Article
Biology
De-Liang Tang, Zhuo-Er Wang, Hong Ding, Yong-Tong Huang, Su-Ting Ding, Jing-Yu Wu
Summary: This study reports the discovery of Mahonia fossils in the Mangbang Formation in Yunnan, China, extending the stratigraphic range of the genus in East Asia and providing new insights into the potential differentiation and migration routes of the Group Orientales.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Hui Chen, De-Liang Tang, Yu Zhang, Peng-Cheng An, Xin-Yu Yan, Su-Ting Ding, Jing-Yu Wu
Summary: A new species, Podocarpus pliomacrophyllus sp. nov., has been described from lower Pliocene deposits in western Yunnan, China, showing gross morphology and cuticular structure similar to extant P. macrophyllus. Molecular data suggests that the genus Podocarpus originated from Gondwana, with the subgenus Foliolatus diverging from the subgenus Podocarpus during the early Miocene. Fossils from Tengchong indicate the subgenus Foliolatus spread from India to western Yunnan before the early Pliocene, and subsequently to southeastern China.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lu-Yi Wang, Chung-Ping Lin, Stanislav N. Gorb, Hamed Rajabi
Summary: Enhanced attachment ability is common in plants on islands to avoid passive dispersal, but whether island insects also possess this ability is unclear. This study found that a flightless weevil from tropical islands has stronger attachment ability compared to mainland arthropods, regardless of body size and substrate roughness. The study identified the specific adaptions of the weevil's attachment devices and highlighted the potential benefits of strong attachment in windy island environments.
JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY INTERFACE
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Xing Chen, Yi Feng, Shuang Chen, Kai Yang, Xiangying Wen, Ye Sun
Summary: This study used genetic markers and genomic data to analyze the genetic differences between Castanopsis hainanensis and Castanopsis wenchangensis. The results showed significant genetic differentiation and distinct genomic differences between the two species, suggesting that they should be treated as separate species.
Article
Ecology
Joan Ferrer Obiol, Helen F. James, R. Terry Chesser, Vincent Bretagnolle, Jacob Gonzalez-Solis, Julio Rozas, Andreanna J. Welch, Marta Riutort
Summary: The study reveals the significant role of palaeoceanographic changes in the diversification and speciation of shearwaters, particularly during the Late Pliocene-early Pleistocene. Genomic data analysis indicates that shearwaters are influenced by surface ocean currents and founder events, resulting in changes in body size, fossil biogeography, and phylogeny. The current taxonomy shows incongruences with genomic divergence patterns.
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Bangjun Liu, Rafael Spiekermann, Cunliang Zhao, Wilhelm Puettmann, Yuzhuang Sun, Andre Jasper, Dieter Uhl
Summary: This study investigates the charcoal remains and bulk lignites from the late Pliocene Jinsuo Basin in Yunnan, China, to understand the changes in wildfire regime in relation to palaeoenvironment, palaeoclimate, and paleobotany. The findings suggest that different types of wildfires occurred in the area, with a predominance of low-temperature surface fires. The occurrence and distribution of wildfires were influenced by changes in plant community and depositional environment.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COAL GEOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geology
William E. Odom, Darryl E. Granger
Summary: The present path of the Tennessee River can be traced back to at least the early Pliocene, as revealed by the dating of terraces near Pickwick, Tennessee using cosmogenic Al-26/Be-10 isochron burial dating. This finding aligns with sedimentary and genetic evidence, indicating that the river flowed into the Mobile Basin through the late Miocene.
JOURNAL OF GEOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Jing-Yu Wu, Hui Chen, Shi-Cheng Ruan, Meng Yang, Lin-Bo Mo, Bao-Qiang Ji, Jin-Long Zhang, Su-Ting Ding
Summary: Phylogenetic analyses suggest that the genus Podocarpus diverged around the Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary, with two monophyletic subgenera Podocarpus and Foliolatus differentiating during the Paleogene. Fossil studies in western Yunnan reveal a thriving of Podocarpus during the Pliocene, while early representatives of the subgenus Foliolatus may have originated from Australasia and spread to northeastern India during the late Oligocene. The Indochinese subclade within the Foliolatus subgenus likely underwent rapid diversification due to uplift of the Hengduan Mountains since the late Miocene.
REVIEW OF PALAEOBOTANY AND PALYNOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Joanna Skrzydel, Dorota Borowska-Wykret, Dorota Kwiatkowska
Summary: This review focuses on the structure, assembly, and function of cuticle, with special attention to the cuticle of perianth organs. The unique characteristics of perianth cuticle, such as folded cuticle and integral continuous layer, require further investigation. Technical challenges posed by the small thickness of perianth cuticle can potentially be overcome with modern tools.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Christophe Ronez, Jorge D. Carrillo-Briceno, Patricia Hadler, Marcelo R. Sanchez-Villagra, Ulyses F. J. Pardinas
Summary: We report the first occurrence of Sigmodontinae from the Pliocene of northern South America, specifically from the San Gregorio Formation in northwestern Venezuela. The recovered isolated molars are identified as Oligoryzomys sp. and Zygodontomys sp., representing the oldest representatives of these genera and suggesting potential new species. These findings provide new evidence for the historical biogeography of sigmodontines and support the existence of an eastern corridor of open environments for dispersion in South America.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Steven E. Jasinski
Summary: The study reveals the diversity of painted turtles in North America and the discovery of a new species provides new data on their evolution and species diversity. The new fossil species represents a basal morphology in the turtle family and suggests the occurrence of multiple evolutionary events with similar basal morphologies. Additionally, the increase in turtle species after a period of optimal climate conditions may be influenced by lower temperatures.
ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Dimitra Mantzouka, Miroslav Ivanov, Vladimir Bozukov
Summary: This article proposes a new species of Castanopsis based on the study of a new fagaceous fossil wood stem discovered in Bulgaria. The study revealed characteristics similar to Castanopsis and provided a taxonomic list of Bulgarian fossil records along with revised xylotomical keys. The presence of evergreen Castanopsis species with heterocellular rays in the fossil record of the 'evergreen oak woods' is supported.
GEOLOGICAL JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Angelo Gaiti, Stefano Sangiorgio, Franco Faoro, Carlo Massimo Pozzi, Giuseppe Gavazzi, Salvatore Roberto Pilu
Summary: In this study, a novel maize mutant, stocky1, with a defective cuticle was identified. The mutant exhibited a severely dwarfed phenotype and was lethal at the seedling stage. This mutant has the potential to contribute to understanding the role of the cuticle during plant development and may be relevant in the context of climate change.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Xiaoru Zhong, Mengyang Xu, Ting Li, Rongxi Sun
Summary: Castanopsis carlesii is a widely distributed and valuable tree species in China. Population genetics studies of C. carlesii have not been reported. In this study, we developed EST-SSR markers based on transcriptome sequencing and found that these markers can be used for population genetics and germplasm evaluations of C. carlesii and related species.
Review
Plant Sciences
Heriberto Garcia-Coronado, Julio Cesar Tafolla-Arellano, Miguel Angel Hernandez-Onate, Alexel Jesus Burgara-Estrella, Jesus Martin Robles-Parra, Martin Ernesto Tiznado-Hernandez
Summary: This article explores the importance of the cuticle, the external lipid layer of fleshy fruits, in their development, ripening, quality, resistance to pathogens, and postharvest shelf life. Changes in the cuticle's structure and composition during different stages and treatments are also discussed. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of cuticle biosynthesis and identifying related molecules could potentially improve the quality and postharvest shelf life of fleshy fruits.
