Notes on the key role of stenochoric endemic plants in the floristic regionalization of Yunnan

With the accumulation and accessibility of information about plant species,it is time to re-evaluate and further divide a global biodiversity hotspot region,Yunnan,located in southwestern China.In this study,we combined data on the distribution of 1010 stenochoric endemic seed plants,vegetation constitution,geological history and climate change,and used these to propose a new system of floristic regions.We identified 11 distinct floristic subregions and 84 floristic provinces within Yunnan.Our work confirmed some views emphasized by Wu Zhengyi that the stenochoric endemic species play a key role in defining floristic provinces;that stenochoric endemic plants with long collection and publication histories are more valuable;that greater attention should be paid to woody plants;and that for Yunnan,a border region,some trans-border distributed elements should be treated cautiously.

Endemic medicinal plant distribution correlated with stable climate,precipitation,and cultural diversity

Medicinal plants provide crucial ecosystem services,especially in developing countries such as China,which harbors diverse endemic medicinal plant species with substantial cultural and economic value.Accordingly,understanding the patterns and drivers of medicinal plant distribution is critical.However,few studies have investigated the patterns and drivers of endemic medicinal plants distribution in China.Here,we linked endemic medicinal plants distribution with possible explanatory variables,i.e.,paleoclimate change,contemporary climate,altitudinal range and ethnic minority human population size at the prefecture city level in China.Our results show that endemic medicinal plants are concentrated in southern China,especially in southwestern China.Notably,both endemic medicinal plant species richness and the ratio of endemic medicinal plant species richness are negatively associated with glacialinterglacial anomaly in temperature,and positively associated with contemporary precipitation and altitudinal range.In addition,we found that endemic medicinal plant species richness is positively associated with ethnic minority population sizes as well as its ratio to the overall population size.These findings suggest that the distribution of endemic medicinal plants is determined by multiple drivers.Furthermore,our findings stress that dramatic future climate changes and massive anthropogenic activities in southern China pose great challenges to the conservation of China's endemic medicinal plants.

Plant diversity of Hyrcanian relict forests:An annotated checklist,chorology and threat categories of endemic and near endemic vascular plant species

In this paper a critical annotated checklist of 256 endemic and near endemic species belonging to 152 genera and 50 families of flowering plants known from Hyrcanian relict forests is presented.Distribution maps of taxa,elevational range,number of known records,chorotypes,life forms,IUCN threat categories and habitat types are also provided.The chorotypes are categorized into eight main patterns:1)the Omni-Hyrcanian pattern(OH),2)West Hyrcanian pattern(WH),3)Manjil-Rudbar pattern(MR),4)Central Hyrcanian pattern(CH),5)Central and East Hyrcanian pattern(CEH),6)East Hyrcanian pattern(EH),7)Alborz-Hyrcanian pattern(AH),and 8)Euxino-Hyrcanian pattern(XH).The richness and distribution maps were generated based on 5408 records gained from herbarium specimens and literature records.The life form spectra show that the majority of taxa(54.7%)belong to hemicryptophytes,followed by the tuberous,bulbous and parasitic geophytes with 45 species(17.6%)and phanerophytes with 28 taxa(10.9%).The conservation status of species according to IUCN criteria indicates that 30 taxa are Critically Endangered,52 taxa Endangered,30 taxa Vulnerable,25 taxa Near Threatened and 81 taxa are of Least Concern.Our present data were not sufficient to evaluate 38 taxa that are categorized here as Data Deficient.The new combination of Leutea translucens(=Peucedanum translucens)is validated with inclusion of Peucedanum hyrcanicum as its synonym.The disjunct occurrence of the Caucasian species Gentiana grossheimii is reported from the eastern parts of the Hyrcanian forests in Iran for the first time.We conclude that(i)the Hyrcanian forests and associated habitats in the northern slopes of the Alborz Mountains harbour tremendous floristic diversity of high conservation priority,and(ii)the Hyrcanian forest zone is an important and unique center of endemism within the Euro-Siberian region that should be considered a floristic province with a large number of relict species.

Plant micro-reserves in Valencia(E. Spain):A model to preserve threatened flora in China?

The Valencian Community(eastern Spain) was the pioneer territory establishing plant micro-reserves(PMRs). Its model to protect small sites for endemic and endangered plants has been exported to several countries around the globe. This paper highlights 1) the role of PMRs to complement the protection provided by large protected areas, 2) how the establishment of PMRs fosters the increase of floristic knowledge, and 3)the fact that continuous monitoring of PMRs also yields new records of endangered species found within the same PMRs. The flexibility of the PMR approach-it can be adapted to other national and regional legislationsallows its transfer to other rich-biodiversity regions and countries such as China.

Mapping the current and future distributions of Onosma species endemic to Iran

Climate change may cause shifts in the natural range of species especially for those that are geographically restricted and/or endemic species.In this study,the spatial distribution of five endemic and threatened species belonging to the genus Onosma(including O.asperrima,O.bisotunensis,O.kotschyi,O.platyphylla,and O.straussii)was investigated under present and future climate change scenarios:RCP2.6(RCP,representative concentration pathway;optimistic scenario)and RCP8.5(pessimistic scenario)for the years 2050 and 2080 in Iran.Analysis was conducted using the maximum entropy(MaxEnt)model to provide a basis for the protection and conservation of these species.Seven environmental variables including aspect,depth of soil,silt content,slope,annual precipitation,minimum temperature of the coldest month,and annual temperature range were used as main predictors in this study.The model output for the potential habitat suitability of the studied species showed acceptable performance for all species(i.e.,the area under the curve(AUC)>0.800).According to the models generated by MaxEnt,the potential current patterns of the species were consistent with the observed areas of distributions.The projected climate maps under optimistic and pessimistic scenarios(RCP2.6 and RCP8.5,respectively)of 2050 and 2080 resulted in reductions and expansions as well as positive range changes for all species in comparison to their current predicted distributions.Among all species,O.bisotunensis showed the most significant and highest increase under the pessimistic scenario of 2050 and 2080.Finally,the results of this study revealed that the studied plant species have shown an acute adaptability to environmental changes.The results can provide useful information to managers to apply appropriate strategies for the management and conservation of these valuable Iranian medicinal and threatened plant species in the future.

Effects of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) on In Vitro Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Growth Parameters and Biological Control Mechanisms

Three endemic plants rhizosphere (Astragalus gombo Coss. & Dur., Daucus sahariensis Murb., Ononis angustissima Lam.), were used for actinomycetes isolation. Ninety-three (93) isolates have been screened to evaluate their antagonistic properties against phytopathogenic microorganisms and to determine their biocontrol properties against Fusarium culmorum, especially responsible for several cereal diseases like font’s seedlings, rust, and burn of ears. Four (04) isolates (D2, D5, D8, and AST1) have been in vitro tested to determine PGPR effect and biocontrol characters of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), Hidhab (HD) variety cultivated in the Murashigue and Skoog (MS) culture medium. The aim of this study is the evaluation of antagonistic isolates of pathogenic fungi F. culmorum, without and within commercial fungicide (Tebuconazole, 60 g/l) solution. Our results showed clearly that these isolates have a significant effect on seed germination and seedling growth. However, results argue that these actinomycetes isolates show a very interesting activity compared to the commercial fungicide. As a result, these bacteria isolates can be used as biocontrol agents against Fusarium wilt disease of wheat, which have a beneficial effect on growth parameters.

The RAPD techniques used to assess the genetic diversity in Draba dorneri,a critically endangered plant species

A successful management and preservation of the natural populations is depending on accurate assessment of genetic diversity. Knowledge of genetic diversity within a population is important for the conservation of the species. Our aim was to assess the genetic diversity in Draba dorneri Heuff. population (Brassicaceae family)—an endemic plant species of conservative interest using Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique. The plant species is strictly protected at national level as well as at international level through “Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats”, Bern, 1979 European Council. In this study, a total of 52 primers were scored initially. A total of 77 repro- ducible bands with an average of 6.41 bands per primer were obtained from the 12 primers selected. A cluster analysis (UPGAMA) was used to generate a dendrogram based on Dice coefficient. We found 67% similarity between the samples from the two analyzed slopes. Comparing with other rare plants species, our data revealed a higher level of genetic diversity in D. dorneri population in Retezat Mountains.

The biodiversity of myxomycetes in central Chile

The results obtained from two expeditions to survey the biodiversity of myxomycetes in Central Chile are reported in this paper.The surveys were carried out as part of Global Biodiversity of Eumycetozoans project funded by the National Science Foundation(USA)and the Myxotropic project funded by the Spanish Government.The expeditions were made to the temperate zone of the central part of the country between 23°and 39°South latitudes,which is characterized by Mediterranean vegetation,as well as to the transition areas between the arid and semi-arid regions of northern Chile,and the humid,cold Valdivian and Andean-Patagonian forests of the far South.Eight of the fifteen regions of the country,from Antofagasta to Araucanía,in selected areas where the native vegetation is well preserved,were included in these surveys.Over 600 collections were obtained,and a total of 110 species of myxomycetes representing 29 genera have been identified.Two of these(Dianema succulenticola,Didymium chilense)are species new to science and are described in this paper,12 species(Collaria nigricapillitia,Comatricha alta,Cribraria oregana,Dianema depressum,Didymium eximium,D.nivicolum,Enerthenema melanospermum,Lepidoderma chailletii,Macbrideola ovoidea,Physarum clavisporum,Ph.newtonii and Trichia alpina)were previously unknown for either the Neotropics or South America,and 49 additional species are new records for Chile.Comments are provided on the morphology,distribution and ecology of selected species and light and SEM micrographs of the most significant species are included.An evaluation of the biodiversity of myxomycetes in Chile,with special emphasis on the endemic plants that provided the substrates with which they were associated,and a comparative analysis of our results with those from other countries of South America is presented.