TY - JOUR A1 - Zaplata, Markus Klemens A1 - Nhabanga, Abel A1 - Stalmans, Marc A1 - Volpers, Thomas A1 - Burkart, Michael A1 - Sperfeld, Erik T1 - Grasses cope with high-contrast ecosystem conditions in the large outflow of the Banhine wetlands, Mozambique JF - African journal of ecology N2 - Ecosystems with highly pulsed water supply must be better understood as climate change may increase frequency and severity of intense storms, droughts and floods. Here we collected data over 3 years (2016-2018) in the episodic wetland outflow channel (Aluize), Banhine National Park, in which the system state changed from dry to wet to dry. Field sampling included vegetation records, small-scale vegetation zoning, the seed bank and water and soil quality. The same main plant species were found in both dry and wet conditions across the riverbed of the outflow channel. We found only very few diaspores of plants in the soil after prolonged drought. In the subsequent flooded state, we examined very dense vegetation on the water surface, which was dominated by the gramineous species Paspalidium obtusifolium. This species formed a compact floating mat that was rooted to the riverbed. The Cyperaceae Bolboschoenus glaucus showed high clonal growth in the form of root tubers, which likely serve as important food reservoir during drought. Soil and water analyses do not indicate a limitation by nutrients. We outline how resident people may change the plant community structure with an increasing practice of setting fire to the meadows in the dried-up riverbed to facilitate plant regrowth as food for their livestock. KW - Aluize KW - biological soil crusts KW - Changane KW - droughts KW - floating mat KW - flooded grasslands KW - multi‐ year flooding cycle KW - plant clonality KW - seed bank KW - temporary wetland Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.12820 SN - 0141-6707 SN - 1365-2028 VL - 59 IS - 1 SP - 190 EP - 203 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Scharf, Uwe A1 - Burkart, Michael T1 - Sansevieria pfennigii (Ruscaceae, Asparagales) BT - Confirmation of existence, emendation of description, and tentative threat assessment JF - Phytotaxa : a rapid international journal for accelerating the publication of botanical taxonomy N2 - Sansevieria pfennigii, which to date has been a doubtful species, is confirmed as extant by a recent collection from the Lindi Region in southern Tanzania. The original description of the species, which is based on herbarium material only, is here emended based on additional observations recorded from living plants, including fruits that were previously unknown. Sansevieria pfennigii distinguishes from S. canaliculata, to which it was repeatedly assigned, by its capitate instead of elongate inflorescence, rough rather than smooth leaves, non-pungent instead of pungent leaf tips, dull green leaf colour, more delicate overall appearance, alongside other traits. The difference in inflorescence architecture indicates that these species belong to different groups within Sansevieria and are not closely related; the closest relatives of S. pfennigii are probably S. fischeri and S. stuckyi. Sansevieria pfennigii occurs on well-drained soil in forests, close to S. canaliculata populations. According to the extent of the population seen and the species' overall rarity, it is tentatively assessed as critically endangered. KW - Ruscaceae KW - Asparagales KW - Monocots Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.483.1.1 SN - 1179-3155 SN - 1179-3163 VL - 483 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - Magnolia Press CY - Auckland ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Martin, Craig E. A1 - Herppich, Werner B. A1 - Roscher, Yvonne A1 - Burkart, Michael T1 - Relationships between leaf succulence and Crassulacean acid metabolism in the genus Sansevieria (Asparagaceae) JF - Flora : morphology, distribution, functional ecology of plants N2 - Relationships between different measures of succulence and Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM; defined here as nocturnal increases in tissue acidity) were investigated in leaves of ten species of Sansevieria under greenhouse conditions. CAM was found in seven of the ten species investigated, and CAM correlated negatively with leaf thickness and leaf hydrenchyma/chlorenchyma ratio. Similarly, CAM correlated negatively with leaf water content, but only when expressed on a fresh mass basis. CAM was not correlated with "mesophyll succulence", but weakly with leaf chlorophyll concentration. These results indicate that CAM is associated more with "all-cell succulence" and not with the amount of leaf hydrenchyma in the genus Sansevieria. The findings of this study emphasize the importance of defining the nature of "leaf succulence" in studies of photosynthetic pathways and leaf morphology. Evidence is also provided that CAM and succulence arose multiple times in the genus Sansevieria. KW - Anatomy KW - CAM KW - Chlorenchyma KW - Chlorophyll KW - Hydrenchyma KW - Morphology KW - Phylogeny Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.flora.2019.151489 SN - 0367-2530 SN - 1618-0585 VL - 261 PB - Elsevier CY - München ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Havinga, Reinout A1 - Kool, Anneleen A1 - Achille, Frederic A1 - Bavcon, Joze A1 - Berg, Christian A1 - Bonomi, Costantino A1 - Burkart, Michael A1 - De Meyere, Dirk A1 - Havstrom, Mats A1 - Kessler, Paul A1 - Knickmann, Barbara A1 - Koester, Nils A1 - Martinez, Remy A1 - Ostgaard, Havard A1 - Ravnjak, Blanka A1 - Scheen, Anne-Cathrine A1 - Smith, Pamela A1 - Smith, Paul A1 - Socher, Stephanie A. A1 - Vange, Vibekke T1 - The Index Seminum: Seeds of change for seed exchange JF - Taxon N2 - Botanic gardens have been exchanging seeds through seed catalogues for centuries. In many gardens, these catalogues remain an important source of plant material. Living collections have become more relevant for genetic analysis and derived research, since genomics of non-model organisms heavily rely on living material. The range of species that is made available annually on all seed lists combined, provides an unsurpassed source of instantly accessible plant material for research collections. Still, the Index Seminum has received criticism in the past few decades. The current exchange model dictates that associated data is manually entered into each database. The amount of time involved and the human errors occurring in this process are difficult to justify when the data was initially produced as a report from another database. The authors propose that an online marketplace for seed exchange should be established, with enhanced search possibilities and downloadable accession data in a standardised format. Such online service should preferably be supervised and coordinated by Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI). This manuscript is the outcome of a workshop on July 9th, 2015, at the European botanic gardens congress "Eurogard VII" in Paris, where the first two authors invited members of the botanic garden community to discuss how the anachronistic Index Seminum can be transformed into an improved and modern tool for seed exchange. KW - database KW - Index Seminum KW - information technology KW - living collections management KW - Nagoya-protocol KW - seed exchange Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.12705/652.9 SN - 0040-0262 SN - 1996-8175 VL - 65 SP - 333 EP - 336 PB - International Association for Plant Taxonomy CY - Bratislava ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Cuong Nguyen Huu, A1 - Kappel, Christian A1 - Keller, Barbara A1 - Sicard, Adrien A1 - Takebayashi, Yumiko A1 - Breuninger, Holger A1 - Nowak, Michael D. A1 - Bäurle, Isabel A1 - Himmelbach, Axel A1 - Burkart, Michael A1 - Ebbing-Lohaus, Thomas A1 - Sakakibara, Hitoshi A1 - Altschmied, Lothar A1 - Conti, Elena A1 - Lenhard, Michael T1 - Presence versus absence of CYP734A50 underlies the style-length dimorphism in primroses JF - eLife N2 - Heterostyly is a wide-spread floral adaptation to promote outbreeding, yet its genetic basis and evolutionary origin remain poorly understood. In Primula (primroses), heterostyly is controlled by the S-locus supergene that determines the reciprocal arrangement of reproductive organs and incompatibility between the two morphs. However, the identities of the component genes remain unknown. Here, we identify the Primula CYP734A50 gene, encoding a putative brassinosteroid-degrading enzyme, as the G locus that determines the style-length dimorphism. CYP734A50 is only present on the short-styled S-morph haplotype, it is specifically expressed in S-morph styles, and its loss or inactivation leads to long styles. The gene arose by a duplication specific to the Primulaceae lineage and shows an accelerated rate of molecular evolution. Thus, our results provide a mechanistic explanation for the Primula style-length dimorphism and begin to shed light on the evolution of the S-locus as a prime model for a complex plant supergene. Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.17956 SN - 2050-084X VL - 5 PB - eLife Sciences Publications CY - Cambridge ER - TY - INPR A1 - Ensslin, Andreas A1 - Tschoepe, Okka A1 - Burkart, Michael A1 - Joshi, Jasmin Radha T1 - Fitness decline and adaptation to novel environments in ex situ plant collections: Current knowledge and future perspectives T2 - : an international journal N2 - The conservation of rare plant species as living collections in botanic gardens and arboreta has become an established tool in the battle against worldwide species' extinctions. However, the establishment of ex situ collections with a high conservation value requires a sound understanding of the evolutionary processes that may reduce the suitability of these collections for future reintroductions. Particularly, risks such as fitness decline of cultivated plants over time, trait shifts and loss of adaptation to the original habitat due to changes in selection regimes have rarely been addressed so far. Based on a literature review and results of our own project we show that genetic drift can lead to fitness decline in ex situ cultivated plants, but these drift effects strongly depend on the conditions and cultivation history in the ex situ facility. Furthermore, we provide evidence that shifts in traits such as germination and flowering time, and a decrease in stress tolerance to drought and competition can reduce the conservation value of ex situ collections. These threats associated with ex situ conditions require more attention by researchers, curators and conservationists. We need to increase knowledge on traits that are subject to novel selection pressures in ex situ collections, and to define population sizes that prevent genetic drift. Establishing conservation networks with replicated collections across gardens and balancing the seed contribution of mother plants to the next generation within a collection are suggested as first steps to increase the conservation value of ex situ plant collections. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. KW - Ex situ conservation KW - Botanic gardens KW - Artificial selection KW - Genetic drift KW - Adaptive evolution Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2015.10.012 SN - 0006-3207 SN - 1873-2917 VL - 192 SP - 394 EP - 401 PB - Elsevier CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tschöpe, Okka A1 - Wallschläger, Hans-Dieter A1 - Burkart, Michael A1 - Tielbörger, Katja T1 - Managing open habitats by wild ungulate browsing and grazing a case-study in North-Eastern Germany JF - Applied vegetation science : official organ of the International Association for Vegetation Science N2 - Question: Can wild ungulates efficiently maintain and restore open habitats? Location: Brandenburg, NE Germany. Methods: The effect of wild ungulate grazing and browsing was studied in three successional stages: (1) Corynephorus canescens-dominated grassland; (2) ruderal tall forb vegetation dominated by Tanacetum vulgare; and (3) Pinus sylvestris-pioneer forest. The study was conducted over 3 yr. In each successional stage, six paired 4 m(2)-monitoring plots of permanently grazed versus ungrazed plots were arranged in three random blocks. Removal of grazing was introduced de novo for the study. In each plot, percentage cover of each plant and lichen species and total cover of woody plants was recorded. Results: Wild ungulates considerably affected successional pathways and species composition in open habitats but this influence became evident in alteration of abundances of only a few species. Grazing effects differed considerably between successional stages: species richness was higher in grazed versus ungrazed ruderal and pioneer forest plots, but not in the Corynephorus sites. Herbivory affected woody plant cover only in the Pioneer forest sites. Although the study period was too short to observe drastic changes in species richness and woody plant cover, notable changes in species composition were still detected in all successional stages. Conclusion: Wild ungulate browsing is a useful tool to inhibit encroachment of woody vegetation and to conserve a species-rich, open landscape. KW - Conservation KW - Red deer KW - Fallow deer KW - Succession KW - Species richness KW - Woody plant Y1 - 2011 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1654-109X.2010.01119.x SN - 1402-2001 VL - 14 IS - 2 SP - 200 EP - 209 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lauterbach, Daniel A1 - Burkart, Michael A1 - Gemeinholzer, Birgit T1 - Rapid genetic differentiation between ex situ and their in situ source populations - an example of the endangered Silene otites (Caryophyllaceae) JF - Botanical journal of the Linnean Society N2 - Ex situ cultivation in botanic gardens could be one possibility to preserve plant species diversity and genetic variation. However, old ex situ populations are often sparsely documented. We were able to retrieve three different ex situ populations and their source in situ populations of the endangered plant species Silene otites after 20-36 years of isolation. Furthermore, three additional wild populations were included in the analysis. Population genetic diversity and differentiation were analysed using AFLP markers. Genetic variation in the ex situ populations was lower than the variation found in the in situ populations. Strong differentiation (F-ST = 0.21-0.36) between corresponding in situ and ex situ populations was observed. Bayesian clustering approach also showed a distinct genetic separation between in situ and ex situ populations. The high genetic differentiation and loss of genetic diversity during spatial and temporal isolation in the ex situ populations can be attributable to small population sizes and unconscious selection during cultivation. Therefore, adequate sampling prior to ex situ cultivation and large effective population sizes are important to preserve genetic diversity. Near-natural cultivation allowing for generation overlap and interspecific competition without artificial selection is recommended as being best for the maintenance of the genetic constitution. KW - AFLP KW - botanical garden KW - conservation genetics KW - founder effect KW - population size Y1 - 2012 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8339.2011.01185.x SN - 0024-4074 VL - 168 IS - 1 SP - 64 EP - 75 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Renner, Swen C. A1 - Neumann, Dirk A1 - Burkart, Michael A1 - Feit, Ute A1 - Giere, Peter A1 - Groeger, Andreas A1 - Paulsch, Axel A1 - Paulsch, Cornelia A1 - Sterz, Mario A1 - Vohland, Katrin T1 - Import and export of biological samples from tropical countries-considerations and guidelines for research teams JF - Organisms, diversity & evolution : official journal of the Gesellschaft für Biologische Systematik N2 - 'Biodiversity' is increasingly perceived as an important resource for research and conservation, but also for economy. Conservation, access and sustainable use of biodiversity (genetic resources, species, samples) are negotiated on different political levels, resulting in an internationally binding legal framework. Resulting legislation is binding for all parties involved in biological sampling, i.e. researches and (and in italics) countries, and especially applies for tissue or DNA samples and dervied products thereof. Understanding and awareness of export and import permits for biological samples is increasingly important for biologists to perform research projects legally and timely. Nevertheless, some biologists are still exporting and importing biological samples ignoring or noncompliant with national and international legislation, conventions, and regulations. Resulting difficulties may not only cause serious problems during field work, but may also delay the export, import or exchange of samples. Comprehensive a priori information regarding legal requirements helps to avoid or at least diminish potential problems. We identified four major factors facilitating export/import permits: (1) good personal (mutually trusted) contacts in the country of origin, (2) understanding and compliance with all relevant laws and regulations; (3) access to information regarding knowledge on permits, regulations and laws including their circulation within the researcher communities; and (4) access to consistent and up to date regulations KW - Research samples KW - Collection KW - Export KW - Import KW - Legislation KW - Permits KW - Specimens KW - Convention on Biological Diversity CBD KW - Access and Benefit Sharing ABS KW - Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora CITES KW - European Union EU KW - Country of origin Y1 - 2012 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s13127-012-0076-4 SN - 1439-6092 VL - 12 IS - 1 SP - 81 EP - 98 PB - Springer CY - Heidelberg ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fischer, Markus A1 - Burkart, Michael A1 - Pasqualetto, Vanessa A1 - van Kleunen, Mark T1 - Experiment meets biogeography : plants of river corridor distribution are not more stress tolerant but benefit less from more benign conditions elsewhere N2 - Aims: Factors limiting distributions of species are fundamental to ecology and evolution but have rarely been addressed experimentally for multiple species. The conspicuous linear distribution patterns of plant species confined to river corridors in the Central European lowlands constitute an especially long-standing distribution puzzle. We experimentally tested our novel hypothesis that the tolerance of species to river corridor conditions is independent of the degree of confinement to river corridor habitats, but that species not confined to river corridors are better able to take advantage of the more benign non-river corridor conditions. Methods: We grew 42 herbaceous species differing in their confinement to river corridors in a common garden experiment on loamy soil typical for river corridor areas and sandy soil typical for non-river corridor areas, and with and without a flooding period. For a subset of species, we grew plants of both river corridor and non-river corridor origin to test for adaptation to river corridor conditions. Important findings: Species more confined to river corridor areas benefited less from the more benign non-flooded and non-river corridor soil conditions than species of wider distributional range did. For subsets of 7 and 12 widespread species, the response to flooding and soil origin, respectively, did not differ between plants from river corridor sites and plants from other sites, suggesting that the habitat tolerance of widespread species is clue to phenotypic plasticity rather than to local adaptation. Overall, we found clear support for our novel hypothesis that species not confined to river corridors are more able to take advantage of the more benign non-river corridor conditions. Our study provides a general hypothesis on differences between species confined to stressful habitats and widespread species out for test in further multispecies comparative experiments. Y1 - 2010 UR - http://jpe.oxfordjournals.org/ U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/Jpe/Rtq013 SN - 1752-9921 ER -