RP-Department of Plant and Microbial Sciences

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Browsing RP-Department of Plant and Microbial Sciences by Subject "Africa"

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    African Heritage in a Changing Climate
    (Taylor & Francis, 2020) Brooks, Nick; Clarke, Joanne; Ngaruiya, Grace Wambui; Wangui, Elizabeth Edna
    Climate change is a real and present threat to heritage across the world. In Europe and North America, research on the impacts of climate change on heritage, including how to mitigate against more frequent extreme weather events and how to implement efficient sustainable adaptation planning, are now key foci of heritage literature. In contrast, virtually nothing has been written about the impacts of climate change on heritage on the African continent, even though these will be significant in the coming decades. Heritage is essential for livelihoods, but also for the construction and reinforcement of identity and the psychological wellbeing of society. Here, we consider the impacts of climate change on different (connected) forms of heritage in Africa, including archaeological, historical and living heritage. We situate the implications of climate change for African heritage in recent debates around climate justice, sustainability and social wellbeing. We conclude that without significant intervention some of Africa’s most important heritage will be lost as a result of the direct and indirect impacts of climate change over the coming decades. Our intention is to draw attention to the need for research into the impacts of climate change on different forms of heritage in Africa and to highlight the possible deleterious effects these losses will have on society more generally. We view this paper as a first step in developing a research agenda that will have a practical application for the management of heritage in the face of climate change in Africa.
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    Phylogenetic relationship and divergence among planktonic strains of Arthrospira (Oscillatoriales, Cyanobacteria) of African, Asian and American origin deduced by 16S–23S ITS and phycocyanin operon sequences
    (Phycologia, 2010-07) Kotut, Kiplagat; Dadheech, P. K.; Ballot, A.; Casper, P.; Novelo, E.; Lemma, B.; Pröschold, T.; Krienitz, L.
    Arthrospira comprises multicellular, cylindrical, usually screwlike coiled trichomes and is cultivated commercially. In this study, 33 new strains of Arthrospira isolated from plankton samples collected in Mexico, East Africa and India were investigated and compared with 53 strains or samples of earlier considerations. The study included observations of morphological features and molecular phylogenetic analyses on the basis of nucleotide sequences of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) between 16S rRNA and 23S rRNA genes and partial sequences of beta and alpha subunits including intergenic spacer (cpcBA-IGS) of phycocyanin operon. Morphological traits of Arthrospira such as trichome width, type of coiling and apical cell were not always consistent in culture conditions. It was revealed that Arthrospira phylogeny on the basis of cpcBA-IGS locus was broadly comparable with the ITS region as both phylogenetic trees derived from nucleotide sequences could be divided into two main clusters. Cluster I comprised sequences from American strains mainly, whereas cluster II contained the sequences of the strains originating from Africa and Asia chiefly. Both genetic regions of the strains investigated in the present study coincidently showed a significant sequence divergence among Arthrospira strains from East Africa, India and Mexico indicating possible distinct evolutionary lineages. Keywords: Cyanobacteria, Oscillatoriales, Arthrospira, Phylogeny, Phycocyanin operon, ITS, Mexico, Africa, India
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    Phylogenetic studies uncover a predominantly African lineage in a widely distributed lichen-forming fungal species
    (Pensoft Publishers, 2016) Kirika, Paul M.; Divakar, Pradeep K.; Crespo, Ana; Mugambi, George; Orock, Elizabeth A.; Leavitt, Steven D.; Gatheri, Grace W.; Lumbsch, H. Thorsten
    A number of lichen-forming fungal species are widely distributed. Here, we investigate biogeographic patterns in a widely distributed isidiate taxon – Parmelinella wallichiana – using molecular sequence data. Our results revealed that Parmelinella wallichina, as currently circumscribed, is not monophyletic but falls into four clades, two of them represented by a sample only. A third clade, occurring in Africa and southern India is described as a new species, Parmelinella schimperiana Kirika & Divakar, sp. nov. Our study adds a further example of previously overlooked, geographically distinct, lineages that were discovered using molecular data.