Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Marta Kolanowska, Marta Kras, Slawomir Nowak, Dariusz L. Szlachetko
Summary: This study provides a taxonomic synopsis of the orchid genus Habenaria in New Guinea and adjacent islands, confirming the occurrence of 27 species in the study area, 16 of which are endemic to New Guinea. The paper includes morphological characteristics and illustrations of floral segments, the description of a new species, selection of four neotypes, and an updated key to species groups. Additionally, the importance of diagnostic floral characters in Habenaria is discussed.
Article
Microbiology
Xin-Cun Wang, Wen-Ying Zhuang
Summary: This article describes the discovery of four new species of Aspergillus fungus, which are important in food, industrial, and medical contexts as well as being closely related to human daily life. The new species were identified through phylogenetic analyses and morphological comparisons, and detailed descriptions and illustrations are provided.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ricardo Rozzi, Claudio S. Quilodran, Esteban Botero-Delgadillo, Constanza Napolitano, Juan C. Torres-Mura, Omar Barroso, Ramiro D. Crego, Camila Bravo, Silvina Ippi, Veronica Quirici, Roy Mackenzie, Cristian G. Suazo, Juan Rivero-de-Aguilar, Bernard Goffinet, Bart Kempenaers, Elie Poulin, Rodrigo A. Vasquez
Summary: The article describes a new taxon of terrestrial bird belonging to the Genus Aphrastura found in the Diego Ramirez Archipelago. These birds have distinct morphological, genetic, and behavioral attributes compared to other species within the same taxonomic group. They inhabit a unique habitat characterized by geographical isolation and absence of predators and woody plants.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Matthew L. Gimmel, M. Andrew Johnston, Michael S. Caterino
Summary: This study provides the first enumeration of the beetle fauna of the California Channel Islands in over 120 years. Through a comprehensive literature review and analysis of digitized specimen records, the authors report 825 unique species from 514 genera and 71 families, comprising the largest list of species published to date for any taxonomic group of animals on the Channel Islands. Despite this, the checklist is considered preliminary and evidence suggests that there are still hundreds of beetle species yet to be recorded from the islands.
Article
Parasitology
Hiroyuki Takaoka, Yasushi Otsuka, Van Lun Low, Peter H. Adler, Masako Fukuda, Yao-Te Huang, Zubaidah Ya'cob
Summary: Morphological and genetic evaluations were conducted on two cytoforms of two species complexes within the Simulium tuberosum species-group. A new species, S. jianshiense, was described, while the name S. ryukyuense was reinstated for another cytoform. These two cytoforms were found to be genetically distinct from each other and from previously recognized species within the complexes.
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Robert Nasi
Summary: The cultivation of oil palm is a permanent practice, but a five-year study shows that incorporating native trees into the monoculture can enhance biodiversity and ecosystem functioning without significantly reducing crop yields. The presence of native trees benefits the plantation ecosystem while maintaining crop productivity.
Review
Environmental Sciences
B. Louise Chilvers
Summary: The subantarctic islands of the world are rare, ecologically distinct ecosystems facing geographical and climatic challenges, but also protected by their remote locations. However, increasing human activities pose a greater risk of environmental threats, requiring stronger response measures and protective legislation.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2021)
Article
Zoology
Sebastian Franzese, Guillermina Garcia Facal, Adriana Menoret
Summary: A comprehensive list of cestodes parasitizing chondrichthyans in the Southwest Atlantic off Argentina and surrounding waters of Antarctica is compiled. The list includes 57 valid species belonging to 28 genera and provides information on hosts, localities, specimens, and comments on tapeworms. The orders Phyllobothriidea and Rhinebothriidea exhibit the highest species richness, and arhynchobatid skates are the most frequently associated hosts.
Article
Plant Sciences
Salvatore Brullo, Cristian Brullo, Salvatore Cambria, Vincenzo Ilardi, Giuseppe Siracusa, Pietro Minissale, Gianpietro Giusso Del Galdo
Summary: This paper describes and illustrates a new species named Ephedra strongylensis found in the islands of Stromboli and Strombolicchio in the Aeolian Archipelago, Sicily. The new species is morphologically distinct from other species in the Mediterranean, especially Ephedra aurea, but shows some similarities in terms of scabrous-wrinkled articles and not fragile nodes. However, significant differences in twig size and shape, leaves, male and female cones, ovules, seeds, fruiting strobili, and pollen grains can be used to differentiate this new species. The paper also provides information on the ecology, conservation status, and taxonomic considerations with other related Mediterranean species.
Article
Limnology
Luca Stirnimann, Thomas G. Bornman, Hans M. Verheye, Marie-Lou Bachelery, Janine Van der Poel, Sarah E. Fawcett
Summary: The Subantarctic Ocean serves as a carbon sink due to the influence of the Subantarctic islands on the plankton ecosystem. Recent studies of the Prince Edward Islands archipelago show a dominant presence of nanophytoplankton post late-summer bloom, with significant nutrient regeneration contributing to phytoplankton growth. Despite high rates of recycling and inefficient trophic transfer, roughly a quarter of planktonic carbon remains potentially exportable, highlighting the archipelago's role in sequestering atmospheric CO2 and strengthening the Subantarctic Ocean's biological pump.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Maxime Allioux, Steven Yvenou, Alexander Merkel, Marc Cozannet, Johanne Aube, Jolann Pommellec, Marc Le Romancer, Veronique Lavastre, Damien Guillaume, Karine Alain
Summary: This article presents the first metagenomic analysis of microorganisms from the hot springs in the Kerguelen Islands, revealing the presence of new microbial lineages. The study highlights the importance of further research on the ecosystems of the Kerguelen Islands.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Rizwana Zulfiqar, Fatima Razzaq, Muhammad Shahid Iqbal, Abdul Nasir Khalid
Summary: Lobothallia pulvinata, a newly described lichen species from Pakistan, is characterized by its distinctive morphology and molecular features. It differs from similar species, such as L. pakistanica, in its thin thallus, large apothecial discs, small ascospores, and the presence of norstictic acid. The study confirms its taxonomic novelty through phylogenetic analysis and provides a comparison table with other Lobothallia species.
PLANT SYSTEMATICS AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Roberto Rozzi, Mark Lomolino, Alexandra A. E. van der Geer, Daniele Silvestro, S. Kathleen Lyons, Pere Bover, Josep A. Alcover, Ana Benitez-Lopez, Cheng-Hsiu Tsai, Masaki Fujita, Mugino O. Kubo, Janine Ochoa, Matthew E. Scarborough, Samuel T. Turvey, Alexander Zizka, Jonathan M. Chase
Summary: Islands have long been recognized as unique environments for evolutionary divergence, resulting in variations in body size, such as dwarfs and giants. Incorporating data from 1231 extant and 350 extinct species, our study spanning 23 million years reveals that island mammals with extreme body sizes are most vulnerable to extinction. Moreover, the arrival of modern humans has significantly accelerated extinction rates, leading to the near complete eradication of these iconic examples of island evolution.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Andre Bispo, Eduardo Hajdu
Summary: This study describes two new species of Haliclona from Brazilian oceanic islands and the coast of Ceara State. One species is characterized by a surface color of light to deep red intermixed with white to beige areas, a white to beige choanosome, small fistular outgrowths, and blunt oxeas. The other species is characterized by a thickly encrusting to cushion-shaped habit, purple or light pink color, and a dense skeleton without microscleres. Attempts to extract genetic material from both species were unsuccessful. The number of known Haliclona species from the Brazilian coast is now 17.
JOURNAL OF THE MARINE BIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED KINGDOM
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Kamran Habib, Qudsia Firdous, Mohammad Sohrabi, Abdul Nasir Khalid
Summary: The new species Aspiciliella pakistanica from Pakistan is described and illustrated, with distinctive features like whitish-grey thalli and unique positioning in the phylogenetic tree setting it apart from other known species within the genus.
Editorial Material
Plant Sciences
Alan M. Fryday, Toby Spribille, Tor Tonsberg
Article
Plant Sciences
Alan M. Fryday, Timothy B. Wheeler, Javier Etayo
Summary: A new species, Aspicilia malvinae, has been discovered in the Falkland Islands, along with two lichenicolous fungi. Additionally, 60 new DNA sequences from Megasporaceae species (mostly Aspicilia) have been introduced.
Article
Forestry
Anna Lubek, Martin Kukwa, Bogdan Jaroszewicz, Patryk Czortek
Summary: The study highlighted how climate warming and eutrophication have affected the composition and functional diversity of lichen biota in the Bialowieza Forest. Climate change was found to influence lichen biota, but eutrophication was identified as the main driver of changes in lichen species composition. Other factors such as the extinction and expansion of phorophyte tree species may also contribute to shifts in biota.
Article
Plant Sciences
Martin Kukwa, Emilia Anna Ossowska
Summary: New records of Ochrolechia azorica from Madeira and O. dalmatica from Syria were presented. Previously, O. azorica was only known from the Azores and O. dalmatica from Europe and Asia in the Mediterranean region. This suggests a wider distribution of these lichen species.
Article
Plant Sciences
Magdalena Dudek, Dariusz L. Szlachetko
Summary: In this study, lectotypification of six species names originally described as Evelyna Lind in Orchidaceae is proposed, based on collections from Jean Jules Linden in present-day Venezuela and Colombia. The authors also provide information on the number and location of duplicates of the type material.
Review
Plant Sciences
Michael Mulroy, Alan M. Fryday, Amanda Gersoff, Jason Dart, Rikke Reese Naesborg, Nishanta Rajakaruna
Summary: Lichens are a prominent and successful life form in metal-rich habitats, but research on lichens in ultramafic habitats is limited, especially in North America. This review examines the geographic and ecological patterns of ultramafic lichen assemblages by synthesizing published reports and creating a database characterizing the ecology and habitat for all taxa. The study found that lichen assemblages in ultramafic substrates vary in composition and are influenced by factors such as climate.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Przemyslaw Baranow, Joanna Rojek, Magdalena Dudek, Dariusz Szlachetko, Jerzy Bohdanowicz, Malgorzata Kapusta, Iwona Jedrzejczyk, Monika Rewers, Ana Paula Moraes
Summary: Despite the clear delimitation of the Sobralieae tribe in the Orchidaceae family, its internal relationships remain uncertain. This study evaluates the potential of cytogenetic data for the delimitation of the Brasolia-Elleanthus-Sobralia genera. Chromosome number and genome size data were analyzed, revealing recurring dysploidy in Sobralieae, but no clear differentiation between Brasolia and Sobralia. Further studies are needed to clarify the internal delimitation and pattern of karyotype evolution in this tribe, which holds interest due to its basal position in the subfamily Epidendroideae.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Editorial Material
Plant Sciences
Alan M. Fryday, Ulrik Sochting, Frank Bungartz, Gary Perlmutter
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Dariusz L. Szlachetko, Magdalena Dudek, Aleksandra Naczk, Marta Kolanowska
Summary: This study presents a revision of the orchid genus Andinia based on morphological and molecular studies. The authors also calculated and visualized the similarity of climatic niches occupied by representatives of the Andinia-complex. The study found the highest number of Andinia representatives in the Eastern Cordillera real montane forests, and identified unique orchid flora in the Guajira-Barranquilla xeric scrub ecoregion. The proposed classification recognizes nine genera within the Andinia-complex and provides a key to their identification.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Aleksandra Burzacka-Hinz, Magdalena Narajczyk, Magdalena Dudek, Dariusz L. Szlachetko
Summary: Dendrobium is a species-rich genus of Paleotropical orchids, with over 1000 species, most of which are epiphytes. This study focused on the micromorphology of the labellum in 21 species of Dendrobium, revealing various types of trichomes and papillae. The presence/absence of labellum structures may not necessarily reflect phylogenetic relationships, as convergence can lead to similar structures in unrelated species.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Mycology
Mans Svensson, Alan M. Fryday
Summary: This study revises a group of Lecideoid lichen-forming fungi and identifies a previously unrecognized monophyletic lineage, which is described as a new genus Gilbertaria. The new genus has distinct characteristics and the nomenclature of Northern Hemisphere species is revised and described.
MYCOLOGICAL PROGRESS
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Alan M. Fryday
Summary: The genus Varicellaria was originally established for a species with 1-septate ascospores, but later molecular analysis showed that septate ascospores are not a characteristic of the genus. Instead, the presence of lecanoric acid in the thallus is a better distinguishing feature. A new species, Varicellaria cacuminum, was discovered on rocks in Campbell Island, New Zealand, which lacks soralia, contains lecanoric acid, and has large ascospores. Pertusaria otagoana, previously only reported near Dunedin, was also found on Campbell Island and South Island, New Zealand.
NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF BOTANY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Fredy Archila L. Morales, Monika M. Lipinska, Magdalena Dudek, Dariusz L. Szlachetko
Summary: Guatemala is known for its diverse flora and fauna, with over 1200 orchid species. In the Baja Verapaz department, a new orchid species, Schiedeella bajaverapacensis, was discovered. The discovery was based on morphological evidence and confirmed through phylogenetic analyses.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Slawomir Nowak, Natalia Oledrzynska, Dariusz L. Szlachetko, Magdalena Dudek
Summary: To determine the taxonomic affiliation of Bulbophyllum physometrum, phylogenetic analyses were conducted using nuclear markers (ITS and Xdh) and the plastid region matK. Unexpectedly, the results showed that B. physometrum is more closely related to the sections Hirtula and Sestochilos rather than Blepharistes or Lemniscata, which are the only Asian sections of the genus with bifoliate pseudobulbs.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Plant Sciences
Michael Mulroy, Alan M. Fryday, Amanda Gersoff, Jason Dart, Rikke Reese Naesborg, Nishanta Rajakaruna
Summary: Lichen assemblages in ultramafic substrates are diverse and closely related to climate, with species lists varying widely across different geographic regions. Studies have shown clear differentiation between lichen composition on nearby or adjacent ultramafic and nonultramafic habitats, indicating that ultramafic substrates harbor regionally unique lichen assemblages.
