Exploiting DNA methylation in cassava under water deficit for crop improvement.

DNA methylation plays a key role in the development and plant responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. This work aimed to evaluate the DNA methylation in contrasting cassava genotypes for water deficit tolerance. The varieties BRS Formosa (bitter) and BRS Dourada (sweet) were grown under greenhouse conditions for 50 days, and afterwards, irrigation was suspended.

Systematic account of new Porifera (Demospongiae) records from the oceanic Island of Madeira (NE Atlantic).

Few surveys on benthic fauna have been performed on the island of Madeira (Alves et al. 2003 and references therein), and the first sponge specimens were collected opportunistically (Johnson 1863, 1899; Topsent 1904, 1928). Porifera can be considered one of the least studied phyla in the Madeira archipelago, within the Lusitanian province.