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Clonal Spread (clonal + spread)
Selected AbstractsWhat youngsters say about adults: seedling roots reflect clonal traits of adult plantsJOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2007MARIE, MILAUEROVÁ Summary 1Grime's theory on plant strategies predicts that the set of traits present in established plants is not correlated with that found in the regenerative stage of the life cycle. We tested this prediction and further investigated whether clonal growth traits, which are found in adult plants but also affect regeneration, are correlated with seedling traits. 2We characterized seedling root systems by their total length, number of root tips and several architectural parameters (length of exterior and interior root links and two topological indices). These below-ground traits were supplemented by the ratio of leaf area to root length, representing relative investment into photosynthesizing surface. We compared seedling traits with clonal growth traits, adult plant heights, and species positions on gradients of nitrogen and water availability. 3Plant species with limited horizontal spread by clonal growth exhibited a larger relative investment in photosynthetic area and also developed larger root systems as seedlings. 4Seedlings of species with taller shoots and those which occur naturally at nutrient-rich sites developed both larger roots and more dichotomously branched root systems (with higher total length and more branches). 5Taking phylogenetic inertia into account showed that this explained large parts of the variation in seedling traits. Relationships between clonal spread and seedling traits were strengthened by phylogenetic correction. 6Our study shows that some of the traits of clonal growth affect both the established and the regenerative stages of the life cycle, suggesting that an evolutionary trade-off exists between the ability to spread clonally and performance at the seedling stage. Species not able to escape from less favourable conditions by extensive clonal spread seem to be more able to exploit the location in which they germinate. [source] Vegetative Compatibility Among Isolates of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides from Yam (Dioscorea spp.) in NigeriaJOURNAL OF PHYTOPATHOLOGY, Issue 1 2004M. M. Abang Abstract Isolates of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides obtained from yam-based cropping systems in Nigeria, previously characterized on the basis of morphology, virulence and rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence variation were further compared for vegetative compatibility (VC). Chlorate-resistant nitrate non-utilizing (nit) mutants were generated from the isolates and used in complementation (heterokaryon) tests. Tests of VC between complementary mutants from different isolates indicated the presence of several genotypes within a single field, suggesting limited clonal spread. In some cases, isolates obtained from the same lesion were observed to belong to different vegetative compatibility groups (VCGs). No compatibility was observed between isolates of the highly virulent slow-growing grey (SGG), the moderately virulent fast-growing salmon (FGS) and the avirulent/weakly virulent fast-growing grey (FGG) strains. Forty-one C. gloeosporioides isolates belonged to 28 VCGs, giving a genotype diversity estimate of 0.68. This diversity confirmed the high variability of the pathogen population as revealed by previous characterization studies, however, a correlation between VCGs and isolate groupings based on morphology and virulence was not found. The finding that an isolate from weed was compatible with yam isolates indicated that transfer of important traits, such as virulence, may take place between isolates from yam and non-yam hosts. The VCG diversity revealed by this study suggests that in addition to asexual reproduction, sexual reproduction may play an important role in the epidemiology of anthracnose on yam. [source] Populations do not become less genetically diverse or more differentiated towards the northern limit of the geographical range in clonal Vaccinium stamineum (Ericaceae)NEW PHYTOLOGIST, Issue 2 2008Sarah B. Yakimowski Summary ,,Geographically peripheral populations are expected to exhibit lower genetic diversity and higher differentiation than central populations because of their smaller size and greater spatial isolation. In plants, a shift from sexual to clonal asexual reproduction may further reduce diversity and increase differentiation. ,,Here, these predictions were tested by assaying 36 inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) polymorphisms in 21 populations of the woody, clonal plant Vaccinium stamineum in eastern North America, from the range center to its northern limit where it has ,threatened' status. Populations decline in frequency, but not size or sexual reproductive output, across the range. ,,Within-population diversity did not decline towards range margins. Modest genetic differentiation among populations increased slightly towards range margins and in small populations with high clonal propagation and low seed production, although none of these trends was significant. Low seed production and high clonal propagation were not associated with large-scale clonal spread. ,,By combining demographic and genetic data, this study determined that increased population isolation, rather than reduced population size, can account for the weak increase in genetic differentiation at range margins. [source] Origin, diffusion and reproduction of the giant reed (Arundo donax L.): a promising weedy energy cropANNALS OF APPLIED BIOLOGY, Issue 2 2010C. Mariani Giant reed (Arundo donax) is a promising energy crop of the Mediterranean areas. It has long been associated with humans and has been cultivated in Asia, southern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East for thousands of years. It is a perennial herbaceous plant (Poaceae) found in grasslands and wetlands throughout a wide range of climatic zones. Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis was used to assess genetic inter and intrarelationships between A. donax and other Arundo species. Furthermore, the development of the sexual apparatus was analysed to understand the basis of sterility in the accession examined. The dendrograms obtained by phenetic and cladistic analysis support the monophyletic origin of giant reed and suggest that it originated in Asia and began to spread into the Mediterranean without traces of hybridisation with the other Arundo species. In particular, samples from Mediterranean areas are characterisd by a lower gene diversity and incidence of rare AFLP fragments indicating that these populations are recent in origin. Moreover, results indicate the occurrence of post-meiotic alterations in the ovule and pollen developmental pathway. Thus, the success of giant reed can be attributed mainly to its rapid clonal spread by rhizome extension, flood dispersal of rhizome and culm fragments. [source] The first major extended-spectrum ,-lactamase outbreak in Scandinavia was caused by clonal spread of a multiresistant Klebsiella pneumoniae producing CTX-M-15,APMIS, Issue 4 2008BIRGITTA LYTSY Between May and December 2005, 64 multidrug-resistant isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae were detected from patients admitted to Uppsala University Hospital. This represented a dramatic increase in ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae compared to previous years. To investigate the epidemiology and to characterize the resistance mechanisms of the isolates, a study was initiated. Antibiotic susceptibility was determined by means of the Etest and the disc diffusion method. Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) production was identified by clavulanic acid synergy test and confirmed with PCR amplification followed by DNA sequencing. DNA profiles of the isolates were examined with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). All isolates were resistant or exhibited reduced susceptibility to cefadroxil, cefuroxime, cefotaxime, ceftazidime, aztreonam, piperacillin/tazobactam, ciprofloxacin, tobramycin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. They produced ESBL of the CTX-M-15 type, and the involvement of a single K. pneumoniae clone was shown. This is the first major clonal outbreak of multiresistant ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae in Scandinavia. The outbreak demonstrates the epidemic potential of enterobacteria containing ESBLs of the CTX-M type, even in a country with a relatively low selective pressure and a low prevalence of multiresistant bacteria. [source] Clusters of imipenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii clones producing different carbapenemases in an intensive care unitCLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTION, Issue 6 2008A. Tsakris Abstract During a 2-year period (April 2005,March 2007), 31 intensive care unit (ICU) patients in a Greek hospital were infected or colonised with imipenem-resistant isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii. Twelve patients died, with imipenem-resistant A. baumannii infection contributing to the death of seven patients. The 31 representative A. baumannii isolates were multidrug-resistant and clustered in four distinct clones, each of which contained different carbapenemase genes: clone I was predominant and contained blaVIM-1, blaOXA-58 and the intrinsic blaOXA-66 gene; clone II contained blaVIM-4, blaOXA-58 and the intrinsic blaOXA-69 gene; clone III contained blaOXA-58 and the intrinsic blaOXA-69 gene; and clone IV contained only the intrinsic blaOXA-66 gene. ISAba1 was not associated with the intrinsic blaOXA-51-like alleles, whereas ISAba3 was found upstream and downstream of blaOXA-58 in isolates of clone I, and upstream of blaOXA-58 in isolates of clone III, but was not detected in isolates of clone II. PCR, curing and hybridisation experiments indicated that the blaVIM alleles were chromosomally located, whereas the blaOXA-58 alleles were plasmid-located. This study provides the first description of the clonal spread of multidrug-resistant A. baumannii isolates carrying blaVIM-1 and blaVIM-4 metallo-,-lactamase genes, and revealed that distinct carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii clusters bearing different carbapenemase genes may emerge and cause severe infections, even in a well-defined regional hospital setting. [source] | |||||||||||||