bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A taxonomic revision of Ichnocarpus (Apocynaceae) in Australia and Papuasia
Authors: Forster PI
Published: April 2005

Circumscription of the genus Ichnocarpus R. Br. is discussed and Micrechites Miq. and Lamechites Markgraf are placed in synonymy. Ichnocarpus R. Br. is revised for Australia and Papuasia (Irian Jaya, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands). Three species are recognised in this region, namely I. archboldianus comb. nov. (Micrechites archboldiana Merr. & Perr.), I. frutescens (L.) W. T. Aiton and I. serpyllifolius comb. nov. (Ficus serpyllifolia Blume). Lumechites schlechteri Markgraf, Micrechites rhombifolia Markgraf, M. rhombifolia var. lanceolata Markgraf and Ichnocarpus salornonensis C. T. White are newly placed in the synonymy of Ichnocarpus serpyllifolius. The new combination I. polyanthus (Micrechites polyantha Miq.) is made for a Malesian species west of Papuasia. The names Ichnocarpus leptodictyus F. Muell. and Micrechites rhombifolia Markgraf are lectotypified. Generic and specific descriptions, a species key, notes on variation, distribution, habitat and conservation status are provided.
Resurrection and systematic position of Pentalepis F. Muell. (Asteraceae-Heliantheae)
Authors: Karis PO , Anderberg AA , Nordenstam B
Published: April 2005

The generic name Pentalepis F. Muell. is resurrected for two Australian species hitherto included in Chrysogonum (Asteraceae-Heliantheae). A systematic position for the genus in the Ambrosiinae- Engelmanniinae group of the Heliantheae is proposed. The type of the genus is illustrated, and detailed descriptions are provided for both species.
Limacella macrospora stevenson and L. wheroparaonea, a new species, from New Zealand (Fungi, Agaricales, Amanitaceae)
Authors: Ridley GS
Published: April 2005

Linzacella macrospora Stevenson is reduced to a synonym of Amanita australis Stevenson, and a new species of Linlacella section Linzacella, L. wheroparaonea, is described from New Zealand.
Taxodiaceous Macrofossils from Tertiary and Quaternary Sediments in Tasmania
Authors: Hill RS , Jordan GJ , Carpenter RJ
Published: April 2005

Taxodiaceous macrofossils are described from several Tertiary and Quaternary sedimentary environments in Tasmania. One new species of Athrotaxis is described, based on vegetative remains and an ovuliferous cone. This species, A. mesibovii, occurs in three sites of Oligocene–Early Miocene age and most closely resembles the extant A. selaginoides in its large leaf size. Another fossil species, Athrotaxis rhomboidea, was originally assigned to the genus Mesibovia in the Podocarpaceae, but examination of ovuliferous cones requires that it be transferred to Athrotaxis. This species was also present in several sites during the Oligocene–Early Miocene. Vegetative remains and ovuliferous cones from the Oligocene Little Rapid River site are assigned to a new species of the extinct genus Austrosequoia, which was previously only known from the Cretaceous of Queensland. The similarity of Austrosequoia to Sequoia is noted, and the possibility that the two are congeneric is emphasised.
An Assessment of Genetic Relationships between Members of the Phytophthora megasperma Complex and Phytophthora vignae using Molecular Markers
Authors: Whisson SC , Howlett BJ , Liew ECY , Maclean DJ , Manners JM , Irwin JAG
Published: April 2005

Genetic relationships between Phytophora megasperma f. sp. glycinea (Pmg) and morphologically similar taxa, P. megasperma f. sp. medicaginis (Pmm), P. megasperma f. sp. trifolii (Pmt), P. megasperma from Douglas Fir (PmDF) and asparagus (PmAS) and Phytophthora vignae, were explored by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of nuclear DNA using random genomic multi-copy, cDNA, and ribosomal DNA probes as well as random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPDs) and RFLP analysis of ribosomal intergenic spacer regions amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Each method detected large differences between these taxa and P. megasperma f. sp. glycinea. P. vignae was more closely related to P. megasperma f. sp. glycinea than the other taxa on the basis of the cDNA RFLPs and RFLPs of PCR amplified rDNA intergenic spacer regions. We conclude that each of the taxa examined represent separate species. This supports the most recent reclassification based on mitochondrial RFLPs and electrophoretic protein patterns of the host-specific taxa to P. sojae (Pmg), P. trifolii (Pmt) and P. medicaginis (Pmm).
Vegetation in the Australian Tertiary in Response to Climatic and Phytogeographic Forcing Factors*
Authors: Truswell EM
Published: April 2005

Nancy Burbidge's 1960 paper on the phytogeography of the Australian region would make a fitting starting point for a review of the impact of the plant fossil record on understanding Australian vegetation history. However, a number of reviews were published in the late 1970s and early 1980s, so that the present overview takes its starting point from that time and considers the advances in research since then. In the interval since, information has accrued from both palynology and plant macrofossils, so that the fossil evidence must now be considered a primary source of data for interpreting the evolution of Australian vegetation. There have also been major advances in understanding the geological framework of the Tertiary, against which the fossil data must be set. For instance, the timescale against which advances must be measured has been refined, there have been comprehensive syntheses of Tertiary palaeogeography, and a better understanding of the relationships, through time, of Australia with continents to the north, and between Australia and Antarctica. Our understanding of the climatic factors affecting the continent and its vegetation has also improved. The record now available, in spite of its many limitations, gives a general picture of transition from widespread, very diverse rainforests in the early Tertiary, to predominantly open vegetation with rainforest restricted to wetter regions. Some aspects of the early forests remain insufficiently understood; for instance, the effects of high latitude position on forest growth. The development of sclerophylly may go back as far as the Eocene, with Banksia and Acacia now having records that extend back that far. The development of open vegetation types was probably linked with changing fire regimes; we know that by the mid-Miocene, heath-like vegetation was established locally in coal swamps. Rainforests of drier aspect were established early too, probably first at inland localities, and there are hints of wet sclerophyll forest by the late Miocene. The history of grasslands and savannah remains sketchy, and no modem analogues can be identified for vegetation types in the Pliocene that were rich in Asteraceae and grasses. The history of the eucalypts, and their links to specific fire regimes, is a more recent story.* The Nancy Burbridge Memorial Lecture, which was presented at the 'Southem Temperate Ecosystems' conference, held in Hobart, Tasmania, 18–22 January 1993.
Genetic relationships and inferred evolutionary divergence in the New Zealand taxa of Nothofagus — Results from isozyme analysis
Authors: Haase P
Published: April 2005

Genetic identity and standard genetic distance between the New Zealand taxa of Nothofagus, which are taxonomically distinguished at the subgeneric, specific, and varietal level, were derived from isozyme analysis of 22 gene loci. Average interpopulational genetic identities within and between the two recognised varieties of N. solandri are very similar and support their conspecific taxonomical status. Very high genetic identities, normally typical of conspecific plant populations, were also found between any two taxa of the 'fusca' group (subgenus Fuscospora), except for the pair N. truncata – N. solandri var. solandri (0.914). Average genetic identity between N. menziesii (subgenus Lophozonia) and all taxa of the 'fusca group is extremely low (0.060) and warrants the present subgeneric division. Inferred times of genetic divergence were compared with a small set of published data from amino acid sequencing of ribulose-1,s-bisphosphate carboxylase of some Nothofagus species. An ancient divergence of the two subgenera studied is implied, which reasonably matches late Cretaceous fossil records of the corresponding pollen types. A comparatively recent speciation, possibly during the late Pliocene to Pleistocene is assumed for the 'fusca' taxa.
A taxonomic revision of Tragia (Euphorbiaceae) in Australia
Authors: Forster PI
Published: April 2005

The genus Tragia L. is revised for Australia and comprises two species, T. novae-hollandiae Muell.Arg. from Queensland and New South Wales and T. urnhemica P.I. Forster sp. nov. from the Northern Territory. Both species are described and illustrated with notes on distribution, habitat, typification and conservation status.
Diversity in Australian populations of Murraya paniculata (Rutaceae): New evidence from volatile leaf oils
Authors: Brophy JJ , Forster PI , Goldsack RJ
Published: April 2005

Two entities are distinguished in Australian populations currently referred to as Murraya paniculata (L.) Jack. Both entities are allotypic in northern Australia. M. paniculata 'Small Leaves' occurs in much drier, largely deciduous microphyll vinethickets and is a sprawling shrub under 3 m in height with small (6–60 mm long, 540 mm wide) leaves, flowers and fruits on pedicels 3–7 mm long. It has a strongly aromatic odour to the foliage when crushed. M. paniculata 'Big Leaves' occurs in 'less dry' semideciduous notophyll vineforests and is a small tree 3–6 m in height with large (19–100 mm long, 12–50 rnm wide) leaves, flowers and fruits on pedicels 10–13 mm long. It has a less pungent odour to the foliage when crushed. The two entities differ quantitatively in volatile leaf oil composition with the 'Big Leaves' entity producing an oil approx. 1/5 the quantity of the 'Small Leaf' entity. Both germacrene-D and E-nerolidol are more prevalent in the 'Small Leaves' entity.
Xyris L. section Xyris (Xyridaceae) in Australia
Authors: Doust AN , Conn BJ
Published: April 2005

A systematic study of the Australian species of Xyris section Xyris is presented. Seven species are recognised, of which Xyris cheumatophila A.N. Doust & B.J. Conn is described for the first time. All recognised taxa are provided with descriptions (including illustrations), distribution information (including maps), habitat descriptions, nomenclatural and other relevant notes. Lectotypes are here designated for all previously described Australian species of section Xyris which are accepted by us. An iconotype of the name of X. indica (the type of the genus) is here chosen.
Anatomy and morphology of Cremnothamnus (Asteraceae) a new genus for Helichrysum thomsonii
Authors: Puttock CF
Published: April 2005

The stem and cypsela anatomy, and the general morphology of Helichrysum thomsonii F.Muel1. (Ozothamnus thomsonii (F.Muell.) Paul G. Wilson) are investigated. Cladistic analyses indicate that Helichrysum thomsonii is not closely related to the four genera to which it has been previously associated (Basedowia, Helichrysum, Lawrencella and Ozothamnus), but is a likely sister taxon of Argyroglottis, Bracteantha and the rest of the Angianthinae. A new genus, Cremnothamnus Puttock, is proposed for Helichrysum thomsonii.
Jania (Corallinales, Rhodophyta) in southern Australia
Authors: Johansen HW , Womersley HBS
Published: April 2005

The coralline algal genus Jania Lamouroux (tribe Janieae, subfamily Corallinoideae, family Corallinaceae) contains six species on southern Australian coasts: J. micrarthrodia Lamouroux, J. pulchella (Harvey) comb. nov., J. pusilla (Sonder) Yendo, J. verrucosa Lamouroux, and two new species, J. minuta and J. parva. These species are segregated primarily on vegetative characters pertaining to fronds, intergenicula, branching, medullary organisation, and substrate preference, with reproductive features used in some cases. Four of the species are, as far as known, endemic to southern Australia: J. minuta, J. pawa, J. pulchella, and J. pusilla. Jania minuta and J. rnicrarthrodia have evolved a unique short-segmented morphology, with intergenicula containing only one or two tiers of medullary cells each. Jania micrarthrodia is a common and conspicuous epiphyte and variable in morphology depending on degree of water movement. In J. minuta, tetrasporangia are replaced by unusual sporangia, each comprised of a large two-nucleate cell, bracketed by small, uninucleate apical and basal cells. This species also forms distinctive multicellular propagules. Jania parva has delicate fronds with dichotomies that tend to diverge widely; only bisporangial and gametangial plants have been found. Jania pulchella has two types of intergenicula, 'janioid' intergenicula which in fertile plants contain conceptacles, and basal compressed and lobed 'cheilosporoid' intergenicula; it is transferred from Cheilosporum pulchellum Harvey. Jania pusilla is usually epiphytic on Cystophora spp., and has small fronds with broad intergenicula. Jania verrucosa, the most robust species, forms dense tufts on low intertidal rocks in southern Australia and in other subtropical or temperate regions.
Corrigenda — Circumscription of Marsdenia (Asclepiadaceae: Marsdenieae), with a revision of the genus in Australia and Papuasia
Authors: Forster PI
Published: April 2005

The genus Marsdenia R.Br. is circumscribed utilising data from taxonomic history and morphology. and its relationship to other genera in the Marsdenieae is discussed. Genera that have usually been or commonly regarded as distinct. i.e. Gymnenla R.Br., Leichardtia R.Br., Bidaria (Endl.) Decne. and Thozetia F . Muell . ex Benth., are discussed and considered congeneric with Marsdenia. A revision of the Australian and Papuasian (Irian Jaya, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands) taxa of Marsdenia is presented and 78 species (one with two subspecies) and one putative interspecific hybrid are recognised. Forty-six taxa are accepted as new, namely Marsdenia ambuntiensis, M. archboldiana, M. argillicola, M . arfakensis, M. Belensis, bilobata, bliriensis, M. Brassii, M. Brevis, M. Brunnea, M. carrii, M. connivens, M. cremea, M. destituta, M. dischidioides, M. divisicola, M. egregia, M. jlavida, M. globosa, M. grandis, M. graniticola, M. hamata, M. kebarensis, M. lacicola, M. longipedicellata, M. millariae, M. mira, M. paludicola, M. papillosa, M. parva, M. poioensis, M. primulina, M. pumila, M. quadrata, M. rara, M. spathulata, M. straminea, M. subglobosa, M. torsiva, M. trilobata, M. tumida, M. urniflora, M. variabilis, M. venusta, M. viridiflora subsp. tropica and M. volcanica. A new name, M. angustata, is provided to replace Bidaria erecta F.Muell. New combinations made are M. brevifolia (Gymnema brevifolium Benth.), M. geminata (Gymnema geminata R.Br.), M. micradenia (Gymnema micradenium Benth.), M. muelleri (Gymnema muelleri Benth.), M. pleiadenia (Gymnema pleiadenia F.Muell.), M. rivularis (Gymnema rivular Schltr.), M. suborbicularis (Gymnema suborbiculare KSchum.), M. tricholepis (Gymnema tricholepis Schltr.) and M. trinewis (Gymnema triverve R.Br.). Lectotypes are chosen for a number of names. A putative hybrid is recorded between M. viridiflora subsp. viridiflora and M. microlepis. Separate keys to the Australian and Papuasian species of Marsdenia are given. Separate keys to the Australian and Papuasian genera of Asclepiadaceae are given.
Chionogentias (Gentianaceae), a new generic name for the Australasian 'snow-gentians', and a revision of the Australian species
Authors: Adams LG
Published: April 2005

The taxonomic and nomenclatural history of the Australasian snow-gentians (Gentianaceae) is reviewed and includes: (a) the state of its taxonomy in Australia; (b) the current tribal and subtribal context; (c) the status of the infra-generic basionym Oreophylax Endl.; (d) the status of sections Andicola Griseb. and Antarctophila Griseb., and (e) the question of generic relevance of Gentianella Moench, Selatium G.Don, Ulostoma G.Don and Pitygentias Gilg. Past confusion within the Australasian component involving misapplication of the names G. montana G.Forst., G. saxosa GForst. and G. diemensis Griseb. is resolved. The morphology, floral biology and breeding system of the purely Australasian elements are analysed and evidence is presented that justifies their taxonomic segregation as a new genus, Chionogentias L.G.Adams, gen. nov., typified by the New Zealand Chionogentias saxosa (G.Forst.) L.G.Adams. A key to Australian taxa is provided; 14 species and 10 subspecies are recorded for Australia, of which 12 and 8 respectively are newly described. New combinations are made for 27 Australasian species originally described under Gentiana: Chionogentias antarctica (Kirk) L.G.Adams, C. antipoda (Kirk) L.G.Adams, C. astonii (Petrie) L.G.Adams, C. bellidifolia (Hook.f.) L.G.Adams, C. cerina (H0ok.f.) L.G.Adams, C. chathamica (Cheeseman) L.G.Adams, C. concinna (Hook.f.) L.G.Adams, C. cotymbifera (Kirk) L.G.Adams, C. diemensis (Griseb.) L.G.Adams, C. divisa (Kirk) L.G.Adams, C. filipes (Cheeseman) L.G.Adams, C. gibbsii (Petrie) L.G.Adams, C. gracilifolia (Cheeseman) L.G.Adams, C. grisebachii (H0ok.f.) L.G.Adams, C. lilliputiana (C.J.Webb) L.G.Adams, C. lineata (Kirk) L.G.Adams, C. matthewsii (Petrie) L.G.Adams, C. montana (G.Forst.) L.G.Adams, C. patula (Kirk) L.G.Adams, C. pleurogynoides (Griseb.) L.G.Adams, C. saxosa (G.Forst.) L.G.Adams, C. serotina (Cockayne) L.G.Adams, C. spenceri (Kirk) L.G.Adams, C. tenuifolia (Petrie) L.G.Adams, C. tereticaulis (Petrie) L.G.Adams, C. townsonii (Cheeseman) L.G.Adams and C. vernicosa (Cheeseman) L.G.Adams.
Macrofossil Casuarinaceae: their identification and the oldest macrofossil record, Gymnostoma antiquum sp. nov., from the late paleocene of New South Wales, Australia
Authors: Scriven LJ , Hill RS
Published: April 2005

The oldest known Casuarinaceae macrofossils, from late Paleocene sediments at Lake Bungarby in New South Wales, are assigned to a new species of Casuarinaceae, Gymnostoma antiquum. The nearest living relatives of this species are the Papua New Guinean Gymnostoma species and in particular one as yet unnamed species. Previous problems relating to the preparation, identification and description of Casuarinaceae macrofossils are examined and clarified. The ecology of both living Gymnostoma and G. antiquum are discussed. The decrease in catastrophic disturbance and climate seasonality during the Cenozoic were probably major contributing factors leading to the current distribution of Gymnostoma.
Late cretaceous macrofloras of eastern Otago, New Zealand: Gymnosperms
Authors: Pole M
Published: April 2005

Six new coniferous fossils are described from the Late Cretaceous of eastern Otago, New Zealand. These include two new species of Araucaria, A. desmondii, for which a new section, Perpendicula is erected, and A. taieriensis. Syntypes of Dammara oweni Ettingsh. and D. uninervis Ettingsh. are illustrated and concluded to be a single species of Araucaria, A. oweni. The diagnosis of Araucarioides Bigwood & Hill is emended and a new species, A. falcata (the first record of this genus from New Zealand) is described. Podozamites taenioides Cantrill is also placed into Araucarioides. Two new genera and species of Podocarpaceae are described, Kaia minuta and Katikia inordinata. A new genus and species, Otakauia lanceolata, is described and placed in the Taxodiaceae. The type specimen of Sequoia novae-zeelandiae Ettingsh. (Taxodiaceae) is re-examined and its cuticle described for the first time. Its identity is confirmed, but it is placed in Sequoiadendron which follows a more recent nomenclatural change involving extant species. A range of more poorly preserved conifer material is illustrated. The original vegetation grew in near-polar latitudes and would have experienced long periods of winter-darkness.
The embyology and relationship of the Byblidaceae
Authors: Conran JG
Published: April 2005

The relationships of the Byblidaceae have been the subject of a number of recent molecular phylogenetic studies where their traditional relationships with the Roridulaceae and other members of the Rosidae have been overturned in favour of affinities with the Asteridae, in particular to the Lentibulariaceae in the Lamiales. Although the embryological relationships between these families were the subject of an earlier study, the data for the Byblidaceae were incomplete. The family has tetrasporangiate, bilocular anthers with a glandular bi-nucleate tapetum. Formation of the anther wall appears to be of the Dicotyledonous type, and the anthers have ephemeral middle layers and apical fibrous thickenings. Simultaneous microsporogenesis results in tetrahedral tetrads of bi-nucleate pollen grains. The ovules are anatropous, unitegmic and tenuinucellate. Megasporogenesis is direct from the archesporal cell, which in Byblis liniflora Salisb. divides to produce a linear tetrad from which a chalazal megaspore is derived (contrary to a report of a micropylar megaspore in B. gigantea Lindl.). Megagametogenesis conforms to the Polygonum type, and the antipodal cells are persistent. The endosperm is ab initio Cellular and there are well developed micropylar and chalazal haustoria. Embryogenesis appears to conform to the Onagrad type noted for several of the other members of the Lamiales s.l., including the Lentibulariaceae, to which the Byblidaceae have been related in recent molecular studies.
Leaf architecture in Adansonia, Bombax and Celiba (Bombacaceae)
Authors: Bhat RB
Published: April 2005

Leaf architecture was investigated in three species of the family Bombacaceae. The mature leaflets from both fresh and herbarium materials were cleared using the method of Mohan Ram and Nayyar (1977), and terminologies of Hickey (1973) were used to determine the leaf characters and the venation patterns. The whole lamina is more or less symmetrical in all the species investigated. The major venation pattern conforms to the types of camptodromous mixed with festooned brochidodromous, and festooned brochidodromous. In all the members of the family studied, the primary and secondary veins are ornamented with parenchymatous bundle sheaths. Imperfectly developed areoles are predominant over the developed ones. The size and the shape of the areole is variable. The vein endings may be simple, or once or sometimes twice dichotomously branched. The highest venation order of the family is sixth degree. Marginal ultimate venation is looped. Tracheids are either uni-, bi-, tri-, or multi-seriate and vary in shape and size, and are commonly found at the free ends of the veins. Extension cells and isolated tracheids are not common. These characters are remarkably different from those in members of the Malvaceae.
A taxonomic revision of Heliotropium (Boraginaceae) in Australia
Authors: Craven LA
Published: April 2005

The taxonomy of the Australian representatives of Heliotropium (Boraginaceae) is revised in the first comprehensive treatment of the genus of the genus for Australian since the publication in 1868 of Bentha's 'Flora Australiensis' account. Eighty-one species are recognised for the area, of which 78 are regarded as indigenous (75 endemic) with the remaining three species believed to be of recent introduction. Of the 51 new names proposed, 50 are the result of the description of new species. The remaining new name is required due to a change in status. Biological aspects briefly mentioned include breeding system and myrmecochoty.
A revision of Adriana (Euphorbiaceae)
Authors: Gross CL , Whalen MA
Published: April 2005

Adriana (Euphorbiaceae) is an endemic Australian genus of dioecious shrubs found widely throughout the mainland. Results of a taxonomic revision of Adriana are presented and a new taxonomy is proposed in which three taxa are recognised. Adriana quadripartita (Labill.) Muell. Arg. is a southern Australian, predominantly coastal taxon. Adriana tomentosa Gaudich. is a widely distributed species that exhibits considerable variation in leaf morphology and indumentum, in contrast to basic floral structure which is similar throughout the species, and it comprises two varieties. Adriana tomentosa var. tomentosa is a coastal and inland taxon with a distribution along both eastern and western seaboards and in northern Australia. Adriana tomentosa var. hookeri (F.Muell.) C.L.Gross & M.A.Whalen is an inland taxon occurring in the dry interior from Western Australia to New South Wales. A key to these taxa, descriptions and distribution maps are provided. Morphological variation patterns, the delimitation of taxa and the utility of different morphological characters as diagnostic features in Adriana are discussed.
Australasian truffle-like fungi. VIII. Gummiglobus and Andebbia gen. nov. (Basidiomycotina, Mesophelliaceae) and a supplement to the nomenclatural bibliography of Basidiomycotina
Authors: Trappe JM , Castellano MA , Amaranthus MP
Published: April 2005

Two new genera, Gummiglobus with two species and the monotypic Andebbia, are described as segregates from the genus Mesophellia. Both genera have minutely ornamented spores. The species of Gummiglobus, moreover, have columellae with wedge-shaped to digitate or strand-like projections that extend to the endocutis of the peridium and are embedded in a remarkable gummy tissue.
Acacia multistipulosa and A. Rigescens (Fabaceae: Mimosoideae, Acacia sect. Juliflorae), two new species from the Northern Territory, Australia
Authors: Tindale MD , Bedward M , Kodela PG
Published: April 2005

Acacia multistipulosa and A. rigescens, two new species of Fabaceae: Mimosoideae, Acacia sect. Juliflorae from the Northern Territory, Australia, are described and their putative relationships are presented.
Rates of intron loss and gain: Implications for early eukaryotic evolution
Authors: Roy Scott William , Gilbert Walter
Published: April 2005

We study the intron–exon structures of 684 groups of orthologs from seven diverse eukaryotic genomes and provide maximum likelihood estimates for rates and numbers of intron losses and gains in these same genes for a variety of lineages. Rates of intron loss vary from ≈2 × 10–9to 2 × 10–10per year. Rates of gain vary from 6 × 10–13to 4 × 10–12per possible intron insertion site per year. There is an inverse correspondence between rates of intron loss and gain, leading to a 20-fold variation among lineages in the ratio of the rates of the two processes. The observed rates of intron gain are insufficient to explain the large number of introns estimated to have been present in the plant–animal ancestor, suggesting that introns present in early eukaryotes may have been created by a fundamentally different process than more recently gained introns.
Carbohydrate localization on Gyrodactylus salaris and G. derjavini and corresponding carbohydrate binding capacity of their hosts Salmo salar and S. trutta
Authors: Jørndrup S. , Buchmann K.
Published: April 2005

The congeners Gyrodactylus salaris and G. derjavini are specific ectoparasites of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar and brown trout S. trutta, respectively. To elucidate the involvement of lectin–carbohydrate interactions in this host specificity, carbohydrates on the tegument of the two species and the corresponding lectin activity of their hosts have been studied. Carbohydrate composition on the tegument differed significantly between the two gyrodactylids. Three of four commercially available peroxidase-labelled lectins with primary affinity towards D-mannoside, D-GalNAc and L-fucose bound more strongly to G. derjavini than to G. salaris. Lectins with an affinity towards D-mannoside and D-GalNAc bound significantly stronger to the cephalic lobes on G. derjavini compared to the tegument and sheaths of the hamuli. One brown trout strain and three different salmon strains were tested for lectin activity in skin and plasma. Two Baltic salmon strains and one strain from the Atlantic region were included. Brown trout differed significantly from the salmon strains when skin samples were tested for D-GalNAc activity. Lectins binding to other carbohydrates showed trends for similar host differences. The implications of carbohydrate–lectin interactions for host specificity in gyrodactylids are discussed.
Accumulation of the precious metals platinum, palladium and rhodium from automobile catalytic converters in Paratenuisentis ambiguus as compared with its fish host, Anguilla anguilla
Authors: Zimmermann S. , von Bohlen A. , Messerschmidt J. , Sures B.
Published: April 2005

The platinum group metals (PGM) Pt, Pd and Rh are emitted into the environment mainly by catalytic exhaust gas converters of cars. As PGM accumulate in sediments of aquatic ecosystems, the study was focused on the uptake of the noble metals by European eels, Anguilla anguilla infected with the acanthocephalan Paratenuisentis ambiguus. Eels were exposed to ground catalytic converter material for six weeks. After exposure Pt and Pd were detected in the liver and kidney of the eels and in the parasites. Palladium was also found in fish muscle and intestine. No Rh uptake by the eel tissues and the parasites occurred. Paratenuisentis ambiguus contained the highest levels of both metals with 40 times higher Pt concentrations and four times higher Pd concentrations than the liver of its host. Due to its accumulation capacity for PGM, P. ambiguus can be applied as a sensitive accumulation indicator in field studies to assess the degree of environmental PGM contamination in aquatic ecosystems.
Host population density as the major determinant of endoparasite species richness in floodplain fishes of the upper Paraná River, Brazil
Authors: Takemoto R.M. , Pavanelli G.C. , Lizama M.A.P. , Luque J.L. , Poulin R.
Published: April 2005

A comparative analysis of parasite species richness was performed across 53 species of fish from the floodplain of the upper Paraná River, Brazil. Values of catch per unit effort, CPUE (number of individuals of a given fish species captured per 1000 m2 of net during 24 h) were used as a rough measure of population density for each fish species in order to test its influence on endoparasite species richness. The effects of several other host traits (body size, social behaviour, reproductive behaviour, spawning type, trophic category, feeding habits, relative position in the food web, preference for certain habitats and whether the fish species are native or exotic) on metazoan endoparasite species richness were also evaluated. The CPUE was the sole significant predictor of parasite species richness, whether controlling for the confounding influences of host phylogeny and sampling effort or not. The results suggest that in the floodplain of the upper Paraná River (with homogeneous physical characteristics and occurrence of many flood pulses), population density of different host species might be the major determinant of their parasite species richness.
Parasitic zoonoses in Papua New Guinea
Authors: Owen I.L.
Published: April 2005

Relatively few species of zoonotic parasites have been recorded in humans in Papua New Guinea. A greater number of potentially zoonotic species, mostly nematodes, occur in animals but are yet to be reported from humans. Protozoa is the best represented group of those infecting man, with Giardia duodenalis, Cryptosporidium parvum, Cyclospora cayetanesis, Toxoplasma gondii, Sarcocystis spp., Entamoeba polecki, Balantidium coli and, possibly, Blastocystis hominis. The only zoonotic helminths infecting humans include the trematode Paragonimus westermani, the cestodes Hymenolepis nana, H. diminuta and the sparganum larva of Spirometra erinacea, and the nematodes Trichinella papuae and Angiostrongylus cantonensis and, possibly, Ascaris suum. Other groups represented are Acanthocephala (Macracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus)), insects (Chrysomya bezziana, Cimex sp., Ctenocephalides spp.), and mites (Leptotrombidium spp. and, possibly Sarcoptes scabiei, and Demodex sp.). One leech (Phytobdella lineata) may also be considered as being zoonotic. The paucity of zoonotic parasite species can be attributed to long historical isolation of the island of New Guinea and its people, and the absence until recent times of large placental mammals other than pig and dog. Some zoonotic helminths have entered the country with recent importation of domestic animals, in spite of quarantine regulations, and a few more (two cestodes, one nematode and one tick) are poised to enter from neighbouring countries, given the opportunity. Improvement in water supplies, human hygiene and sanitation would reduce the prevalence of many of these parasites, and thorough cooking of meat would lessen the risk of infection by some others.
Impact of health educational programmes on the prevalence of enterobiasis in schoolchildren in Thailand
Authors: Nithikathkul C. , Akarachantachote N. , Wannapinyosheep S. , Pumdonming W. , Brodsky M. , Sukthana Y.
Published: April 2005

Enterobiasis is a worldwide prevalent disease particularly in low income areas. The budget needed for the prevention, treatment and eradication of the disease has thus far frustrated the limited budgets of global public health systems. A study was undertaken to determine if education in addition to medical treatment of enterobiasis could make a difference to the rates of infection. A total of 777 children (399 male and 378 female) from 11 elementary schools in five districts of Samut Prakan Province, Thailand were examined between December 2000 and March 2002. In five of the 11 schools studied, medical treatments were applied, followed by a programme of educating the children in the prevention of infection. Children in the remaining six schools received medical treatment only. The study showed a decrease in infections among children who received supplementary education. This decrease was significant in comparison to the decrease shown among children who received medical treatment only. The study therefore showed that educating high risk individuals played a key role in the prevention of enterobiasis.
Ants as first intermediate hosts of Mesocestoides on San Miguel Island, USA
Authors: Padgett K.A. , Boyce W.M.
Published: April 2005

This study tested the hypotheses that ants (Formicidae) function as a first intermediate host of Mesocestoides (Cestoda: Mesocestoididae) and that deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) develop metacestode infections after ingesting cysticercoid or procercoid-infected ants. Field studies were conducted at an island fox (Urocyon littoralis littoralis) breeding facility located on San Miguel Island, California Channel Islands National Park, USA, where >40% of captive foxes were infected with adult Mesocestoides. Eight percent (8%) of deer mice at the fox pen site were infected with Mesocestoides metacestodes while none were infected at a distant site where foxes were absent (campground), thereby indicating the potential localized presence of a first intermediate host. To test whether ants from San Miguel Island contained Mesocestoides DNA, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based diagnostic assay was developed using nested primers that could detect a single hexacanth larva within pooled samples of ten ants. Ants (Lasius niger and Tapinoma sessile) collected near the fox breeding facility were tested using the nested-PCR assay. Seven of 223 pooled samples of L. niger (3.1%) and 2 of 84 pooled samples of T. sessile (2.4%) tested positive for Mesocestoides DNA, while none of the ants were positive at the campground site. Positive samples were sequenced and found to match DNA sequences from Mesocestoides obtained from island fox and deer mice. Finally, to determine whether ants function as a first intermediate host for Mesocestoides, colony-raised deer mice (n=47) were fed L. niger (n=3860) or T. sessile (n=339) collected from the San Miguel Island fox breeding facility. No mouse became infected with Mesocestoides metacestodes after ingesting ants. While both L. niger and T. sessile from SMI were positive for Mesocestoides DNA, they were not infective to deer mice in the laboratory.
B-vitamins, homocysteine metabolism and CVD
Authors: Strain J. J. , Dowey L. , Ward M. , Pentieva K. , McNulty H.
Published: April 2005

The present review focuses on the B-vitamins, i.e. folate, vitamin B12, vitamin B6and riboflavin, that are involved in homocysteine metabolism. Homocysteine is a S-containing amino acid and its plasma concentrations can be raised by various constitutive, genetic and lifestyle factors, by inadequate nutrient status and as a result of systemic disease and various drugs. Hyperhomocysteinaemia is a modest independent predictor of CVD and stroke, but causality and the precise pathophysiological mechanism(s) of homocysteine action remain unproven. The predominant nutritional cause of raised plasma homocysteine in most healthy populations is folate insufficiency. Vitamin B12and, to a lesser extent, vitamin B6are also effective at lowering plasma homocysteine, especially after homocysteine lowering by folic acid in those individuals presenting with raised plasma homocysteine. However, riboflavin supplementation appears to be effective at lowering plasma homocysteine only in those individuals homozygous for the T allele of the C677 T polymorphism of the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene. This gene codes for the MTHFR enzyme that produces methyltetrahydrofolate, which, in turn, is a substrate for the remethylation of homocysteine by the vitamin B12-dependent enzyme methionine synthase. Individuals with the MTHFR 677 TT genotype are genetically predisposed to elevated plasma homocysteine, and in most populations have a markedly higher risk of CVD.
Plant secondary metabolites: antiparasitic effects and their role in ruminant production systems
Authors: Athanasiadou Spiridoula , Kyriazakis Ilias
Published: April 2005

The purported antiparasitic properties of plant secondary metabolites (PSM) have been the cause of controversy amongst the scientific community. Despite long-standing knowledge of the prophylactic and therapeutic properties of PSM-rich extracts, which comes mainly from ethnoveterinary sources, the scientific evidence of the antiparasitic effects of PSM is inconsistent. In the first part of the present paper the causes of this controversy are addressed, and the evidence available on the antiparasitic effects of PSM is critically examined. The focus is on examples of the antiparasitic activity of PSM against helminth nematodes. The conclusion is that PSM can have antiparasitic properties, which depend on their structure, level of ingestion and availability within the gastrointestinal tract of the animal. The second part is an appraisal of the potential role of PSM for parasite control in ruminant production systems. Despite their antiparasitic properties, PSM consumption does not necessarily have positive consequences in parasitised herbivores, as excessive consumption of PSM can adversely affect herbivore fitness and survival, through their anti-nutritional properties. For this reason it is suggested that the antiparasitic properties of PSM should be assessed at the same time as their anti-nutritional effects. The same measure, e.g. the performance of parasitised hosts, should be used when assessing these properties. The assessment of the costs and benefits suggests that parasitised herbivores can benefit from the long-term consumption of PSM only if the antiparasitic benefits outweigh the anti-nutritional costs of PSM. In addition, it is proposed that parasitised animals might be able to benefit from PSM consumption even if their performance is impaired, as long as the latter is a short-term compromise that leads to long-term benefits.
A Typology of Orientations
Authors: Niedermayer Oskar , Westle Bettina
Published: April 2005

If the analogy between internationalized governance and domestic national governance is valid, there should be some parallels between the types or dimensions of orientations of public opinion at the international and national level. Accordingly, this chapter approaches the task of developing a typology of orientations towards internationalized governance by way of a critical review of the two main classifications of the dimensions of orientations towards political systems – that of ‘civic culture’ formulated by Almond and Verbena, and that of systems analysis developed by Easton. The chapter then extends this review to examine a third classification, which deals specifically with orientations towards the European Community.
Is There a European Identity?
Authors: Duchesne Sophie , Frognier André‐Paul
Published: April 2005

This chapter focuses on how far citizens of member‐states of the European Community consider themselves as belonging to a distinct political entity. Specifically, it focuses on the relationship between different levels of ‘belonging’, from the local to the European, and even the world level, and on the feeling of being a ‘European citizen’ or a ‘European’. The empirical evidence provided by ‘Eurobarometer’ public opinion survey data indicates clearly that it is too early to speak of the internationalization of identities. For the present, a ‘European identity’ is a vanguard phenomenon.
The View from EFTA
Authors: Aarebrot Frank , Berglund Sten , Weninger Thomas
Published: April 2005

This chapter examines public opinion regarding European Community integration in the five small but comparatively prosperous countries in the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). The evidence reveals a split. On the one hand, there is the positive endorsement expressed in Austria, Finland and Sweden; on the other, there is the negative assessment expressed in Norway and Switzerland. This ambivalence confirms that the impact of centre‐periphery location is complex. Moreover, as the Norwegian and Swiss cases indicate, the centre‐periphery cleavage within countries is as relevant as that between countries to an understanding of support for internationalized governance.
Standards, Breakwaters and Watchdogs: The Collective Governance of Financial Markets
Authors: Lanzi Diego
Published: April 2005

By starting from two recent books by Brookings, in this review we briefly argue for institutions: building processes aimed to provide rules, norms and standards for the collective governance of financial markets.
Effects of temperature on larval fish swimming performance: the importance of physics to physiology
Authors: Herbing I. Hunt von
Published: April 2005

Temperature influences both the physiology offish larvae and the physics of the flow conditions under which they swim. For small larvae in low Reynolds number (Re) hydrodynamic environments dominated by frictional drag, temperature‐induced changes in the physics of water flow have the greatest effect on swimming performance. For larger larvae, in higher Re environments, temperature‐induced changes in physiology become more important as larvae swim faster and changes in swimming patterns and mechanics occur. Physiological rates at different temperatures have been quantified using Q10s with the assumption that temperature only affected physiological variables. Consequently, Q10s that did not consider temperature‐induced changes in viscosity overestimated the effect of temperature on physiology by 58% and 56% in cold‐water herring and cod larvae respectively. In contrast, in warm‐water Danube bleak larvae, Q10s overestimated temperature‐induced effects on physiology by only 5–7%. This may be because in warm water, temperature‐induced changes affect viscosity to a smaller degree than in cold water. Temperature also affects muscle contractility and efficiency and at high swimming velocities, efficiency decreases more rapidly in cold‐exposed than in warm‐exposed muscle fibres. Further experiments are needed to determine whether temperature acts differently on swimming metabolism in different thermal environments. While hydrodynamic factors appear to be very important to larval fish swimming performance in cold water, they appear to lose importance in warm water where temperature effects on physiology dominate. This may suggest that major differences exist among locomotory capacities of larval fish that inhabit cold, temperate waters compared to those that live in warm tropical waters. It is possible that fish larvae may have developed strategies that affect dispersal and recruitment in different aquatic habitats in order to cope not only with temperature‐induced physiological challenges, but physical challenges as well.
Reduced swimming performance in delta smelt infected with Mycobacterium spp.
Authors: Swanson C. , Baxa D. V. , Young P. S. , Cech J. J. , Hedrick R. P.
Published: April 2005

Delta smelt Hypomesus transpacificus infected with Mycobacterium spp. swam significantly more slowly (mean ±s.e., 24±5 ± 1·2 cm s −1) than uninfected fish (30·0 ± 1·7 cm s −1). Differences in swimming performance were not attributable to differences in fish size (Ls or wet mass), condition factor or laboratory holding duration. Similar proportions of non‐fatigue‐related swimming failure among the uninfected and infected fish indicated that mycobacteriosis did not affect the willingness of delta smelt to swim in the flume. Level of infection, measured for the dominant M. chelonae pathogen using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), did not affect critical swimming velocity.
Fabrication of Optically Transparent and Electrooptic Strontium Barium Niobate Ceramics
Authors: VanDamme Nobuko S. , Sutherland Audrey E. , Jones Lori , Bridger Keith , Winzer Stephen R.
Published: April 2005

The tetragonal tungsten bronze (TTB) type of SrxBa1−xm Nb2O6 (SBN) (0.5 ≤x≤ 0.75) was synthesized by a mixed‐oxide route. Using the two‐step densification process of pressureless sintering followed by oxygen HIPing, transparent ceramics were successfully fabricated. Microstructural, dielectric, optical, and electrooptic properties were investigated. All single‐phase TTB‐type SBN showed the characteristics of relaxor ferroelectrics. The extinction coefficients of the sample with the highest transparency were calculated from transmission spectra to be 30.4, 5.8, and 2.4 cm−1 at 600, 1450, and 2000 nm, respectively. The linear electrooptic coefficients for SBN55, r33 and r13, were 46 × 10−12 and 21 × 10−12 m/V at 633 nm, respectively.
Low‐Temperature Aging of t′‐Zirconia: The Role of Microstructure on Phase Stability
Authors: Jue Jan Fong , Chen Jong , Virkar Anil V.
Published: April 2005

Polycrystalline, tetragonal (t′) zirconia samples containing 3 and 4 mol% yttria were fabricated by annealing pressureless‐sintered samples in air at ∼ 2100°C for 15 min. The grain size of these fully tetragonal samples was on the order of 100 to 200 μm. Domain structure of the samples and of a 3‐mol%‐yttria‐doped tetragonal zirconia single crystal was examined by transmission optical microscopy under polarized light and by transmission electron microscopy. The orientations of the domain/colony boundaries were in accord with the predictions of group theory. As‐polished surfaces of polycrystalline t′ materials showed no monoclinic phase even after 1000 h at 275°C in air. By contrast, conventionally yttria‐doped tetragonal zirconia polycrystalline (Y‐TZP) ceramics of grain size >0.5 μm showed substantial transformation. Surface grinding enhanced the resistance to degradation of Y‐TZP but decreased that of t′ materials. Even then, the t′ materials exhibited better resistance to degradation than the Y‐TZP ceramics. Excellent resistance of the t′ materials to low‐temperature aging despite a very large grain size and the opposite effect of grinding on phase stability are all explained on the basis of ferroelastic domain structure of these materials.
Microwave Dielectric Properties of Doped BaTi4O9
Authors: Mhaisalkar Subodh G. , Readey Dennis W. , Akbar Sheikh A.
Published: April 2005

Polycrystalline BaTi4O9 doped with Mn, Sn, Zr, Ca, Sr, and Pb was prepared from carbonates and oxides. Single‐phase ceramics with densities exceeding 97% of theoretical were made with up to 3 mol% Mn; 6 mol% Sn, Zr, and Ca; and 8 mol% Sr and Pb. Dielectric constant, k, quality factor, Q, and temperature coefficient of frequency, τf, of ∼37, 5675, and 15 ppm/°C, respectively, were determined at 4 GHz for undoped BaTi4O9. Doping did not significantly affect k and τf. However, doping with Mn, Sn, and Pb lowered Q, whereas doping with Zr, Ca, and Sr increased Q by up to 2000. Additions of 0.5 mol% MnO2 as a second phase improved Q from 3675 to 7600.