The taxonomy of Neurachninane has been unstable, with its member genera consisting of Ancistrachne, Calyptochloa, Cleistochloa, Dimorphochloa, Neurachne, Paraneurachne and Thyridolepis, changing since its original circumscription that comprised only the latter three genera. Recent studies on the phylogeny of Neurachninae have focused primarily on molecular data. We analysed the phylogeny of Neurachninae on the basis of molecular data from seven molecular loci (plastid markers: matK, ndhF, rbcL, rpl16, rpoC2 and trnLF, and ribosomal internal transcribed spacer, ITS) and morphological data from 104 morphological characters, including new taxonomically informative micromorphology of upper paleas. We devised an impact assessment scoring (IAS) protocol to aid selection of a tree for inferring the phylogeny of Neurachninae. Combining morphological and molecular data resulted in a well resolved phylogeny with the highest IAS value. Our findings support reinstatement of subtribe Neurachninae in its original sense, Neurachne muelleri and Dimorphochloa rigida. We show that Ancistrachne, Cleistochloa and Dimorphochloa are not monophyletic and Ancistrachne maidenii, Calyptochloa, Cleistochloa and Dimorphochloa form a new group, the cleistogamy group, united by having unique morphology associated with reproductive dimorphism.

No abstract

No abstract

Sargassum polycystum is an economically important seaweed endemic to Southeast Asian waters. Genetic diversity studies conducted for this alga have been based on samples from various areas in the Indo-Pacific region. Here, we examined the phylogenetic patterns of S. polycystum in Eastern Samar, Philippines using the nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) region – including ITS1, 5.8S gene, and ITS2. The phylogenetic and haplotype analyses using these loci indicate that the Eastern Samar samples contain 13 haplotypes. Using the ITS2 region sequences alone (to include other Indo-Pacific samples), we found that the number of Eastern Samar haplotypes was reduced to six, with one common haplotype found in Singapore and Indonesia. Our findings indicate that the genetic diversity of Eastern Samar S. polycystum is substantially higher than previously suggested. Consistent with the previous hypothesis, the populations of S. polycystum in Southeast Asian waters indicate a range expansion. The study could extend our understanding of the genetic diversities of S. polycystum in the Philippines and elsewhere.

Tripogon loliiformis is a desiccation-tolerant grass that occurs throughout mainland Australia. There has been recent interest in this species as a model system for understanding desiccation tolerance in a native grass at the structural, molecular and physiological levels. However, not much is known about the biology and natural history of this species, despite its widespread geographic distribution and remarkable capability of withstanding prolonged drying. We provide an overview of the genus by consolidating information from a wide variety of sources. We report a variety of new and interesting observations on the general biology, ecology and desiccation response of T. Joliiformis and conclude by highlighting areas for future research.