Table of Contents

01 January 2009, Volume 47 Issue 1
Cover illustration: Heterantherous flowers of Senna bicapsularis (top left), S. surattensis (top right), Melastoma dodecandrum (bottom left), and Fordiophyton faberi (bottom right), showing differentiations in androecia. Photographed by Zhong-Lai LUO (top, bottom left) and Lei GU (bottom right). See LUO et al., pp. 43–56 in this issue.
  
    Reviews
  • Steven R. MANCHESTER, Zhi-Duan CHEN, An-Ming LU, Kazuhiko UEMURA
    J Syst Evol. 2009, 47(1): 1-42.
    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1759-6831.2009.00001.x
    We review the fossil history of seed plant genera that are now endemic to eastern Asia. Although the majority of eastern Asian endemic genera have no known fossil record at all, 54 genera, or about 9%, are reliably known from the fossil record. Most of these are woody (with two exceptions), and most are today either broadly East Asian, or more specifically confined to Sino-Japanese subcategory rather than being endemic to the Sino-Himalayan area. Of the "eastern Asian endemic" genera so far known from the fossil record, the majority formerly occurred in Europe and/or North America, indicating that eastern Asia served as a late Tertiary or Quaternary refugium for taxa. Hence, many of these genera may have originated in other parts of the Northern Hemisphere and expanded their ranges across continents and former sea barriers when tectonic and climatic conditions allowed, leading to their arrival in eastern Asia. Although clear evidence for paleoendemism is provided by the gymnosperms Amentotaxus, Cathaya, Cephalotaxus, Cunninghamia, Cryptomeria, Glyptostrobus, Ginkgo, Keteleeria, Metasequoia, Nothotsuga, Pseudolarix, Sciadopitys, and Taiwania, and the angiosperms Cercidiphyllum, Choerospondias, Corylopsis, Craigia, Cyclocarya, Davidia, Dipelta, Decaisnea, Diplopanax, Dipteronia, Emmenopterys, Eucommia, Euscaphis, Hemiptelea, Hovenia, Koelreuteria, Paulownia, Phellodendron, Platycarya, Pteroceltis, Rehderodendron, Sargentodoxa, Schizophragma, Sinomenium, Tapiscia, Tetracentron, Toricellia, Trapella, and Trochodendron, we cannot rule out the possibility that neoendemism plays an important role especially for herbaceous taxa in the present-day flora of Asia, particularly in the Sino-Himalayan region. In addition to reviewing paleobotanical occurrences from the literature, we document newly recognized fossil occurrences that expand the geographic and stratigraphic ranges previously known for Dipelta, Pteroceltis, and Toricellia.
  • Research Articles
  • Zhong-Lai LUO, Lei GU, Dian-Xiang ZHANG
    J Syst Evol. 2009, 47(1): 43-56.
    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1759-6831.2009.00002.x
    Flowers that have heteromorphic stamens (heterantherous flowers) have intrigued many researchers ever since the phenomenon was discovered in the 19th century. The morphological differentiation in androecia has been suggested as a reflection of "labor division" in pollination in which one type of stamens attracts pollinators and satisfies their demand for pollen as food and the other satisfies the plant's need for safe gamete dispersal. The extent and patterns of stamen differentiation differ notably among taxa with heterantherous flowers. Seven species with heteromorphic stamens in three genera were sampled from Leguminosae and Melastomataceae, and the morphological difference of androecia, pollen content, pollen histochemistry and viability, pollen micro-morphology, as well as the main pollinators were examined and compared. Pollen number differs significantly between stamen sets of the same flower in most species investigated, and a correlation of pollen number and anther size was substantiated. Higher pollen viabilities were found in the long (pollinating) stamens of Senna alata (L.) Roxb. and S. bicapsularis (L.) Roxb. Dimorphic pollen exine ornamentation is reported here for the first time in Fordiophyton faberi Stapf. The height of stigma and anther tips of the long stamens in natural conditions was proved to be highly correlated, supporting the hypothesis that they contact similar areas of the pollinator's body.
  • Guo-Qing CHEN, Hong-Wen HUANG, Daniel J CRAWFORD, Bo-Rong PAN, Xue-Jun GE
    J Syst Evol. 2009, 47(1): 57-66.
    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1759-6831.2009.00003.x
    Ammopiptanthus nanus is an endangered evergreen shrub endemic to the deserts of central Asia and plays an important role in delaying further desertification. We examined allozyme variation and AFLP diversity in A. nanus populations and investigated the mating system of this species using progeny arrays assayed for polymorphic allozyme loci. Mating system analysis in the Keyi'eryongke'er population showed low levels of out-crossing, and strong inbreeding depression. Low levels of genetic variation were detected at both population (allozyme, Pp= 14.0%, A= 1.14, He= 0.031; AFLP, Pp= 14.5%, Shannon's information index I= 0.063) and species (allozyme, Pp= 21.1%, A= 1.21, He= 0.040; AFLP, Pp= 20.9%, I= 0.083) levels; while moderate genetic differentiation existed among populations, as indicated by allozymes (GST= 0.081) and AFLP (GST= 0.151–0.193). Founder effect, bottlenecks in evolutionary history, the mixed mating system and co-ancestry may have influenced the level of genetic diversity in A. nanus. Markers of both types provide new insights for conservation management, indicating that the Biao'ertuokuoyi and Keyi'eryongke'er populations should be given priority for in situ conservation and regarded as seed sources for ex situ conservation.
  • Chi YEN, Jun-Liang YANG, Bernard R. BAUM
    J Syst Evol. 2009, 47(1): 67-86.
    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1759-6831.2009.00004.x
    Leymus is a genus in the Triticeae tribe, Poaceae. The taxa of this genus are allopolyploid species which possess the Ns and Xm genomes. According to cytological, cytogenetic and molecular genetic analyses, some species of Hystrix and Elymus ought to be transferred to this genus. A world revision of the genus Leymus is needed. In this paper we summarize experimental results, provide a key to sections, species and varieties, and list all the taxa we recognize in Leymus with their synonyms. This synopsis is a new taxonomic system to be used for the revision of Leymus.
  • Markku HÄKKINEN
    J Syst Evol. 2009, 47(1): 87-91.
    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1759-6831.2009.00005.x
    The center of diversity of the genus Musa (Musaceae) is in Southeast Asia, a region not studied in detail and where new species and varieties continue to be reported. A new wild banana species, M. chunii Häkkinen from Yunnan, China is described and illustrated based on observed morphological characteristics in the field. This extremely rare new species was only found in Tongbiguan Nature Reserve, Dehong District, West Yunnan. A key to M. chunii and related taxa is provided. In addition, critical notes regarding M. rubra Kurz identity are given.
  • List of Reviewers