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A taxonomic revision of the genus Sapranthus is presented. Within the genus Sapranthus 8 species are recognized, 2 of which are new. Distinguishing morphological characteristics are discussed, and a dichotomous key to all species is given. The species treatments include descriptions, full synonymy, geographical and ecological notes, vernacular names, and taxonomic notes. Distribution maps are presented of all species, and a complete identification list of exsiccatae examined is included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on phylogenetic and morphological evidence, Tridimeris chiapensis Escobar-Castellanos & Ortiz-Rodr., sp. n. (Annonaceae), a new species from the karst forest of southern Mexico, is described and illustrated. The new species differs from Tridimeris hahniana, the only described species in the genus, in that the latter has flowers with sepals densely tomentose outside, one (rarely two) carpel(s) per flower and fruits densely covered with golden-brown hairs, while Tridimeris chiapensis has flowers with glabrous sepals outside, two to five carpels per flower and glabrous fruits. Furthermore, a shallow triangular white patch at the base of the inner petals is found in T. chiapensis, a morphological character shared with the sister genus Sapranthus but absent in T. hahniana. Geographically, both species occur allopatrically. With just one known locality and seven individuals of Tridimeris chiapensis recorded in one sampling hectare, and based on application of the criteria established by the IUCN, we conclude tentatively that the species is critically endangered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent molecular and morphological studies have clarified generic circumscriptions in Annonaceae tribe Miliuseae and resulted in the segregation of disparate elements from the previously highly polyphyletic genus Polyalthia s.l. Several names in Polyalthia nevertheless remain unresolved, awaiting assignment to specific genera, including Polyalthia litseifolia. Phylogenetic analyses of seven chloroplast regions (atpB-rbcL, matK, ndhF, psbA-trnH, rbcL, trnL-F, ycf1; ca. 8.3 kb, 116 accessions, including representatives of all currently accepted genera in subfamily Malmeoideae) unambiguously placed Polyalthia litseifolia in a clade with three accessions from Thailand, which have previously been shown to represent an undescribed genus sister to the Neotropical clade (Desmopsis, Sapranthus, Stenanona, Tridimeris) in the predominantly Asian tribe Miliuseae. The collective clade is sister to Meiogyne. Polyalthia litseifolia shares several diagnostic characters with most species in the Neotropical genera and Meiogyne, including: petals that are similar in shape and size in both whorls; multiple ovules per ovary in one or two rows; and lamelliform endosperm ruminations. It is distinct in being deciduous, bearing subpetiolar buds and having inflorescences growing from the leaf scar of the dropped leaves. Morphological comparisons and phylogenetic analyses corroborate its recognition as a new genus, which is formally described and illustrated here as Wuodendron. Polyalthia litseifolia is furthermore found to be conspecific with Desmos praecox, and the latter name is used as the basis for the name of the type. Molecular divergence time estimates under an uncorrelated lognormal relaxed clock place the Wuodendron-Neotropical clade split within the Miocene (ca. 14-12 Ma), highlighting the importance of post-boreotropical dispersal and vicariance in shaping intercontinental tropical disjunctions in Annonaceae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phylogenetic relationships among members of the Neotropical clade of Miliuseae were inferred using Bayesian inference, maximum likelihood, and parsimony on a dataset of six plastid regions ( ndhF, matK, psbA-trnH, rbcL, rps16-trnQ, and trnL-F). The phylogenetic hypothesis obtained indicate that the Neotropical clade of Miliuseae is a monophyletic group, composed of two distinct lineages: the first comprises the genera Sapranthus and Tridimeris, and the second is composed of Desmopsis, Stenanona, and two potentially new taxa, which together form the Desmopsis- Stenanona clade. However, the relationships within the Desmopsis- Stenanona clade are not fully resolved; the phylogenetic results indicate that Desmopsis and Stenanona, as currently circumscribed, are not monophyletic. The morphological characteristics that distinguish each genus and potential synapomorphies are discussed. We conclude that the observed variation in floral and fruit characteristics among the members of the Desmopsis- Stenanona clade could be driven by interactions with their main pollinators and fruit dispersers. Based on these results we propose that the Neotropical clade of Miliuseae needs to be recognized at the subtribe level, under the name of Sapranthinae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chromosome counts are presented for 12 genera and 20 species of Australian Annonaceae (all diploid with 2n = 16 or 18; Table 1) and two species of Eupomatiaceae (2n = 20, partly from Papua New Guinea). Detailed studies on interphase nuclear structure, condensing behaviour of chromosomes, and fluorochrome and Giemsa C-banding patterns also include Himantandraceae ( Galbulimima) and Austrobaileyaceae. - Eupomatiaceae completely correspond with Annonaceae karyologically, their base number 2n = 20 is interpreted to have evolved from 2n = 18 by ascending dysploidy from common ancestors. Eupomatia laurina and E. benettii differ in DNA and constitutive heterochromatin (hc) quantity; their evolution from high to low DNA content probably corresponds to general progressions in Magnoliidae. Austrobaileya has nuclei of the presumably primitive ' Tetrameranthus type' which is closely related to that of Galbulimima and several other primitive taxa in Magnoliidae. Karyomorphology and other characters support the maintainance of two main branches within the Magnoliidae, Laurales and Magnoliales, with Austrobaileya probably intermediate; the Winteraceae appear more remote.-In Annonaceae the reestablishment of Ancana is underlined by its chromosome number (2n = 18) the unexpected and specialized disulcate pollen, and various morphological characters which point to a close alliance with the Australian endemic genera Fitzalania and Haplostichanthus (also disulcate) and the American genus pair Sapranthus/Desmopsis; they are united in the provisional Sapranthus tribe, with a more distant position to Fissistigma s. str. (2n = 16). Australian Annonaceae exhibit a high generic and a low species diversity; they can be considered as an ± old and partly impoverished outpost of the family with phytogeographical relationships to Asia, Africa and America.-On the base of field observations three main types of floral development in Annonaceae are proposed, the most elaborated one found in the fly pollinated genus Pseuduvaria. The growth form change from shrubs to lianas during the ontogeny of Desmos and Melodorum, the vegetative propagation of an Ancana species and the ecological and evolutionary patterns of the taxa investigated are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tropical dry forests (TDFs) are ecosystems of high biocultural value, in which agroforestry systems (AFSs) have been essential in their management and conservation. We aimed to characterize agroforestry practices and analyze their capacity to conserve perennial plant diversity. In addition, we sought to evaluate how the management of TDFs as AFSs, together with their regeneration, influences species diversity and vegetation structure in a landscape with AFSs and TDFs in different conservation states. We compared the species diversity and basal area (BA) of plants in active and fallow AFSs at different regeneration stages in Zacualpan, Colima, Mexico. We found that AFSs harbored 71% of species richness (0D), forming a mosaic that contributed to the gamma diversity (124 species) of TDFs in the area. AFSs supported 23 endemic and 12 protected species. TDFs, active and advanced regeneration AFSs, had the highest number of useful species and diversity. Species richness (0D) in management categories increased as succession progressed, but not the BA, possibly due to frequent browsing and wood and firewood extraction. However, BA may be related to the management of useful trees maintained through agroforestry practices. We suggest increasing the matrix quality through a mosaic of active and fallow AFSs to promote ecological connectivity and biodiversity conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Annona emarginata produces alkaloids of ecological and pharmacological interest and is tolerant to water and biotic stress, so it is used as rootstock for other Annonaceae fruits. There are few reports in the literature on how contrasting water stress impacts the production of specialized metabolites in Annonaceae and how primary metabolism adjusts to support such production. The objective of this investigation was to evaluate how drought and flooding stress affect alkaloid concentration and the primary metabolism of young A. emarginata plants. Three water levels (flooding, field capacity, and drought) were studied at two moments (stress and recovery). Variables analyzed were gas exchange levels, chlorophyll a fluorescence, leaf sugars, total alkaloid content, alkaloid profile, and Liriodenine concentration. The photosynthetic metabolism of A. emarginata was affected by water stress, with plants having a greater ability to adapt to drought conditions than to flooding. During the drought, a reduction in photosynthetic efficiency with subsequent recovery, higher starch and trehalose concentrations in leaves, and total alkaloids in roots (480 µg.g−1) were observed. Under flooding, there was a reduction in photochemical efficiency during stress, indicating damage to the photosynthetic apparatus, without reversal during the recovery period, as well as a higher concentration of total sugars, reducing sugars, sucrose, glucose, and fructose in leaves, and Liriodenine in roots (100 µg.g−1), with a lower concentration of total alkaloids (90 µg.g−1). It could be concluded that there is differential tolerance of A. emarginata to water stress, inducing the modulation of alkaloid production, while drought promotes a higher concentration of total alkaloids and flooding leads to an increase in the Liriodenine concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Premise of the study: Tribe Miliuseae (~25 genera and ~510 species) includes a substantial part of the species and generic diversity in the pantropical flowering-plant family Annonaceae (~108 genera and ~2400 species). Previous molecular phylogenetic analyses have failed to resolve the backbone phylogeny of the tribe, impeding biogeographical and evolutionary studies. We use a dense generic taxon sample (~89% of generic diversity in Miliuseae) and plastid DNA sequence data (~7 kb) to clarify the phylogenetic relationships of and within the tribe. Methods: Parsimony and Bayesian phylogenetic reconstructions and ancestral character-state reconstructions of several reproductive characters were performed. Key results: Dendrokingstoniae, Monocarpieae, and Miliuseae are recovered in a strongly supported clade, and each tribe is strongly supported as monophyletic. Miliuseae are characterized by a synapomorphic cryptoaperturate/disulculate pollen apertural system. Stenanona is shown to be nested within the paraphyletic genus Desmopsis. The only Neotropical clade (Sapranthus, Tridimeris, Desmopsis, and Stenanona) in the predominantly Asian Miliuseae is shown to be closely related to an undescribed genus from continental Southeast Asia and the Indo-Malayan and Austral-Pacific genus Meiogyne. Ancestral character-state reconstructions of several reproductive characters that are diagnostically important at the generic level indicate a considerable degree of homoplasy. Conclusions: The results improve our understanding of the relationships of and within Miliuseae, but parts of the backbone of the phylogeny remain poorly supported. Additional data from variable nuclear markers or reduced-genome-representation approaches seem to be required to further resolve relationships within this recalcitrant clade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The predominantly Asian tribe Miliuseae (Annonaceae) includes over 37 Neotropical species that are mainly distributed across Mesoamerica, from southern Mexico to northern Colombia. The tremendous ecological and morphological diversity of this clade, including ramiflory, cauliflory, flagelliflory, and clonality, suggests adaptive radiation. Despite the spectacular phenotypic divergence of this clade, little is known about its phylogenetic and evolutionary history. In this study we used a nuclear DNA marker and seven chloroplast markers, and maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference methods to reconstruct a comprehensive time-calibrated phylogeny of tribe Miliuseae, especially focusing on the Desmopsis-Stenanona clade. We also perform ancestral area reconstructions to infer the biogeographic history of this group. Finally, we use ecological niche modeling, lineage distribution models, and niche overlap tests to assess whether geographic isolation and ecological specialization influenced the diversification of lineages within this clade. We reconstructed a monophyletic Miliuseae that is divided into two strongly supported clades: (i) a Sapranthus - Tridimeris clade and (ii) a Desmopsis - Stenanona clade. The colonization of the Neotropics and subsequent diversification of Neotropical Miliuseae seems to have been associated with the expansion of the boreotropical forests during the late Eocene and their subsequent fragmentation and southern displacement. Further speciation within Neotropical Miliuseae out of the Maya block seems to have occurred during the last 15 million years. Lastly, the geographic structuring of major lineages of the Desmopsis - Stenanona clade seems to have followed a climatic gradient, supporting the hypothesis that morphological differentiation between closely related species resulted from both long-term isolation between geographic ranges and adaptation to environmental conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Societal Impact Statement: The United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration underlines the importance of understanding how different taxa are affected by human induced, global changes in ecosystems. Here, we investigate if this impact can be quantified for the globally distributed tropical plant group Annonaceae (Soursop family) using distributional data and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assessments. We find that even for a taxonomically well‐studied tropical plant family such as Annonaceae, little is known about the true distribution and ecological requirements of, and threats to, species in this group. We discuss several improvements in data collection that should enable more in‐depth analyses in the future. Summary: The Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations (UN), formulated with the overarching aims to end poverty and protect the planet, are also aimed at implementing sustainable management of all types of forests, to stop deforestation and to restore degraded forests. This led to the declaration of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. To meaningfully restore ecosystems, it is important to increase our understanding on the distribution of taxa and obtain insight in how different taxa are affected by human induced, global changes in ecosystems.Here, we investigate if this impact can be quantified for the globally distributed tropical plant group Annonaceae (Soursop family) using spatial data and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assessments. Insight is gained in how Annonaceae are distributed over biomes and anthropogenic biomes (anthromes) and how threatened Annonaceae are based on their distribution.We find that even for a taxonomically well‐studied group such as Annonaceae, very little is known about the true distribution and ecological requirements of, and threats, to species.We urge to invest in (1) the exploration of ecological requirements of species in relation to their genetic patterns, in order to understand the impact of ecosystems changes, (2) research on distributional patterns in a temporal framework as the available data collected over decades might not reflect current distributions over biomes and anthromes well and (3) high‐quality spatial data collection that should adhere to the Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability and Reuse (FAIR) data principles, so that the quality of spatial analyses as well as IUCN Red List assessments will increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plants are attacked by multiple herbivores, and depend on a precise regulation of responses to cope with a wide range of antagonists. Simultaneous herbivory can occur in different plant compartments, which may pose a serious threat to plant growth and reproduction. In particular, plants often face co-occurring root and floral herbivory, but few studies have focused on such interactions. Here, we investigated in the field the combined density-dependent effects of root-chewing cebrionid beetle larvae and flower-chewing pierid caterpillars on the fitness and defense of a semiarid Brassicaceae herb. We found that the fitness impact of both herbivore groups was independent and density-dependent. Increasing root herbivore density non-significantly reduced plant fitness, while the relationship between increasing floral herbivore density and the reduction they caused in both seed number and seedling emergence was non-linear. The plant defensive response was non-additive with regard to the different densities of root and floral herbivores; high floral herbivore density provoked compensatory investment in reproduction, and this tolerance response was combined with aboveground chemical defense induction when also root herbivore density was high. Plants may thus prioritize specific trait combinations in response to varying combined below- and aboveground herbivore densities to minimize negative impacts on fitness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Miliusa majestatis Damth., Sinbumr. & Chaowasku (Annonaceae), a new species from southern Thailand, is described and illustrated. Based on molecular phylogenetic analysis using up to seven plastid DNA regions (matK, ndhF, rbcL and ycf1 exons; trnL intron; psbA-trnH and trnL-trnF intergenic spacers) and including, among others, 35 accessions (representing 34 species) of Miliusa, the new species belongs to one of the four unnamed major clades in the genus. Within that clade and in the genus in general, M. majestatis is unique in having constricted inner petals and small basal openings between adjacent inner petals. Its conservation status is provisionally assessed as Data Deficient (DD). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The existing drug treatments for trypanosomiases are limited and suffer from shortcomings due to their toxicity and the emergence of resistant parasites. Developing anti‐trypanosomal compounds based on natural products is a promising way of fighting trypanosomiases. Objectives: This study aims to identify through scientific review a large variety of medicinal plants (anti‐trypanosomal) used worldwide and scientifically shown to display anti‐trypanosomal effects. Methods: To collect data, the anti‐trypanosomal activities of Africa, Asia, the Middle East, South America, North America, Europe and Oceania medicinal plants have been checked by considering the published paper. Results: Based on collected data, 77 natural molecules were reported in the literature. Of which 59 were from the African region, 11 from Asia, 3 from Europe and 4 from Latin America. These active components belong to alkaloids, triterpenoids, lactone, quinoids, flavonoids, iridoids, lignans, steroids, lipids, oxygenated heterocycles, benzenoids, proteins, coumarins, phenylpropanoids and peptides. We also specified the prosperous plants with unique anti‐trypanosomal activities. Conclusions: However, there is a need for further studies on the ability of the isolated compounds to ameliorate the trypanosome‐induced pathological alterations and also the elucidation of their modes of actions and activities against other trypanosome species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]