A working checklist of accepted taxa worldwide is vital in achieving the goal of developing an online flora of all known plants by 2020 as part of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation. We here present the first-ever worldwide checklist for liverworts (Marchantiophyta) and hornworts (Anthocerotophyta) that includes 7486 species in 398 genera representing 92 families from the two phyla. The checklist has far reaching implications and applications, including providing a valuable tool for taxonomists and systematists, analyzing phytogeographic and diversity patterns, aiding in the assessment of floristic and taxonomic knowledge, and identifying geographical gaps in our understanding of the global liverwort and hornwort flora. The checklist is derived from a working data set centralizing nomenclature, taxonomy and geography on a global scale. Prior to this effort a lack of centralization has been a major impediment for the study and analysis of species richness, conservation and systematic research at both regional and global scales. The success of this checklist, initiated in 2008, has been underpinned by its community approach involving taxonomic specialists working towards a consensus on taxonomy, nomenclature and distribution.

The objective of this study was (a) to detect changes of the functional abilities of the microflora during composting of manure as a result of windrow turning frequency and (b) to detect differences between distinct zones within the windrows. Biolog GN microtiter plates containing 95 different carbon sources were inoculated with diluted suspensions of compost material containing 15,000 microorganisms per well (120 μl). We found a dramatic shift in functional microbial community structure during the 8-week composting process. The shift was more rapid when the compost windrows were turned. The substrate use pattern in the outer, well-aerated zone of the unturned windrow was similar to that of the turned windrows. Microbial biomass and respiration decreased more rapidly in the turned than in the unturned windrows, indicating a different pace of compost maturation. The data suggest that the Biolog assay may be a suitable approach to determine compost maturity.

Lumiracoxib (Prexige; 2-[(2-fluoro-6-chlorophenyl)amino]-5-methyl-benzeneacetic acid) is a cyclooxygenase-2 selective inhibitor for the symptomatic treatment of osteoarthritis. Recently, the drug has been withdrawn in several countries due to serious liver side effects. Li et al. recently have shown that lumiracoxib is bioactivated to a proposed quinone imine that is trapped by N-acetylcysteine (NAC) to form two NAC adducts in human and rat liver microsomal incubations. The current study demonstrated that the lumiracoxib metabolite 4'-hydroxylumiracoxib (M5) can also be bioactivated by peroxidases such as horseradish peroxidase, myeloperoxidase, and prostaglandin H synthases. Efforts were also made to identify GSH adducts formed by P450s in human liver microsomal incubations of lumiracoxib. We herein report the detection and characterization of mono-, di-, tri-, and tetra-GSH adducts in these oxidizing systems. Most of the conjugates were generated as a result of bioactivation of M5 by both peroxidases and P450s. Quinone imine (M15) and two GSH-conjugated quinone imines (M17 and M18) were identified as intermediates in the formation of these conjugates. The latter two were formed through sequential elimination of the fluorine and chlorine groups of GSH-conjugated M15. An additional GSH adduct, which appeared to be formed directly from parent, was only observed in human liver microsomal incubations. A mechanism was proposed for the bioactivation of lumiracoxib and the formation of the observed GSH adducts. These results suggest that bioactivation of lumiracoxib and M5 may result in GSH depletion, covalent binding to proteins, and oxidative stress and may potentially lead to hepatotoxicity.

Background Lejeunea is a largely epiphytic, subcosmopolitan liverwort genus with a complex taxonomic history. Species circumscriptions and their relationships are subject to controversy; biogeographic history and diversification through time are largely unknown.Methodology and ResultsWe employed sequences of two chloroplast regions (trnL-trnF, rbcL) and the nuclear ribosomal ITS region of 332 accessions to explore the phylogeny of the Harpalejeunea-Lejeunea-Microlejeunea complex. Lejeunea forms a well-supported clade that splits into two main lineages corresponding to L. subg. Lejeunea and L. subg. Crossotolejeunea. Neotropical accessions dominate early diverging lineages of both main clades of Lejeunea. This pattern suggests an origin in the Neotropics followed by several colonizations from the Neotropics into the Paleotropics and vice versa. Most Afro-Madagascan clades are related to Asian clades. Several temperate Lejeunea radiations were detected. Eighty two of the 91 investigated Lejeunea species could be identified to species level. Of these 82 species, 54 were represented by multiple accessions (25 para- or polyphyletic, 29 monophyletic). Twenty nine of the 36 investigated species of L. subg. Lejeunea were monoicous and 7 dioicous. Within L. subg. Crossotolejeunea, 15 of the 46 investigated species were monoicous and 31 dioicous. Some dioicous as well as some monoicous species have disjunct ranges.Conclusions/SignificanceWe present the first global phylogeny of Lejeunea and the first example of a Neotropical origin of a Pantropical liverwort genus. Furthermore, we provide evidence for the Neotropics as a cradle of Lejeunea lineages and detect post-colonization radiations in Asia, Australasia, Afro-Madagascar and Europe. Dioicy/monoicy shifts are likely non-randomly distributed. The presented phylogeny points to the need of integrative taxonomical studies to clarify many Lejeunea binomials. Most importantly, it provides a framework for future studies on the diversification of this lineage in space and time, especially in the context of sexual systems in Lejeuneaceae.

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