The short-term evolvability of a character is closely related to its level of additive genetic variation. However, a large component of the variation in any one character may be pleiotropically linked to other characters under the influence of different selective factors. Therefore, the organization of the organism into quasi-independent modules may be an important prerequisite for evolvability...

Crosses between genetically close and distant populations of Dalechampia scandens (Euphorbiaceae) were made to test whether the responses of various fitness components and measurements of developmental stability were affected by the outcrossing distance (level of outbreeding). Two fecundity traits, seed set and seed mass, decreased consistently with increasing level of outbreeding, and hybrids ...

Longicorn beetle, Acanthophorus rugiceps Gahan (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), is reported for the first time as a confirmed host on physic nut, Jatropha curcas L. (Malpighiales: Euphorbiaceae), from India, causing extensive damage to roots. Plants of three years age and above were prone to attack by this pest. In a six year study beginning in 2005, about 11.3 percent of plants in a 16.25 acre phys...

Oil of the physic nut, Jatropha curcas L. (Malpighiales: Euphorbiaceae), was evaluated in the laboratory for its barrier and repellent activity against the Philippine milk termite Coptotermes vastator Light (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae). The study showed that J. curcas oil had anti-feeding effect, induced reduction in tunneling activity and increased mortality in C. vastator. Behavior of termites...

Two new glyceroglycolipids as well as three known ones were isolated from the glyceroglycolipids molecular species obtained from two less polar fractions of the MeOH extract of the plant Euphorbia nicaeensis All. using normal and reversed phase column flash chromatography. The structures of the isolated glyceroglycolipids were determined on the basis of chemical and spectroscopic evidences. Two...

All published names of Croton from Madagascar, the Comoros, and the Mascarenes are treated here. We indicate which names are currently accepted (123 native species and 1 introduced), which ones we consider to be heterotypic synonyms (188), which ones are doubtful (25), and which ones should be excluded (5). We newly designate lectotypes for 108 names, and epitypes for C. anisatus Baill., C. nob...

DNA barcoding coupled high resolution melting (Bar-HRM) is an emerging method for species discrimination based on DNA dissociation kinetics. The aim of this work was to evaluate the suitability of different primer sets, derived from selected DNA regions, for Bar-HRM analysis of species in Croton (Euphorbiaceae), one of the largest genera of plants with over 1,200 species. Seven primer pairs wer...

The type locality of the slipper spurge Euphorbia conzattii has been in doubt because the 1917 type is a mixed collection with vague label data. In recent field work, the species was found on Cerro Espino, Pochutla District, Oaxaca, Mexico. We used the Method for Evaluation of Risk of Extinction for Mexican Wild Species (MER), required to protect a species under Mexican law, to assess the conse...