Genetic basis of camouflage in an alpine plant and its long-term co-evolution with an insect herbivore.

Camouflage through colour change can involve reversible or permanent changes in response to cyclic predator or herbivore pressures. The evolution of background matching in camouflaged phenotypes partly depends on the genetics of the camouflage trait, but this has received little attention in plants. Here we clarify the genetic pathway underlying the grey-leaved morph of fumewort, Corydalis hemidicentra, of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau that by being camouflaged escapes herbivory from caterpillars of host-specialized Parnassius butterflies.

Historical development of karst evergreen broadleaved forests in East Asia has shaped the evolution of a hemiparasitic genus (Orobanchaceae).

is a shrubby genus of about eight species distributed basically in East Asian evergreen broadleaved forests (EBLFs), with distribution centers in the karst regions of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guangxi in southwestern China. Based on the hemiparasitic and more or less liana habits of this genus, we hypothesized that its evolution and distribution were shaped by the development of EBLFs there. To test our hypothesis, the most comprehensive phylogenies of hitherto were constructed based on plastome and nuclear loci (nrDNA, PHYA and PHYB); then divergence time and ancestral areas were inferred using the combined nuclear loci dataset.

The retention characteristics for water-soluble and water-insoluble particulate matter of five tree species along an air pollution gradient in Beijing, China.

The air purification potential of plants has been widely studied and recognized. However, their specific capacities in retaining water-soluble (WSPM) and water-insoluble (WIPM) atmospheric particulate matter (PM) are still unclear. In order to recommend tree species with high air phytoremediation ability, the retention characteristics for WSPM and WIPM of five tree species under different haze pollution levels and PM retention durations in Beijing were evaluated after introducing ultrasonic cleaning procedure to the conventional leaf cleaning methods.

Assessing the Particulate Matter Removal Abilities of Tree Leaves.

Based on the conventional cleaning methods (water cleaning (WC) + brush cleaning (BC)), this study evaluated the influence of ultrasonic cleaning (UC) on collecting various sized particulate matter (PM) retained on leaf surfaces. We further characterized the retention efficiency of leaves to various sized PM, which will help to assess the abilities of urban trees to remove PM from ambient air quantitatively. Taking three broadleaf tree species (Ginkgo biloba, Sophora japonica, and Salix babylonica) and two needleleaf tree species (Pinus tabuliformis and Sabina chinensis) as the research objects, leaf samples were collected 4 days (short PM retention period) and 14 days (long PM retention period) after the latest rainfall.