C. Braeuchler’s research while affiliated with Naturhistorisches Museum Wien and other places

Xanthium is a genus of annual herbaceous plants that stands out within Asteraceae for being wind-pollinated, diclinous monoecious, and bearing solitary pistillate flowers in peculiar spiny structures (burs). Xanthium sect. Acanthoxanthium is native to South America and characterized by the presence of trifurcate spines at the base of the leaves. Past taxonomic treatments of the section have been contradictory, some recognising up to six species, others reducing all to a single polymorphic species. Altogether, 42 samples of X. sect. Acanthoxanthium were analysed, the vast majority taken from herbarium specimens between 20 and 160 years old. We sampled multiple specimens of X. spinosum from throughout its broad range as well as those taxa with narrower distributions, covering the whole range of morphological variation in the section. When possible, we included types and original material. We used Hyb-Seq techniques to obtain information from about 1000 single-copy nuclear genes and complete plastomes. Phylogenomic data were submitted to coalescent-based species delimitation approaches (SPEEDEMON). Additionally, we performed geometric mor-phometric analysis of leaf outlines. The results strongly support the identification of four lineages in the section favouring the acceptance of four of the hitherto described species, i.e., X. ambrosioides, X. argenteum, X. catharticum, and X. spinosum. These results were to some extent corroborated by morphometric analyses. While X. ambrosioides was well distinct from X. spinosum based on leaf morphology, such difference was not observed between X. spinosum and X. catharticum. However, X. catharticum differs from X. spinosum in its ecological requirements, being a species rather adapted to high-mountain environments of the Neotropics. Intriguingly , X. argenteum-a taxon described from a single herbarium collection-was also inferred as a species.

To conserve threatened species effectively, it is crucial to map the genetic variation of the remaining populations. Thus, using 15 microsatellites markers, from which 10 were specially developed for this study, we investigated genetic structure and gene flow patterns of Herbertia zebrina Deble, a critically endangered species endemic from grasslands of southern Brazil. We also investigated the degree of habitat fragmentation and the impacts on levels of genetic diversity, mating system and pollinators of the species. STRUCTURE and discriminant analysis of principal components identified the existence of three genetic clusters. Populations were not isolated by distance, and genetic differentiation among populations was low (7.0%). Migration rates were also low, but no evidence of genetic bottlenecks was found. However, effective population-scaled mutation rates (Θ) were < 1, suggesting that populations could be experiencing genetic drift, but the reason remains unknown. The results indicate that measurements of habitat fragmentation were not significantly correlated with genetic diversity estimates, which tend to increase with fragment size. H. zebrina was identified as an outcrossing species and specialized pollinators, such as Chalepogenus goeldianus and Lanthanomelissa betinae were rarely observed. Our findings suggest that genetic differentiation across multiple populations within the entire geographic distribution of H. zebrina is very low and populations may struggle to adapt to the current environmental and pollination changes. However, habitat fragmentation is still too recent to detect significant impacts on the levels of genetic variation. Thus, conservation plans are necessary to avoid further declines of this species.

The mustard family (Brassicaceae) is a scientifically and economically important family, containing the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana and numerous crop species that feed billions worldwide. Despite its relevance, most phylogenetic trees of the family are incompletely sampled and often contain poorly supported branches. Here, we present the most complete Brassicaceae genus-level family phylogenies to date (Brassicaceae Tree of Life or BrassiToL) based on nuclear (1,081 genes, 319 of the 349 genera; 57 of the 58 tribes) and plastome (60 genes, 265 genera; all tribes) data. We found cytonuclear discordance between the two, which is likely a result of rampant hybridization among closely and more distantly related lineages. To evaluate the impact of such hybridization on the nuclear phylogeny reconstruction, we performed five different gene sampling routines, which increasingly removed putatively paralog genes. Our cleaned subset of 297 genes revealed high support for the tribes, whereas support for the main lineages (supertribes) was moderate. Calibration based on the 20 most clock-like nuclear genes suggests a late Eocene to late Oligocene origin of the family. Finally, our results strongly support a recently published new family classification, dividing the family into two subfamilies (one with five supertribes), together representing 58 tribes. This includes five recently described or re-established tribes, including Arabidopsideae, a monogeneric tribe accommodating Arabidopsis without any close relatives. With a worldwide community of thousands of researchers working on Brassicaceae and its diverse members, our new genus-level family phylogeny will be an indispensable tool for studies on biodiversity and plant biology.

Resurrecting extinct species is a fascinating and challenging idea for scientists and the general public. Whereas some theoretical progress has been made for animals, the resurrection of extinct plants (de-extinction sensu lato) is a relatively recently discussed topic. In this context, the term ‘de-extinction’ is used sensu lato to refer to the resurrection of ‘extinct in the wild’ species from seeds or tissues preserved in herbaria, as we acknowledge the current impossibility of knowing a priori whether a herbarium seed is alive and can germinate. In plants, this could be achieved by germinating or in vitro tissue-culturing old diaspores such as seeds or spores available in herbarium specimens. This paper reports the first list of plant de-extinction candidates based on the actual availability of seeds in herbarium specimens of globally extinct plants. We reviewed globally extinct seed plants using online resources and additional literature on national red lists, resulting in a list of 361 extinct taxa. We then proposed a method of prioritizing candidates for seed-plant de-extinction from diaspores found in herbarium specimens and complemented this with a phylogenetic approach to identify species that may maximize evolutionarily distinct features. Finally, combining data on seed storage behaviour and longevity, as well as specimen age in the novel ‘best de-extinction candidate’ score (DEXSCO), we identified 556 herbarium specimens belonging to 161 extinct species with available seeds. We expect that this list of de-extinction candidates and the novel approach to rank them will boost research efforts towards the first-ever plant de-extinction. Full-text access to a view-only version: https://rdcu.be/c1TOK

The mustard family (Brassicaceae) is a scientifically and economically important family, containing the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana and numerous crop species that feed billions worldwide. Despite its relevance, most published family phylogenies are incompletely sampled, generally contain massive polytomies, and/or show incongruent topologies between datasets. Here, we present the most complete Brassicaceae genus-level family phylogenies to date (Brassicaceae Tree of Life, or BrassiToL) based on nuclear (>1,000 genes, almost all 349 genera and 53 tribes) and plastome (60 genes, 79% of the genera, all tribes) data. We found cytonuclear discordance between nuclear and plastome-derived phylogenies, which is likely a result of rampant hybridisation among closely and more distantly related species, and highlight rogue taxa. To evaluate the impact of this rampant hybridisation on the nuclear phylogeny reconstruction, we performed four different sampling routines that increasingly removed variable data and likely paralogs. Our resulting cleaned subset of 297 nuclear genes revealed high support for the tribes, while support for the main lineages remained relatively low. Calibration based on the 20 most clock-like nuclear genes suggests a late Eocene to late Oligocene icehouse origin of the family. Finally, we propose five new or re-established tribes, including the recognition of Arabidopsideae, a monotypic tribe to accommodate Arabidopsis . With a worldwide community of thousands of researchers working on this family, our new, densely sampled family phylogeny will be an indispensable tool to further highlight Brassicaceae as an excellent model family for studies on biodiversity and plant biology.

Bei den 10 ABOL-BioBlitz-Aktionen im Rahmen der Tage der Artenvielfalt 2019 und 2020, die großteils in Schutzgebieten stattfanden, wurden DNA-Barcodes von Or-ganismen erstellt, die im Zuge der Veranstaltungen gesammelt und bestimmt wur-den. Im Rahmen dieser Publikation werden insgesamt 2.172 Datensätze bzw. 1.750 DNA-Barcodes von 1.040 Arten veröffentlicht und sind somit auf der internationalen DNA-Barcoding-Plattform BOLD frei zugänglich. Mit den BioBlitzen schafft ABOL eine win-win-Situation, indem Bestimmungen abgesichert werden, die Datengrund-lage verbessert und kryptische Diversität aufgedeckt wird. Vor allem aber versucht ABOL, selten gewordene Artenkenntnis, v. a. für Insekten, durch DNA-Barcoding zu sichern und allgemein verfügbar zu machen. Der gesteigerte Bedarf an Bestimmungs-kompetenz, den die Bewältigung der Biodiversitätskrise mit sich bringt, erfordert eine Erweiterung der methodischen Ansätze der Artbestimmung, um nicht an Kapazitäts-grenzen zu stoßen. Sonnleitner M., Schoder S., Macek o., leeb c., bräuchler c., haring e. et al., 2022: Contribution of the ABOL BioBlitzes to the Austrian biodiversity data: DNA barcodes from 2019 and 2020. In 2019 and 2020, the Austrian Barcode of Life initiative (ABOL) introduced a new Citizen Science format to Austria, the ABOL BioBlitz, which combines well established Days of Biodiversity (Tage der Artenvielfalt) with the generation of DNA barcodes. Experts on various taxonomic groups meet during these Days of Biodiversity to record as many species as possible. Especially in arthropods, reliable species identification often requires detailed morphological examination of the collected specimens. Since the expertise for accurately identifying arthropods is rare, declining and often restricted to a few people, the generation of DNA barcodes for specimens identified by experts to serve as reference data is an efficient way to safeguard taxonomic knowledge for society and for the future. Here, we publish data on 2,172 specimens, including 1,750 DNA barcodes from 1,040 species, which were mainly collected in protected areas, and make these data openly accessible on the international Barcode of Life platform (BOLD). With the BioBlitz actions, ABOL intends to enhance the value of the Days of Biodiversity for all parties by improving the biodiversity data for distinct areas, securing species identifications, uncovering potential cryptic diversity and digitizing taxonomic expertise. Necessary policies to reverse the current biodiversity decline entail increasing demands in species identification. Building up a reference DNA barcode database will help to avoid capacity limits due to a declining taxonomic expertise, by allowing for DNA barcoding as a complementary molecular genetic approach for species identification .

[WITHOUT FORMAL ABSTRACT] The name Rhododendron myrtifolium Schott & Kotschy is widely used for an accepted rare and endangered species distributed in isolated massifs in the Eastern and Southern Carpathian Mountains (Ukraine, Romania), Rhodope Mountains (Bulgaria), and Jakupica Mountains (North Macedonia). A recent detailed nomenclatural study has indicated that this name is illegitimate, being a later homonym of R. ×myrtifolium G. Lodd. ex Bosse (1851 vs. 1829). That is why an existing replacement name R. kotschyi Simonk. must be revived for this species. The latter was published in 1887 and was predominantly applied as an accepted name until the 1970s, being fully displaced by the name of Schott & Kotschy after. Considering the above and the fact that the name R. ×myrtifolium G. Lodd. ex Bosse, along with the nomenclatural combination based on it, R. ponticum var. myrtifolium (G. Lodd. ex Bosse) G. Don, has gained very limited use (mostly as a synonym), the renewal of the application of the name R. kotschyi seems not an ideal solution. It would destabilize nomenclature by replacing the widely used but illegitimate name R. myrtifolium Schott & Kotschy, leading to further confusion and potential undesirable nomenclatural changes in the future. Hence, we propose that R. myrtifolium Schott & Kotschy be conserved against R. ×myrtifolium G. Lodd. ex Bosse under Art. 14. An original material of R. myrtifolium Schott & Kotschy is discussed in detail, and one collection from W is designated here as a lectotype both for R. myrtifolium Schott & Kotschy and R. kotschyi (homotypic under Art. 7.4).

Chondrilla chondrilloides (Asteraceae) is a rare and endangered early-successional plant species endemic to the Eastern European Alps. Its distribution is restricted to near-natural braided rivers and to alluvial fans. The species was common along Alpine gravel rivers, but has declined markedly due to river regulation and degradation in the 19th and 20th century, while some recent restoration projects benefit the plant. Its population declines were caused by habitat fragmentation and destruction as a consequence of extensive hydro-engineering. This paper summarises the published material on taxonomy, morphology, habitat requirements and distribution of the species. The review is complemented by own research data and a phylogenetic assessment of extant and extinct populations within the infrageneric context. A summary on location, size and structure of the remaining populations in the north-eastern and south-eastern Alps is combined with data on seed germination and the habitat niche of the species, with a particular focus on differences between northern and southern populations. Chondrilla chondrilloides forms meta-populations on consolidated gravel bars and older terraces, with extinction and recolonisation due to floodplain dynamics; small populations quickly recover from few founder individuals. Populations in the southern parts of the species’ range are larger with bigger plants and more reproduction, while germination is very high in all populations. Thus, C. chondrilloides has characteristics that allow it to respond rapidly to degradation and restoration of its habitats along gravel rivers in the Eastern Alps.

Digitization of natural history objects brings about numerous challenges for the housing institutions, data aggregators and the scientific community as a whole. This is especially true with respect to data management. Based on the experiences at the Department of Botany of the Natural History Museum Vienna we illustrate one major common problem: referencing people names. We focus on collectors as a subset of people associated with objects. Problems and possible ways of unambiguously referencing collector names in collection management systems and global online platforms (such as GBIF) by using persistent unique identifiers (e. g., Wikidata, GND, VIAF, or ORCID) for these names are outlined. The example of G.W.H. Schimper, who is best known for collecting 100,000s of specimens in Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia in the 19th century, is used to demonstrate the importance of primary (e. g., biographical) data and its open availability in this context. To close gaps and settle uncertainties in publicly recommended authority lists, several biographical details for G.W.H. Schimper are presented and verified by offical documents and their transcripts: date and place of birth, sequence of given names, and date and place of marriage of his parents.

https://www.zobodat.at/pdf/ANNA_123B_0297-0322.pdf