Bryophytes adapt to open-pit coal mine environments by changing their functional traits in response to heavy metal-induced soil environmental changes.

Plants have unique adaptability to heavy metal pollution. However, the adaptation strategies of bryophytes are still unclear. In order to better understand the response of bryophytes to different heavy metal and the adaptation mechanisms of different species to heavy metal pollution, we studied soil physicochemical properties, distribution of heavy metal elements, ecological risk assessment and the community structure, functional characteristics of bryophytes in large open-pit coal mines in Inner Mongolia.

Biased Gene Introgression and Adaptation in the Face of Chloroplast Capture in Aquilegia amurensis.

-Chloroplast capture, a phenomenon that can occur through interspecific hybridization and introgression, is frequently invoked to explain cytonuclear discordance in plants. However, relatively few studies have documented the mechanisms of cytonuclear coevolution and its potential for driving species differentiation and possible functional differences in the context of chloroplast capture. To address this crucial question, we chose the Aquilegia genus, which is known for having minimal sterility among species, and inferred that A.

Characterizing complete mitochondrial genome of Aquilegia amurensis and its evolutionary implications.

Background: Aquilegia is a model system for studying the evolution of adaptive radiation. However, very few studies have been conducted on the Aquilegia mitochondrial genome. Since mitochondria play a key role in plant adaptation to abiotic stress, analyzing the mitochondrial genome may provide a new perspective for understanding adaptive evolution.

 (Pottiaceae, Musci), a new species from Changbai Mountain, China and its phylogenetic position based on molecular data.

Changbai Mountain, located in northeast China, is one of the areas with the most complete natural ecosystem preservation in China. A new species, C.Feng, J.

Geographic-genomic and geographic-phenotypic differentiation of the complex.

How species diverge into different lineages is a central issue in evolutionary biology. Despite the increasing evidence indicating that such divergences do not need geographic isolation, the correlation between lineage divergence and the adaptive ecological divergence of phenotype corresponding to distribution is still unknown. In addition, gene flow has been widely detected during and through such diverging processes.

Transcriptome reveals insights into biosynthesis of ginseng polysaccharides.

Background: Ginseng polysaccharides, have been used to treat various diseases as an important active ingredient. Nevertheless, the biosynthesis of ginseng polysaccharides is poorly understood. To elucidate the biosynthesis mechanism of ginseng polysaccharides, combined the transcriptome analysis and polysaccharides content determination were performed on the roots, stems, and leaves collected from four cultivars of ginseng.

Structural characterization and anti-oxidation activity evaluation of pectin from Thunb.

Pectins are nutrient components of plants and are widely used in the food industry. In this study, one major pectin fraction (WLJP-A0.2b) with Mw of 40.

Effects of growth years on ginsenoside biosynthesis of wild ginseng and cultivated ginseng.

Background: Ginsenoside, as the main active substance in ginseng, has the function of treating various diseases. However, the ginsenosides content of cultivated ginseng is obviously affected by the growth years, but the molecular mechanism is not clear. In addition, there are significant differences in morphology and physiology between wild ginseng and cultivated ginseng, and the effect of growth years on ginsenoside synthesis not yet understood in wild ginseng.

Phylogeography of (Iridaceae) in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau revealed by chloroplast DNA and microsatellite markers.

Quaternary climate oscillations and complex topography have tremendous effects on current distribution and genetic structure of species, and hence the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), the largest plateau in the world, has become a hotspot for many phylogeographic studies. However, little is known about the phylogeographic pattern of herbaceous plants in QTP. Here, we investigate the genetic diversity, population structure and historical dynamics of , using five chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) fragments and seven microsatellite markers.

Optimization of SPME-GC-MS and characterization of floral scents from Aquilegia japonica and A. amurensis flowers.

Background: The floral scents of plants play a key role in plant reproduction through the communication between plants and pollinators. Aquilegia as a model species for studying evolution, however, there have been few studies on the floral scents and relationships between floral scents and pollination for Aquilegia taxa.

Methods: In this study, three types of solid-phase micro-extraction (SPME) fiber coatings (DVB/PDMS, CAR/PDMS, DVB/CAR/PDMS) were evaluated for their performance in extracting volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from flowers of Aquilegia amurensis, which can contribute to the future studies of elucidating the role of floral scents in the pollination process.

Impact of different numbers of microsatellite markers on population genetic results using SLAF-seq data for Rhododendron species.

Microsatellites (simple sequence repeats, SSRs) are co-dominant nuclear markers that are widely used in population genetic studies. Population genetic parameters from different studies might be significantly influenced by differences in marker number. In our study, 265 sequences with polymorphic microsatellites were obtained from SLAF-seq data.

Comparative chloroplast genomes and phylogenetic analysis of .

Premise: is an ideal taxon for studying the evolution of adaptive radiation. Current phylogenies of based on different molecular markers are inconsistent, and therefore a clear and accurate phylogeny remains uncertain. Analyzing the chloroplast genome, with its simple structure and low recombination rate, may help solve this problem.

A Genomewide Scan for Genetic Structure and Demographic History of Two Closely Related Species, and (, Ericaceae).

Understanding the processes of divergence and speciation is an important task for evolutionary research, and climate oscillations play a pivotal role. We estimated the genetic structure and demographic history of two closely related species of , , and , distributed in northeastern China using 664,406 single nucleotide polymorphic loci of specific-locus amplified fragment sequencing (SLAF-seq) and 4 chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) fragments, sampling 376 individuals from 39 populations of these two species across their geographic distributions. The geographical distribution of cpDNA haplotypes revealed that and have different spatial genetic structures and haplotype diversity.

Population genetic structures of two ecologically distinct species and inferred based on nuclear and chloroplast DNA markers.

Unlabelled: Climatic oscillations during the last glacial maximum (LGM) significantly affected the distribution patterns and genetic structure of extant plants. Northeast China (NEC) is a major biodiversity center in East Asia, and the influence of historical climate change on NEC populations is critical for understanding species responses to future climate change. However, only a few phylogeographic studies of cool temperate deciduous tree species have been conducted in the area, and results are inconsistent for species with different niches or distribution areas.

Effects of Different Temperatures on the Chemical Structure and Antitumor Activities of Polysaccharides from Cordyceps militaris.

The effects of different extraction temperatures (4 and 80 °C) on the physicochemical properties and antitumor activity of water soluble polysaccharides (CMPs-4 and CMPs-80) from were evaluated in this study. The results of gas chromatography (GC) and high-performance gel permeation chromatography (HPGPC) showed that a higher extraction temperature could degrade the polysaccharides with 188 kDa, mainly composed of glucose, and increase the dissolution rate of polysaccharides about 308 kDa, mainly consisting of rhamnose and galactose. In addition, the CMPs displayed the same sugar ring and category of glycosidic linkage based on Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis, however, their invisible structural difference occurred in the specific rotation and conformational characteristics according to the results of specific optical rotation measurement and Congo red test.

Rapid Divergence Followed by Adaptation to Contrasting Ecological Niches of Two Closely Related Columbine Species Aquilegia japonica and A. oxysepala.

Elucidating the mechanisms underlying the genetic divergence between closely related species is crucial to understanding the origin and evolution of biodiversity. The genus Aquilegia L. has undergone rapid adaptive radiation, generating about 70 well-recognized species that are specialized to distinct habitats and pollinators.

Development of 15 microsatellite markers in (Aceraceae) and cross-amplification in congeneric species.

Premise Of The Study: (Aceraceae) is an important genus in forest ecosystems in the Northern Hemisphere. In China, 151 species have been reported, and approximately 61 species are endemic. Thus, China is considered to host the greatest diversity of , but markers are needed to evaluate the genetic structure and genetic diversity of these populations of wild species.

Positive Selection Driving Cytoplasmic Genome Evolution of the Medicinally Important Ginseng Plant Genus Panax.

L. (the ginseng genus) is a shade-demanding group within the family Araliaceae and all of its species are of crucial significance in traditional Chinese medicine. Phylogenetic and biogeographic analyses demonstrated that two rounds of whole genome duplications accompanying with geographic and ecological isolations promoted the diversification of species.

The impacts of polyploidy, geographic and ecological isolations on the diversification of Panax (Araliaceae).

Background: Panax L. is a medicinally important genus within family Araliaceae, where almost all species are of cultural significance for traditional Chinese medicine. Previous studies suggested two independent origins of the East Asia and North America disjunct distribution of this genus and multiple rounds of whole genome duplications (WGDs) might have occurred during the evolutionary process.

Genetic and Epigenetic Diversities Shed Light on Domestication of Cultivated Ginseng (Panax ginseng).

Chinese ginseng (Panax ginseng) is a medically important herb within Panax and has crucial cultural values in East Asia. As the symbol of traditional Chinese medicine, Chinese ginseng has been used as a herbal remedy to restore stamina and capacity in East Asia for thousands of years. To address the evolutionary origin and domestication history of cultivated ginseng, we employed multiple molecular approaches to investigate the genetic structures of cultivated and wild ginseng across their distribution ranges in northeastern Asia.

Phenotypic and genetic evidence for ecological speciation of Aquilegia japonica and A. oxysepala.

Natural selection is thought to be a driving force that can cause the evolution of reproductive isolation. The genus Aquilegia is a model system to address how natural selection promotes the process of speciation. Morphological differences between A.

Isolation and identification of fourteen microsatellite markers in Clivia miniata and Clivia nobilis (Amaryllidaceae).

Clivia is a genus of great horticultural importance and has been widely cultivated as ornamental plants in all over the world. In order to assess the phylogenetic relationships and genetic diversity of the wild Clivia species and cultivars, we isolated AC-enriched repeats using FIASCO from a single clone each of C. miniata Regel.

Genomic and EST-derived microsatellite markers for Iris laevigata (Iridaceae) and other congeneric species.

Premise Of The Study: The aims of this study are to develop and characterize genomic and expressed sequence tag (EST)-derived microsatellites from Iris laevigata and test their transferability in I. ensata, I. setosa, I.

Development of eighteen microsatellite markers in Anemone amurensis (Ranunculaceae) and cross-amplification in congeneric species.

Polyploidy plays an important role in the evolution of plant genomes. To enable the investigation of the polyploidy events within the genus Anemone, we developed eighteen microsatellite markers from the hexaploid species A. amurensis (Ranunculaceae), and tested their transferability in five closely related species.

Genomic and EST microsatellites for Rhododendron aureum (Ericaceae) and cross-amplification in other congeneric species.

Premise Of The Study: Our objective of this study was to develop genomic and expressed sequence tag (EST)-derived microsatellites for the endangered species Rhododendron aureum and access their transferability in R. dauricum and R. brachycarpum.