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Identification Keys (identification + keys)
Selected AbstractsThe Rubiaceae of Cabinda (Angola)BOTANICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY, Issue 4 2007ESTRELA FIGUEIREDO fls A treatment of the Rubiaceae of Cabinda (Angola) is presented based on various herbarium collections. There are 67 genera and 169 species of Rubiaceae represented in the flora of Cabinda. Eight entities are unnamed and could represent new taxa. Identification keys are provided for species and infraspecific taxa. A new combination is made in Rothmannia and two are made in Psychotria. A new name is provided in Psychotria. Eighteen taxa are endemic to Cabinda, two of which are also endemic to Angola. The conservation status of the endemic taxa is unknown due to the lack of collections over the last 40 years. © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2007, 154, 455,495. [source] Real-time PCR assay for the identification of Thrips palmi,EPPO BULLETIN, Issue 1 2005L. F. F. Kox Since Thrips palmi became a regulated pest for most European countries, inspections at points of entry into Europe and monitoring in Europe have intensified not only for T. palmi but also for thrips as a whole. Morphological identification of thrips is performed on adults and to a lesser extent on second-stage larvae only, because no adequate identification keys for the separation of species based on the characteristics of eggs, first-stage larvae, pre-pupae or pupae are available. We have developed a real-time PCR assay based on TaqMan. A T. palmi -specific set of primers and probe were selected within the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene. The specificity of the assay was assessed using 15 specimens of Thrips palmi and 61 specimens of 23 other thrips species commonly occuring in Europe. All T. palmi specimens were detected, and no cross reactions with other thrips were observed. The method was tested on single larvae and adults and proved to be applicable for both those stages of T. palmi. [source] DOMOIC ACID PRODUCTION By PSEUDO-NITZSCHIA SERIATA (BACILLARIOPHYCEAE) IN SCOTTISH WATERS,JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY, Issue 4 2004Johanna Fehling In 1999, a 49,000 km2 area in western Scottish waters was closed to shellfish harvesting due to the amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP) toxin domoic acid (DA). The only previously confirmed DA producer identified had been Pseudo-nitzschia australis Frenguelli. The toxin has appeared every year since and has led to more harvesting closures. We isolated and cultured two strains of Pseudo-nitzschia seriata f. seriata (P. T. Cleve) H. Peragallo from western Scottish waters in 2001 and 2002. They were identified using TEM analysis of their morphological fine structure and sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS)1, 5.8S, ITS2, and partial large subunit (LSU) rDNA. The morphology of the Scottish P. seriata f. seriata strains differed slightly, for example, in the number of poroid rows, from descriptions in identification keys. Comparison of P. seriata sequences with those of two co-occurring Pseudo-nitzschia australis isolates showed an overall divergence of only 0.012. Sequence divergence between both species was highest in the ITS1 region (0.036). Combined morphological and genetic approaches are needed to identify closely related Pseudo-nitzschia species. The P. seriata strains grew successfully at 15°C, suggesting that although seen as a psychrophilic species, it may also occur at higher water temperatures. All isolates produced DA in stationary phase (measured on day 25): 0.16,0.23 pg DA·cell,1 in P. seriata and 0.15,1.68 pg DA·cell,1 in P. australis. Our study is the first to identify P. seriata f. seriata as a DA producer in Scottish waters and indicates that at least it and P. australis can be responsible for ASP toxicity in that region. [source] 95 Development of macroalgal (seaweed) taxonomic keys utilizing digital & media technologyJOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY, Issue 2003R. L. Lehman Digital, user-friendly seaweed identification keys and instructional materials can provide information that allows students and researchers to enhance and improve marine field and ecological studies by including macroalgae. In much of the scientific literature, the seaweeds are only characterized to division (red, green, and brown), sometimes to genus, and very rarely to species; so there is clearly a need for a reference that facilitates the identification of the seaweeds. Many of the problems occur because of the lack of user-friendly identification keys. However, it is not necessary to be an expert to identify seaweeds as many of the key characteristics used in their identification can be ascertained with the naked eye, a hand lens and an inexpensive microscope. What is needed is an identification guide that uses and displays important characters and identification structures visually (both macroscopic and microscopic) so that research scientists, students, teachers and the general public will be able to identify the seaweeds with confidence. We are using Lucid Professional software to construct digital keys for the identification of macroalgae from the Texas Coastal Bend. The advantages include: 1) key characters along with descriptions and images for specific macroalgae may be chosen from a geographic area of choice, 2) the user may evaluate the characters in any order and difficult or uncertain characters may be ignored, 3) descriptive pages of images, definitions, video clips and illustrations may be included for each taxon, and 4) the key can be displayed as a website or packaged as a CD to be used with laptop computers in the field. [source] Taxonomic identification of Amazonian tree crowns from aerial photographyAPPLIED VEGETATION SCIENCE, Issue 4 2010Carlos E. González-Orozco Abstract Question: To what extent can aerial photography be used for taxonomic identification of Amazonian tree crowns? Objective: To investigate whether a combination of dichotomous keys and a web-based interface is a suitable approach to identify tree crowns. Location: The fieldwork was conducted at Tiputini Biodiversity Station located in the Amazon, eastern Ecuador. Methods: High-resolution imagery was taken from an airplane flying at a low altitude (600 m) above the ground. Imagery of the observable upper layer of the tree crowns was used for the analysis. Dichotomous identification keys for different types of crowns were produced and tested. The identification keys were designed to be web-based interactive, using Google Earth as the main online platform. The taxa analysed were Iriartea, Astrocaryum, Inga, Parkia, Cecropia, Pourouma, Guarea, Otoba, Lauraceae and Pouteria. Results: This paper demonstrates that a combination of photo-imagery, dichotomous keys and a web-based interface can be useful for the taxonomic identification of Amazonian trees based on their crown characteristics. The keys tested with an overall identification accuracy of over 50% for five of the ten taxa with three of them showing accuracy greater than 70% (Iriartea, Astrocaryum and Cecropia). Conclusions: The application of dichotomous keys and a web-based interface provides a new methodological approach for taxonomic identification of various Amazonian tree crowns. Overall, the study showed that crowns with a medium-rough texture are less reliably identified than crowns with smoother or well-defined surfaces. [source] |