Bioactive Triterpenoids from the Leaves and Twigs of Lithocarpus litseifolius and L. corneus.

Phytochemical investigation of the leaves and twigs of and resulted in the isolation of four new triterpenoids (1: -4: ), three triterpenoids (5: -7: ) isolated from a natural source for the first time, and six known compounds (8: -13: ). In addition, four known triterpenoids (14: -17: ) were isolated from . Compound 1: is a 3,4--lupane-type triterpenoid, and compounds 2: -4: are lupane-type triterpenoids in different oxidation states.

Impacts of increasing typhoons on the structure and function of a subtropical forest: reflections of a changing climate.

Due to their destructive and sporadic nature, it is often difficult to evaluate and predict the effects of typhoon on forest ecosystem patterns and processes. We used a 21-yr record of litterfall rates to explore the influence of typhoon frequency and intensity, along with other meteorological variables, on ecosystem dynamics in a subtropical rainforest. Over the past half century there has been an increasing frequency of strong typhoons (category 3; >49.

A plastid phylogeny and character evolution of the Old World fern genus Pyrrosia (Polypodiaceae) with the description of a new genus: Hovenkampia (Polypodiaceae).

The Old World fern genus Pyrrosia (Polypodiaceae) offers a rare system in ferns to study morphological evolution because almost all species of this genus are well studied for their morphology, anatomy, and spore features, and various hypotheses have been proposed in terms of the phylogeny and evolution in this genus. However, the molecular phylogeny of the genus lags behind. The monophyly of the genus has been uncertain and a modern phylogenetic study of the genus based on molecular data has been lacking.

Three new species of Begonia sect. Baryandra from Panay Island, Philippines.

Background: The flora of Panay Island is under-collected compared with the other islands of the Philippines. In a joint expedition to the island, botanists from Taiwan and the Philippines found three unknown Begonia species and compared them with potentially allied species.

Results: The three species are clearly assignable to Begonia sect.

Plant diversity increases with the strength of negative density dependence at the global scale.

Theory predicts that higher biodiversity in the tropics is maintained by specialized interactions among plants and their natural enemies that result in conspecific negative density dependence (CNDD). By using more than 3000 species and nearly 2.4 million trees across 24 forest plots worldwide, we show that global patterns in tree species diversity reflect not only stronger CNDD at tropical versus temperate latitudes but also a latitudinal shift in the relationship between CNDD and species abundance.

Trends of two decadal precipitation chemistry in a subtropical rainforest in East Asia.

Long-term monitoring of precipitation chemistry provides a great opportunity to examine the evolution of air pollutant emissions and effectiveness of air pollution control measures. We evaluated the characteristics and trends of precipitation chemistry at both annual and seasonal scales based on the records of 1994-2013 at Fushan Experimental Forest (FEF) of northeastern Taiwan. The results showed that 77% of the weekly precipitation had pH<5.

Determining Genome Size from Spores of Seedless Vascular Plants.

Seedless vascular plants, including ferns and lycophytes, produce spores to initiate the gametophyte stage and to complete sexual reproduction. Approximately 10% of them are apomictic through the production of genomic unreduced spores. Being able to measure the spore nuclear DNA content is therefore important to infer their reproduction mode.

Failure mechanism of hollow tree trunks due to cross-sectional flattening.

Failure of hollow trees in urban areas is a worldwide concern, and it can be caused by different mechanisms, i.e. bending stresses or flattening-related failures.

Genetic Variation in Native Populations of the Laurel Wilt Pathogen, Raffaelea lauricola, in Taiwan and Japan and the Introduced Population in the United States.

Laurel wilt is a vascular wilt disease caused by Raffaelea lauricola, a mycangial symbiont of an ambrosia beetle, Xyleborus glabratus. The fungus and vector are native to Asia but were apparently introduced to the Savannah, GA, area 15 or more years ago. Laurel wilt has caused widespread mortality on redbay (Persea borbonia) and other members of the Lauraceae in the southeastern United States, and the pathogen and vector have spread as far as Texas.

Modeling the terrestrial N processes in a small mountain catchment through INCA-N: A case study in Taiwan.

Riverine dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) is an important indicator of trophic status of aquatic ecosystems. High riverine DIN export in Taiwan, ~3800kg-Nkmyr, which is ~18 times higher than the global average, urges the need of thorough understanding of N cycling processes. We applied INCA-N (Integrated Nitrogen Catchment Model) to simulate riverine DIN export and infer terrestrial N processes using weekly rainwater and streamwater samples collected at the Fushan Experimental Forest (FEF) of northern Taiwan.

A new genus and two new species of Southeast Asian Bidessini as well as new synonyms for Oceanian species (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae).

Balke, Bergsten & Hendrich, et is described from near Rompin village in West Malaysia. The new genus is characterized by the presence of an occipital line and basal pronotal striae, the presence of a thick anterior bead on clypeus and two-segmented parameres as well as by the absence of basal elytral striae, the absence of sutural line on elytron, the absence of basal epipleural transverse carina, and the absence of longitudinal elytral carina. Moreover, male pro- and mesotarsus appear stout, and distinctly dilated laterally; the pronotum is comparably long and parallel-sided and the colour of beetle conspicuous dark orange.

Local Climate Heterogeneity Shapes Population Genetic Structure of Two Undifferentiated Insular Species.

Spatial climate heterogeneity may not only affect adaptive gene frequencies but could also indirectly shape the genetic structure of neutral loci by impacting demographic dynamics. In this study, the effect of local climate on population genetic variation was tested in two phylogenetically close species in Taiwan. , which was originally assumed to be an endemic species of Taiwan Island, is shown to be part of the widespread species based on the overlapping ranges of genetic variation and climatic niches as well as their morphological similarity.

Evaluating the spore genome sizes of ferns and lycophytes: a flow cytometry approach.

Ferns and lycophytes produce spores to initiate the gametophyte stage for sexual reproduction. Approximately 10% of these seedless vascular plants are apomictic, and produce genomic unreduced spores. Genome size comparisons between spores and leaves are a reliable, and potentially easier way to determine their reproductive mode compared to traditional approaches.

Improvement in the biochemical and chemical properties of badland soils by thorny bamboo.

Badland soils-which have high silt and clay contents, bulk density, and soil electric conductivity- cover a large area of Southern Taiwan. This study evaluated the amelioration of these poor soils by thorny bamboo, one of the few plant species that grows in badland soils. Soil physiochemical and biological parameters were measured from three thorny bamboo plantations and nearby bare lands.

Detection of chlorophylls in spores of seven ferns.

Fern spores were traditionally classified into chlorophyllous (green) and nonchlorophyllous (nongreen) types based on the color visible to the naked eye. Recently, a third type, "cryptochlorophyllous spores", is recognized, and these spores are nongreen under white light but contain chlorophylls. Epifluorescence microscopy was previously used to detect chlorophylls in cryptochlorophyllous spores.

New insights into the phylogeny of Burasaieae (Menispermaceae) with the recognition of a new genus and emphasis on the southern Taiwanese and mainland Chinese disjunction.

Taiwan is a continental island lying at the boundary between the Eurasian and the Philippine tectonic plates and possesses high biodiversity. Southern Taiwan, viz. Hengchun Peninsula, is notably floristically different from northern Taiwan.

Not only in the temperate zone: independent gametophytes of two vittarioid ferns (Pteridaceae, Polypodiales) in East Asian subtropics.

Independent gametophyte ferns are unique among vascular plants because they are sporophyteless and reproduce asexually to maintain their populations in the gametophyte generation. Such ferns had been primarily discovered in temperate zone, and usually hypothesized with (sub)tropical origins and subsequent extinction of sporophyte due to climate change during glaciations. Presumably, independent fern gametophytes are unlikely to be distributed in tropics and subtropics because of relatively stable climates which are less affected by glaciations.

Gap Shape Classification using Landscape Indices and Multivariate Statistics.

This study proposed a novel methodology to classify the shape of gaps using landscape indices and multivariate statistics. Patch-level indices were used to collect the qualified shape and spatial configuration characteristics for canopy gaps in the Lienhuachih Experimental Forest in Taiwan in 1998 and 2002. Non-hierarchical cluster analysis was used to assess the optimal number of gap clusters and canonical discriminant analysis was used to generate the discriminant functions for canopy gap classification.

Functional composition drives ecosystem function through multiple mechanisms in a broadleaved subtropical forest.

Understanding the role of biodiversity (B) in maintaining ecosystem function (EF) is a foundational scientific goal with applications for resource management and conservation. Two main hypotheses have emerged that address B-EF relationships: niche complementarity (NC) and the mass-ratio (MR) effect. We tested the relative importance of these hypotheses in a subtropical old-growth forest on the island nation of Taiwan for two EFs: aboveground biomass (ABG) and coarse woody productivity (CWP).

Tetranortriterpenes and Limonoids from the Roots of Aphanamixis polystachya.

Phytochemical investigation of the acetone extract from the roots of Aphanamixis polystachya resulted in isolation of four new tetranortriterpenes (1-4) in addition to one protolimonoid (methyl-1ξ,7R-diacetoxy-23R,25-dihydroxy-20S,24R-21,24-epoxy-3,4-seco-apotirucall-4(28),14(15)-diene-3-oate (5)), five known limonoids (rohituka 3 (6), rohituka 7 (7), nymania 1 (8), rubrin G (9), prieurianin (10)) and a steroid (2,3-dihydroxy-5-pregnan-16-one (11)). Their structures were determined by spectroscopic analyses, including 2D-NMR (COSY, HMQC, HMBC, and NOESY) and high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HRESIMS). Cytotoxic and anti-inflammatory activities of these compounds were evaluated.

Historical biogeography of the fern genus Deparia (Athyriaceae) and its relation with polyploidy.

The wide geographical distribution of many fern species is related to their high dispersal ability. However, very limited studies surveyed biological traits that could contribute to colonization success after dispersal. In this study, we applied phylogenetic approaches to infer historical biogeography of the fern genus Deparia (Athyriaceae, Eupolypods II).

The complete mitochondrial genome of Babylonia borneensis (Gastropoda: Neogastropoda: Buccinidae).

The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of the Babylonia borneensis is reported for the first time in this study. The length of genome was 15 556 bp, including 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes and 22 transfer RNA genes. The nucleotide composition of the mitogenome showed AT-rich feature, with the AT content of 68.

Changes of diet and dominant intestinal microbes in farmland frogs.

Background: Agricultural activities inevitably result in anthropogenic interference with natural habitats. The diet and the gut microbiota of farmland wildlife can be altered due to the changes in food webs within agricultural ecosystems. In this work, we compared the diet and intestinal microbiota of the frog Fejervarya limnocharis in natural and farmland habitats in order to understand how custom farming affects the health of in vivo microbial ecosystems.

Both Phosphorus Fertilizers and Indigenous Bacteria Enhance Arsenic Release into Groundwater in Arsenic-Contaminated Aquifers.

Arsenic (As) is a human carcinogen, and arsenic contamination in groundwater is a worldwide public health concern. Arsenic-affected areas are found in many places but are reported mostly in agricultural farmlands, yet the interaction of fertilizers, microorganisms, and arsenic mobilization in arsenic-contaminated aquifers remains uncharacterized. This study investigates the effects of fertilizers and bacteria on the mobilization of arsenic in two arsenic-contaminated aquifers.