Article
Plant Sciences
Brittany Arendse, Steven D. Johnson, Timotheus van der Niet, Jeremy J. Midgley
Summary: This research focused on investigating the breeding systems of Cape Erica species in South Africa, revealing that self-sterility is common and self-fertility is low in these species. The study found that most species had very low seed set from autonomous selfing compared to cross-pollination, indicating a high degree of self-incompatibility. Pollen-ovule ratios were also consistently low among species, regardless of their pollination syndromes.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PLANT SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Giorgio C. Lombardi, Jeremy J. Midgley, Ross C. Turner, Craig I. Peter
Summary: This study demonstrates long-proboscid fly pollination in the genus Erica, specifically in the range-restricted taxon Erica aristata in the Klein River Mountains of Western Cape Province, South Africa. The flowers of this species are exclusively visited and pollinated by one long-proboscid fly species, Prosoeca rubicunda, with breeding experiments confirming the need for pollinator visits for seed-set. The floral traits and nectar characteristics of E. aristata are consistent with other long-proboscid fly-pollinated plant species in the Cape region.
SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Ethan Newman, Steven D. Johnson
Summary: This study focuses on two populations of Erica junonia with different floral tube lengths, and examines the relationship between these differences and shifts in pollinators with varying proboscis lengths. The findings show that different varieties of Erica junonia are visited by different nemestrinid fly species, and that floral tube lengths correspond to the proboscis lengths of these flies. Additionally, the study reveals that the short-tubed variety is capable of reproducing in the absence of pollinators, while the long-tubed variety fully relies on pollinators for reproduction.
SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
R. C. Turner, J. J. Midgley, B. A. Grobler
Summary: The Cape Floristic Region genus Erica is highly diverse, with various variants showing distinct differences in geographic distribution, fire survival strategies, seed set, population proportions, water stress responses, and flowering phenologies. Although the variants share pollinator species, they are not significantly cross-compatible in terms of seed set, suggesting that factors such as fire, edaphic habitat, and soil-moisture availability may play a more important role in speciation.
SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
S. McCarren, S. D. Johnson, G. L. Theron, A. Coetzee, R. Turner, J. Midgley
Summary: Differences in floral traits might play a role in reproductive isolation between two Erica species in South Africa. The two sister species, Erica shannonea and Erica ampullacea, have overlapping flowering phenology but are pollinated by different species of flies due to differences in flower orientation. Both species require pollinator visits for seed production and are therefore potentially influenced by pollinators in flower evolution.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Douaa Bekkai, Yassine Oulad El Majdoub, Hamid Bekkai, Francesco Cacciola, Natalizia Miceli, Maria Fernanda Taviano, Emilia Cavo, Tomader Errabii, Roberto Lagana Vinci, Luigi Mondello, Mohammed L'Bachir El Kbiach
Summary: This study investigated the phenolic profile and biological activities of three Ericaceae species from northern Morocco, revealing that the aerial extract of Erica scoparia is the richest in polyphenols and shows the highest antioxidant activity. All extracts were found to be non-toxic against Artemia salina, indicating their potential safety.
Article
Plant Sciences
Djouher Amroun, Meriem Hamoudi, Seddik Khennouf, Sabrina Boutefnouchet, Daoud Harzallah, Mounira Amrane, Saliha Dahamna
Summary: This study evaluated the anti-inflammatory and toxicological effects of the Erica arborea aqueous extract (EAAE), finding significant anti-inflammatory efficacy, non-toxicity in acute administration, and moderate toxicity in sub-acute administration. The high phenolic content and antioxidant activity observed suggest that EAAE may reduce oxidative stress markers in vivo.
JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
F. M. Akinlabi, M. D. Pirie, A. A. Oskolski
Summary: This study examined the wood structure of 28 Erica species from southern Africa. Loss of scalariform perforation plates in African Erica clade may be due to increased aridity and seasonality in the mid-Miocene, whereas its re-gain may be an adaptation to freezing in high elevation species E. nubigena. The increase of ray frequency in habitats with a prominent dry and hot season facilitates refilling of vessels after embolism caused by water stress.
BOTANICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Timotheus Van der Niet
Summary: This study provides evidence of hawkmoth pollination in an Erica species, a pollination system that is rarely recorded in the Ericaceae family. Several floral traits are consistent with the hawkmoth pollination syndrome, but further research is needed to confirm the functional significance and level of specialization in this pollination system.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Florian Etl, Christian Kaiser, Oliver Reiser, Mario Schubert, Stefan Dotterl, Jurg Schonenberger
Summary: The Neotropical plant Syngonium hastiferum is usually pollinated by plant bugs rather than beetles, which is different from its beetle-pollinated relatives. The plant has several distinctive floral traits and emits a unique scent that attracts the plant bug pollinators.
Article
Plant Sciences
Ricardo Kriebel, Jeffrey P. Rose, Paul Bastide, Diana Jolles, Marcelo Reginato, Kenneth J. Sytsma
Summary: This study examined the floral diversity and evolution in the cosmopolitan blueberry family (Ericaceae). The researchers combined data on floral traits, pollination ecology, and geography with a phylogeny to analyze the structuring of floral diversity across pollination systems and continents. The findings suggest that floral evolution in the Ericaceae is influenced by phylogenetic conservatism, parallel evolution, and possibly extinct hummingbird pollinators.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY
(2023)
Article
Dermatology
Rubab Raza, Asmat Ullah, Nighat Haider, Jai Krishin, Muqadar Shah, Fati Ullah Khan, Abdullah, Torben Hansen, Syed Irfan Raza, Wasim Ahmad, Sulman Basit
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the clinical and genetic basis of autosomal recessive hypertrichosis in a large consanguineous Pakistani family. A novel 2-bp intragenic deletion causing a frameshift variant in ABCA5 was identified through whole exome sequencing followed by Sanger sequencing.
CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL DERMATOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Steven D. Johnson, Keeveshnee Govender
Summary: This study aimed to identify compounds that attract rodents to flowers. The results showed that aliphatic ketones and esters play a key role in attracting rodents.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Wei Zheng, Li-Jun Yan, Kevin S. Burgess, Ya-Huang Luo, Jia-Yun Zou, Han-Tao Qin, Ji-Hua Wang, Lian-Ming Gao
Summary: Natural hybridization occurs among three Rhododendron species in the hybrid zone, although patterns of hybrid formation vary between hybrid taxa, which may result in different evolutionary outcomes.
Article
Plant Sciences
Samira Shojaiefar, Mohammad R. Sabzalian, Aghafakhr Mirlohi, Arina Tajdivand
Summary: Fennel is a medicinal crop that depends on insect pollination, particularly bees, for optimal fruit and oil yield. Self-pollination led to significantly lower fruit yield compared to bee pollination in field evaluations, mainly due to a decrease in effective umbels per plant. Inbreeding depression may limit the possibility of utilizing self-pollination for developing stable and high-yield fennel varieties.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH ON MEDICINAL AND AROMATIC PLANTS
(2021)
Meeting Abstract
Plant Sciences
E. C. Mostert, C. I. Peter
SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY
(2015)
Article
Plant Sciences
Caitlin A. Melidonis, Craig I. Peter
SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY
(2015)
Article
Plant Sciences
Craig I. Peter, Nic Venter
Article
Plant Sciences
Jeff Ollerton, Stefan Doetterl, Kumar Ghorpade, Annemarie Heiduk, Sigrid Liede-Schumann, Siro Masinde, Ulrich Meve, Craig I. Peter, Samuel Prieto-Benitez, Sachin Punekar, Mats Thulin, Andrew Whittington
Article
Plant Sciences
G. C. Lombardi, C. I. Peter, R. C. Turner, J. J. Midgley
SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY
(2017)
Article
Plant Sciences
Jeff Ollerton, Sigrid Liede-Schumann, Mary E. Endress, Ulrich Meve, Andre Rodrigo Rech, Adam Shuttleworth, Hector A. Keller, Mark Fishbein, Leonardo O. Alvarado-Cardenas, Felipe W. Amorim, Peter Bernhardt, Ferhat Celep, Yolanda Chirango, Fidel Chiriboga-Arroyo, Laure Civeyrel, Andrea Cocucci, Louise Cranmer, Inara Carolina da Silva-Batista, Linde de Jager, Mariana Scaramussa Depra, Arthur Domingos-Melo, Courtney Dvorsky, Kayna Agostini, Leandro Freitas, Maria Cristina Gaglianone, Leo Galetto, Mike Gilbert, Ixchel Gonzalez-Ramirez, Pablo Gorostiague, David Goyder, Leandro Hachuy-Filho, Annemarie Heiduk, Aaron Howard, Gretchen Ionta, Sofia C. Islas-Hernandez, Steven D. Johnson, Lize Joubert, Christopher N. Kaiser-Bunbury, Susan Kephart, Aroonrat Kidyoo, Suzanne Koptur, Cristiana Koschnitzke, Ellen Lamborn, Tatyana Livshultz, Isabel Cristina Machado, Salvador Marino, Lumi Mema, Ko Mochizuki, Leonor Patricia Cerdeira Morellato, Chediel K. Mrisha, Evalyne W. Muiruri, Naoyuki Nakahama, Viviany Teixeira Nascimento, Clive Nuttman, Paulo Eugenio Oliveira, Craig I. Peter, Sachin Punekar, Nicole Rafferty, Alessandro Rapini, Zong-Xin Ren, Claudia I. Rodriguez-Flores, Liliana Rosero, Shoko Sakai, Marlies Sazima, Sandy-Lynn Steenhuisen, Ching-Wen Tan, Carolina Torres, Kristian Trojelsgaard, Atushi Ushimaru, Milene Faria Vieira, Ana Pia Wiemer, Tadashi Yamashiro, Tarcila Nadia, Joel Queiroz, Zelma Quirino
Article
Plant Sciences
Craig I. Peter, Steven D. Johnson
Editorial Material
Plant Sciences
Craig I. Peter, Adam Shuttleworth
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Karl J. Duffy, Steven D. Johnson, Craig I. Peter
Article
Plant Sciences
Florent Martos, Steven D. Johnson, Craig I. Peter, Benny Bytebier
Article
Plant Sciences
Ryan J. Daniels, Steven D. Johnson, Craig Peter
Article
Plant Sciences
Jair E. Garcia, Ryan D. Phillips, Craig I. Peter, Adrian G. Dyer
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2020)
Article
Plant Sciences
Giorgio C. Lombardi, Jeremy J. Midgley, Ross C. Turner, Craig I. Peter
Summary: This study demonstrates long-proboscid fly pollination in the genus Erica, specifically in the range-restricted taxon Erica aristata in the Klein River Mountains of Western Cape Province, South Africa. The flowers of this species are exclusively visited and pollinated by one long-proboscid fly species, Prosoeca rubicunda, with breeding experiments confirming the need for pollinator visits for seed-set. The floral traits and nectar characteristics of E. aristata are consistent with other long-proboscid fly-pollinated plant species in the Cape region.
SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Ethan L. Newman, Katharine L. Khoury, Sandy E. van Niekerk, Craig Peter
Summary: This study provides insights into the importance of anther mimicry in attracting pollinators and mechanical fit, and its relative contribution to reproductive success in a Tritonia laxifolia plant. It reveals that three-dimensional anther mimicry increases reproductive success through both attraction and pollen-collecting behaviors.
Article
Plant Sciences
James D. Ackerman, Ryan D. Phillips, Raymond L. Tremblay, Adam Karremans, Noushka Reiter, Craig Peter, Diego Bogarin, Oscar A. Perez-Escobar, Hong Liu
Summary: Orchidaceae exhibit diverse pollination strategies, but how they vary globally is not well understood. To address this, a global database of orchid reproductive biology was established, containing information on > 2900 species. Most orchid species are pollinator dependent and self-compatible. Rewards attract pollinators in 54% of the species, while 46% use deceit. Although the database provides valuable knowledge, significant gaps in understanding orchid reproductive biology exist in tropical regions and fly-pollinated species.
BOTANICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Anaswara Rani, Sneha Asha, Minsa Mini, Pooja P. Rajan, Merin Tomy, Ashita Jose, Xavier Ts, Praveen Kumar
Summary: This study focuses on the eco-friendly synthesis of copper oxide nanoparticles using Centra-therum punctatum leaf extract. The synthesized nanoparticles showed potent antimicrobial activity and effectively inhibited biofilm formation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. These findings demonstrate the potential of copper oxide nanoparticles for environmentally friendly synthesis and applications.
SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY
(2024)
Article
Plant Sciences
Bruno Fagundes dos Santos, Talita Oliveira de Arauja, Camilla Oliveira Rios, Advanio Inacio Siqueira-Silva, Eduardo Gusmao Pereira
Summary: This study investigated the interaction between iron excess and phosphorus deficiency in Paspalum densum. The results showed that iron excess decreased phosphorus concentration in roots, while phosphorus deficiency increased iron concentration in leaves. Stomatal limitation was the main cause of decreased photosynthesis due to iron excess. Phosphorus deficiency contributed to higher phosphorus use efficiency and biomass.
SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY
(2024)
