Knowledge about genetic diversity and population genetic structure is a good baseline for formulating effective conservation plans, and can often provide novel, conservation-relevant insights (Avise, 1996; Geburek, 1997; Hamrick and Godt, 1996). An effective conservation strategy for a species can be made only after detailed population genetic information becomes available (Hamrick and Godt, 19...

The role of past connections between the two major South American forested biomes on current species distribution has been recognized a long time ago. Climatic oscillations that further separated these biomes have promoted parapatric speciation, in which many species had their continuous distribution split, giving rise to different but related species (i.e., different potential distributions an...

Animals display a great diversity of parental care tactics that ultimately enhance offspring survival, but how such behaviors evolve remains unknown for most systems. Here, we studied the evolution of maternal care, in the form of nest guarding, in a single population of long-tailed sun skink (Eutropis longicaudata) living on Orchid Island (Taiwan). This species typically does not provide prote...

BACKGROUND Tanzania is a wild orchid biodiversity hotspot and has a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS. The wild orchids in the study are endemic and protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Every year, however, between 2.2 and 4.1 million orchid plants consumed in Zambia are estimated as originating from Tanzania. This research examines the differences between HIV/AID...

All orchids have showy flowers and many are therefore popular as exotic houseplants as well as contributing significantly to eco-tourism. A special attribute of some orchid genera is the production of edible tubers, an attribute that can contradict eco-tourism if harvesting is not done sustainably. Such is the case in the Southern Highlands where for example, Kitulo Plateau has been gazetted to...

Why do plants mimic female insects to attract males for pollination? A new study gives insights into the advantages of sexual mimicry and documents this pollination system for the first time outside the orchid family, in a South African daisy.

The Dendrobium Orchid Gatton Sunray is a hybrid orchid of pulchellum × illustre . A study was aimed to find the best type medium and banana for multiplication Protocorm-Like Bodies (PLBs) this orchid. This research conducted from February September 2020 at Plant Tissue Culture Laboratory, Faculty Agriculture, University Bengkulu. Treatments included media cultivar ripe fruit, added as source or...

Female attraction to an environmentally derived mating signal released by male orchid bees may be tightly linked to shared olfactory preferences of both sexes. A change in perfume preference may have led to divergence of two morphologically distinct lineages.