Wrightiin

The first record of the amphioxus Branchiostoma californiense on seagrass patches of Halodule wrightii in the Gulf of California is reported. Sixty individuals (19 males, 18 females, and 23 undifferentiated) were collected in May 2017 at Bahía Balandra, Gulf of California, from subtidal seagrass patches at a depth of 0.5 m at low tide. The length and weight ranged from 15.88-28.44 mm and from 0.01-0.11 g for females and 11.7-27.9 mm and 0.01-0.09 g for males, respectively. The minimum size of sexually mature individuals was 11.70 mm for males and 15.88 mm for females; 62% of the specimens were sexually mature. Analysis of the total length-weight relationship suggested an allometric growth pattern among females, males and undifferentiated individuals, whereas an analysis of the entire sample suggested an isometric growth pattern. Typical and additional morphological characters were used to identify the amphioxi. High morphological variability between individuals was found, suggesting the presence of several morphotypes. Branchiostoma californiense had been previously reported as exclusively associated with bare sandy areas, but our study shows that this species can also be found in seagrass patches, using them as breeding and feeding grounds. Thus, seagrass patches are evidenced as suitable habitats for amphioxus.

The Asplenium wrightii complex is morphologically variable and difficult in species delimitation. Owing to lack of comprehensive sampling in phylogenetic studies, the taxonomy of this complex remains unresolved. Based on extensive field observations, specimen examination and our recent molecular data, the present study aims to clarify the identities of three species of Asplenium in this complex from Asia. Our study revealed that A. alatulum and A. subcrenatum, previously treated as synonyms of A. wrightii, should be reinstated. A taxonomic revision of the three species, including their type information, detailed descriptions, voucher specimens, distribution, ecology, as well as taxonomic notes, is carried out.

Associational effects-in which the vulnerability of a plant to herbivores is influenced by its neighbors-have been widely implicated in mediating plant-herbivore interactions. Studies of associational effects typically focus on interspecific interactions or pest-crop dynamics. However, associational effects may also be important for species with intraspecific variation in defensive traits. In this study, we observed hundreds of Datura wrightii-which exhibits dimorphism in its trichome phenotype-from over 30 dimorphic populations across California. Our aim was to determine whether a relationship existed between the trichome phenotype of neighboring conspecifics and the likelihood of being damaged by four species of herbivorous insects. We visited plants at three timepoints to assess how these effects vary both within and between growing seasons. We hypothesized that the pattern of associational effects would provide rare morphs (i.e., focal plants that are a different morph than their neighbors) with an advantage in the form of reduced herbivory, thereby contributing to the negative frequency-dependent selection previously documented in this system. We found the best predictor of herbivory/herbivore presence on focal plants was the phenotype of the focal plant. However, we also found some important neighborhood effects. The total number of plants near a focal individual predicted the likelihood and/or magnitude of herbivory by Tupiochoris notatus, Lema daturaphila, and Manduca sexta. We also found that velvety focal plants with primarily sticky neighbors are more susceptible to infestation by Tupiochoris notatus and Lema daturaphila. This does not align with the hypothesis that associational effects at the near-neighbor scale contribute to a rare-morph advantage in this system. Overall, the results of our study show that the number and trichome-morph composition of neighboring conspecifics impact interactions between D. wrightii and insect herbivores.