Species-specific male pollinators found for three native New Zealand greenhood orchids (Pterostylis spp.) suggest pollination by sexual deception

2018 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liezl Thalwitzer ◽  
Dave Kelly ◽  
Rob D. Smissen ◽  
Ruth Butler ◽  
David M. Suckling ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Sex Pheromones ◽  
Breeding Systems ◽  
Fungus Gnats ◽  
Fungus Gnat ◽  
Sexually Deceptive Orchids ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Pollination Strategy ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
First Time

Many orchids achieve pollination by deceptive means. Sexually deceptive orchids are pollinated by male insects, which are lured to flowers that mimic the sex pheromones and/or appearance of their female conspecifics. This specialised pollination strategy was recently confirmed for the first time in a Pterostylis species in Australia. We investigated whether this pollination strategy may also be operating in Pterostylis species in New Zealand where generalised plant–insect pollination strategies are most commonly documented. The breeding systems of Pterostylis oliveri Petrie and Pterostylis irsoniana Hatch were investigated in the field with pollination treatments. Sticky traps were set up over flowering P. oliveri, P. irsoniana and Pterostylis venosa Colenso to catch potential pollinators of the flowers. Insects caught carrying orchid pollinia were identified, and the pollinia were identified to plant species with nuclear rDNA internal transcribed spacer (nrDNA ITS) sequences. Both P. oliveri and P. irsoniana were found to be self-compatible, but dependent on insects for pollination. Pollinia from each of the three Pterostylis spp. were found to be carried species-specifically by male fungus gnats (Diptera: Mycetophilidae): only Mycetophila latifascia fungus gnats carried the pollinia of P. oliveri, Morganiella fusca gnats carried the pollinia of P. irsoniana, and Tetragoneura sp. carried the pollinia of P. venosa. The pollinator specificity indicates that each of the male fungus gnat species was attracted to the flowers of a specific Pterostylis orchid. This strongly suggests that each of the orchid species emit a specific floral volatile, most probably resembling the sex pheromones of the female conspecifics, to lure their male pollinators. These are the first documented cases of highly specialised sexually deceptive pollination in New Zealand orchids, which were thought to be predominantly self-pollinating.

scholarly journals Fungus gnats (Diptera: Sciaroidea) associated with dead wood and wood growing fungi: new rearing data from Finland and Russian Karelia and general analysis of known larval microhabitats in Europe

2011 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jevgeni Jakovlev
Keyword(s):  
Dead Wood ◽  
General Analysis ◽  
Slime Moulds ◽  
Fungus Gnats ◽  
Fungus Gnat ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Ascomycete Fungi ◽  
First Time ◽  
Russian Karelia ◽  
Basidiomycete Fungi

In this contribution new rearing records of fungus gnats from poorly studied larval microhabitats are presented. From 61 species of wood growing Basidiomycete fungi, 6 species of Ascomycete fungi and slime moulds most of which had not previously been the subject of rearing studies, and from dead wood samples with fungalmyceliamade over a period of 1994–2009 in Finland and Russian Karelia, 110 species of fungus gnats were obtained, 98 of them from identified fungi. Of these for 12 species fungal hosts were formerly unknown and for 30 species larval microhabitats have been discovered for the first time. Numbers of fungus gnat species with known larval microhabitats (a total of 498 species that comprises 45.4% of the European fauna) and numbers of known fungal hosts (some 650 species of macrofungi) are calculated and categorized based on this study and previous records from Europe and East Palaearctic.

scholarly journals A contribution towards checklist of fungus gnats (Diptera, Diadocidiidae, Ditomyiidae, Bolitophilidae, Keroplatidae, Mycetophilidae) in Georgia, Transcaucasia

ZooKeys ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1026 ◽  
pp. 69-142
Author(s):  
Olavi Kurina
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Parametric Methods ◽  
Fungus Gnats ◽  
Fungus Gnat ◽  
Three New Species ◽  
Western Palaearctic ◽  
First Time ◽  
Non Parametric

The fungus gnats of Georgia are studied based on 2682 specimens collected from 57 localities during 2011–2019. Altogether, 245 species are recorded including four species of Bolitophilidae, three species of Diadocidiidae, two species of Ditomyiidae, 34 species of Keroplatidae and 202 species of Mycetophilidae. 230 and 188 species are recorded from Georgia and the whole of Transcaucasia for the first time, respectively. Three new species – Sciophila georgei sp. nov., Leia katae sp. nov. and Anatella metae sp. nov. – are described including detailed illustrations of the male terminalia. Photographs are provided for an additional 38 species to highlight a variability of their general facies. Combined with earlier published data, the number of fungus gnat species in Georgia is set at 246. The estimated diversity of fungus gnats in Georgia is calculated using non-parametric methods and discussed with respect to other Western Palaearctic regions.

scholarly journals Transstadial Transmission of Pythium in Bradysia impatiens and Lack of Adult Vectoring Capacity

2010 ◽  
Vol 100 (12) ◽  
pp. 1307-1314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah E. Braun ◽  
Louela A. Castrillo ◽  
John P. Sanderson ◽  
Margery L. Daughtrey ◽  
Stephen P. Wraight
Keyword(s):  
Pathogenic Fungi ◽  
Specific Primers ◽  
Tissue Samples ◽  
Aerial Dispersal ◽  
Fungus Gnats ◽  
Fungus Gnat ◽  
Transstadial Transmission ◽  
Polymerase Chain ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Potential Interactions

Fungus gnats have been shown to transmit a variety of plant-pathogenic fungi that produce aerial dispersal stages. However, few studies have examined potential interactions between fungus gnats and oomycetes, including Pythium spp. A series of laboratory experiments were conducted to determine whether fungus gnat adults are vectors of several common greenhouse Pythium spp., including Pythium aphanidermatum, P. irregulare, and P. ultimum. An additional objective was to determine whether P. aphanidermatum can be maintained transstadially in the gut of a fungus gnat larva through the pupal stadium to be transmitted by the subsequent adult. Adult fungus gnats did not pick up infectious Pythium propagules from diseased plants and transmit them to healthy plants in any experiment. Species-specific primers and a probe for real-time polymerase chain reaction were developed to detect the presence of P. aphanidermatum DNA in fungus gnat tissue samples. P. aphanidermatum DNA was detectable in the larval and pupal stages; however, none was detected in adult fungus gnats. These results are in agreement with previous studies that have suggested that adult fungus gnats are unlikely vectors of Pythium spp.

Charles Francis Adams: diary of a young American taxidermist visiting New Zealand, 1884–1887

2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. J. Gill
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Marine Invertebrates ◽  
Working Life ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Detailed Account ◽  
East Indies ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Set Up ◽  
White Island

In December 1884 Charles Francis Adams (1857–1893) left Illinois, USA, by train for San Francisco and crossed the Pacific by ship to work as taxidermist at Auckland Museum, New Zealand, until February 1887. He then went to Borneo via several New Zealand ports, Melbourne and Batavia (Jakarta). This paper concerns a diary by Adams that gives a daily account of his trip to Auckland and the first six months of his employment (from January to July 1885). In this period Adams set up a workshop and diligently prepared specimens (at least 124 birds, fish, reptiles and marine invertebrates). The diary continues with three reports of trips Adams made from Auckland to Cuvier Island (November 1886), Karewa Island (December 1886) and White Island (date not stated), which are important early descriptive accounts of these small offshore islands. Events after leaving Auckland are covered discontinuously and the diary ends with part of the ship's passage through the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia), apparently in April 1887. Adams's diary is important in giving a detailed account of a taxidermist's working life, and in helping to document the early years of Auckland Museum's occupation of the Princes Street building.

Cobalt/Lewis Acid Catalysis for Hydrocarbofunctionalization of Alkynes via Cooperative C–H Activation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chang-Sheng Wang ◽  
Sabrina Monaco ◽  
Anh Ngoc Thai ◽  
Md. Shafiqur Rahman ◽  
Chen Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Catalytic System ◽  
Lewis Acid ◽  
Hydrogen Transfer ◽  
Acid Catalysis ◽  
Rate Limiting Step ◽  
Site Selectivity ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Site Selective ◽  
First Time ◽  
Rate Limiting

A catalytic system comprised of a cobalt-diphosphine complex and a Lewis acid (LA) such as AlMe3 has been found to promote hydrocarbofunctionalization reactions of alkynes with Lewis basic and electron-deficient substrates such as formamides, pyridones, pyridines, and azole derivatives through site-selective C-H activation. Compared with known Ni/LA catalytic system for analogous transformations, the present catalytic system not only feature convenient set up using inexpensive and bench-stable precatalyst and ligand such as Co(acac)3 and 1,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)propane (dppp), but also display distinct site-selectivity toward C-H activation of pyridone and pyridine derivatives. In particular, a completely C4-selective alkenylation of pyridine has been achieved for the first time. Mechanistic stidies including DFT calculations on the Co/Al-catalyzed addition of formamide to alkyne have suggested that the reaction involves cleavage of the carbamoyl C-H bond as the rate-limiting step, which proceeds through a ligand-to-ligand hydrogen transfer (LLHT) mechanism leading to an alkyl(carbamoyl)cobalt intermediate.

Lecanactis (Roccellaceae) in Tasmania, with the description of a new saxicolous species and a revised key for the genus in Australia

2021 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-101
Author(s):  
Gintaras Kantvilas
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
New South ◽  
First Record ◽  
New Taxon ◽  
European Species ◽  
Australian Species ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Distribution And Ecology ◽  
Tasmanian Endemic ◽  
First Time

AbstractThe lichen genus Lecanactis Körb. in Tasmania comprises six species: L. abietina (Ach.) Körb., which is widespread and pan-temperate; L. latispora Egea & Torrente and L. neozelandica Egea & Torrente, both shared with New Zealand and with the former recorded here from the Auckland Islands for the first time; L. mollis (Stirt.) Frisch & Ertz, shared with Victoria and New Zealand; L. aff. dilleniana (Ach.) Körb., a European species recorded provisionally for Tasmania on the basis of several sterile collections; L. scopulicola Kantvilas, which is described here as new to science and apparently a Tasmanian endemic. This new taxon occurs in rocky underhangs and is characterized by a thick, leprose thallus containing schizopeltic acid, and 3-septate ascospores, 19–30 × 4.5–6 μm. Short descriptions and a discussion of distribution and ecology are given for all species. A key for all 11 Australian species of the genus is provided, including L. subfarinosa (C. Knight) Hellb. and L. tibelliana Egea & Torrente, which are recorded for Australia for the first time, and L. platygraphoides (Müll.Arg.) Zahlbr., a first record for New South Wales. Lecanactis spermatospora Egea & Torrente and L. sulphurea Egea & Torrente are also included.

scholarly journals Enhanced Control of the Fungus Gnat Bradysia odoriphaga (Diptera: Sciaridae) by Co-Application of Clothianidin and Hexaflumuron

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 571
Author(s):  
Yongqing Wang ◽  
Kai Wan ◽  
Ruifei Wang ◽  
Jiyingzi Wu ◽  
Ruiquan Hou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Maximum Residue Limit ◽  
Control Efficacy ◽  
Codex Alimentarius ◽  
Codex Alimentarius Commission ◽  
Application Rates ◽  
Fungus Gnat ◽  
Major Pest ◽  
First Time

The fungus gnat is a major pest of chive in China. Its control has been relied heavily on the application of clothianidin. Due to the intensive application, its control efficacy become reduced. The present study was intended to evaluate co-drenching of clothianidin with hexaflumuron on absorption and dissipation of clothianidin in chive plants and soils and determine the effect of such application on control efficacies. Chive production fields in Guangdong and Hubei Provinces were drenched with clothianidin alone and a mixture of clothianidin and hexaflumuron at low application rates. Concentrations of clothianidin in chive plants and soils were analyzed by HPLC. Results showed that co-application had higher control efficacies against the fungus gnat than clothianidin alone. The co-application enhanced clothianidin absorption and dissipation and extended the half-lives of clothianidin in chive. It was likely that hexaflumuron protected chive roots from larva damage, and healthy roots absorbed more clothianidin, resulting in the extension of the half-lives. Additionally, the terminal residues of clothianidin in chive after 14 days of application were lower than the maximum residue limit in chive set by the Codex Alimentarius Commission. This study for the first time documented that co-application of clothianidin and hexaflumuron improved chive plants in absorption and dissipation of clothianidin and enhanced fungus gnat control efficacies.

scholarly journals Bark traits, decomposition and flammability of Australian forest trees

2017 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saskia Grootemaat ◽  
Ian J. Wright ◽  
Peter M. van Bodegom ◽  
Johannes H. C. Cornelissen ◽  
Veronica Shaw
Keyword(s):  
Forest Tree ◽  
Remarkable Feature ◽  
Interspecific Differences ◽  
Eucalypt Plantations ◽  
Physical Traits ◽  
Key Driver ◽  
Multiple Species ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
First Time ◽  
Different Tissues

Bark shedding is a remarkable feature of Australian trees, yet relatively little is known about interspecific differences in bark decomposability and flammability, or what chemical or physical traits drive variation in these properties. We measured the decomposition rate and flammability (ignitibility, sustainability and combustibility) of bark from 10 common forest tree species, and quantified correlations with potentially important traits. We compared our findings to those for leaf litter, asking whether the same traits drive flammability and decomposition in different tissues, and whether process rates are correlated across tissue types. Considerable variation in bark decomposability and flammability was found both within and across species. Bark decomposed more slowly than leaves, but in both tissues lignin concentration was a key driver. Bark took longer to ignite than leaves, and had longer mass-specific flame durations. Variation in flammability parameters was driven by different traits in the different tissues. Decomposability and flammability were each unrelated, when comparing between the different tissue types. For example, species with fast-decomposing leaves did not necessarily have fast-decomposing bark. For the first time, we show how patterns of variation in decomposability and flammability of bark diverge across multiple species. By taking species-specific bark traits into consideration there is potential to make better estimates of wildfire risks and carbon loss dynamics. This can lead to better informed management decisions for Australian forests, and eucalypt plantations, worldwide.

scholarly journals Stay at Home! Governance Quality and Effectiveness of Lockdown

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincenzo Alfano ◽  
Salvatore Ercolano
Keyword(s):  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Considerable Time ◽  
Government Effectiveness ◽  
Governance Indicators ◽  
Regulatory Quality ◽  
Governance Quality ◽  
World Governance Indicators ◽  
Set Up ◽  
First Time

AbstractIn order to control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, during the first wave of the pandemic numerous countries decided to adopt lockdown policies. It had been a considerable time since such measures were last introduced, and the first time that they were implemented on such a global scale in a contemporary, information intensive society. The effectiveness of such measures may depend on how citizens perceive the capacity of government to set up and implement sound policies. Indeed, lockdown and confinement policies in general are binding measures that people are not used to, and which raise serious concerns among the population. For this reason governance quality could affect the perception of the benefits related to the government’s choice to impose lockdown, making citizens more inclined to accept it and restrict their movements. In the present paper we empirically investigate the relation between the efficacy of lockdown and governance quality (measured through World Governance Indicators). Our results suggest that countries with higher levels of government effectiveness, rule of law and regulatory quality reach better results in adopting lockdown measures.

scholarly journals The Morphological and Anatomical Traits of the Leaf in Representative Vinca Species Observed on Indoor- and Outdoor-Grown Plants

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 622
Author(s):  
Alexandra Ciorîță ◽  
Septimiu Cassian Tripon ◽  
Ioan Gabriel Mircea ◽  
Dorina Podar ◽  
Lucian Barbu-Tudoran ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spongy Parenchyma ◽  
Palisade And Spongy Parenchyma ◽  
Chemical Composition Of Plants ◽  
Ultrastructural Characteristics ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Microscopy Techniques ◽  
First Time ◽  
Thick Layers ◽  
Space Ratio ◽  
Indoor And Outdoor

Morphological and anatomical traits of the Vinca leaf were examined using microscopy techniques. Outdoor Vinca minor and V. herbacea plants and greenhouse cultivated V. major and V. major var. variegata plants had interspecific variations. All Vinca species leaves are hypostomatic. However, except for V. minor leaf, few stomata were also present on the upper epidermis. V. minor leaf had the highest stomatal index and V. major had the lowest, while the distribution of trichomes on the upper epidermis was species-specific. Differentiated palisade and spongy parenchyma tissues were present in all Vinca species’ leaves. However, V. minor and V. herbacea leaves had a more organized anatomical aspect, compared to V. major and V. major var. variegata leaves. Additionally, as a novelty, the cellular to intercellular space ratio of the Vinca leaf’s mesophyll was revealed herein with the help of computational analysis. Lipid droplets of different sizes and aspects were localized in the spongy parenchyma cells. Ultrastructural characteristics of the cuticle and its epicuticular waxes were described for the first time. Moreover, thick layers of cutin seemed to be characteristic of the outdoor plants only. This could be an adaptation to the unpredictable environmental conditions, but nevertheless, it might influence the chemical composition of plants.

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