A serious disease of amphibians caused by the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis was first found in Japan in December 2006 in imported pet frogs. This was the first report of chytridiomycosis in Asia. To assess the risk of pandemic chytridiomycosis to Japanese frogs, we surveyed the distribution of the fungus among captive and wild frog populations. We established a nested PCR assay that uses two pairs of PCR primers to amplify the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of a ribosomal RNA cassette to detect mild fungal infections from as little as 0.001 pg (1 fg) of B. dendrobatidis DNA. We collected swab samples from 265 amphibians sold at pet shops, 294 bred at institutes and 2103 collected at field sites from northern to southwestern Japan. We detected infections in native and exotic species, both in captivity and in the field. Sequencing of PCR products revealed 26 haplotypes of the B. dendrobatidis ITS region. Phylogenetic analysis showed that three of these haplotypes were specific to the Japanese giant salamander (Andrias japonicus) and appeared to have established a commensal relationship with this native amphibian. Many other haplotypes were carried by alien amphibians. The highest genetic diversity of B. dendrobatidis was found in the American bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana). Some strains of B. dendrobatidis appeared to be endemic to Japanese native amphibians, but many alien strains are being introduced into Japan via imported amphibians. To improve chytridiomycosis risk management, we must consider the risk of B. dendrobatidis changing hosts as a result of anthropogenic disturbance of the host-specific distribution of the fungus.

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The over 700 species of Ficus are thought to have co-speciated with their obligate pollinators (family Agaonidae). Some of these wasp species pollinate figs actively, while others are passive pollinators. Based on direct observations of mode of pollination in 88 species, we show that mode of pollination can confidently be predicted from fig traits only (anther-to-ovule ratio) or from wasp traits only (presence of coxal combs). The presence of pollen pockets is not a predictor of mode of pollination. Data, direct and indirect, on 142 species, demonstrate numerous cases of the loss of active pollination and suggest one or few origins of active pollination. Hence, active pollination, an impressive example of the sophisticated traits that may result from mutualistic coevolution, depends on selective forces that can be overcome in some species, allowing reversions. Despite frequent loss, active pollination remains the predominant mode of pollination in Ficus.

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Nucleotide sequences of the chloroplast-encoded rbcL gene were used to examine phylogenetic relationships of the genus Salix together with other allied genera of the family Salicaceae. Phylogenetic analyses of rbcL sequences strongly suggest the monophyly of three commonly recognized genera (Chosenia, Salix, and Toisusu). Two monophyletic groups are recognized within the larger monophyletic group. They do not correspond with any infrageneric taxa proposed so far. With regard to character evolution, it is thought that the reduction of stamen number from more than two stamens to two might occur in at least three lineages and that fused bud scales evolved several times and/or the reverse evolution occurred from fused to free. Some types of pollen surfaces are considered to have evolved independently.

We demonstrated that "orchid mycorrhiza," a specialized mycorrhizal type, appeared in the common ancestor of the largest plant family Orchidaceae and that the fungal partner shifted from Glomeromycota to a particular clade of Basidiomycota in association with this character evolution. Several unique mycorrhizal characteristics may have contributed to the diversification of the family. However, the origin of orchid mycorrhiza and the diversity of mycobionts across orchid lineages still remain obscure. In this study, we investigated the mycorrhizae of five Apostasia taxa, members of the earliest-diverging clade of Orchidaceae. The results of molecular identification using nrDNA ITS and LSU regions showed that Apostasia mycorrhizal fungi belong to families Botryobasidiaceae and Ceratobasidiaceae, which fall within the order Cantharellales of Basidiomycota. Most major clades in Orchidaceae also form mycorrhizae with members of Cantharellales, while the sister group and other closely related groups to Orchidaceae (i.e., Asparagales except for orchids and the "commelinid" families) ubiquitously form symbioses with Glomeromycota to form arbuscular mycorrhizae. This pattern of symbiosis indicates that a major shift in fungal partner occurred in the common ancestor of the Orchidaceae.

Asparagus (Asparagaceae) is a large genus that is widely distributed in arid and subarid regions of the Old World. To investigate the phylogenetic relationships within this genus, the intron of petB and the intergenic region between petD and rpoA of chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) were sequenced. A strict consensus tree resulting from the phylogenetic analysis indicates that southern African species comprise a potentially paraphyletic assemblage and that Eurasian species are monophyletic. This result suggests that the genus Asparagus originated in southern Africa, and that Eurasian species originated from a southern African progenitor. Moreover, extensive survey of the intergenic region between trnL and trnF and the intron of trnL of cpDNA in species of the genus Asparagus displayed no sequence differences despite the non-coding regions frequently used to reconstruct intrageneric phylogenies. Therefore, we hypothesized that rapid radiation of this genus might have been influenced by the gaining of unique characteristics, such as phylloclades, in order to adapt to the dry environment.