Thomas Raus

How to Handle Speciose Clades? Mass Taxon-Sampling as a Strategy towards Illuminating the Natural History of Campanula (Campanuloideae)

Background Speciose clades usually harbor species with a broad spectrum of adaptive strategies and complex distribution patterns, and thus constitute ideal systems to disentangle biotic and abiotic causes underlying species diversification. The delimitation of such study systems to test evolutionary hypotheses is difficult because they often rely on artificial genus concepts as starting points. One of the most prominent examples is the bellflower genus Campanula with some 420 species, but up to 600 species when including all lineages to which Campanula is paraphyletic. We generated a large alignment of petD group II intron sequences to include more than 70% of described species as a reference. By comparison with partial data sets we could then assess the impact of selective taxon sampling strategies on phylogenetic reconstruction and subsequent evolutionary conclusions. Methodology/Principal Findings Phylogenetic analyses based on maximum parsimony (PAUP, PRAP), Bayesian inference (MrBayes), and maximum likelihood (RAxML) were first carried out on the large reference data set (D680). Parameters including tree topology, branch support, and age estimates, were then compared to those obtained from smaller data sets resulting from “classification-guided” (D088) and “phylogeny-guided sampling” (D101). Analyses of D088 failed to fully recover the phylogenetic diversity in Campanula, whereas D101 inferred significantly different branch support and age estimates. Conclusions/Significance A short genomic region with high phylogenetic utility allowed us to easily generate a comprehensive phylogenetic framework for the speciose Campanula clade. Our approach recovered 17 well-supported and circumscribed sub-lineages. Knowing these will be instrumental for developing more specific evolutionary hypotheses and guide future research, we highlight the predictive value of a mass taxon-sampling strategy as a first essential step towards illuminating the detailed evolutionary history of diverse clades.

Med-Checklist Notulae, 30

Abstract Greuter W. & Raus Th. (ed.): Med-Checklist Notulae, 30. — Willdenowia 41: 311–328. December 2011. — Online ISSN 1868-6397;

Tracking origins of invasive herbivores through herbaria and archival DNA: the case of the horse-chestnut leaf miner.

Determining the native geographic range or origin of alien invasive species is crucial to developing invasive species management strategies. However, the necessary historical dimension is often lacking. The origin of the highly invasive horse-chestnut leaf-mining moth Cameraria ohridella has been controversial since the insect was first described in 1986 in Europe. Here, we reveal that herbarium collections across Europe indicate a Balkan origin for C ohridella. We successfully amplified nuclear DNA and mitochondrial DNA barcode fragments from larvae pressed within leaves of herbarium samples collected as early as 1879. These archival sequences confirm an identity of C ohridella and set back its history in Europe by more than a century. The herbarium samples uncovered previously unknown mitochondrial haplotypes and locally undocumented alleles, showing local outbreaks of C ohridella back to at least 1961 and dynamic frequency changes that may be associated with road development. This case history demonstr...

The petD group II intron as a species level marker: utility for tree inference and species identification in the diverse genus Campanula (Campanulaceae).

Abstract Borsch T., Korotkova N., Raus T., Lobin W. & Löhne C.: The petD group II intron as a species level marker: utility for tree inference and species identification in the diverse genus Campanula (Campanulaceae). — Willdenowia 39: 7–33. — Online ISSN 1868-6397;

A lichenological comparison of the Paros and Santorini island groups (Aegean, Greece), with annotated checklist

Abstract Sipman, N. & Raus, Th.: A lichonological comparison of the Paros and Santorini island groups (Aegean, Greece), with annotated checklist. — Willdenowia 29: 239–297. 1999. — ISSN 0511-9618. A lichen inventory on the Aegean islands of Paros and Antiparos, both with a long history of land vegetation and a wide variation in bedrock, revealed the presence of 268 species. This flora is compared with the 182 species known from the nearby Santorini island group, comparable in size and surface morphology, but a volcanic archipelago with few limestone inclusions, which was completely devastated by an eruption about 3000 years ago. The higher species number of Paros is explainable by the difference in size and substrate availability. Lichen species inhabiting siliceous-crystalline rock and epiphytic lichen species are more strongly represented on Paros, while species of volcanic rock are more numerous on Santorini, in accordance with the frequency of these substrates. There is no evidence for an influence of the uninterrupted history of the plant cover of Paros on the α-diversity of its lichen flora. Differences in species composition other than those depending on substrate availability appear to be of a random type. Vegetative reproduction seems slightly less frequent on Paros, and pioneer species of lava, which, on Santorini, are restricted to young lava fields, are absent from Paros. An annotated list of lichen species for Paros and an updated checklist for Santorini are presented. Among the encountered species, 28 appear to be unrecorded for Greece. All species reported from Paros are new for this island, from where no species were reported before. Pertusaria parotica is described as a species new to science and the new combination Protoparmelia psarophana var. reagens is made.

An inventory of the lichen flora of Kalimnos and parts of Kos (Dodecanisos, Greece)

Abstract Sipman, H. J. M. & Raus, Th.: An inventory of the lichen flora of Kalimnos and parts of Kos (Dodecanisos, Greece). — Willdenowia 32: 351–392. 2002. — ISSN 0511-9618. An exploration in the Nomos of Dodecanisos, SE Aegean, Greece, mainly on the islands Kalimnos and Kos, and to a lesser extent on Telendos and Nisiros, revealed the presence of 290 lichen species. Of these, 12 were not recorded before from Greece, and four are described as new to science: Acarospora pseudofuscata, Buellia epifimbriata, Caloplaca aegaea and Pertusaria pseudoparotica. An annotated catalogue is presented, which includes notes on lichen records from Santorini and Paros. The lichen flora does not show any special affinity with the nearby Turkish mainland, in striking contrast to the phanerogam flora. It is similar to that of the Paros archipelago (Central Aegean Islands) and differences can be explained by different substrate availability and chance dispersal (island effect). The lichen flora of Santorini, a vulcanic island recolonized 3500 years ago, differs by a larger representation of widespread species. 15 species appear to have a restricted, eastern distribution in the Mediterranean.

Med-Checklist Notulae, 21

Abstract Greuter, W. & Raus, Th. (ed.): Med-Checklist Notulae, 21. — Willdenowia 32: 195-208.2002. — ISSN 0511-9618. Continuing a series of miscellaneous contributions, by various authors, where hitherto unpublished data relevant to the Med-Checklist project are presented, this instalment deals with the families Amaranthaceae, Basellaceae, Campanulaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Compositae, Labiatae, Leguminosae, Lythraceae, Ranunculaceae, Rubiaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Umbelliferae; Cyperaceae, Gramineae, Liliaceae, and Pontederiaceae. It includes new country and area records, taxonomic and distributional considerations. A new species of Scorzonera is described and illustrated. New combinations are validated in Cladanthus.

Med-Checklist Notulae, 20

Abstract Greuter, W. & Raus, Th. (ed.): Med-Checklist Notulae, 20. — Willdenowia 31: 319–328. 2001. — ISSN 0511-9618. Continuing a series of miscellaneous contributions, by various authors, where hitherto unpublished data relevant to the Med-Checklist project are presented, this instalment deals with the families Berberidaceae, Boraginaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Compositae, Convolvulaceae, Crassulaceae, Cruciferae, Droseraceae, Elatinaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Juglandaceae, Labiatae, Leguminosae, Scrophulariaceae, Solanaceae, Umbelliferae, Valerianaceae; Cyperaceae, Hydrocha ritaceae, Gramineae, Pontederiaceae, and Potamogetonaceae. It includes new country and area records, taxonomic and distributional considerations. A new combination is validated in Gymnospermium.

Med-Checklist Notulae, 19

Abstract Greuter, W. & Raus, Th. (ed.): Med-Checklist Notulae, 19. — Willdenowia 30: 229–243. 2000. — ISSN 0511-9618. Continuing a series of miscellaneous contributions, by various authors, where hitherto unpublished data relevant to the Med-Checklist project are presented, this instalment deals with the families Isoetaceae; Amaranthaceae, Asclepiadaceae, Boraginaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Cistaceae, Compositae, Cruciferae, Labiatae, Leguminosae, Lythraceae, Onagraceae, Polygonaceae, Rafflesiaceae, Rosaceae, Salicaceae, Sapindaceae, Solanaceae, Umbelliferae, Violaceae; Cyperaceae, Gramineae, Hydrocharitaceae, and Juncaceae. It includes new country and area records, taxonomic and distributional considerations. A new species of Halimium is described and illustrated. New names and combinations are validated in Amelanchier and Lonicera.

Flora and phytogeographical significance of the islands Chrisi, Koufonisi and nearby islets (S Aegean, Greece)

Abstract Bergmeier, E., Kypriotakis, Z., Jahn, R., Böhling, N., Dimopoulos, P., Raus, Th. & Tzanoudakis, D.: Flora and phytogeographical significance of the islands Chrisi, Koufonisi and nearby islets (S Aegean, Greece). — Willdenowia 31: 329–356. 2001. — ISSN 0511-9618. An annotated floristic catalogue is provided for the islands Chrisi (Gaidouronisi), Koufonisi and the nearby islets Mikronisi, Strongili, Makrouli and Trachilos, all off SE Kriti. Critical use is made of literature data, and hitherto unpublished records, mostly from 1997 through 2000, add substantially to the first full vascular plant inventory of the islands. The total numbers of vascular plant taxa currently known from each island are as follows (accepted taxon records from literature, if extant, in brackets): Chrisi 275 (162), Mikronisi 71 (21), Koufonisi 273 (71), Strongili 110, Makrouli 115, Trachilos 96. Most noteworthy are Suaeda palaestina and Ononis vaginalis (currently with their single localities in Europe); Allium brachyspathum, Astragalus boeticus, A. peregrinus, Galium recurvum, Hippocrepis unisiliquosa, Lagurus ovatus subsp. nanus, Ononis diffusa, Orobanche grisebachii, Schoenoplectus litoralis (new records or confirmations for the Cretan area as a whole, or for the territory of Kriti proper including offshore islands); and Chlamydophora tridentata, Frankenia corymbosa and Hymenolobus procumbens (new regional records for the E part of Kriti and its offshore islands). The N African, pronouncedly thermophilous phytogeographical element is fairly well represented in the investigated area, thence Koufonisi in particular must be considered the driest and hottest SE European island. The principal habitats encountered in each of the islands are outlined and the present conditions for nature conservation discussed.