Ericoid mycorrhizal fungal metacommunity facilitates closely related Rhododendron species coexistence.

The structural and ecological significance of ericoid mycorrhizal (ErM) fungi is well recognized. Yet, it remains unknown whether the coexistence of ericaceous plants is facilitated by their symbioses with ErM fungi. Here, we use Rhododendron (Ericaceae) as a model to investigate how phylogenetic and functional limiting similarity, or facilitation through ErM fungal metacommunity, influences their co-occurrence in mountain ecosystems.

Pre-pollination isolation by pollinator specificity: settling moth versus hawkmoth pollination in two sympatric Habenaria species (Orchidaceae).

Background: Habenaria species typically produce green or white flowers, bear nectar spurs, emit crepuscular-nocturnal scents, and are usually pollinated by crepuscular/nocturnal moths. However, the roles of floral traits in pollinator differentiation contributing to reproductive success in sympatric Habenaria species require further definition. In this study, we investigated flowering phenology, floral traits, pollinator behavior, and reproductive success of two co-occurring and co-blooming Habenaria species (H.

A Chromosome-level genome assembly of the alpine medicinal plant Bergenia purpurascens (Saxifragaceae).

Mountain ecosystems harbor high levels of biodiversity, but the genetic mechanisms underlying adaptation to harsh alpine conditions remain largely unknown. Bergenia purpurascens (Saxifragaceae) is an important alpine endemic species of the Himalaya-Hengduan Mountains (HHM), with this species being used as a source of medicine and as an ornamental plant. In this study, we generated a high-quality genome assembly comprising scaffolds representing the 17 chromosomes, with a total length of 650.

Niche convergence and biogeographic history shape elevational tree community assembly in a subtropical mountain forest.

Niche convergence or conservatism have been proposed as essential mechanisms underlying elevational plant community assembly in tropical mountain ecosystems. Subtropical mountains, compared to tropical mountains, are likely to be shaped by a mixing of different geographic affinities of species and remain somehow unclear. Here, we used 31 0.

Plastome phylogenomics and morphological traits analyses provide new insights into the phylogenetic position, species delimitation and speciation of Triplostegia (Caprifoliaceae).

Background: The genus Triplostegia contains two recognized species, T. glandulifera and T. grandiflora, but its phylogenetic position and species delimitation remain controversial.

Contrasting range changes of terrestrial orchids under future climate change in China.

Climate change has impacted the distribution and abundance of numerous plant and animal species during the last century. Orchidaceae is one of the largest yet most threatened families of flowering plants. However, how the geographical distribution of orchids will respond to climate change is largely unknown.

Multitrophic diversity and biotic associations influence subalpine forest ecosystem multifunctionality.

Biodiversity across multiple trophic levels is required to maintain multiple ecosystem functions. Yet it remains unclear how multitrophic diversity and species interactions regulate ecosystem multifunctionality. Here, combining data from 9 different trophic groups (including trees, shrubs, herbs, leaf mites, small mammals, bacteria, pathogenic fungi, saprophytic fungi, and symbiotic fungi) and 13 ecosystem functions related to supporting, provisioning, and regulating services, we used a multitrophic perspective to evaluate the effects of elevation, diversity, and network complexity on scale-dependent subalpine forest multifunctionality.

The pollination of (Orchidaceae) in South China: When butterflies take sides.

is one of the largest terrestrial genera in the family Orchidaceae. Most field studies on species with greenish-white and nocturnal scented flowers are pollinated by nocturnal hawkmoths and settling moths. However, presents reddish flowers lacking a detectable scent and fails to fit the moth pollination syndrome.

(Orchidaceae, Epidendroideae, Collabieae), a new species from Luoxiao Mountains, eastern China.

, a new species, is here described and illustrated from Luoxiao Mountains, Jiangxi Province, eastern China. It is morphologically similar to Decne. ex Regel, but differs from the latter in having smaller flowers, longer spurs, rectangular mid-lobes with emarginate apex ( elliptic mid-lobes with mucronate apex), disc with 3 ridges and the proximal ends of the lateral 2 ridges enlarged with light reddish spots and minute white hairs ( disc with 5 ridges and 2 rows of white short hairs at base) and pollinia equal in size ( unequal in size).

A new species of (Taxaceae) from China, Vietnam, and Laos.

A new species L.M. Gao is described as new to science from Hekou, Yunnan of China, Lao Cai of Vietnam and Xiang Khouang of Laos.

Greater than the sum of the parts: how the species composition in different forest strata influence ecosystem function.

The mechanisms underpinning forest biodiversity-ecosystem function relationships remain unresolved. Yet, in heterogeneous forests, ecosystem function of different strata could be associated with traits or evolutionary relationships differently. Here, we integrate phylogenies and traits to evaluate the effects of elevational diversity on above-ground biomass across forest strata and spatial scales.

Development of polymorphic microsatellite markers for tree peony Paeonia delavayi (Paeoniaceae) using ddRAD-seq data.

Microsatellite markers were developed for the tree peony Paeonia delavayi to investigate fine scale population genetics of this species. Using ddRAD-seq data from twenty individuals of P. delavayi, we identified 529 polymorphic microsatellite loci, of which 195 were suitable for designing microsatellite primers.

DNA barcoding herbaceous and woody plant species at a subalpine forest dynamics plot in Southwest China.

Although DNA barcoding has been widely used to identify plant species composition in temperate and tropical ecosystems, relatively few studies have used DNA barcodes to document both herbaceous and woody components of forest plot. A total of 201 species (72 woody species and 129 herbaceous species) representing 135 genera distributed across 64 families of seed plants were collected in a 25 ha CForBio subalpine forest dynamics plot. In total, 491 specimens were screened for three DNA regions of the chloroplast genome (, , and -) as well as the internal transcribed spacers (ITS) of nuclear ribosomal DNA.

Trait-Based Community Assembly along an Elevational Gradient in Subalpine Forests: Quantifying the Roles of Environmental Factors in Inter- and Intraspecific Variability.

Understanding how communities respond to environmental variation is a central goal in ecology. Plant communities respond to environmental gradients via intraspecific and/or interspecific variation in plant functional traits. However, the relative contribution of these two responses to environmental factors remains poorly tested.