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Thecomplete chloroplast (cp) genome of Ilex ‘Tall Boy’, an important economic plant with ornamental and ecological values, was sequenced to investigate its phylogenetic relationship. The entire cp ...

The iconic tree species, Arbutus menziesii (Pacific madrona, madrone arbutus), has been in decline in the Pacific Northwest of North America for the past 40 years. It is thought that the fungal pathogen Neofusicoccum arbuti has contributed to the decline of this tree species. In recent years, there have been reports of declining arbutus in the coastal region of southern British Columbia, Canada. We conducted intensive sampling in a park with severely affected arbutus trees to determine the cause and prevalence of decline. The majority of arbutus trees sampled in this study had cankers associated with N. arbuti infection. We also sought to determine if N. arbuti has additional hosts that could act as a reservoir for this pathogen. Six new hosts of N. arbuti were identified, and a seventh was confirmed; these hosts spanned four taxonomic orders and included Amelanchier alnifolia, Cytisus scoparius (confirmed), Gaultheria shallon, Ilex aquifolium, Rosa sp., Sorbus sitchensis and Spiraea douglasii. Re...

In this study, we investigated the environmental factors associated with the establishment of invasive English holly (Ilex aquifolium) and the spatiotemporal trajectories of its potential spread. We collected georeferenced presence and absence and demographic data of holly between 2011 and 2014 in Saint Edward State Park, Washington. We analyzed them through a spatially explicit framework that combines multiple logistic regression, cellular automata, and bivariate quadratic modeling. Results showed that the presence of holly is influenced by the proximity to evergreen coniferous vegetation and forest edge, distance to streams, forest structure, and slope direction. Our study confirmed that local environmental conditions, species characteristics, and vegetative and dispersal mechanisms play a significant role in determining the rate and success of holly establishment across the different phases of invasion. Invasive species management plans should consider both species characteristics and their habitat and...

WOS: 000269481300007, The objective of this study was to examine antibacterial, antifungal, and antimycobacterial properties of flex aquifolium L. (Aquifoliaceae) growing in Turkey. The ethanol, ethyl acetate, chloroform, and n-hexane extracts prepared from the leaves of I. aquifolium were tested against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter aerogenes, Proteus vulgaris, Salmonella typhimurium, and Candida albicans for antibacterial and antifungal evaluation using the microdilution broth susceptibility assay. In addition, antimycobacterial activity of the crude extracts of I. aquifolium was evaluated by microplate Alamar blue assay. The results showed that the extracts tested, except n-hexane, possessed moderate antibacterial and antifungal activity varying from 62.5 to 250 mu g/mL. On the other hand, the ethanol extract of the leaves exhibited a minimum inhibitory concentration value (MIC) against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra strain of 200 mu g/mL.

We analyzed the role of birds and mammals as seed dispersers of 3 fleshy-fruited tree species, hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), holly (Ilex aquifolium), and yew (Taxus baccata), in a temperate secondary forest in northwestern Spain. Seed dispersal patterns were assessed from direct observations of the disperser birds (thrushes, Turdus spp.), from the collection of bird and mammal defecations; and from seed rain estimates in fixed plots. Some highly specific interactions emerged, especially for the pairs Turdus iliacus–Ilex and T. philomelos–Taxus, due to dispersers' fruit preferences and because some fruit species were more consumed than others. Seeds removed by mammals (mainly fox, Vulpes vulpes, and badger, Meles meles) were deposited in large faecal clumps that were mainly found in open areas, whereas those removed by birds appeared in smaller clumps, located mostly in covered microhabitats. Flocking species (T. viscivorus, T. pilaris, and T. iliacus) flew longer distances after fruit consumptio...

Summary Seven tree species (Acer campestre, Betula pendula, Ilex aquifolium, Jugulans regia, Quercus ilex, Prunus avium, and Sorbus aucuparia) commonly planted into urban landscapes throughout the UK were subjected to foliar applied salt (NaCl). Chlorophyll fluorescence, photosynthetic rates, leaf chlorophyll content and growth were used to assess short and long term tree responses. Recovery rates of foliar tissue from salinity damage did not markedly differ between species. Likewise, although reductions in tree growth were recorded for all species compared to controls at the cessation of the experiment, no mortalities were recorded. Results showed no major differences in foliar salt tolerance between the seven species tested. Use of chlorophyll fluorescence to monitor effects on the plastoquinone electron acceptor side reactions, pool size and heterogeneity of photosystem II and absorption, trapping and electron transport energy fluxes per cross section of photosystem II provided previously unreported ef...

Chloroplast movements provide a means for fine-tuning the absorption of radiation in leaves. Since evergreen sclerophylls may experience very different light levels during the seasons and at different locations either at the periphery or in the interior of a forest, such a mechanism must theoretically be of great importance for them. Detailed field and laboratory studies on sclerophylls are however lacking. We provide first evidence that chloroplasts in the leaf mesophyll of both Ilex aquifolium (holly) and Prunus laurocerasus (cherry laurel) may be stimulated by low light intensities. Even at winter temperatures close to freezing, chloroplasts move to a position where light absorption is increased. Effects of temperature, light pretreatment and light quality for the induction of movement are described.

The results of previous investigations in mineralized and sterile areas of Tuscany (Italy) appeared to point out the special aptitude of holly (Ilex aquifolium L.) in concentrating cadmium and zinc. in the present paper this behaviour has been verified in a mineralized area of Lombardy (Northern Italy). Samples of leaves, twigs and barks from holly trees were collected, and metal contents (Zn, Cd, and Pb) have been determined by differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV). for comparison, some samples of wood anemone (Anemone nemorosa L.) and soil were also analyzed. The data obtained confirm a preferential cadmium and zinc accumulation by holly (up to 16 and 1400 μg g-1 dry weight, respectively) also depending on different vegetal organs and vegetative stages of plants. Highest contents of lead have been recovered in the outer portion of bark.

The drupes of Ilex aquifolium contain up to four pyrenes, but brood size reduction by both pyrene number reduction and/or seed abortion producing blank pyrenes affected 2/3 of fruit production. The...

Summary The effects of experimental alteration of season (summer/winter) and intensity of sheep grazing on browsing damage to planted saplings in an upland broadleaved woodland in Cumbria are reported. For saplings of Fraxinus excelsior, Ilex aquifolium and Quercus petraea planted in 1986, browsing of current year's shoots was greatest in summer but browsing of previous years' shoots was greatest in winter. For saplings planted in 1988, season of grazing only significantly affected Quercus petraea, with more damage in winter than summer. Intensity of grazing affected saplings planted in 1988 of all three species, with increased damage at higher grazing intensities. It is suggested that, for sheep, the availability of non-woody forage may be an important determinant of the degree of browsing damage to saplings, which has implications for the choice of herbivore for woodland grazing management.