Preface to the Princeton Landmarks in Biology Edition vii Preface xi Symbols Used xiii 1. The Importance of Islands 3 2. Area and Number of Speicies 8 3. Further Explanations of the Area-Diversity Pattern 19 4. The Strategy of Colonization 68 5. Invasibility and the Variable Niche 94 6. Stepping Stones and Biotic Exchange 123 7. Evolutionary Changes Following Colonization 145 8. Prospect 181 Glossary 185 References 193 Index 201

The Theory of Island Biogeography

Statistical method for testing the neutral mutation hypothesis by DNA polymorphism.

http://amborella.net/2010PlantSystematics/DATA/3-24-APG%202003%20Bot%20J%20Linn%20Soc%20APGII.pdf

An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG II

Articles O ne of the primary causes of global environmental change is tropical deforestation, but the question of what factors drive deforestation remains largely unanswered (NRC 1999). Various hypotheses have produced rich arguments , but empirical evidence on the causes of deforestation continues to be largely based on cross-national statistical In some cases, these analyses are based on debatable data on rates of forest cover change (Palo 1999). The two major, mutually exclusive—and still unsatisfactory—explanations for tropical deforestation are single-factor causation and irre-ducible complexity. On the one hand, proponents of single-factor causation suggest various primary causes, such as shift-On the other hand, correlations between deforestation and multiple causative factors are many and varied , revealing no distinct pattern In addition to chronicling these attempts to identify general causes of deforestation through global-scale statistical analyses, the literature is rich in local-scale case studies investigating the causes and processes of forest cover change in specific localities. Our aim with this study is to generate from local-scale case studies a general understanding of the prox-imate causes and underlying driving forces of tropical deforestation while preserving the descriptive richness of these studies. Proximate causes are human activities or immediate actions at the local level, such as agricultural expansion, that originate from intended land use and directly impact forest cover. Underlying driving forces are fundamental social processes, such as human population dynamics or agricultural policies, that underpin the proximate causes and either operate at the local level or have an indirect impact from the national or global level. We analyzed the frequency of proximate causes and underlying driving forces of deforestation, including their interactions , as reported in 152 subnational case studies. We show that tropical deforestation is driven by identifiable regional patterns of causal factor synergies, of which the most prominent are economic factors, institutions, national policies, and remote influences (at the underlying level) driving agricultural expansion, wood extraction, and infrastructure extension (at the proximate level). Our findings reveal that prior stud-Helmut Geist (e-mail: geist@geog.ucl.ac.be) is a postdoctoral researcher (geography) in the field of human drivers of global environmental change and executive director of the Land Use and Cover Change (LUCC) core project of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Eric Lambin is a professor of geography with research interests in remote sensing and human ecology applied to studies of deforestation, desertification, and bio-mass burning in tropical regions. He is the chair of the IGBP and IHDP …

https://bioone.org/journalArticle/Download?fullDOI=10.1641%2f0006-3568(2002)052%5b0143%3aPCAUDF%5d2.0.CO%3b2

Proximate causes and underlying driving forces of tropical deforestation.

Climate change is predicted to become a major threat to biodiversity in the 21st century, but accurate predictions and effective solutions have proved difficult to formulate. Alarming predictions have come from a rather narrow methodological base, but a new, integrated science of climate-change biodiversity assessment is emerging, based on multiple sources and approaches. Drawing on evidence from paleoecological observations, recent phenological and microevolutionary responses, experiments, and computational models, we review the insights that different approaches bring to anticipating and managing the biodiversity consequences of climate change, including the extent of species' natural resilience. We introduce a framework that uses information from different sources to identify vulnerability and to support the design of conservation responses. Although much of the information reviewed is on species, our framework and conclusions are also applicable to ecosystems, habitats, ecological communities, and genetic diversity, whether terrestrial, marine, or fresh water.

Beyond Predictions: Biodiversity Conservation in a Changing Climate

Plant O-methyltransferases (OMTs) constitute a large family of enzymes that methylate the oxygen atom of a variety of secondary metabolites including phenylpropanoids, flavonoids, and alkaloids. O-Methylation plays a key role in lignin biosynthesis, stress tolerance, and disease resistance in plants. To gain insights into the evolution of the extraordinary diversity of plant O-methyltransferases, and to develop a framework phylogenetic tree for improved prediction of the putative function of newly identified OMT-like gene sequences, we performed a comparative and phylogenetic analysis of 61 biochemically characterized plant OMT protein sequences. The resulting phylogenetic tree revealed two major groups. One of the groups included two sister clades, one comprising the caffeoyl CoA OMTs (CCoA OMTs) that methylate phenolic hydroxyl groups of hydroxycinnamoyl CoA esters, and the other containing the carboxylic acid OMTs that methylate aliphatic carboxyl groups. The other group comprised the remaining OMTs, which act on a diverse group of metabolites including hydroxycinnamic acids, flavonoids, and alkaloids. The results suggest that some OMTs may have undergone convergent evolution, while others show divergent evolution. The high number of unique conserved regions within the CCoA OMTs and carboxylic acid OMTs provide an opportunity to design oligonucleotide primers to selectively amplify and characterize similar OMT genes from many plant species.

/pdf/structure-function-and-evolution-of-plant-o-563fyj7kn8.pdf

Structure, function, and evolution of plant O-methyltransferases.

The species of the genus Populus, collectively known as poplars, are widely distributed over the northern hemisphere and well known for their ecological, economical, and evolutionary importance. The extensive interspecific hybridization and high morphological diversity in this group pose difficulties in identifying taxonomic units for comparative evolutionary studies and systematics. To understand the evolutionary relationships among poplars and to provide a framework for biosystematic classification, we reconstructed a phylogeny of the genus Populus based on nucleotide sequences of three noncoding regions of the chloroplast DNA (intron of trnL and intergenic regions of trnT-trnL and trnL-trnF) and ITS1 and ITS2 of the nuclear rDNA. The resulting phylogenetic trees showed polyphyletic relationships among species in the sections Tacamahaca and Aigeiros. Based on chloroplast DNA sequence data, P. nigra had a close affinity to species of section Populus, whereas nuclear DNA sequence data suggested a close relationship between P. nigra and species of the section Aigeiros, suggesting a possible hybrid origin for P. nigra. Similarly, the chloroplast DNA sequences of P. tristis and P. szechuanica were similar to that of the species of section Aigeiros, while the nuclear sequences revealed a close affinity to species of the section Tacamahaca, suggesting a hybrid origin for these two Asiatic balsam poplars. The incongruence between phylogenetic trees based on nuclear- and chloroplast-DNA sequence data suggests a reticulate evolution in the genus Populus.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/info/4123937

Phylogeny of Populus (Salicaceae) based on nucleotide sequences of chloroplast TRNT-TRNF region and nuclear rDNA.

The systematics of Diplostomum species, common intestinal parasites of piscivorous birds, has long been problematic, owing to phenotypic plasticity and the paucity of morphological features that are often subject to age- and host-induced variation. We sequenced the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 regions of the rDNA from adult Diplostomum huronense , Diplostomum indistinctum, and Diplostomum baeri obtained from experimentally infected ring-bill gulls ( Larus delawarensis) and compared them with partial ITS1 sequences from several species of Diplostomum in GenBank. The three North American species were distinguishable on the basis of ITS sequences. Sequences from D. huronense dif- fered from those of D. indistinctum at 12 sites in ITS1 and 4 sites in ITS2, supporting morphological and morphometric data that indicate the two are distinct species. Sequences of D. huronense and D. indistinctum differed from those of D. baeri at 27 and 24 sites, respectively, in ITS1 and 15 and 12 sites, respectively, in ITS2. Phylogenetic analysis of partial ITS1 sequences revealed that the North American and European species of Diplostomum formed sep- arate groups, with the former being basal to the latter. The results indicated that D. huronense and D. indistinctum from North America are distinct from Diplostomum spathaceumand other similar species from Europe. Furthermore, sequences from specimens identified as D. baeri from North America differed from those of D. baeri from Europe by 3.8% in ITS1 (23 sites). While morphologically similar, the two are not conspecific. Sequences of the North American species have been deposited in GenBank (AY 123042-123044). Resume : La systematique des especes de Diplostomum, parasites intestinaux communs des oiseaux piscivores, a tou- jours ete problematique a cause de leur plasticite phenotypique et de la rarete des caracteres morphologiques qui sont

/pdf/molecular-systematics-of-some-north-american-species-of-5dl8ctetk5.pdf

Molecular systematics of some North American species of Diplostomum (Digenea) based on rDNA- sequence data and comparisons with European congeners

The Dipterocarpaceae, well-known trees of the Asian rain forests, have been variously assigned to Malvales and Theales. The family, if the Monotoideae of Africa (30 species) and South America and the Pakaraimoideae of South America (one species) are included, comprises over 500 species. Despite the high diversity and ecological dominance of the Dipterocarpaceae, phylogenetic relationships within the family as well as between dipterocarps and other angiosperm families remain poorly defined. We conducted parsimony analyses on rbcL sequences from 35 species to reconstruct the phylogeny of the Dipterocarpaceae. The consensus tree resulting from these analyses shows that the members of Dipterocarpaceae, including Monotes and Pakaraimaea, form a monophyletic group closely related to the family Sarcolaenaceae and are allied to Malvales. The present generic and higher taxon circumscriptions of Dipterocarpaceae are mostly in agreement with this molecular phylogeny with the exception of the genus Hopea, which forms a clade with Shorea sections Anthoshorea and Doona. Phylogenetic placement of Dipterocarpus and Dryobalanops remains unresolved. Further studies involving representative taxa from Cistaceae, Elaeocarpaceae, Hopea, Shorea, Dipterocarpus, and Dryobalanops will be necessary for a comprehensive understanding of the phylogeny and generic limits of the Dipterocarpaceae.

Phylogeny of the tropical tree family Dipterocarpaceae based on nucleotide sequences of the chloroplast RBCL gene.

Diversity and specificity in Diplostomum spp. metacercariae in freshwater fishes revealed by cytochrome c oxidase I and internal transcribed spacer sequences.

Selvadurai Dayanandan

Papers

Structure, function, and evolution of plant O-methyltransferases.

Phylogeny of Populus (Salicaceae) based on nucleotide sequences of chloroplast TRNT-TRNF region and nuclear rDNA.

Molecular systematics of some North American species of Diplostomum (Digenea) based on rDNA- sequence data and comparisons with European congeners

Phylogeny of the tropical tree family Dipterocarpaceae based on nucleotide sequences of the chloroplast RBCL gene.

Diversity and specificity in Diplostomum spp. metacercariae in freshwater fishes revealed by cytochrome c oxidase I and internal transcribed spacer sequences.