Charles B. Fenster,1,2,3 Silvana Martén-Rodriguez,2,4 and Douglas W. Schemske5,6 1Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742 2Behavior, Ecology, Evolution and Systematics Program, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742 3E-mail: [email protected] 4E-mail: [email protected] 5Department of Plant Biology and Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State Uni...

Numerous plant species have been known for decades that respond to herbivore attacks by systemically synthesizing defensive chemicals to protect themselves from predators. The nature of systemic wound signals remained obscure until 1991, when an 18-aa peptide called systemin was isolated from tomato leaves and shown to be a primary signal for systemic defense. More recently, two new hydroxyprol...

We examine evolutionary relationships among the three genera in tribe Lycieae using DNA sequence data from the nuclear granule-bound starch synthase gene (GBSSI, waxy). Tribe Lycieae is comprised of the large cosmopolitan genus Lycium and the predominately South American genera Grabowskia and Phrodus. Phylogenetic results strongly suggest that Lycium contains Grabowskia and may also include Phr...

SolanumdiphyllumL. (Solanaceae) is a perennial shrubreported here for the first timewas formerly seen in different districts of Gujaratstate like Morbi, Gir-Somnath, and Baroda. A brief description species along withflowring fruiting period, remarks photographs are provided easy identification species.

We report for the first time conical galls of Clinodiplosis capsici Gagné, 2000 (Diptera, Cecidomyiidae) on sweet pepper ( Capsicum annuum L., Solanaceae) in Brazil. This has agricultural importance since this midge is one known sweet-pepper pests.

Recently, commercial interest in Physalis species has grown worldwide due to their high nutritional value, edible fruit, and potential medicinal properties. However, many Physalis species have similar shapes and are easily confused, and consequently the phylogenetic relationships between Physalis species are poorly understood. This hinders their safe utilization and genetic resource conservatio...

Andromonoecy is hypothesized to evolve as a mechanism enabling plants to independently allocate resources to female and male function. If staminate flower production is a mechanism to regulate allocation to female function (i.e., fruit production), then large-fruited species should be more strongly andromonoecious than smaller-fruited taxa because more resources are required to mature large fru...

Foliar resistance of two potato clones was tested against a Columbia Basin field population (CBFP) and a Colorado laboratory colony (COLC) of the potato tuberworm, Phthorimaea operculella (Zeller) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae). The first clone was a cross of a cultivated potato, Solanum tuberosum L. (Solanales: Solanaceae), and a wild potato, Solanum berthaultii Hawkes (Q 174-2); the second clone ...

We present here the physical mapping of the 5S rDNA locus in six wild and five cultivated taxa of Capsicum by means of a genus-specific FISH probe. In all taxa, a single 5S locus per haploid genome that persistently mapped onto the short arm of a unique metacentric chromosome pair at intercalar position, was found. 5S FISH signals of almost the same size and brightness intensity were observed i...

A new species of Solanum belonging to section Acanthophora (subgenus Leptostemonum) from Argentina and Brazil is described. Solanum neei Chiarini & L.A.Mentz, sp. nov. is found in clearings of semideciduous forests and in secondary formations, from the states of Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina in Brazil to the Misiones province in Argentina. It is morphologically similar to Solanum...