We introduce the marine databases; MarRef, MarDB and MarCat (https://mmp.sfb.uit.no/databases/), which are publicly available resources that promote marine research and innovation. These data resources, which have been implemented in the Marine Metagenomics Portal (MMP) (https://mmp.sfb.uit.no/), are collections of richly annotated and manually curated contextual (metadata) and sequence databases representing three tiers of accuracy. While MarRef is a database for completely sequenced marine prokaryotic genomes, which represent a marine prokaryote reference genome database, MarDB includes all incomplete sequenced prokaryotic genomes regardless level of completeness. The last database, MarCat, represents a gene (protein) catalog of uncultivable (and cultivable) marine genes and proteins derived from marine metagenomics samples. The first versions of MarRef and MarDB contain 612 and 3726 records, respectively. Each record is built up of 106 metadata fields including attributes for sampling, sequencing, assembly and annotation in addition to the organism and taxonomic information. Currently, MarCat contains 1227 records with 55 metadata fields. Ontologies and controlled vocabularies are used in the contextual databases to enhance consistency. The user-friendly web interface lets the visitors browse, filter and search in the contextual databases and perform BLAST searches against the corresponding sequence databases. All contextual and sequence databases are freely accessible and downloadable from https://s1.sfb.uit.no/public/mar/.

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We have classified 11 species recently recognized as belonging to the genus Elymus into a resurrected and legitimate genus Campeiostachys Drobov according to the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature. Our action is based on the rationale of monophyly, discrimination, and practicality discussed in detail. Currently Elymus contains a vast number of species with different genomes which often, but not always, can be differentiated by cytological and molecular features, but are difficult to separate by traditional morphology, although an effort to do so is detailed and discussed. This difficulty can be attributed to the dominance effect of a particular genome on the other genome(s) present. Campeiostachys, with genome constitution StStHHYY, is a recent addition to a number of genera recently segregated out of Elymus, i.e. Douglasdeweya (StStPP), Kengyilia (StStPPYY), and Roegneria (StStYY, StStStStYY). A key to Campeiostachys taxa is provided, along with taxa descriptions, distribution, nomenclature, and cytology. Nineteen nomenclatural novelties, or combinations, resulted from this work, 10 species names, and nine varietal names.

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The status of the taxa Elymus dahuricus Turcz. ex Griseb., E. excelsus Turcz. ex Griseb., E. woroschilowii Probat. and E. tangutorum (Nevski) Hand.-Mazz., all of which are sometimes treated as members of E. dahuricus s.l. or as constituting the E. dahuricus complex, has been investigated using morphological, biochemical (SDS-PAGE of endosperm proteins) and molecular (DNA-AFLP) variation characteristics. Populations include accessions from Siberia, Far East (Russia), Tien-Shan (Kirghizstan), and Tibet and Sichuan Provinces (China). Variation in the morphological characteristics and endosperm proteins patterns have been found in all populations of the complex. DNA variation was very low within populations but was different among populations; this was attributed to genetic drift. Seed fertility of artificial hybrids and F2-F3 progenies in 38 combinations was analyzed. All biotypes studied form a common recombination genepool (RGP). The reproductive compatibility of hybrid combinations decreases with increased geographical separation of the parents. Differences in protein patterns and in genetic variation drawn from DNA-AFLPs and phenotypical segregation in F2 on series of diagnostic characters does not support existing taxonomic treatments of the E. dahuricus complex in Southern Russia, and Central-Asian area. The E. dahuricus complex seems to be a polymorphic species having a wide geographical range and wide genetic variation. The different species need probably be relegated to infraspecific rank. We have refrained from making the necessary combinations pending examination of additional specimens, including specimens of taxa not included in this study and the type specimens of all taxa involved.

Fifty-three species of perennial grasses in the genus Elymus L. (Poaceae), which are widespread in Russia, are generally assumed to have three haplome combinations: StH, StY and StHY. The StH-genome species, endemic to Russia, remain the least studied. R. Mason-Gamer and co-authors have previously shown in a series of studies that a molecular phylogenetic analysis of the low-copy gene waxy (GBSS1) sequences significantly complements cytogenetic data on the genomic constitution and evolutionary relationships among both North American and Asian species of the genus Elymus. To determine the species’ genomic constitution and to evaluate the level of phylogenetic differentiation, we examined the GBSS1 gene in 18 species of Elymus from Siberia and the Russian Far East, including the fol- lowing 14 endemics: E. charkeviczii, E. jacutensis, E. kamczadalorum, E. komarovii, E. kronokensis, E. lenensis, E. macrourus, E. margaritae, E. subfibrosus, E. sajanensis, E. transbaicalensis, E. peschkovae, E. uralensis, and E. viridiglumis.PCR amplification products of GBSS1 gene fragments (including exons 9–14) were cloned and 6–8 clones per accession were sequenced. It appears that all the species studied have St and H subgenomic gene variations. The most significant differences between the subgenomic variants St and H were found in intron 13. The H subgenome contains a 21-bp-long deletion in intron 13 in all Elymus genotypes, probably derived from a common ancestor of the H and P genomes. Instead of this deletion, all St subgenomes have a relatively conservative sequence similar to that of the genus Pseudoroegneria, whose ancestor is considered to be the donor of the modern St subgenome for all Elymus species. Cluster phylogenetic analysis revealed differentiation in St and H subgenome sequences into two evolutionary variants: St1 vs. St2 and H1 vs. H2, respectively. Variants of the St and H subgenomes were found homologous to various modern species of the ancestral genera Pseudoroegneria and Hordeum: St1 to P. strigosa, St2 to P. spicata, H1 to H. jubatum, and H2 to H. californicum. The details of the relationships between Russian and North American species of the genus, as well as a number of microevolutionary interconnections in the group of boreal endemic species of Siberia and the Russian Far East were revealed. The new results obtained here are essential for the development of a phylogenetically oriented taxonomic system for the genus Elymus.

The phylogenetic analysis of 118 5S rRNA gene sequences cloned from members of the Elymus dahuricus complex containing the St, Y, and H haplomes, and of several related species containing at least one of these three haplomes, is reported. Differences in sequence pattern, primarily within the nontranscribed spacer, enabled the identification of six putative orthologous groups that we refer to as unit classes. In previous publications, we have been able to assign unit classes to haplomes. In addition to four unit classes previously identified in other genera, namely the long H1, long S1, long P1, and long {Y1, here we document two new unit classes called the long S2 and long W1. Most sequences of the E. dahuricus complex and related tetraploid species are classified as long S1 and assigned to the St haplome. Both long S1 and long S2 unit classes were identified in the diploid Pseudoroegneria spicata (Pursh) Á. Löve with the St haplome. The long S2 unit class was also identified in the hexaploid Elymus scabrus (R. Br.) Á. Löve with the St,Y,and W haplomes. The long P1 was known from the diploid Agropyron cristatum Gaertn. with the P haplome, and the long W1 was determined in Australopyrum retrofractum (Vickery) Á. Löve, known to contain the W haplome, but was not yet detected in E. scabrus, a hexaploid species with W being one of the three haplomes. The long H1 reported earlier from Hordeum was identified in several clones of the E. dahuricus complex. As previously reported, the long {Y1 unit class was found to be rare overall, but we identified it in a few clones of Elymus drobovii and in the E. dahuricus complex.Key words: 5S rDNA, unit classes, haplomes, concerted evolution.