Long-term vegetation development on a wildfire slope in Innerzwain(Styria,Austria)

Forest fires in mountainous areas can cause severe defores-tation which can potentially trigger secondary natural hazards like debris falls and avalanches. We documented an extreme case study for the range of possible post-fire land cover （LC） dynamics. We investigated a 15-ha, steep （10°-65°） burnt slope in Styria （Austria） at elevation of 760-1130 m, which burned in 1946 and has not fully recovered to date. Seven 8-class legend LC maps were produced （1954, 1966, 1973, 1982, 1998, 2004, 2009） and integrated in a vector-based GIS, mainly by on-screen interpretation of aerial photos. Our aim was to clarify how post-wildfire LC dynamics take place on a severely damaged, steep slope and to give a basic projection of the future vegetation recovery process. The pre-fire Pinus sylvestrisstands have been mainly replaced by Picea abies and Larix decidua. Regeneration proceeded mainly from the base of the slope upwards. All tree species together still cover no more than 40% of the slope after more than 60 years of recovery, while grassland communities and rock/debris areas have expanded. Multitemporal analysis showed a slow but steady increase in woodland cover. Degraded rock/debris areas, however, expanded as well because soil erosion and related debris flows remained active. Slope angle （with a threshold value of approx. 35-40°） seemed to control whether erosion or regeneration prevailed. According to a simple extrapolation, the slope will not reach its former condition before 2070. This extreme disturbance window of more than 120 years is owed to the steepness of the slope and to the shallow soils on dolomitic bedrock that were severely damaged by the fire. The neglect of any game fencing is a further factor slowing regeneration.

Models and Neural Bases of the Believing Process

Departing from the long debates on the role of faith/belief, recent interdisciplinary research has turned to characterize the features of the psychophysical processes underlying believing. Here we review recent cognitive neuroscience models of the believing process and propose a conceptual framework that integrates current theoretical and empiric knowledge about the processes of believing. There are theories that elegantly explain believing as a self-organization process of cognitive and emotional elements. Adding to the component of self-organized belief representation, dual-component models assume a belief evaluation component, which is probably supported by the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and explains the stability of the belief despite the changing environment. Borrowing an idea from the neural models for the mental representation of action or situation, inclusion of both perceptive and action informations as the construct of belief representation allows the intimate relationship between a specific belief and a specific range of behaviour. Furthermore, inclusion of the personal value or affective information in the representation explains the deep impact of one’s emotional and physical state on the believing process. For associating perception, action, and value in a representation, the medial frontal cortex (MFC) may play a key role. Recent neuro-cognitive models of self-cognition explain the developmental origin of such a representation and the hierarchically nested structure of three levels of complexity in the representations: basic physical level, interpersonal level, and higher social level. The integrated model provides a comprehensive perspective of the believing process which suggests the importance and future directions of this interdisciplinary approach.

Phylogenetic insights resolve Dacampiaceae(Pleosporales)as polyphyletic:Didymocyrtis(Pleosporales,Phaeosphaeriaceae)with Phoma-like anamorphs resurrected and segregated from Polycoccum(Trypetheliales,Polycoccaceae fam.nov.)

A phylogenetic analysis of nuLSU and ITS sequences representing genera previously included in Dacampiaceae indicates that the family is strongly polyphyletic and that the type species of Dacampia is placed in Pleosporales.The genus Munkovalsaria s.str.is placed in Didymosphaeriaceae(Pleosporales).Polycoccum s.str.and two species of Clypeococcum are shown to form a new lineage sister to the Trypetheliaceae in Trypetheliales and described here as Polycoccaceae.Other members of Polycoccum s.lat.are included in the Pleosporales and are closely related to lichenicolous Phoma-like species of the family Phaeosphaeriaceae.The genus Didymocyrtis is resurrected for these species and for lichenicolous species previously assigned to Diederichia,Diederichomyces,Leptosphaeria and Phoma.The genera Diederichia and Diederichomyces are synonymized with Didymocyrtis.The new combinations Didymocyrtis bryonthae,D.cladoniicola,D.foliaceiphila,D.infestans,D.kaernefeltii,D.melanelixiae,D.pseudeverniae,D.ramalinae,D.slaptoniensis and D.xanthomendozae are made,and the new name D.epiphyscia is introduced for Phoma physciicola.Some anamorph-teleomorph relationships are resolved,such as Didymocyrtis ramalinae–Phoma ficuzzae and Didymocyrtis consimilis–Phoma caloplacae,the phylogenetic results being supported by single ascospore cultures that lead to the asexual stage producing pycnidia and conidia in culture.Speciation by host switching is assumed to be important in the genus Didymocyrtis.An identification key to Didymocyrtis species is provided.

CURRENT AND FUTURE APPROACHES TO THE QUALITY OF CONTROL OF CHINESE HERBAL MEDICINES

Quality of control of Chinese herbal medicines is currently mainly based on specifications of pharmacopoeias.Challenges are the limited specificiity of some of these methods,the use of various grades and processed materials,which cannot easily be distinguished,and the increasing use of granules,which are so far not considered in most pharmacopoeias.For identity and purity testing,microscopy and TLC fingerprint analysis are

Global assessment of genetic variation and phenotypic plasticity in the lichen-forming species Tephromela atra

Understanding how many species exist and the processes by which they form remains a central topic of ecological and evolutionary biology,but represents a special challenge within microbial groups.The lichen-forming fungi represent one of the best examples in which species evolution and diversity create patterns of high phenotypic plasticity coupled with wide geographic distributions.We sampled the lichen-forming species Tephromela atra and related species at a world-wide scale to reconstruct a phylogenetic hypothesis using three nuclear markers.Samples were also studied for morphological and chemical traits to assess how well the phenotypic relationships with species,previously segregated from T.atra,agrees with molecular data.We used a genealogical concordance approach and identified 15 monophyletic clades,which may represent independent lineages.By combining morphological and chemical characters,ecological preferences and geographic origin we distinguish six different species.Although subtle phenotypical traits are frequently used for describing previously cryptic species in fungi,the continuum of variability found in morphology and chemical patterns in T.atra prevents the description of new taxa with characteristic traits.We observed that phenotypic characters arise in parallel at local or regional scale but are not correlated with genetic isolation.Therefore,they are insufficient for characterizing species with broad geographic ranges within T.atra.

Towards a revised generic classification of lecanoroid lichens(Lecanoraceae,Ascomycota)based on molecular,morphological and chemical evidence

Abstract The phylogenetic relationship of lecanoroid lichens is studied using two data sets:1)a 2-locus data set including 251 OTUs representing 150 species,and 2)a 6-locus data set with 82 OTUs representing 53 species.The genus Lecanora as currently circumscribed is shown to be highly polyphyletic and several genera,including Adelolecia,Arctopeltis,Bryonora,Carbonea,Frutidella,Lecidella,Miriquidica,Palicella,Protoparmeliopsis,Pyrrhospora,and Rhizoplaca are nested within Lecanora sensu lato.A core group of Lecanora is supported as monophyletic and includes species of the L.carpinea,L.rupicola,and L.subcarnea groups,and a core group of the L.subfusca group.Three monophyletic clades that are well supported in our analyses and well characterized by phenotypical characters are accepted here:1)Myriolecis to accommodate the Lecanora dispersa group and Arctopeltis;2)Protoparmeliopsis for the L.muralis group;and 3)Rhizoplaca is emended to include three placodioid taxa previously classified in Lecanora(L.novomexicana.L.opiniconensis,L.phaedrophthalma),whereas R.aspidophora and R.peltata are excluded from Rhizoplaca.The latter is transferred into Protoparmeliopsis.Lecidella is strongly supported as a monophyletic group.Our studies indicate the presence of additional clades of species currently placed in Lecanora sensu lato that warrant taxonomic recognition but additional data will be necessary before the circumscription of these entities is fully understood.37 new combinations are proposed into the genera Myriolecis(30),Protoparmeliopsis(2),and Rhizoplaca(5).