Predatory midges of the genus Schizohelea Kieffer, 1917 in Europe and North Africa (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae).

Five species of the Holarctic genus Schizohelea occurring in Europe and North Africa are reviewed, diagnosed and illustrated. These are S. leucopeza (Meigen, 1804), S.

Mechanical modeling of the petiole-lamina transition zone of peltate leaves.

Plant leaves have to deal with various environmental influences. While the mechanical properties of petiole and lamina are generally well studied, only few studies focused on the properties of the transition zone joining petiole and lamina. Especially in peltate leaves, characterised by the attachment of the petiole to the abaxial side of the lamina, the 3D leaf architecture imposes specific mechanical stresses on the petiole and petiole-lamina transition zone.

Chemical imitation of yeast fermentation by the drosophilid-pollinated deceptive trap-flower Aristolochia baetica (Aristolochiaceae).

Deceptive flowers, unlike in mutualistic pollination systems, mislead their pollinators by advertising rewards which ultimately are not provided. Although our understanding of deceptive pollination systems increased in recent years, the attractive signals and deceptive strategies in the majority of species remain unknown. This is also true for the genus Aristolochia, famous for its deceptive and fly-pollinated trap flowers.

Anatomical and Biomechanical Properties of the Junction between Stem and Aerial Roots of .

Cacti have a distinct adaptation to arid conditions with a massive water storing tissue surrounding a weak central woody cylinder. However, they have not been studied as extensively as other plants have been. is a hemi-epiphytic root climber that attaches itself to supporting plants or rocks with adventitious roots.

Morphology, anatomy and sleep movements of Ludwigia sedoides.

The diurnal motion of higher plants, responding to the alternation of day and night, known as nyctinastic movements or "sleep movements", has been discussed frequently. We present the first description of the circadian rhythm of the water plant Ludwigia sedoides (Humb. & Bonpl.

Mechanical investigations of the peltate leaf of (Menispermaceae): Experiments and a continuum mechanical material model.

is a slender climbing plant with peltate, triangular-ovate leaves. Not many research efforts have been devoted to investigate the anatomy and the mechanical properties of this type of leaf shape. In this study, displacement driven tensile tests with three cycles on different displacement levels are performed on petioles, venation and intercostal areas of the leaves.

Anatomy and Biomechanics of Peltate Leaves-Comparative Case Studies.

Plants are exposed to various external stresses influencing physiology, anatomy, and morphology. Shape, geometry, and size of shoots and leaves are particularly affected. Among the latter, peltate leaves are not very common and so far, only few studies focused on their properties.

Straight roads into nowhere - obvious and not-so-obvious biological models for ferrophobic surfaces.

There are currently efforts to improve strategies for biomimetic approaches, to identify pitfalls and to provide recommendations for a successful biomimetic work flow. In this contribution, a case study of a concrete biomimetic project is described that started with a posed technical problem for which seemingly obvious biological models exist. The technical problem was to devise a ferrophobic surface that prevents the contact between the copper surface of a tuyère (a water cooled aeration pipe within a blast furnace) and liquid iron.

Structural Plastome Evolution in Holoparasitic Hydnoraceae with Special Focus on Inverted and Direct Repeats.

Plastome condensation during adaptation to a heterotrophic lifestyle is generally well understood and lineage-independent models have been derived. However, understanding the evolutionary trajectories of comparatively old heterotrophic lineages that are on the cusp of a minimal plastome, is essential to complement and expand current knowledge. We study Hydnoraceae, one of the oldest and least investigated parasitic angiosperm lineages.

The evolution of the complex (Aristolochiaceae) challenges traditional taxonomy and reflects large-scale glacial refugia in the Mediterranean.

The taxonomy of the Mediterranean complex has been under debate since several decades with the following species currently recognized: . , . , .

Hunting techniques and their harvest as indicators of mammal diversity and threat in Northern Angola.

Unlabelled: Over-exploitation of wildlife especially bushmeat trade is the second most important threat to animal biodiversity. This also applies to Northern Angola but data on bushmeat and hunting techniques for this region are rare. Therefore, we study the most common hunting techniques, frequently captured species, and their economic value, and discuss the local resource use in relation to Angolan law and urgent global crises like the loss of biodiversity, the food supply in South African countries, and the risk of zoonoses.

Strengthening Structures in the Petiole-Lamina Junction of Peltate Leaves.

Peltate- or umbrella- shaped leaves are characterised by a petiole more or less centrally attached to the lamina on the abaxial side. The transition from the petiole to lamina in peltate leaves resembles a significant and abrupt geometrical change from a beam to a plate in a very compact shape. Since these leaves have not been subject of many studies, the distribution of that specific leaf morphology in the plant kingdom was investigated.

Plants, food and treatments used by BaKongo tribes in Uíge (northern Angola) to affect the quality and quantity of human breast milk.

Background: Angola has one of the highest annual under-five mortality rates in in the world and malnutrition poses a severe problem in the country. This study is the first to focus on the traditional knowledge of plants, foods, and treatments used by the local population in the province of Uíge to affect the quality and quantity of human breast milk, since decades of independence and civil war impeded ethnobotanical studies in this area.

Methods: This study was conducted in eight municipalities in the province of Uíge, Northern Angola in February and March 2018.

Functional principles of baobab fruit pedicels - anatomy and biomechanics.

Background And Aims: Fruit pedicels have to deal with increasing loads after pollination due to continuous growth of the fruits. Thus, they represent interesting tissues from a mechanical as well as a developmental point of view. However, only a few studies exist on fruit pedicels.

Stories told by plants on graveyards in Northern Angola.

Background: Worldwide, different traditions of symbolic statements in graveyards can be found. However, studies on sub-Saharan Africa are rare. For BaKongo cemeteries, it is only known that they traditionally do not exhibit plants for decoration purposes.

Adansonia digitata germination tests. Elephants or heat: what causes scarification of seed to facilitate germination?

Background: The dormancy of Adansonia digitata seeds is well known. For propagation purposes, plenty of germination tests were conducted, however, rarely taking the ecology of baobab into account. Our main goal, therefore, is to identify the decisive natural trigger for breaking the dormancy.

Evolution of Class II TCP genes in perianth bearing Piperales and their contribution to the bilateral calyx in Aristolochia.

Controlled spatiotemporal cell division and expansion are responsible for floral bilateral symmetry. Genetic studies have pointed to class II TCP genes as major regulators of cell division and floral patterning in model core eudicots. Here we study their evolution in perianth-bearing Piperales and their expression in Aristolochia, a rare occurrence of bilateral perianth outside eudicots and monocots.

Cytocompatible, Injectable, and Electroconductive Soft Adhesives with Hybrid Covalent/Noncovalent Dynamic Network.

Synthetic conductive biopolymers have gained increasing interest in tissue engineering, as they can provide a chemically defined electroconductive and biomimetic microenvironment for cells. In addition to low cytotoxicity and high biocompatibility, injectability and adhesiveness are important for many biomedical applications but have proven to be very challenging. Recent results show that fascinating material properties can be realized with a bioinspired hybrid network, especially through the synergy between irreversible covalent crosslinking and reversible noncovalent self-assembly.

Umbrella leaves-Biomechanics of transition zone from lamina to petiole of peltate leaves.

In this study we aim to show how the peltate leaves of Colocasia fallax Schott and Tropaeolum majus L., despite their compact design, achieve a rigid connection between petiole and lamina. We have combined various microscopy techniques and computed tomography (CT) scanning for the analysis of the basic structure of the plant's stabilization system.

First large-scale ethnobotanical survey in the province of Uíge, northern Angola.

Background: Angola suffered a long-lasting military conflict. Therefore, traditional knowledge of plant usage is still an important part of cultural heritage, especially concerning the still very poor health care system in the country. Our study documents for the first time traditional knowledge of plant use of local Bakongo communities in the northern province of Uíge on a large scale with a focus on medicinal plants and puts data in context to different parameters of age, gender and distance to the provincial capital.

Temperature-induced self-sealing capability of follicles.

Many plants in fire-prone regions retain their seeds in woody fruits in the plant canopy until the passage of a fire causes the fruit to open and release the seeds. To enable this function, suitable tissues are required that effectively store and protect seeds until they are released. Here, we show that three different species of the Australian genus incorporate waxes at the interface of the two valves of the follicle enclosing the seeds, which melt between 45°C and 55°C.

Adansonia digitata and Adansonia gregorii fruit shells serve as a protection against high temperatures experienced during wildfires.

The thick and woody shell of the fruit of Adansonia species cannot be explained solely by adaptation to zoochory or hydrochory. Since the trunks of Adansonia possess a thick and fire-resistant bark and wildfires occur regularly in its habitat (savannah), we examined with the African Adanonia digitata and the Australian Adansonia gregorii whether the fruit offers protection against high heat typically experienced in wildfires. Heat-resistance tests were conducted by applying a simple heat test based on known temperature and temperature residence times occurring in savannah fires and complemented by tests to reveal the impact of heat on germination since long-term seed dormancy is known for Adansonia.

The Emergence of Earliest Angiosperms may be Earlier than Fossil Evidence Indicates.

Gaps between molecular ages and fossils undermine the validity of time-calibrated molecular phylogenies. An example of the time gap surrounds the age of angiosperm's origin. We calculate molecular ages of the earliest flowering plant lineages using 22 fossil calibrations (101 genera, 40 families).

Medicinal plants of northern Angola and their anti-inflammatory properties.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: 32 plants, from which 30 are used in local traditional medicine - identified by interviews with the resident population - in the province of Uíge in northern Angola for the treatment of inflammation related disorders, were screened on different anti-inflammatory parameters. Three extracts were selected for a detailed ethnobotanical, pharmacological and phytochemical investigation based on their in vitro activity.

Aim Of The Study: We aimed to assess the in vitro anti-inflammatory activity of these plants and highlight the active principles of the three most promising candidates.

Recalcitrant deep and shallow nodes in Aristolochia (Aristolochiaceae) illuminated using anchored hybrid enrichment.

Recalcitrant relationships are characterized by very short internodes that can be found among shallow and deep phylogenetic scales all over the tree of life. Adding large amounts of presumably informative sequences, while decreasing systematic error, has been suggested as a possible approach to increase phylogenetic resolution. The development of enrichment strategies, coupled with next generation sequencing, resulted in a cost-effective way to facilitate the reconstruction of recalcitrant relationships.