A craniometric study was conducted on a sample of 209 specimens of the Iberian desman, representing the main areas of the species’ distribution range: Pyrenees, Iberian System, Cantabrian area, Atlantic area, and Central System. No age differences were found in the sample but, conversely to previous reports, results revealed a slight sexual dimorphism in size. Multivariate size and shape analyses performed on both sexes separately indicated that the Pyrenean sample is the one that differs most from the others. Skull of specimens from the Atlantic area was smaller than those from the Cantabrian area, Iberian System, and Central System, and very similar in size to the desmans from the Pyrenees. Nevertheless, in the canonical plots for size and shape both males and females from the Atlantic area clearly fall within the range of variation of non-Pyrenean desmans. Although our analyses showed that there is a general morphological skull differentiation between the two classic subspecies of the Iberian desman described in the literature, it is clear that further morphological and genetic studies are needed to clarify the infraspecific taxonomy of this species fully.
Variability of wing shape of the genus Plecotus in Central Europe was studied in 159 individuals of P. auritus (n = 109) and of P. austriacus (n = 50). Measurements of all metacarpals and phalanges of digit III, IV and V as well as measurements of forearm were taken from live animals (n = 102) and from museum dry specimens (n = 57). Interspecific differences of the relative length of the first phalanges of digits III, IV and V to the total length of corresponding digits were observed. A difference in relative wing tip length to the forearm length (wing tip index) was also found. In P. austriacus the wing tip is significantly longer than in P. auritus. However the first phalanx of digit III in P. austriacus is significantly shorter. An adaptive importance of this morphometric difference is discussed.
Screening of nuclear genome size was carried out on ca 2400 plants from over 120 mainly Central- European localities of the Juncus bufonius group. Besides the diploid level, corresponding to known diploid species (in this case J. ranarius, J. hybridus and J. sorrentini), two polyploid cytotypes were detected, conforming with the tetraploid and hexaploid levels treated by some authors as separate species: J. minutulus and J. bufonius s. str. The relationship between nuclear DNA content and the number of chromosomes was verified by chromosome counting. Polyploidy, as opposed to agmatoploidy can, therefore, account for the karyological variation. The 2C values of diploid, tetraploid and hexaploid individuals were ca 0.65, 1.18±2.8% and 1.84±1.6% pg 2C DNA, respectively. No other cytotype or statistically significant variation in nuclear genome size was found. To asses the utility of hitherto published morphological characters distinguishing J. minutulus from J. bufonius s. str., measurements of seven floral and three vegetative quantitative characters were obtained (no less than 10 measurements per flower, 30 per plant) for 358 mature plants of known ploidy level from 47 localities. Diverse ordination and clustering techniques did not indicate the presence of any grouping in the dataset. Canonical discriminant analysis and stepwise variable selection indicated that inner tepal length followed by mean capsule width and mean capsule length were the most useful characters for identifying the two ploidy levels; however, the estimated 10-fold cross-validation error rate of a simple k nearest neighbour classification analysis was 0.45. Other analyses corroborated this result. No new morphological character that would allow successful separation of tetraploids from hexaploids was discovered. This provides independent support for the opinion of some previous authors that J. bufonius L. is best treated as a single variable species comprising two cytotypes that are inseparable using hitherto suggested diagnostic characters until convincing proof to the contrary is available.
In the present study hybridization between the decaploid Cardamine enneaphyllos and hexaploid C. glanduligera (both previously assigned to Dentaria) was examined. The study area was located in the West Carpathians in Slovakia, where the distribution ranges of the putative parental species overlap, and they occur sympatrically. The putative hybrid C. ×paxiana was studied in many localities in terms of its morphological variation, pollen fertility and PCR-RFLP patterns. Prior to analyses hybrid individuals were tentatively determined based on three morphological characters reported as diagnostic: flower colour, presence of glands on leaves and length of rhizome internodes. Such tentative hybrid identification was confirmed by strongly decreased pollen fertility and an additive restriction pattern in the nuclear ITS region. The possible sources of the substantial morphological variation of hybrids, revealed by morphometric analyses, are discussed. Based on the results of the PCR-RFLP analysis of cpDNA, bidirectional hybridization occurred, although C. enneaphyllos was usually the maternal parent. Geographic distribution and sterility of hybrid individuals suggest that they are repeatedly generated from crosses between the parental species, and represent F1 or early generation hybrids maintained by vegetative reproduction.
Gymnadenia densiflora was recently either misinterpreted or not accepted as a distinct taxon by several authors. To resolve its taxonomic position and differentiation from the related G. conopsea, a detailed study of the morphology, chromosome numbers and distribution of these two taxa in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and neighbouring areas was carried out. Chromosome counts showed an invariable diploid chromosome number (2n = 40) for G. densiflora, while G. conopsea is diploid, tetraploid and rarely also pentaploid (2n = 40, 80, 100). Results of morphometric analyses (principal component analysis, cluster analysis, classificatory and canonical discriminant analysis) confirmed a good morphological separation between G. densiflora and G. conopsea. Characters such as the width of the second lowermost leaf, height of the plant, number of flowers in the inflorescence, number of leaves, and the ratio of height of the plant and distance from the stem base to the base of the uppermost sheathed leaf contributed most to this separation. Our study supports the recognition of G. densiflora as a distinct species.
The Melampyrum sylvaticum group is a complex of three closely related species. This group is most variable in the Carpathian region. Interactions among different levels (within-population to interspecific) of genetic variation and influence of the environment are considered to be the main sources of the complicated morphological variation in this region. Morphological variation in the M. sylvaticum group was studied in mountain ranges of the Hercynian Massif and in the Western and Ukrainian Carpathians. Several populations were sampled at different altitudes within each mountain range. Hierarchical partitioning of morphological variation at different levels (within populations, among populations within a mountain range and among mountain ranges) was calculated. Correlations among groups of morphological characters and altitude were calculated. The largest proportion of variation on a large geographic scale (i.e. among mountain ranges) was detected in anther length and several corolla characters (length of the lower corolla lip, height of upper corolla lip), whereas these traits were homogeneous at a local scale (within populations and among populations in one mountain range). An opposite pattern (i. e. high proportion of variation at the low levels, which blurred possible large scale differences) was found in bract traits and several calyx characters. Moreover, a strong correlation between bract length and altitude was observed. The observed changes in the proportions of morphological variation and response to altitude suggest a close connection between bract characters and environmental factors (or lower levels of genetic variation). On the other hand, some of the flower characters seem to be genetically determined and thus might reflect evolutionary processes (early diversification, potential hybridization, introgression) on which the taxonomic treatment of the group should be based. The most distinct differences were detected between samples from the Ukraine and south-western part of Bohemia. Populations from the the Sudeten Mts and the Western Carpathians were variable and morphologically intermediate, forming a continuum between the two extremes.
We compared cranial, dental, bacular and chromosomal variables between a population of Graphiurus murinus collected in riverine forest in the Andries Vosloo Kudu Reserve (AVKR) near Grahamstown (N= 32), and another from Afromontane forest at Hobbiton on Hogsback (HH), in the Amathole Mountains (N=21), Eastern Cape, South Africa. AVKR dormice were significantly larger in 13 out of a total of 23 cranial dimensions and they had a relatively longer rostrum. The 4th upper premolar was clearly longer and the tip of the baculum broader in the sample from HH. Discriminant function analyses of cranial and dental parameters perfectly separated the two samples. The karyotypes were the same at both localities (2n= 46; NFa = 92) but differed from previously reported karyotypes of Graphiurus species from Africa.
This study aimed to define the morphological characters useful to discriminate wild from stocked brown trout Salmo trutta in Serbia. Rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss and Ohrid Lake’s belvica Salmothymus ohridanus were also examined as outgroup taxa in order to understand better the overall variability and to reduce bias in the methodology applied. Certain continuous external morphological characters were found useful to distinguish clearly the wild and stocked brown trout in particular streams. Molecular analysis is needed to validate this result, which could permit rapid field assessment and subsequent conservation of wild or stocked origin of as yet uninvestigated brown trout stocks in Serbia.
The efficacy of morphometric characters for separating the species of the genus Aspidiotes Schoenherr, 1847, was evaluated. Thirty characters were analyzed. Multivariate and univariate analyses of variance, and discriminant function analysis, all dem onstrated that each species is morphometrically distinguishable. The lengths of rostrum, scape, onychium, pronotum, and width and length of elytra have the maximum discriminatory power. Males and females are also morphometrically distinguishable, mainly due to differences in the widths of rostrum between pterigia and at base of pronotum, and width and length of elytra. The classification functions provided by discriminant gave the correct identification of every single specimen by sex and species. Mahalanobis' distances between species were calculated and subjected to UPGMA clustering, to construct a dendrogram reflecting the morphometric relationships between species. This dendrogram did not correspond to the phylogenetic relationships depicted by a cladogram based on discrete characters (Sánchez-Ruiz & Alonso-Zarazaga, 1994). Some hypotheses are reviewed, which might explain this discrepancy.
Two new apomictic triploid (2n = 3x = 51) species from the Sorbus latifolia group, S. portae-bohemicae M. Lepší, P. Lepší, P. Vít et K. Boublík and S. albensis M. Lepší, K. Boublík, P. Lepší et P. Vít, putative hybridogenous species originated from a cross between S. danubialis and S. torminalis, are distinguished and described based on a taxonomic and chorological revision of Sorbus bohemica (a hybridogenous triploid species from the same parental combination). A number of contemporary biosystematic techniques, including molecular (nuclear microsatellite markers), karyological (chromosome counts, DAPI flow cytometry) and multivariate and geometric morphometrics were used to assess the variation of the species and justify their independent taxonomic status. All three species occur sympatrically in the České středohoří Mts (NW Bohemia). Sorbus bohemica is recorded from 31 localities, based on a revision of herbarium vouchers and field research. Recent field studies failed to verify five of these localities. Sorbus portae-bohemicae is a stenoendemic in the Porta bohemica gorge (situated ca 7 km WNW of Litoměřice) where it grows in open oak forests (Luzulo-Quercetum and transition vegetation type to Melampyro nemorosi-Carpinetum) on ENE-facing slopes and rocks. The only known population of S. portae-bohemicae consists of 14 adult individuals. Sorbus albensis occurs at 12 localities W to NW of Litoměřice. The total number of individuals is estimated at 600. Most are in acidophilous oak forests (Luzulo-Quercetum and its mesic derivatives), scree forests (Aceri-Carpinetum) or shrubby slopes (Pruno-Ligustretum, Antherico-Coryletum). Populations of the new taxa show little genetic variation and are phenotypically homogenous and well separated from other Bohemian hybridogenous Sorbus species. A distribution map of the three species is provided. Photographs of the type specimens and in situ fructiferous individuals of the new species are presented.