During the past decade, ancient DNAs from both animals and plants have been successfully extracted and analyzed. Recently, the age of DNA that can be recovered and sequenced was increased manyfold by the amplification and sequencing of a DNA fragment from a Magnolia fossil obtained from the Miocene Clarkia deposit (17-20 million yr old). However, the validity of this report has been questioned ...

BACKGROUND DNA barcoding will revolutionize our understanding of fern ecology, most especially because the accurate identification of the independent but cryptic gametophyte phase of the fern's life history--an endeavor previously impossible--will finally be feasible. In this study, we assess the discriminatory power of the core plant DNA barcode (rbcL and matK), as well as alternatively propos...

BACKGROUND Within a regional floristic context, DNA barcoding is more useful to manage plant diversity inventories on a large scale and develop valuable conservation strategies. However, there are no DNA barcode studies from tropical areas of China, which represents one of the biodiversity hotspots around the world. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS A DNA barcoding database of an Asian tropi...

The islands of the Caribbean are considered to be a "biodiversity hotspot." Collectively, a high level of endemism for several plant groups has been reported for this region. Biodiversity conservation should, in part, be informed by taxonomy, population status, and distribution of flora. One taxonomic impediment to species inventory and management is correct identification as conventional morph...

When plastids are transferred between eukaryote lineages through series of endosymbiosis, their environment changes dramatically. Comparison of dinoflagellate plastids that originated from different algal groups has revealed convergent evolution, suggesting that the host environment mainly influences the evolution of the newly acquired organelle. Recently the genome from the anomalously pigment...

The systematic utility of sequences from a non-coding region of chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) between psbA and trnH (6v6) was examined by assessing phylogenetic relationships in subtribe Sonchinae (Asteraceae: Lactuceae). Primers constructed against highly conserved regions of tRNA genes were used for PCR amplification and sequencing. The psbA-trnH intergenic spacer contains several insertions and de...

We propose a re ective object-oriented concurrent language RbCl which has no run-time kernel. That is to say, all the behavior of RbCl except for what is restricted by the operating system and hardware can be modi ed/extended by the user. RbCl runs e ciently in a distributed environment and is intended for practical use. The execution of an RbCl program is performed by a metasystem that consist...

Rubisco gene expression was examined in detail in rice (Oryza sativa L.) leaves at different positions, i.e. expanding, mature, and senescent leaves. Rubisco small subunit (RBCS) synthesis and RBCS mRNA levels were maximal in expanding leaves and gradually became lower in mature and senescent leaves, with declines in those of the large subunit (RBCL) being relatively slower. The amount of synth...

Phylogenetic relationships in Cornales were assessed using sequences rbcL and matK. Various combinations of outgroups were assessed for their suitability and the effects of long branches and outgroups on tree topology were examined using RASA 2.4 prior to conducting phylogenetic analyses. RASA identified several potentially problematic taxa having long branches in individual data sets that may ...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS The popular hybrid orchid Vanda Miss Joaquim was made Singapore's national flower in 1981. It was originally described in the Gardeners' Chronicle in 1893, as a cross between Vanda hookeriana and Vanda teres. However, no record had been kept as to which parent contributed the pollen. This study was conducted using DNA barcoding techniques to determine the pod parent of V. Mi...