Christopher T. Martine

Phylogenetic Relationships of Andromonoecious and Dioecious Australian Species of Solanum subgenus Leptostemonum section Melongena: Inferences from ITS Sequence Data

Abstract This is the first extensive molecular phylogeny for any group of Solanum in Australia. A total of 64 specimens representing 29 taxa were sampled, including 18 endemic Australian members of subgenus Leptostemonum (the “spiny solanums”) section Melongena sensu Symon. Data from the rDNA ITS region were analyzed using parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian methods to test the hypothesis that the dioecious and andromonoecious Australian species of section Melongena constitute a monophyletic group. Analyses showed support for the recognition of five clades among the Australian species of the section, but little support for the monophyly of the section itself. Australian dioecious Solanum species form two distinct clades and a number of enigmatic and previously unplaced dioecious taxa are here placed within a single clade. Three groups of andromonoecious species are also each monophyletic and are nested in a polytomy with three clusters of species from outside section Melongena. Furthermore, the phylogeny indicates that dioecy has evolved either once or twice in Australian Solanum, possibly from andromonoecious ancestry.

Gender-bending aubergines: molecular phylogenetics of cryptically dioecious Solanum in Australia

The causes, consequences and correlates of dioecy have been the subject of much discussion since the days of Darwin. Several recent authors have stressed the importance of informing this body of theory, with studies focusing on lineages in which both dioecy and hermaphroditism are present. The genus Solanum is an ideal group for analysis, because dioecy, hermaphroditism and potential unisexual transitions (e.g. andromonoecy) among them all occur. Phylogenetic hypotheses are presented for the Australian species in Solanum subgenus Leptostemonum (the ‘spiny solanums’) section Melongena, which contains 10 of the 14 currently described dioecious species in the genus. Phylogenetic analysis of the ITS and trnK–matK gene regions supports a single origin of dioecy from andromonoecy in Australian Solanum. The causes, mechanisms, and maintenance of dioecy in Australian Solanum are explored, including the role of past climate change in the establishment of centres of endemism.

Fifteen woody species with potential for invasiveness in New England

In a recent paper (Herron et al. 2007), we published a statistical model for predicting invasiveness of exotic woody plant species in New England. A dataset was compiled of 28 biological/ecological characters for each of 248 exotic trees, shrubs, and lianas currently available in the nursery trade in northeastern North America. We applied a Bayesian hierarchical analysis to explore 1) what set of plant traits confer invasive success on non-native plants in New England, and 2) which currently non-invasive species share important traits with the 33 woody species listed by the Invasive Plant Atlas of New England (Mehrhoff et al. 2003). Using this approach we were able to compare non-native species that are known invaders to non-native species that are not currently considered invasive in New England. One benefit of the hierarchical approach is that we could measure the responses of distinct growth forms, a crucial advantage not only for more robust predictions, but also for determining whether different invasion strategies are employed by each woody growth form (tree, shrub, liana). RHODORA, Vol. 110, No. 943, pp. 345–353, 2008 E Copyright 2008 by the New England Botanical Club

Natural History Collections: Teaching About Biodiversity Across Time, Space, and Digital Platforms

Abstract Natural history collections offer unique physical and virtual opportunities for formal and informal progressive learning. Collections are unique data in that they each represent a biological record at a single place and time that cannot be obtained by any other method. Collections-based experiences lead to an increased understanding of and substantive interaction with the living world. Global biological diversity and changes in that diversity are directly tracked through specimens in collections, regardless of whether changes are ancient or recent. We discuss how collections, specimens, and the data associated with them, can be critical components linking nature and scientific inquiry. Specimens are the basic tools for educating students and interested citizens through direct or virtual contact with the diversity of collections. Such interactions include instruction in a formal classroom setting, volunteering to gather and curate collections, and informal presentations at coffee shops. We emphasize how the recent surge in specimen-based digitization initiatives has resulted in unprecedented access to a wealth of biodiversity information and how this availability vastly expands the reach of natural history collections. The emergence of online databases enables scientists and the public to utilize the specimens and associated data contained in natural history collections to address global, regional, and local issues related to biodiversity in a way that was unachievable a decade ago.

Solanum watneyi, a new bush tomato species from the Northern Territory, Australia named for Mark Watney of the book and film “The Martian”

Abstract A new species of andromonoecious Solanum from the Australian “bush tomato clade” of Solanum subgenus Leptostemonum is described. Solanum watneyi Martine & Frawley, sp. nov. is closely allied with Solanum eburneum, and is sympatric with it in parts of its range in the Northern Territory. The new species has been recognized as a variant of Solanum eburneum for decades, at times being referred to by local botanists as Solanum sp. “Bullita” because of its relative abundance in the vicinity of the Bullita Station area of Judbarra/Gregory National Park. Morphometric analyses show that Solanum watneyi differs statistically from Solanum eburneum in several key reproductive and vegetative characters and field observations suggest that the two sister species may represent a case of edaphic speciation. We provide morphometric evidence for the novelty of Solanum watneyi, a complete description, and cite specimens for both species.

A new cryptically dioecious species of bush tomato ( Solanum ) from the Northern Territory, Australia

Abstract A new species of dioecious Solanum from the Australian “Dioicum Complex” of Solanum subgenus Leptostemonum is described. Solanum cowiei Martine sp. nov., is allied with other members of this problematic lineage, but differs in its slender leaves, limited armature and diminutive habit. The species was first segregated by botanists at the Northern Territory Herbarium as Solanum sp. Litchfield (I.D. Cowie 1428); and specimens representing this species have also been referred to by Symon as Solanum sp. Fitzmaurice River. Collections suggest that this is an endemic of the sub-arid tropical zone of the Northern Territory. SEM images support initial assumptions that the new species is cryptically dioecious via production of inaperturate pollen grains in morphologically hermaphrodite flowers.

Exotic Elsholtzia ciliata (Lamiaceae) Abundant In the Ausable River Delta, Clinton County, New York

Elsholtzia ciliata (Thunb.) Hyl. (Lamiaceae), known commonly as crested late-summer mint and Vietnamese balm, is an annual herb native to Asia. The species is known to naturalize in northeastern North America and is documented in six New England counties in the Flora of the Northeast (Magee and Ahles 1999) and five counties in the Massachusetts County Checklist (Cullina et al. 2011). Weldy and Werier (2012) recorded the species in four counties in New York, and statewide records exist for all northeastern states excepting Rhode Island and New Hampshire (USDA, NRCS 2012). It is also reported for Quebec, Ontario, and New Brunswick (Natureserve 2012). In this region, E. ciliata appears to tolerate a wide range of conditions in disturbed habitats (Mehrhoff et al. 2003) but has been noted as often being associated with granular riparian and floodplain soils (e.g., Gleason and Cronquist 1991, Rhoads and Block 2000). The first record of Elsholtzia ciliata in Clinton County, NY, was collected in 2009 by Timothy Shearman and C. Martine [1 September 2009, Martine & Shearman s.n. (PLAT)] during wetland/ riparian community surveys being conducted in the Ausable Marsh Wildlife Management Area in Peru, NY (Shearman 2011). This wetland complex is part of an extensive delta at the mouth of the Ausable River, a renowned trout stream that flows into Lake Champlain at the eastern edge of the Adirondack Park. An expanded search for E. ciliata found that the species is locally widespread, but especially abundant along the south bank of the river beginning around 600 meters downstream from the historic Carpenter’s Flats Bridge (Route 9, Peru, NY). Here the species has invaded an area of deep, sandy deposits covering more than 400 m. RHODORA, Vol. 114, No. 959, pp. 334–336, 2012 E Copyright 2012 by the New England Botanical Club DOI: 10.3119/12-13

Trees of New Jersey and the Mid-Atlantic states

Over forty years ago, the Cooperative Extension Service at Cook College, Rutgers University, published Common Forest Trees of New Jersey. The book, authored by Austin Lentz, still serves as a guide to the most frequently seen forest tree species in the state. New Jerseys landscape has changed in the past four decades and Trees of New Jersey and the Mid-Atlantic States is a reflection of those changes. Many species not described in the Lentz guide have been described here, such as non-native trees commonly used in our urban landscape. The text for each primary species includes specific statewide and worldwide range information as well as descriptions of similar species one may encounter in New Jersey and the adjacent states.

The hidden Heuchera: How science Twitter uncovered a globally imperiled species in Pennsylvania, USA

Abstract The genus Heuchera is recognized as one of the most diverse endemic radiations of Saxifragaceae in North America, yet species delimitation and geographic distribution within the group remain controversial. Many species remain difficult to identify, including Heuchera alba, a narrow Appalachian endemic and globally imperiled (G2) taxon recorded only from West Virginia and Virginia that occurs in sympatry with H. pubescens and H. americana. A recent survey of the cliffside flora of the Shikellamy Bluffs, PA recorded dozens of Heuchera individuals that, through the use of social media, were positively identified as H. alba. Aided by examination of historical herbarium records, subsequent searches of similar habitats in Pennsylvania led to the discovery of seven more populations and established a significant range expansion for this rare species. The uncovering of H. alba in Pennsylvania is an exciting conservation outcome and an example of what can happen when botanists embrace a combination of modern and classical approaches to discovery and collaboration.

New functionally dioecious bush tomato from northwestern Australia, Solanum ossicruentum, may utilize “trample burr” dispersal

Abstract A new Australian species of functionally dioecious bush tomato of Solanum subgenus Leptostemonum is described. Solanum ossicruentum Martine & J.Cantley, sp. nov., is thought to be allied with members of the problematic “Dioicum Complex” lineage, but differs in its short silvery indumentum, long calyx lobes, larger stature, and an unusual fruit morphology that may represent “trample burr” seed dispersal. The species occurs in a range extending from the eastern Kimberley in Western Australia to far northwestern Northern Territory and has been recognized for decades as a variant of Solanum dioicum W.Fitzg. Specimens of this species were previously referred to by D.E. Symon and others as Solanum dioicum ‘Tanami.’ Ex situ crossing studies and SEM images of inaperturate pollen grains produced in morphologically hermaphrodite flowers indicate that this taxon is functionally dioecious. The scientific name was chosen with the help of 150 seventh grade life science students from Pennsylvania, USA.