Maintenance of species boundaries amid hybridization in two island gingers with similar ecological niches.

Understanding species boundaries maintenance in the face of hybridization/introgression is an intriguing yet complex topic in evolutionary biology. The underlying mechanisms, however, remain elusive. To address this, we propose to investigate the role of climatic shifts in shaping genetic structure and influencing species boundaries.

Evolution of floral characters and biogeography of Heloniadeae (Melanthiaceae): an example of breeding system shifts with inflorescence change.

Heloniadeae (Melanthiaceae) presents an East Asia-North America disjunct distribution. Different molecular and morphological data nevertheless support the tribe as a monophyletic group. However, their phylogenetic relationships and biogeographic history, together with the character evolution, are not clear.

Environmental Heterogeneity Leads to Spatial Differences in Genetic Diversity and Demographic Structure of .

Under climate fluctuation, species dispersal may be disturbed by terrain and local climate, resulting in uneven spatial-genetic structure. In addition, organisms at different latitudes may be differentially susceptible to climate change. Here, we tracked the seed dispersal of using chloroplast DNA to explore the relationships of terrain and local climate heterogeneity with range shifts and demography in Taiwan.

[Characteristics of Iron Plaque and Its Heavy Metal Enrichment in Typical Mangrove Plants in Shenzhen Bay, China].

Based on the five typical mangrove species in the mangrove wetland of Shenzhen Bay, the contents and distributional characteristics of iron plaques (Fe) and the Mn, Pb, Zn, Cu, As, Cr, Cd, Ni, Co, and Sb enrichment of the iron plaques on mangrove plant roots were investigated. The results show that:① There is a significant difference in the contents of iron plaques among the five mangrove species, and the contents in the species follow the order: > > > > ; the content ranged from 0.37 g·kg to 10.

[Profile nutrient distribution and sedimentary characteristics in typical marshes of Sanjiang Plain].

Profile distribution characteristics of organic carbon (C), total nitrogen (N), total phosphorus (P) and total sulfur (S) were studied in two typical marshes including Carex lasiocarpa marsh and Phragmites australis marsh in the Sanjiang Plain. Sedimentary characteristics of typical mashes were analyzed. The results showed that vertically these soil chemical elements also varied, showing obvious stratification and enrichment.

[Mercury and copper accumulation during last fifty years and their potential ecological risk assessment in sediment of mangrove wetland of Shenzhen, China].

The processes of sediment transport and deposition can record some relative anthropogenic information in gulf region. Chronological analysis of the sediment core collected from mangrove wetland in Shenzhen Bay showed that the sedimentation rate was about 1.38 cm x a(-1).