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The Philippines is one of only a few countries where Coffea liberica is commercially produced. Two infra-species, C. liberica liberica (also locally known as 'liberica') and C. liberica var dewevrei (also known as 'excelsa') comprise 1.1% and 5.7% of the national coffee production, respectively. These rare varieties are produced widely in the provinces of Batangas and Cavite mainly because of historical affinity, a local market, and more recently the renewed interest from importers. Aside from its unique flavor profile, renewed interest comes from the potential of the larger beans and deeper root systems of the species to thrive on a warming planet. In this paper, we present work that has been performed in evaluating bean morphology, chlorogenic acid, caffeine content and genetic variability of C. liberica varieties from different areas of the country. The initial efforts to predict areas for increased production were based on a maximum entropy model. Combining these data provides insights into development areas for increased production in the Philippines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The corallum is crucial in building coral reefs and in diagnosing systematic relationships in the order Scleractinia. However, molecular phylogenetic analyses revealed a paraphyly in a majority of traditional families and genera among Scleractinia showing that other biological attributes of the coral, such as polyp morphology and reproductive traits, are underutilized. Among scleractinian genera, the Euphyllia, with nine nominal species in the Indo-Pacific region, is one of the groups that await phylogenetic resolution. Multiple genetic markers were used to construct the phylogeny of six Euphyllia species, namely E. ancora, E. divisa, E. glabrescens, E. paraancora, E. paradivisa, and E. yaeyamaensis. The phylogeny guided the inferences on the contributions of the colony structure, polyp morphology, and life history traits to the systematics of the largest genus in Euphyllidae (clade V) and, by extension, to the rest of clade V. Results. Analyses of cytochrome oxidase 1 (cox1), cytochrome b (cytb), and β-tubulin genes of 36 colonies representing Euphyllia and a confamilial species, Galaxea fascicularis, reveal two distinct groups in the Euphyllia that originated from different ancestors. Euphyllia glabrescens formed a separate group. Euphyllia ancora, E. divisa, E. paraancora, E. paradivisa, and E. yaeyamaensis clustered together and diverged from the same ancestor as G. fascicularis. The 3′-end of the cox1 gene of Euphyllia was able to distinguish morphospecies. Discussion. Species of Euphyllia were traditionally classified into two subgenera, Euphyllia and Fimbriaphyllia, which represented a dichotomy on colony structure. The paraphyletic groups retained the original members of the subgenera providing a strong basis for recognizing Fimbriaphyllia as a genus. However, colony structure was found to be a convergent trait between Euphyllia and Fimbriaphyllia, while polyp shape and length, sexuality, and reproductive mode defined the dichotomy better. Species in a genus are distinguished by combining polyp morphology and colony form. The cluster of E. glabrescens of the Euphyllia group is a hermaphroditic brooder with long, tubular tentacles with knob-like tips, and a phaceloid colony structure. The Fimbriaphyllia group, with F. paraancora, F. paradivisa, F. ancora, F. divisa, and F. yaeyamaensis, are gonochoric broadcast spawners with short polyps, mixed types of tentacle shapes, and a phaceloid or flabello-meandroid skeleton. Soft-tissue morphology of G. fascicularis and Ctenella chagius were found to be consistent with the dichotomy. Conclusions. The paraphyly of the original members of the previous subgenera justify recognizing Fimbriaphyllia as a genus. The integrated approach demonstrates that combining polyp features, reproductive traits, and skeletal morphology is of high systematic value not just to Euphyllia and Fimbriaphyllia but also to clade V; thus, laying the groundwork for resolving the phylogeny of clade V. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world is in the midst of a biodiversity crisis, threatening essential goods and services on which humanity depends. While there is an urgent need globally for biodiversity research, growing obstacles are severely limiting biodiversity research throughout the developing world, particularly in southeast Asia. Facilities, funding, and expertise are often limited throughout this region, reducing the capacity for local biodiversity research. Although western scientists generally have more expertise and capacity, international research has sometimes been exploitative "parachute science," creating a culture of suspicion and mistrust. These issues, combined with misplaced fears of biopiracy, have resulted in severe roadblocks to biodiversity research in the very countries that need it the most. Here, we present an overview of challenges to biodiversity research and case studies that provide productive models for advancing biodiversity research in developing countries. Key to success is integration of research and education, a model that fosters sustained collaboration by focusing on the process of conducting biodiversity research as well as research results. This model simultaneously expands biodiversity research capacity while building trust across national borders. It is critical that developing countries enact policies that protect their biodiversity capital without shutting down international and local biodiversity research that is essential to achieve the long-term sustainability of biodiversity, promoting food security and economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine habitats are in decline worldwide, precipitating a strong interest in marine conservation. The use of biogeographic data to designate ecoregions has had significant impacts on terrestrial conservation efforts. However, classification of marine environments into ecoregions has only become available in the last several years, based on biogeographic data supplemented by geomorphology, ocean currents, and water temperatures. Here we use a comparative phylogeographic approach to test for concordant phylogeographic patterns in three closely related species of Tridacna giant clams across the coral triangle, the most biodiverse marine region in the world and one of the most threatened. Data from a 450 base pair fragment of mitochondrial cytochrome-c oxidase subunit one DNA from 1739 giant clams across Indonesia and the Philippines show strong concordance between phylogeographic patterns in three species of giant clams as well as evidence for potentially undescribed species within the genus. Phylogeographic patterns correspond broadly to marine ecoregions proposed by spalding et al. (2007), indicating that processes contributing to biogeographic boundaries likely also limit genetic connectivity across this region. These data can assist with designing more effective networks of marine protected areas by ensuring that unique biogeographic and phylogeographic regions are represented in regional conservation planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy metal levels (Pb and Cu) on adult mud crabs (Scylla spp.) from the East Bataan Coast were determined. Muscle tissue from each crab was processed through nitric acid digestion and analyzed using atomic absorption spectroscopy. The average concentrations in the samples were 3.37 × 10(-3) and 1.01 mg/L-both within WHO acceptable limits. These were contrasted with the levels found in sediments from catch and grow-out sites (17.9, 14.5, 37.8, and 31.3 mg/L) and were found to be significantly lower in concentration. It takes 3-8 months before adult mud crabs can be harvested from grow-out ponds, and the data suggests that the organisms, even when constantly exposed to high levels of Pb and Cu, do not bio-accumulate toxic levels of these heavy metals. Mud crabs constitute a major economic natural resource in the Philippines and in the province of Bataan. Commanding high prices due to the quality of its meat, it is also a preferred culture product due to its impressive size, rapid growth rate, and high flesh content. Mud crab culture in Bataan is primarily driven by grow-out of captured juveniles in pen or pond cultures sourced from nearby bodies of water-making them vulnerable to prolonged exposure to pollutants. The East Bataan Coast shares its waters with the polluted Manila Bay, giving rise to the concern of the quality of seafood acquired from the area.