Rapid in situ diversification rates in Rhamnaceae explain the parallel evolution of high diversity in temperate biomes from global to local scales.

The macroevolutionary processes that have shaped biodiversity across the temperate realm remain poorly understood and may have resulted from evolutionary dynamics related to diversification rates, dispersal rates, and colonization times, closely coupled with Cenozoic climate change. We integrated phylogenomic, environmental ordination, and macroevolutionary analyses for the cosmopolitan angiosperm family Rhamnaceae to disentangle the evolutionary processes that have contributed to high species diversity within and across temperate biomes. Our results show independent colonization of environmentally similar but geographically separated temperate regions mainly during the Oligocene, consistent with the global expansion of temperate biomes.

Vagrant birds as a dispersal vector in transoceanic range expansion of vascular plants.

Birds are thought to be important vectors underlying the disjunct distribution patterns of some terrestrial biota. Here, we investigate the role of birds in the colonisation by Ochetophila trinervis (Rhamnaceae), a vascular plant from the southern Andes, of sub-Antarctic Marion Island. The location of O.

Structure of the style and pollen tube pathway in the Ziziphoid and Rhamnoid clades of Rhamnaceae.

The ultrastructure of the style and pollen tube pathway before, during and after anthesis were studied in 13 species belonging to the tribes Pomaderreae, Paliureae, Colletieae and Gouanieae (Ziziphoid clade) and Rhamneae (Rhamnoid clade) using light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The aim of this study is to provide new morphological characters useful for phylogenetic analysis at suprageneric level in Rhamnaceae. The patterns of pollen tube growth and the ultrastructural changes undergone by cells of the style were also described.

Pollen and microsporangium development in Hovenia dulcis (Rhamnaceae): a different type of tapetal cell ultrastructure.

Despite that there is some literature on pollen morphology of Rhamnaceae, studies addressing general aspects of the microsporogenesis, microgametogenesis, and anther development are rare. The aim of this paper is to describe the ultrastructure of pollen grain ontogeny with special attention to tapetum cytology in Hovenia dulcis. Anthers at different stages of development were processed for transmission and scanning electron microscopy, bright-field microscopy, and fluorescence microscopy.

Two classes of bipartite networks: nested biological and social systems.

Bipartite graphs have received some attention in the study of social networks and of biological mutualistic systems. A generalization of a previous model is presented, that evolves the topology of the graph in order to optimally account for a given contact preference rule between the two guilds of the network. As a result, social and biological graphs are classified as belonging to two clearly different classes.

Analysis and assembling of network structure in mutualistic systems.

It has been observed that mutualistic bipartite networks have a nested structure of interactions. In addition, the degree distributions associated with the two guilds involved in such networks (e.g.

Achene structure, development and lipid accumulation in sunflower cultivars differing in oil content at maturity.

Background And Aims: Sunflower cultivars exhibit a wide range of oil content in the mature achene, but the relationship between this and the dynamics of oil deposition in the achene during grain filling is not known. Information on the progress, during the whole achene growth period, of the formation of oil bodies in the components of the achene and its relationship with variations in final oil content is also lacking.

Methods: The biomass dynamics of achene components (pericarp, embryo, oil) in three cultivars of very different final oil concentration (30-56 % oil) were studied.