vor unsicher. In dieser Arbeit wurde durch vergleichende Sequenzanalysen verschiedener Genorte eine Phylogenie der carnivoren Nepenthaceae und der Ancistrocladaceae und Dioncophyllaceae aufgestellt. F?xFC;r die Ancistrocladaceae wurde ein taxonomisches Konzept f?xFC;r den in SO-Asien weitverbreiteten A. tectorius-Komplex erstellt. Als phylogenetische Marker wurden das trnK-Intron der Chloroplasten-DNA und die Internal-Transcribed-Spacer (ITS-Region) der nukle?xE4;ren rDNA eingesetzt. Bei den Nepenthaceae kam es zur Koamplifikation von rDNA-Pseudogenen. Die kladistische Analyse dieser Pseudogene legt die Annahme nahe, dass sich die rezenten Nepenthaceae aus einemVorfahren entwickelten, der bereits verschiedene ITS-Sequenzen aufwies. Auch f?xFC;r das trnK-Intron der Nepenthaceae wurden zwei paraloge Sequenzen identifiziert. Durch den Einsatz einzelner Chloroplasten als Template in der PCR und inverser PCR wurde die Lokalisation eines Paralogons im Chloroplasten nachgewiesen und Hinweise auf die Lokalisation des zweiten Paralogons im Miotchondrium gewonnen. Die mitochondriale Kopie des trnK, die aufgrund der h?xE4;ufigen Unterbrechung des Leserasters im f?xFC;r die Maturase K kodierenden Bereich des trnK-Introns (matK) ein Pseudogen darstellt, wurde als zus?xE4;tzlicher phylogenetischer Marker f?xFC;r die Nepenthaceae vergleichend sequenziert, eignete sich aber nur eingeschr?xE4;nkt zur phylogenetischen Rekonstruktion. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass die hohe Variabilit?xE4;t des Genorts wahrscheinlich durch Heteroplasmie und lineage sorting entstand und nicht auf homologe Substitutionen zur?xFC;ckgef?xFC;hrt werden kann. Dies steht jedoch im Widerspruch zu verf?xFC;gbaren Daten in der Literatur. Durch kladistische Analyse des im trnK-Intron lokalisierten matK an ausgew?xE4;hlten Taxa konnte gezeigt werden, dass innerhalb der Caryophyllidae die Droseraceae, Drosophyllaceae, Nepenthaceae, Ancistrocladaceae und Dioncophyllaceae eine Monophylie bilden. Die Carnivorie ist demnach innerhalb der Caryophyllidae monophyletisch entstanden und bei den Ancistrocladaceae sowie einigen Gattungen der Dioncophyllaceae (Habropetalum und Dioncophyllum) sekund?xE4;r verloren gegangen. Die trnK-Intron-Phylogenie der Nepenthaceae zeigt in hohem Ma?xDF;e eine Korrelation mit der Biogeographie. Aufgrund dieser Beziehung l?xE4;?xDF;t sich ein Szenario der Besiedelung des malaiischen Archipels durch die Nepenthaceae ableiten. Die Hypothese, die Nepenthaceae h?xE4;tten aufgrund des Vorkommens von zwei relikt?xE4;ren Taxa auf Madagaskar einen Ursprung in Gondwana, kann durch die trnK-Intron-Phylogenie nicht gest?xFC;tzt werden. Die Sequenz- und Fingerprintanalysen zeigten, dass die Variabilit?xE4;t der Ancistrocladaceae S?xFC;dostasiens mit der afrikanischer Arten vergleichbar ist. Die Inkongruenz von trnK-Intron und ITS-Phylogenie, sowie eine scheinbar erh?xF6;hte Mutationsrate des trnK-Introns legen den Schlu?xDF; nahe, dass bei der Artbildung der Ancistrocladaceae vor allen in S?xFC;dostasien Hybridisierungen und Introgressionen eine gro?xDF;e Rolle gespielt haben. Durch Vergleich der Sequenzdaten mit ISSR- Fingerprints (Inter-Simple-Sequence-Repeat-PCR) konnten die im Rahmen mehrerer Sammelreisen aus S?xFC;dostasien beschafften Proben zahlreicher Populationen in zehn unterscheidbare Taxa eingeteilt werden. Von diesen wurden drei aufgrund von ITS-Sequenzen, die aus Isotypusmaterial gewonnenen wurden, den g?xFC;ltig beschriebenen Arten A. pinangianus, A. attenuatus und A. cochinchinensis zugeordnet. Inwieweit die verbliebenen Taxa neu beschrieben werden k?xF6;nnen, m?xFC;ssen morphologische Untersuchungen zeigen

Genetic structure of Micromeria (Lamiaceae) in Tenerife, the imprint of geological history and hybridization on within-island diversification

Geological history of oceanic islands can have a profound effect on the evolutionary history of insular flora, especially in complex islands such as Tenerife in the Canary Islands. Tenerife results from the secondary connection of three paleo-islands by a central volcano, and other geological events that further shaped it. This geological history has been shown to influence the phylogenetic history of several taxa, including genus Micromeria (Lamiaceae). Screening 15 microsatellite markers in 289 individuals representing the eight species of Micromeria present in Tenerife, this study aims to assess the genetic diversity and structure of these species and its relation with the geological events on the island. In addition, we evaluate the extent of hybridization among species and discuss its influence on the speciation process. We found that the species restricted to the paleo-islands present lower levels of genetic diversity but the highest levels of genetic differentiation suggesting that their ranges might have contracted over time. The two most widespread species in the island, M. hyssopifolia and M. varia, present the highest genetic diversity levels and a genetic structure that seems correlated with the geological composition of the island. Samples from M. hyssopifolia from the oldest paleo-island, Adeje, appear as distinct while samples from M. varia segregate into two main clusters corresponding to the paleo-islands of Anaga and Teno. Evidence of hybridization and intraspecific migration between species was found. We argue that species boundaries would be retained despite hybridization in response to the habitat\u27s specific conditions causing postzygotic isolation and preserving morphological differentiation

Genetic diversity and differentiation patterns in \u3cem\u3eMicromeria from the Canary Islands are congruent with multiple colonization dynamics and the establishment of species syngameons

Background Especially on islands closer to the mainland, such as the Canary Islands, different lineages that originated by multiple colonization events could have merged by hybridization, which then could have promoted radiation events (Herben et al., J Ecol 93: 572–575, 2005; Saunders and Gibson, J Ecol 93: 649–652, 2005; Caujapé-Castells, Jesters, red queens, boomerangs and surfers: a molecular outlook on the diversity of the Canarian endemic flora, 2011). This is an alternative to the scenario where evolution is mostly driven by drift (Silvertown, J Ecol 92: 168–173, 2004; Silvertown et al., J Ecol 93: 653–657, 2005). In the former case hybridization should be reflected in the genetic structure and diversity patterns of island species. In the present work we investigate Micromeria from the Canary Islands by extensively studying their phylogeographic pattern based on 15 microsatellite loci and 945 samples. These results are interpreted according to the hypotheses outlined above. Results Genetic structure assessment allowed us to genetically differentiate most Micromeria species and supported their current classification. We found that populations on younger islands were significantly more genetically diverse and less differentiated than those on older islands. Moreover, we found that genetic distance on younger islands was in accordance with an isolation-by-distance pattern, while on the older islands this was not the case. We also found evidence of introgression among species and islands. Conclusions These results are congruent with a scenario of multiple colonizations during the expansion onto new islands. Hybridization contributes to the grouping of multiple lineages into highly diverse populations. Thus, in our case, islands receive several colonization events from different sources, which are combined into sink populations. This mechanism is in accordance with the surfing syngameon hypothesis. Contrary to the surfing syngameon current form, our results may reflect a slightly different effect: hybridization might always be related to colonization within the archipelago as well, making initial genetic diversity to be high to begin with. Thus the emergence of new islands promotes multiple colonization events, contributing to the establishment of hybrid swarms that may enhance adaptive ability and radiation events. With time, population sizes grow and niches start to fill. Consequently, gene-flow is not as effective at maintaining the species syngameon, which allows genetic differentiation and reproductive isolation to be established between species. This process contributes to an even further decrease in gene-flow between species

Simple preparation of plant epidermal tissue for laser microdissection and downstream quantitative proteome and carbohydrate analysis

The outwardly directed cell wall and associated plasma membrane of epidermal cells represent the first layers of plant defense against intruding pathogens. Cell wall modifications and the formation of defense structures at sites of attempted pathogen penetration are decisive for plant defense. A precise isolation of these stress-induced structures would allow a specific analysis of regulatory mechanism and cell wall adaption. However, methods for large-scale epidermal tissue preparation from the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, which would allow proteome and cell wall analysis of complete, laser-microdissected epidermal defense structures, have not been provided. We developed the adhesive tape - liquid cover glass technique (ACT) for simple leaf epidermis preparation from A. thaliana, which is also applicable on grass leaves. This method is compatible with subsequent staining techniques to visualize stress-related cell wall structures, which were precisely isolated from the epidermal tissue layer by laser microdissection (LM) coupled to laser pressure catapulting. We successfully demonstrated that these specific epidermal tissue samples could be used for quantitative downstream proteome and cell wall analysis. The development of the ACT for simple leaf epidermis preparation and the compatibility to LM and downstream quantitative analysis opens new possibilities in the precise examination of stress- and pathogen-related cell wall structures in epidermal cells. Because the developed tissue processing is also applicable on A. thaliana, well-established, model pathosystems that include the interaction with powdery mildews can be studied to determine principal regulatory mechanisms in plant-microbe interaction with their potential outreach into crop breeding

Evidence for alternative trapping strategies in two forms of the pitcher plant, Nepenthes rafflesiana.

Nepenthes pitchers are specialized leaves that function as insect traps. Several pitcher components may contribute to trapping, including the pitcher fluid, slippery wax crystals and downward-pointing epidermal cells on the inner pitcher wall, and the wetness-dependent pitcher rim (peristome), but the relative importance of these traits is unclear. Mechanisms of prey capture and retention in the field were investigated by quantifying the effect of 'knock-out' manipulations of individual pitcher structures, and by testing the ability of pitcher fluids and water to retain insects. Two forms of Nepenthes rafflesiana Jack ('elongate' and 'typical') with contrasting combinations of pitcher traits were compared. Wax crystals on the inner pitcher wall were found to be the most important trapping structure in the elongate form, whereas the typical form relied primarily on the peristome. The pitcher fluids of both forms, differing markedly in the degree of viscoelasticity, retained significantly more ants than water. The present results show that pitcher plants utilize several mechanisms for prey capture and retention, varying in efficiency and relative importance between forms. It is proposed that these differences represent alternative prey capture strategies that may provide a mechanism to reduce competition and facilitate species co-existence in nutrient-limited habitats

New localities of the subendemic species Berberis croatica, Teucrium arduini and Micromeria croatica in the Dinaric Alps

New localities of three subendemic species (Berberis croatica, Teucrium arduini and Micromeria croatica) have been found in the Dinaric Alps. Berberis croatica was found at ten new locations, nine of them in Croatia and one in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Teucrium arduini was found on Mt Učka, Mt Velebit, Mt Biokovo and Mt Sniježnica, at nine new locations while Micromeria croatica was found at four new locations, only on Mt Velebit

Functional characterization of a class III acid endochitinase from the traps of the carnivorous pitcher plant genus, Nepenthes

Carnivory in plants is an adaptation strategy to nutrient-poor environments and soils. Carnivorous plants obtain some additional mineral nutrients by trapping and digesting prey; the genus Nepenthes is helped by its specialized pitcher traps. To make the nutrients available, the caught prey needs to be digested, a process that requires the concerted activity of several hydrolytic enzymes. To identify and investigate the various enzymes involved in this process, fluid from Nepenthes traps has been analysed in detail. In this study, a novel type of Nepenthes endochitinase was identified in the digestion fluid of closed pitchers. The encoding endochitinase genes have been cloned from eight different Nepenthes species. Among these, the deduced amino acid sequence similarity was at least 94.9%. The corresponding cDNA from N. rafflesiana was heterologously expressed, and the purified protein, NrChit1, was biochemically characterized. The enzyme, classified as a class III acid endochitinase belonging to family 18 of the glycoside hydrolases, is secreted into the pitcher fluid very probably due to the presence of an N-terminal signal peptide. Transcriptome analyses using real-time PCR indicated that the presence of prey in the pitcher up-regulates the endochitinase gene not only in the glands, which are responsible for enzyme secretion, but at an even higher level, in the glands’ surrounding tissue. These results suggest that in the pitchers’ tissues, the endochitinase as well as other proteins from the pitcher fluid might fulfil a different, primary function as pathogenesis-related proteins

The role of adaptive trans-generational plasticity in biological invasions of plants

High-impact biological invasions often involve establishment and spread in disturbed, high-resource patches followed by establishment and spread in biotically or abiotically stressful areas. Evolutionary change may be required for the second phase of invasion (establishment and spread in stressful areas) to occur. When species have low genetic diversity and short selection history, within-generation phenotypic plasticity is often cited as the mechanism through which spread across multiple habitat types can occur. We show that trans-generational plasticity (TGP) can result in pre-adapted progeny that exhibit traits associated with increased fitness both in high-resource patches and in stressful conditions. In the invasive sedge, Cyperus esculentus, maternal plants growing in nutrient-poor patches can place disproportional number of propagules into nutrient-rich patches. Using the invasive annual grass, Aegilops triuncialis, we show that maternal response to soil conditions can confer greater stress tolerance in seedlings in the form of greater photosynthetic efficiency. We also show TGP for a phenological shift in a low resource environment that results in greater stress tolerance in progeny. These lines of evidence suggest that the maternal environment can have profound effects on offspring success and that TGP may play a significant role in some plant invasions