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The DNA barcoding technique developed for species identification has recently been adapted for ecological studies (e.g. host plant identification). Comprehensive barcode databases, covering most species inhabiting areas, habitats or communities of interest are essential for reliable and efficient identification of plants. Here we present a three-barcode (plastid rbcL and matK genes and the trnL intron) database for xerothermic plant species from central Europe. About 85% of the xerothermic plant species (126 out of c. 150) known to be associated with xerothermic habitats were collected and barcoded. The database contains barcodes for 117 (rbcL and trnL) and 96 (matK) species. Interspecific nucleotide distances were in the ranges 0–17.9% (0–3.2% within genera) for rbcL, 0–44.4% (0–3.1%) for trnL and 0–52.5% (0–10.9%) for matK. Blast-searching of each sequence in the database against the entire database showed that species-level identification is possible for 89.6% (rbcL), 98.4% (trnL) and 96.4% (matK) of examined plant species. The utility of the presented database for identification of host plants was demonstrated using two insect species associated with xerothermic habitats: the oligophagous leaf-beetle Cheilotoma musciformis (for which two host plants in Fabaceae were identified) and the polyphagous weevil Polydrusus inustus (which was found to feed on 14 host plants, mostly Rosaceae, Asteraceae and Fabaceae). The developed database will be useful in various applications, including biodiversity, phylogeography, conservation and ecology. © 2015 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2015, 177, 576–592.

×Anthepleurospermum gruetterianum, a validly published name for the hybrid between Anthemis arvensis and Tripleurospermum inodorum, is lectotypified.

Root endophyte colonization was investigated in 32 fern and lycophyte species of 11 families collected from the Celaque National Park in Honduras. Arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM) were found in 11 plant species (34%) of Anemiaceae, Gleicheniaceae, Ophioglossaceae, Pteridaceae, Selaginellaceae, Thelypteridaceae, and Woodsiaceae. The abundance of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in roots varied with particular species, ranging from 4% (Sticherus underwoodianus) to 78% (Thelypteris patens). The morphological AM colonization pattern of all investigated species was of the Paris-type. The mycelium of dark septate endophytes (DSE) was found in 19 species (58%), and was observed both in the roots of plants that were colonized by AMF and were devoid of AM association. However, in both cases the percentage of root colonization by these fungi was low. Exceptions were Asplenium serra, Elaphoglossum erinaceum, Lellingeria prionodes, and Lycopodium thyoides, where abundant DSE hyphae were observed. Our results ar...

DNA barcoding facilitates many evolutionary and ecological studies, including the examination of the dietary diversity of herbivores. In this study, we present a survey of ecological associations between herbivorous beetles and host plants from seriously threatened European steppic grasslands. We determined host plants for the majority (65%) of steppic leaf beetles (55 species) and weevils (59) known from central Europe using two barcodes (trnL and rbcL) and two sequencing strategies (Sanger for mono/oligophagous species and Illumina for polyphagous taxa). To better understand the ecological associations between steppic beetles and their host plants, we tested the hypothesis that leaf beetles and weevils differ in food selection as a result of their phylogenetic relations (within genera and between families) and interactions with host plants. We found 224 links between the beetles and the plants. Beetles belonging to seven genera feed on the same or related plants. Their preferences were probably inherited from common ancestors and/or resulted from the host plant's chemistry. Beetles from four genera feed on different plants, possibly reducing intrageneric competition and possibly due to an adaptation to different plant chemical defences. We found significant correlations between the numbers of leaf beetle and weevil species feeding on particular plants for polyphagous taxa, but not for nonpolyphagous beetles. Finally, we found that the previous identifications of host plants based on direct observations are generally concordant with host plant barcoding from insect gut. Our results expand basic knowledge about the trophic relations of steppic beetles and plants and are immediately useful for conservation purposes.

Max Eugen Heinrich Grütter (30 March 1865–31 March 1897) was a German botanist interested in floristics and taxonomy of vascular plants and mosses (Abromeit 1897). He conducted intensive floristic studies on the territory of the former West and East Prussia, especially in the former West Prussian Province Schwetz (now north-central Poland) where he lived in the small village of Luschkowko (Grütter 1892, 1895a, 1895b, 1895c, 1897). His numerous findings had been frequently cited in “Flora von Ost‑ und Westpreussen” by Abromeit et al. (1898–1940). In 1890–1891, in the course of the floristic expeditions in the former West Prussian Province Schwetz, Grütter found interesting vascular plants which he deemed as new to science. The names of these taxa were validly published in Deutsche botanische Monatsschrift (Grütter 1892).

This study assessed the effects of road-related alteration of substrate, including increased salinity, on vegetation along a meridional gradient in Fennoscandia. Vegetation community composition were surveyed in 29 randomly selected 1-m(2) sized roadside plots. Number of plant species and plant cover (%) on the plots were positively interrelated (p 0.0001). Both variables also decreased towards the north and with increasing coarseness of the substrate. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) indicated that roadside vegetation diversity and composition were most related to the importance of the road (i.e. its size and traffic intensity) and substrate pH. Road importance affects plant dispersal, whereas substrate pH was found to be a factor limiting growth. CCA indicated also that vegetation composition was affected by the meridional gradient and by the substrate salinity; both substrate salinity pH and salinity were not related to meridional gradient. Our results indicate that roadside vegetation diversity and composition is driven by natural and anthropogenic factors.

A recent survey of the montane cloud forest of Celaque has added 20 new additions to the fern flora of Celaque National Park, Honduras. A list of all the ferns and lycophytes recorded for the park is provided.

Tetraploa aristata Berkeley & Broome represents the anamorphic stage of a pleomorphic fungus with holomorph Tetraplosphaeria tetraploa (Scheuer) Kaz. Tanaka & K. Hiray (Lophiostoma tetraploa (Scheuer) Aptroot & K.D. Hyde). Until now this taxon has not been reported in Poland, where it is probably on the fringe of its distribution. Conidia of Tetraploa aristata were found during palynological analyses of modern surface samples and later on the decaying leaves of Phleum phleoides from xeric grasslands in Kraków and its vicinity. Since Tetraploa aristata was discovered during palynological analysis, this method might be considered to be a useful tool for investigations of contemporary microfungal mycobiota.