BACKGROUND Viola canescens Wall. ex. Roxb. exhibits analgesic, antimalarial and antispasmodic activities. It is used folklorically for the treatment of liver diseases, hypertension, malaria and cancer. The current study investigates phytochemical constituents, antioxidant and hepatoprotective activity of solvent extracts of whole plant of Viola canescens. METHODS Phytochemicals, acute toxicit...

We report here the draft genome sequence of Burkholderia gladioli strain NGJ1. The strain was isolated from healthy rice seeds and exhibits broad-spectrum antifungal activity against several agriculturally important pathogens, including Rhizoctonia solani, Magnaporthe oryzae, Venturia inaequalis, and Fusarium oxysporum.

At least two lineages of Mesozoic birds are known to have possessed a distinct feather morphotype for which there is no neornithine (modern) equivalent. The early stepwise evolution of apparently modern feathers occurred within Maniraptora, basal to the avian transition, with asymmetrical pennaceous feathers suited for flight present in the most basal recognized avian, Archaeopteryx lithographi...

Rapid adaptive evolution has been advocated as a mechanism that promotes invasion. Demonstrating adaptive evolution in invasive species requires rigorous analysis of phenotypic shifts driven by selection. Here, we document selection-driven evolution of Phyla canescens, an Argentine weed, in two invaded regions (Australia and France). Invasive populations possessed similar or higher diversity th...

ITS rDNA sequence data shows that Diploicia and Diplotomma species form a monophyletic clade distinct from other Buellia species. This indicates that Diplotomma merits acceptance as a genus, and suggests that Diploicia should be treated as a synonym of Diplotomma, the earlier name. The data also shows Diploicia subcanescens, considered the fertile counterpart in a species pair with D. canescens...

Insect floral herbivory can dramatically reduce plant reproductive success. Thus, plants should have evolved mechanisms that minimize the effect of insect herbivores, particularly in monocarpic species that must maximize fitness in a single flowering year. Tolerance is one such mechanism; however, few experiments to date evaluate underlying mechanisms of plant tolerance under natural conditions...