A chemotaxonomic survey of 380 species of Aloe indicated the presence of the anthrone isomers aloin A and B together with the aloinoside isomers and microdontin A and B in 36 (10%) species of Aloe. This group, referred to as the microdontin chemotype, is thus characterised by a combination of exudate compounds and not merely a single phytochemical marker, implying taxonomic significance of leaf...

Although their functional importance in ecosystems is increasingly recognized, soil-dwelling micro-arthropods are usually poorly known in comparison with their above-ground counterparts. Collembola constitute a significant and species-rich component of the soil biodiversity, but it remains a woefully understudied group because of the taxonomic impediment. The ever-increasing use of molecular ta...

Taxonomic identification accounts for a substantial portion of cost associated with bioassessment programs across the United States. New analytical approaches, such as DNA barcoding have been promoted as a way to reduce monitoring costs and improve efficiency, yet this assumption has not been thoroughly evaluated. We address this question by comparing costs for traditional morphology-based bioa...

A survey was conducted among Hausa and Fulani, two major tribes of Northern Nigeria to identify plants and methods used traditionally in the treatment of cancers and inflammatory diseases. The ecological zones that were considered include Zaria, Kaduna and Kano in the Northern part of Nigeria. The survey involves traditional healers, hunters, farmers and Fulani nomads. This survey has identifie...

Here we presented two datasets (biological and environmental datasets) collected in a comprehensive large geographical scale (approximately 1.1×105 km2) survey of rivers/streams in the Haihe River Basin (HRB), which has become the most polluted river basin in past two decades in China. The survey selected a total of 94 representative sampling sites in the plain region of HRB, where environmenta...