A Systematic Analysis of the Alpine Saxifrage Complex (Saxifragaceae) in the Canadian Arctic Islands Using Morphology and Chloroplast DNA Data

oai:canadianfieldnaturalist.ca:article/1The Saxifraga nivalis complex displays significant ecological, morphological and cytological variation. Most European studies suggest that the S. nivalis complex comprises two distinct species: Saxifraga nivalis sensu stricto and Saxifraga tenuis. However, the presence of intermediate morphotypes, inconsistencies in chromosomal counts and variability in morphological keys and descriptions have led to different taxonomic interpretations of the complex in North America. This study investigated the systematics of Canadian Arctic Island members of this complex from 157 specimens using 23 morphological characters. Principal component analysis of the morphological data revealed two adjacent clusters, corresponding to the two taxa and consistent with a close morphological similarity and the presence of hybrids. A preliminary restriction site analysis of five non-coding regions of the chloroplast genome, trnH-trnK, trnT-trnF, trnF-trnV, trnV-rbcL and rbcL-ORF106, was conducted using 21 restriction endonucleases. This analysis indicated a length difference between the trnT-trnF region of S. nivalis and that of S. tenuis, but no difference in restriction sites for any of the assayed regions. These results confirm that in the Canadian Arctic, the S. nivalis complex consists of two closely related, largely sympatric species, with notable morphological variability, and possible hybrids

Phylogeny of Poa (Poaceae) Based on trnT–trnF Sequence Data: Major Clades and Basal Relationships

Poa, the largest genus of grasses (Poaceae) with over 500 species, occurs throughout temperate and boreal regions in both hemispheres. A phylogenetic study of Poa based on trnT–trnF chloroplast DNA sequence data is presented focusing on basal relationships, major clades, generic boundaries, and placement of putatively closely related genera. Results support the monophyly of the main lineage of Poa if subgen. Andinae is excluded and Anthochloa, Austrofestuca, Dissanthelium (at least in part), and Eremopoa are included. The main Poa clade and subgen. Andinae resolve within a strongly supported Poinae–Alopecurinae–Miliinae clade (PAM). The subdivision of Poa into five major clades, proposed based on chloroplast restriction site data, is supported by sequence data. The basal-most clade (ArcSyl) comprises Poa subgen. Arctopoa and subgen. Poa sect. Sylvestres, two groups having disparate morphology, but similar cpDNA. The next-diverging clade (BAPO), comprising sects. Bolbophorum, Alpinae, Parodiochloa, and Ochlopoa, is strongly supported and characterized by highly divergent cpDNA. The majority of Poa species and sections form a strongly supported clade comprising major clades SPOSTA, PoM, and HAMBADD. Newly reported in this study is Eremopoa as a distinct lineage positioned between this higher Poa clade and BAPO. A revised infrageneric classification of Poa comprising five subgenera is proposed. Two new subgeneric divisions of Poa are proposed: subgen. Stenopoa for the SPOSTA clade and supersect. Homalopoa for the HAMBADD clade. The monotypic genus Anthochloa is reduced to Poa sect. Anthochloa, and its one species recognized as Poa lepidula

A Systematic Analysis of the Alpine Saxifrage Complex (Saxifragaceae) in the Canadian Arctic Islands Using Morphology and Chloroplast DNA Data

The Saxifraga nivalis complex displays significant ecological, morphological and cytological variation. Most European studies suggest that the S. nivalis complex comprises two distinct species: Saxifraga nivalis sensu stricto and Saxifraga tenuis. However, the presence of intermediate morphotypes, inconsistencies in chromosomal counts and variability in morphological keys and descriptions have led to different taxonomic interpretations of the complex in North America. This study investigated the systematics of Canadian Arctic Island members of this complex from 157 specimens using 23 morphological characters. Principal component analysis of the morphological data revealed two adjacent clusters, corresponding to the two taxa and consistent with a close morphological similarity and the presence of hybrids. A preliminary restriction site analysis of five non-coding regions of the chloroplast genome, trnH-trnK, trnT-trnF, trnF-trnV, trnV-rbcL and rbcL-ORF106, was conducted using 21 restriction endonucleases. This analysis indicated a length difference between the trnT-trnF region of S. nivalis and that of S. tenuis, but no difference in restriction sites for any of the assayed regions. These results confirm that in the Canadian Arctic, the S. nivalis complex consists of two closely related, largely sympatric species, with notable morphological variability, and possible hybrids

Balsam Poplar (Populus balsamifera; Salicaceae) Beyond the Tree Line in the Western Canadian Mainland Arctic (Northwest Territories)

Balsam poplar is the northernmost tree species in North America, with a reported range that extends generally to the tree line across the continent and beyond the tree line in Alaska, where extralimital stands growing in Arctic ecosystems on the North Slope have been documented and studied. Here we summarize existing information and report new data on extralimital stands of balsam poplar from the Arctic ecozone in the northeastern mainland Northwest Territories. These occurrences extend the geographical and ecological range of the species fully into the mainland Canadian Arctic. In this region, balsam poplar is known from four sites: two in Tuktut Nogait National Park and two along the Hornaday and Brock rivers just beyond the northwestern Park boundary. Balsam poplar was first reported from two of these sites more than 50 years ago, but those data have not been considered in most subsequent floristic and ecological work. A balsam poplar grove in Tuktut Nogait National Park consists of four discrete stands of shrubby plants growing on a low ridge adjacent to the Hornaday River; their tallest ramets measure 1.1 – 1.86 m. A larger grove along the edge of the lower Brock River consists of three large stands, the tallest ramets measuring 3.5 – 4 m. The boreal and subarctic regions of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut have large areas where balsam poplar has not been documented by herbarium specimens, including most of the forest-tundra and tree-line zones. Collections from these areas and other potential extralimital sites in the Canadian Arctic are urgently needed to document the current distribution of balsam poplar. Such data could serve as a baseline for assessing potential future alteration of the range of this species as a result of climate change.Le peuplier baumier est l’espèce arborescente qui pousse le plus au nord de l’Amérique du Nord. Son aire d’extension s’étendrait généralement jusqu’à la limite forestière du continent et au-delà de la limite forestière de l’Alaska, où des peuplements extralimites qui croissent dans les écosystèmes arctiques ont été répertoriés et étudiés sur le versant nord. Nous résumons ici des données recueillies antérieurement et publions de nouvelles données sur les peuplements extralimites de peupliers baumiers de l’écozone arctique se situant dans la partie continentale nord-est des Territoires du Nord-Ouest. Ces occurrences ont pour effet d’étendre la portée géographique et écologique de l’espèce entièrement sur la partie continentale de l’Arctique canadien. Dans cette région, le peuplier baumier se retrouve dans quatre emplacements : deux d’entre eux se trouvent dans le parc national Tuktut Nogait et les deux autres, le long des rivières Hornaday et Brock, juste au-delà de la limite nord-ouest du parc. Le peuplier baumier a été signalé dans deux de ces emplacements il y a plus de 50 ans, mais ces données n’ont pas été considérées dans la plupart des études floristiques et écologiques subséquentes. Un bocage de peupliers baumiers du parc national Tuktut Nogait consiste en quatre peuplements discrets de végétation arbustive poussant sur une dorsale basse adjacente à la rivière Hornaday; les plus grands ramets y mesurent de 1,1 à 1,86 mètre. Un bocage plus volumineux le long du rivage de la rivière Brock inférieure est composé de trois gros peuplements, où les ramets les plus grands mesurent de 3,5 à 4 mètres. Les régions boréale et subarctique des Territoires du Nord-Ouest et du Nunavut sont dotées de grandes sections où le peuplier baumier n’a pas été répertorié dans les échantillons d’herbiers, ce qui comprend la plus grande partie de la toundra forestière et les zones de limite forestière. Il faudrait procéder promptement à la collecte d’échantillons de ces régions et d’autres emplacements extralimites potentiels de l’Arctique canadien afin de pouvoir consigner la répartition actuelle du peuplier baumier. De telles données pourraient servir de point de référence pour évaluer la modification éventuelle de l’aire d’extension de cette espèce, modification attribuable au changement climatique

Corporations—Restrictions on Alienation of Stock—When Valid

The validity of a charter provision giving the directors of a corporation the unrestricted power to purchase, retire, or cancel common stock at will was challenged by a newly retired employee whose stock had been called by the company. Held: the provision was not invalid per se and would support a call of common shares if not exercised arbitrarily. Plaintiff’s refusal to comply with the corporate decree was based upon his contention that the broad power of the call provision created an unreasonable “restraint on alienation.” However, plaintiff had been an officer and director of the corporation for over 25 years, and had voted for the adoption of the challenged provision. He knew that the purpose of the provision was to keep all stock in the hands of active officers and directors and that it had been an invariable practice for retiring officers and directors to sell their stock either to other shareholders or to the corporation. While the decision is thus justified by the facts, it may appear to sanction an arbitrary call power much broader than is required to achieve the end which motivated it, i.e., keeping all stock in the hands of active officers and directors

Arts and Humanities: Budget (1974-1976): Report 07

<p>Leymus innovatus subsp. velutinus. Kuc 405 (CAN 432023)</p

Design Arts (1994-1995): Correspondence 01

<p>Pinguicula vulgaris. Saarela, Gillespie, Sokoloff & Bull 2565 (CAN 601975)</p

Constitutional Law—Due Process—Right to Counsel in State Felony Proceedings

Petitioner, under a life sentence imposed by a state court, brought a writ of habeas corpus alleging violation of the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in that while he was of unsound mind and unassisted by counsel, he was tried and convicted of a charge carrying a mandatory life sentence. The lower court dismissed the writ without a hearing. Held: reversed, a hearing on the issue of insanity was required. If the allegations were true, the failure to assign counsel violated the Fourteenth Amendment since a trial which left the defense to a man who was insane and who by reason of his mental condition was unable to raise the insanity issue was unfair. The accused in a federal felony proceeding is assured the right to counsel under the Sixth Amendment. In state felony proceedings, however, the Sixth Amendment is held inapplicable; instead the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment controls. In interpreting the Due Process Clause, the Supreme Court has required counsel only where the absence of counsel was prejudicial to fundamental rights of the accused. In an attempt to define this vague standard, the nine members of the Court have frequently disagreed on what constitutes a prejudicial situation. The majority, following a case-by-case method of definition, has established certain categories of situations which are considered prejudicial if counsel is absent, e.g., where there is (1) a young and inexperienced defendant; (2) a mentally deficient defendant; (3) a possibility of a death sentence; (4) a defendant who is a stranger to our language and our courts; (5) deception by the prosecution; (6) a biased or careless judge; or (7) complexity of issues. A minority of the Court has constantly argued that the lack of counsel in any felony proceeding is prejudicial to the fundamental rights of the accused. The instant case adheres to the majority’s rationale and establishes yet another situation in which the lack of counsel creates a potential danger to the fundamental rights of the accused; viz, the possibility of an insane defendant

A worldwide phylogenetic classification of the Poaceae (Gramineae) III: An update

We present an updated worldwide phylogenetic classification of Poaceae with 11 783 species in 12 subfamilies, 7 supertribes, 54 tribes, 5 super subtribes, 109 subtribes, and 789 accepted genera. The subfamilies (in descending order based on the number of species) are Pooideae with 4126 species in 219 genera, 15 tribes, and 34 subtribes; Panicoideae with 3325 species in 242 genera, 14 tribes, and 24 subtribes; Bambusoideae with 1698 species in 136 genera, 3 tribes, and 19 subtribes; Chloridoideae with 1603 species in 121 genera, 5 tribes, and 30 subtribes; Aristidoideae with 367 species in three genera and one tribe; Danthonioideae with 292 species in 19 genera and 1 tribe; Micrairoideae with 192 species in nine genera and three tribes; Oryzoideae with 117 species in 19 genera, 4 tribes, and 2 subtribes; Arundinoideae with 36 species in 14 genera and 3 tribes; Pharoideae with 12 species in three genera and one tribe; Puelioideae with 11 species in two genera and two tribes; and the Anomochlooideae with four species in two genera and two tribes. Two new tribes and 22 new or resurrected subtribes are recognized. Forty-five new (28) and resurrected (17) genera are accepted, and 24 previously accepted genera are placed in synonymy. We also provide an updated list of all accepted genera including common synonyms, genus authors, number of species in each accepted genus, and subfamily affiliation. We propose Locajonoa, a new name and rank with a new combination, L. coerulescens. The following seven new combinations are made in Lorenzochloa: L. bomanii, L. henrardiana, L. mucronata, L. obtusa, L. orurensis, L. rigidiseta, and L. venusta.Fil: Soreng, Robert J.. National Museum of Natural History; Estados UnidosFil: Peterson, Paul M.. National Museum of Natural History; Estados UnidosFil: Zuloaga, Fernando Omar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. Academia Nacional de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Botánica Darwinion; ArgentinaFil: Romaschenko, Konstantin. National Museum of Natural History; Estados UnidosFil: Clark, Lynn G.. IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY (ISU);Fil: Teisher, Jordan K.. No especifíca;Fil: Gillespie, Lynn J.. No especifíca;Fil: Barberá, Patricia. No especifíca;Fil: Welker, Cassiano A. D.. No especifíca;Fil: Kellogg, Elizabeth A.. Donald Danforth Plant Science Center; Estados UnidosFil: Li, De Zhu. No especifíca;Fil: Davidse, Gerrit. No especifíca

Vascular plant, bryophyte, and lichen biodiversity of Agguttinni Territorial Park, Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada: an annotated species checklist of a new Arctic protected area

Agguttinni Territorial Park is a large, newly established park on the east-central coast of Baffin Island in Nunavut, Canada. Previous knowledge of the plant and lichen biodiversity was limited and based mostly on collections made during the 1950 Baffin Island Expedition. We conducted a &amp;#64258;oristic inventory of the park in 2021 and re-examined previous collections. We recorded 141 species of vascular plants belonging to 25 families, 69 species of bryophytes in 27 families, and 93 species of lichens in 23 families. Most of the vascular plant and bryophyte species are new records for the park area, and some vascular plants, bryophytes, and lichens are newly reported for Baffin Island, Nunavut, or the Canadian Arctic or represent signi&amp;#64257;cant range extensions. Vascular plant species diversity varied greatly among localities, with inland valleys at the heads of &amp;#64257;ords showing highest diversity and interior rocky barrens showing the lowest