Marchantia polymorpha L. has been established as a model liverwort species for understanding plant evolution, and several genetic transformation technologies have been developed. Recently, we described a simplified Agrobacteriummediated genetic transformation method termed AgarTrap (Agar-utilized Transformation with Pouring Solutions) that uses sporelings (S-AgarTrap) or gemmae/gemmalings (G-Ag...

The wide distribution of many seagrasses may be attributable to exploitation of currents. However, many species have seeds heavier than seawater, limiting surface floating, and thus, deep water becomes a potential barrier between suitable habitats. In this investigation, we studied the dispersal potential of various life history stages of two species of seagrasses, Thalassia hemprichii and Halo...

The colonisation of the land by plants was accompanied by the evolution of complex tissues and multicellular structures comprising different cell types as morphological adaptations to the terrestrial environment. Here, we show that the single WIP protein in the early-diverging land plant Marchantia polymorpha L. is required for the development of the multicellular gas exchange structure: the ai...

The diatom composition on some Charophyceae taxa was investigated in different freshwater ecosystems in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Montenegro during 2007. A total of 91 taxa belonging to 37 genera were identified. The genus Gomphonema with 9 taxa was the most diverse, followed by Navicula (7), Nitzschia, Pinnularia and Gyrosigma (5). The number of taxa at the localities varied from nin...

The current literature reveals that the intrathalline coexistence of multiple microalgal taxa in lichens is more common than previously thought, and additional complexity is supported by the coexistence of bacteria and basidiomycete yeasts in lichen thalli. This replaces the old paradigm that lichen symbiosis occurs between a fungus and a single photobiont. The lichen Ramalina farinacea has pro...

The ciliate Nyctotherus ovalis occurs in high numbers in the hindgut of the American cockroach (Periplaneta americana) and harbors methanogenic bacteria as endosymbionts. The contribution of these hindgut microorganisms to metabolic and developmental processes of P. americana was studied by comparing cultures of cockroaches in which the composition of the hindgut microbial population was altere...

Clinical and Epidemiological studies have shown that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular diseases, cancers and other related disorders. These beneficial health effects have been attributed in part to the presence of antioxidants in dietary plants. Therefore screening for antioxidant properties of plant extracts has been one of the interests...