Article
Limnology
Tan Huaqiang, Liu Wenhua, Li Ping
Summary: The DNA sequence of Polysiphonia hainanensis was provided for the first time, and based on morphological and molecular analyses, it was confirmed as a synonym of Bryocladia thyrsigera, further revealing the phylogenetic position of this species within the Polysiphonieae.
JOURNAL OF OCEANOLOGY AND LIMNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Danilo E. Bustamante, Boo Yeon Won, Michael J. Wynne, Tae Oh Cho
Summary: Recent segregation of 12 genera in the tribe Streblocladieae has updated the taxonomy of certain species belonging to Polysiphonia sensu lato, with new combinations being proposed. Six new additions to the tribe have been made based on morphological and molecular analyses, including the description of a new species and proposal of new combinations. The study also identified additional diagnostic features for two genera within the tribe, providing insights into distribution, diagnostic features for delimiting genera morphologically, and molecular evolutionary relationships.
JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Joel H. Nitta, Eric Schuettpelz, Santiago Ramirez-Barahona, Wataru Iwasaki
Summary: This study introduces an automated pipeline for creating a continuously updated fern tree of life (FTOL) using DNA sequence data from GenBank. The pipeline combines whole plastomes and commonly sequenced plastid regions to obtain a high-resolution global fern phylogeny. By resolving synonyms using a curated reference taxonomy, the FTOL includes about 40% more species than previous global fern phylogenies. The FTOL and its associated datasets are available through a web portal and R packages, providing immediate access to the most up-to-date and comprehensive fern phylogeny.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Antony Otinga Oteng'o, Tae Oh Cho, Boo Yeon Won
Summary: This study describes two new species, Endoplura jejuensis and E. koreana, from Korea based on molecular and morphological analyses. Phylogenetic analysis shows that they are closely related to E. aurea from Japan. E. jejuensis is characterized by small light to dark brown thalli, while E. koreana has larger olive or yellowish-brown thalli.
Article
Plant Sciences
Goia de Mattos Lyra, Jose Marcos de Castro Nunes, Edilene Maria dos Santos Pestana, Joao Carlos Gama de Matos, Taiara Aguiar Caires, Priscila Barreto de Jesus, Emmanuelle da Silva Costa, Mariana Cabral Oliveira
Summary: The Gracilariaceae family consists of 242 mainly tropical species, with some having economic value for food and pharmaceutical industries. Through morphological and molecular analyses, 25 specific entities occurring on the Brazilian coast have been identified, including four new species yet to be described. The study highlights spermatangial arrangements and thallus morphology as important characters for species and genera delimitation.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Carolin Haug, Florian Braig, Joachim T. Haug
Summary: The loss of biodiversity and decline of insects in modern ecosystems have a significant impact on ecological roles and economy. This study investigates the decline of lacewings since the Cretaceous, using fossil records and analysis of larvae morphology. The results indicate a severe loss of lacewings and their ecological roles over the past 100 million years.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sonia Trujillo-Argueta, Rafael F. del Castillo, Daniel Tejero-Diez, Carlos Alberto Matias-Cervantes, Abril Velasco-Murguia
Summary: DNA barcoding using three plastid barcodes (rbcLa, matK, trnH-psbA) in neotropical cloud forest ferns showed that rbcLa is most effective for species identification, trnH-psbA is suitable for phylogenetic analysis, and matK may not be a universal barcoding marker.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Limnology
Tao Jiang, Xiaohan Qin, Guannan Wu, Huaxian Zhao, Xiaotao Yu, Xueyan Xiao, Wenjing Liu, Qingjing Hu, Jufa Chen, Nan Li
Summary: The Western Subarctic Gyre (WSG) in the northwest subarctic Pacific is characterized by distinct oceanographic and biogeochemical processes. A field investigation conducted in summer 2020 using microscopic observation, cytometric counting, and rbcL gene analysis revealed the community structure and spatial distribution of chromophytic phytoplankton in the WSG. Results showed differences in phytoplankton abundances and composition between the southern and northern stations, with dinoflagellates and pennate diatoms dominating the assemblages, respectively. The study highlights the importance of combining morphological observation and molecular analysis to uncover the diversity of phytoplankton in marine environments.
JOURNAL OF OCEANOLOGY AND LIMNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alejandro Nistal-Garcia, Pedro Garcia-Garcia, Jorge Garcia-Giron, Maria Borrego-Ramos, Saul Blanco, Eloy Becares
Summary: The study compares the effectiveness of traditional morphological methods and DNA barcoding methods in studying diatom communities. The results show significant differences in the compositional variation of diatom metacommunities between the two approaches. Biases affecting the molecular approach may include incomplete reference databases and bioinformatics processing, while biases affecting the morphological method may be limited counting effort and the presence of cryptic species. Additionally, variation in diatom community composition is strongly related to the environmental template, but not significantly related to geographical distances.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Javier Perez-Burillo, Greta Valoti, Andrzej Witkowski, Patricia Prado, David G. Mann, Rosa Trobajo
Summary: The study revealed the high-diversity diatom communities in the Ebro delta bays, with DNA metabarcoding effectively reflecting this diversity at the genus level. However, limitations were found at the species level due to the incompleteness of the DNA reference library. Combining LM and DNA approaches provides stronger support for ecological studies of benthic microalgal communities in shallow coastal environments.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Ni-Ni Win, Takeaki Hanyuda, Aki Kato, Hiromori Shimabukuro, Masayuki Uchimura, Hiroshi Kawai, Mutsunori Tokeshi
Summary: The taxonomic status and species diversity of the brown algal genus Padina were assessed based on DNA sequences and morpho-anatomy, revealing the presence of four distinct new species. The phylogenetic analyses provided insights into the biogeographic characteristics of Padina, with species in the Pacific Ocean showing shared distributions. Molecular time trees indicated an estimated divergence time for the genus Padina in the mid-Cretaceous.
JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Arne Duer, Nicole Huber, Walther Parson
Summary: A new algorithm for alignment and haplogroup estimation of mitochondrial DNA sequences was proposed in this study, which led to a significant increase in haplogroup defining motifs for both full mitogenomes and the mtDNA control region. The algorithm has been implemented in the EMPOP mtDNA database and is freely accessible, benefiting various scientific disciplines such as medical, population and forensic genetics.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lau Sheng Hann Emmclan, Muta Harah Zakaria, Shiamala Devi Ramaiya, Ikhsan Natrah, Japar Sidik Bujang
Summary: This study investigated the effects of coastal land development on seagrass growth and water quality, as well as the morphological and biochemical responses of Hydrocharitaceae seagrass to a macroalgal bloom induced by land reclamation activities for constructing artificial islands.
Article
Plant Sciences
Victor Andrei Rodrigues Carneiro, Nuno Tavares Martins, Sebastiana Lidielda Albuquerque da Silva, Maria Beatriz de Barros-Barreto, Sonia Barreto Pereira, Valeria Cassano
Summary: The first systematic molecular study of Ulva species in Brazil revealed that previously reported species were misidentified and confirmed the presence of a new species. Two new occurrences for Brazil were also discovered, expanding the geographic distribution of these species.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Daniel Stec, Matteo Vecchi, Sara Calhim, Lukasz Michalczyk
Summary: The family Macrobiotidae is one of the most speciose and diverse groups among tardigrades. This study presents the first extensive molecular phylogeny of the family, revealing new evolutionary relationships and contributing to the reconstruction of morphological evolution within Macrobiotidae.
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Qiu-Yue Zhang, Min Deng, Yanis Bouchenak-Khelladi, Zhe-Kun Zhou, Guang-Wan Hu, Yao-Wu Xing
Summary: This study reconstructed the phylogenetic relationships and biogeographic history of the Ulmaceae family using chloroplast genome and nuclear ribosomal DNA sequences. The findings suggest that Ulmaceae originated in the Early Cretaceous and experienced a rapid diversification in East Asia during the Neogene, coinciding with a global cooling event. Both phylogenomic and fossil evidence support East Asia as the center of origin and diversification for the temperate woody lineages in Ulmaceae.
JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATICS AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Cedric Del Rio, Jian Huang, Gregory W. Stull, Remi Allemand, Zhe-Kun Zhou, Tao Su
Summary: The fossil endocarp of the liana genus Iodes from the Oligocene Wenshan flora in southwestern China represents the first Icacinaceae fruit fossil record from Asia, indicating a long-standing presence of the genus in SE Asia, dating back to the Paleogene. Based on the characteristics of the fossil and climate data, it is hypothesized that the region had a subtropical climate during the Oligocene, supporting a rainforest with a mixed regional flora of subtropical and tropical elements.
JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATICS AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yong-Jiang Huang, Hai Zhu, Tao Su, Robert A. Spicer, Jin-Jin Hu, Lin-Bo Jia, Zhe-Kun Zhou
Summary: The study presents abundant fossil fruits and seeds of herbs from the late Pliocene in the southern Hengduan Mountains region, revealing the rise of herbaceous diversity in the area and the potential key driving forces for the opening of meadow vegetation. This finding provides the first direct evidence of past treeless open vegetation within the HMR, improving our understanding of vegetation evolution in the region.
JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATICS AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Yong-Jiang Huang, Hai Zhu, Jin-Jin Hu, Lin-Bo Jia, Zhe-Kun Zhou
Summary: This study reports the discovery of fossil endocarps of Sambucus genus in the late Pliocene Heqing Basin in South China, suggesting an increase in diversity of Sambucus in this region during the late Pliocene. The distribution and diversification of Sambucus in South China are likely to be a recent event compared to Europe and North Asia, possibly due to the warmer climate in South China before the Pliocene.
PALAEOBIODIVERSITY AND PALAEOENVIRONMENTS
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Pei-Rong Chen, Cedric Del Rio, Jian Huang, Jia Liu, Jia-Gang Zhao, Robert A. A. Spicer, Shu-Feng Li, Teng-Xiang Wang, Zhe-Kun Zhou, Tao Su
Summary: This study reports the early fossil occurrences of Koelreuteria in Asia and describes a new species, Koelreuteria kvacekii, found in the early middle Eocene of the Tibetan Plateau. These fossil records suggest that the region served as an early diversification center for Koelreuteria in Asia.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PLANT SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Lin-Bo Jia, Jin-Jin Hu, Shi-Tao Zhang, Tao Su, Robert A. Spicer, Jia Liu, Jiu-Cheng Yang, Pu Zou, Yong-Jiang Huang, Zhe-Kun Zhou
Summary: This article reports the discovery of three Bauhinia fossil species with cuticular preservation from the Paleogene of Puyang Basin, southwestern China, extending the emergence of Bauhinia in Asia to the late Eocene. It also shows that the diversification of Bauhinia in Asia and the phenomenon of a small region harboring multiple Bauhinia species in southwestern China can be traced back to the Paleogene.
Article
Geography, Physical
Mengxiao Wu, Jian Huang, Robert A. Spicer, Shufeng Li, Jiagang Zhao, Weiyudong Deng, Wenna Ding, He Tang, Yaowu Xing, Yimin Tian, Zhekun Zhou, Tao Su
Summary: This study provides insights into the paleoelevation and paleoclimate of the Lithe Basin on the southeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau during the early Oligocene. The results show that the basin had reached its present elevation at that time and experienced a humid subtropical climate. The findings also suggest that the appearance of the modern flora in this region began during the early Oligocene.
GLOBAL AND PLANETARY CHANGE
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Weiyudong Deng, Dario De Franceschi, Xiaoting Xu, Cedric Del Rio, Shook Ling Low, Zhekun Zhou, Robert A. Spicer, Lili Ren, Raoqiong Yang, Yimin Tian, Mengxiao Wu, Jiucheng Yang, Shuiqing Liang, Torsten Wappler, Tao Su
Summary: Cupressaceae fossil tree stumps from the Oligocene of southwestern China were found to contain abundant quartz-petrified damage traces, and the fossils also revealed arthropods and fungus, filling a gap in the fossil records for insect herbivory in this region. The disappearance of Taxodium supports the changes in the environment at that time.
REVIEW OF PALAEOBOTANY AND PALYNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Jiagang Zhao, Shufeng Li, Alexander Farnsworth, Paul J. Valdes, Tammo Reichgelt, Linlin Chen, Zhekun Zhou, Tao Su
Summary: The growth of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau during the Cenozoic period played a significant role in driving climate change in the region. Both temperature and precipitation showed an overall decline, with the growth of the plateau leading to a gradual decrease in temperature and precipitation in the northeastern part. This research provides insights into environmental change and ecosystem evolution during the Cenozoic period.
SCIENCE CHINA-EARTH SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Xinwen Zhang, Uriel Gelin, Robert A. Spicer, Feixiang Wu, Alexander Farnsworth, Peirong Chen, Cedric Del Rio, Shufeng Li, Jia Liu, Jian Huang, Teresa E. Spicer, Kyle W. Tomlinson, Paul J. Valdes, Xiaoting Xu, Shitao Zhang, Tao Deng, Zhekun Zhou, Tao Su
Summary: Spinescence is an important trait for plants to defend against mammalian herbivores. However, the evolution of spinescence remains poorly understood, with most studies focusing on modern ecosystems. Recently discovered well-preserved Eocene plant fossils in the central Tibetan Plateau reveal a diversity of spiny plants and rapid diversification during that time. Regional aridification and expansion of herbivorous mammals may have driven the diversification of spinescence in central Tibetan woodlands.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Wei-Cheng Li, Jian Huang, Lin-Lin Chen, Robert A. Spicer, Shu-Feng Li, Jia Liu, Yi Gao, Fei-Xiang Wu, Alex Farnsworth, Paul J. Valdes, Zhe-Kun Zhou, Tao Su
Summary: This study reports the well-preserved fossil pods of Podocarpium from the late Eocene of the Lunpola Basin in the central Tibetan Plateau, China. The discovered P. tibeticum indicates that Podocarpium was present in central Tibet by the late Eocene and may have originated in East Asia before spreading westward to Europe. Paleoecological niche modeling results suggest a wide distribution range of Podocarpium in the Eocene, which dramatically contracted to a small area in East Asia by the Pliocene.
REVIEW OF PALAEOBOTANY AND PALYNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Zhekun Zhou, Jia Liu, Linlin Chen, Robert A. Spicer, Shufeng Li, Jian Huang, Shitao Zhang, Yongjiang Huang, Linbo Jia, Jinjin Hu, Tao Su
Summary: Plant fossils are crucial for understanding landscape evolution and plant diversity in the Tibetan Region. Recent studies have significantly improved our understanding of the formation of the Tibetan Plateau and its impact on climate and biota. These studies have also revealed numerous new plant fossil taxa, some of which represent the earliest records from Asia or even worldwide. Furthermore, plant fossils provide evidence of the asynchronous formation histories of different parts of the plateau, as well as the coevolution between vegetation, landform, and paleoenvironment.
SCIENCE CHINA-EARTH SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Hung Ba Nguyen, Jian Huang, Truong Van Do, Gaurav Srivastava, Hoa Mai Thi Nguyen, Shu-Feng Li, Lin-Lin Chen, Minh Trung Nguyen, Hung Dinh Doan, Zhe-Kun Zhou, Tao Su
Summary: The genus Albizia is one of the largest genera in the Fabaceae family and is ecologically, economically, and chemically important. A new species of Albizia fossil, named Albizia yenbaiensis, has been discovered in the late Miocene sediments of northern Vietnam, representing the first fossil record of Albizia in Southeast Asia. This finding suggests that Albizia already existed in a tropical broadleaved forest in northern Vietnam during the late Miocene and indicates its origin in the East Asian Monsoon region.
REVIEW OF PALAEOBOTANY AND PALYNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Mengxiao Wu, Jian Huang, Steven R. Manchester, He Tang, Yi Gao, Tengxiang Wang, Zhekun Zhou, Tao Su
Summary: A new fossil species of the Menispermaceae family has been discovered in southwestern China, suggesting that the divergence within the tribe Menispermeae might have occurred in the Late Eocene and a species similar to the modern Sinomenium acutum appeared in the region as early as in the Late Eocene.
REVIEW OF PALAEOBOTANY AND PALYNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Ai Song, Jia Liu, Shui-Qing Liang, Truong Van Do, Hung Ba Nguyen, Wei-Yu-Dong Deng, Lin -Bo Jia, Cedric Del Rio, Gaurav Srivastava, Zhuo Feng, Zhe-Kun Zhou, Jian Huang, Tao Su
Summary: Recent paleobotanical investigations in Vietnam have revealed a warm climate in northern Vietnam and nearby areas during the Oligocene. The studies also identified a new species of palm from this period.
