Der israelbezogene Antisemitismus und die Gratwanderung einer nicht-antisemitischen ‚Israelkritik‘ – Versuch einer demokratietheoretischen Mediation

Die wichtige Debatte um den israelbezogenen Antisemitismus ist aktuell in eine Sackgasse geraten. Um zur Versachlichung der wissenschaftlich-öffentlichen Diskussion beizutragen, schlägt der vorliegende Artikel eine Differenzierung von subjektiv bewussten und unbewussten antisemitischen Ressentiments vor und bettet diese Unterscheidung in ein demokratietheoretisches Argument ein. Vor dem Hintergrund eines Demokratiebegriffs, der die komplexe Koexistenz von Einheit und Pluralität in demokratischen Gesellschaften ebenso impliziert wie das grundsätzliche Spannungsverhältnis zwischen Religion und Volksherrschaft, wird es dabei nicht nur möglich, den Staat Israel in nicht-antisemitischer Weise als jüdisches Kollektiv zu reflektieren, sondern auch einschlägige Aporien im Nahostkonflikt zu veranschaulichen. Auf dieser Basis erfolgt eine ausgewogene Auseinandersetzung mit dem von Kritiker:innen lancierten Apartheidvorwurfs gegenüber der israelischen Regierung sowie eine Einschätzung der palästinensischen Boykottbewegung BDS.

Swarm of terminal 35S in Cheirolophus (Asteraceae, Centaureinae)

Island radiation constitutes a playground for species diversification, which has long fascinated researchers and still does today. Because only a small subset of taxa within the pool of island colonizers is concerned by this process, the question is raised on whether some factors could make a taxon prone to radiate. Cheirolophus is the only genus of Centaureinae subtribe to have experienced a radiation in the Canary Islands. Cytogenetic characterization through FISH of 5S and 35S ribosomal RNA genes in eight Cheirolophus species from continent and Canary Islands revealed an unusually high number of 35S predominantly at terminal position, together with a single interstitial 5S rDNA locus in all the studied taxa. Such an abundance of 35S rDNA signals is unique among Centaureinae and predates Cheirolophus arrival in Canary Islands. The possible link of the rDNA profile with radiation process is discussed through a comparison with two other case studies, the closely related Rhaponticum group and the genus Centaurea.

Evolution of the YABBY gene family with emphasis on the basal eudicot Eschscholzia californica (Papaveraceae)

YABBY genes are seed plant-specific transcriptional regulators that are involved in diverse aspects of leaf, shoot and flower development. A series of duplications gave rise to five gene groups found throughout flowering plants. In Arabidopsis and other species, expression of two gene groups, CRABS CLAW and INNER NO OUTER, is restricted to floral organs. In contrast, members of the FILAMENTOUS FLOWER, YABBY2 and YABBY5 gene groups are also expressed in leaves and have been termed 'vegetative YABBYs'. How the five paralogue groups evolved and how their expression and function diversified have remained largely unresolved, precluding a reconstruction of the natural history of this gene family. Here, we report new genes from Eschscholzia californica (Ranunculales, Papaveraceae) that we use together with currently available database sequences in a comprehensive phylogenetic re-evaluation of the YABBY gene family. Multilayered Bayesian analysis covering seed plants allowed us to locate Eschscholzia YABBY sequences within the gene family phylogeny. We established that vegetative YABBYs do not form a monophyletic clade, and that CRABS CLAW and FILAMENTOUS FLOWER arose from a common ancestor gene. INNER NO OUTER genes are sister to that ancestral gene. We identified several conserved motifs outside of known amino acid domains that define all five angiosperm YABBY gene clades. Further, we inferred the evolution of gene expression and provide evidence for release of purifying constraint in certain branches of the gene family tree. Finally, we report expression patterns for five Eschscholzia YABBY genes consistent with functional conservation between early-diverged and core eudicots.