Human Resources: Key to the Success of Knowledge Innovation

The Chinese Academy of Sci-ences (CAS) considers buildingteams of talent as a crucial compo-nent of the knowledge innovationprogram (KlP), and the innovationof concepts, systems and methodsin personnel management as the corecontent of innovation in the overallstructure. Building teams of top-

Fun Innovation A Key to Success

Sweden Pavilion delivers the messages of innovation, sustainability and playfulness New children visiting the Sweden Pavilion at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai would want to miss the fun of

Origin and evolution of green plants in the light of key evolutionary events

Green plants(Viridiplantae)are ancient photosynthetic organisms that thrive both in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems,greatly contributing to the changes in global climates and ecosystems.Significant progress has been made toward understanding the origin and evolution of green plants,and plant biologists have arrived at the consensus that green plants first originated in marine deep-water environments and later colonized fresh water and dry land.The origin of green plants,colonization of land by plants and rapid radiation of angiosperms are three key evolutionary events during the long history of green plants.However,the comprehensive understanding of evolutionary features and molecular innovations that enabled green plants to adapt to complex and changeable environments are still limited.Here,we review current knowledge of phylogenetic relationships and divergence times of green plants,and discuss key morphological innovations and distinct drivers in the evolution of green plants.Ultimately,we highlight fundamental questions to advance our understanding of the phenotypic novelty,environmental adaptation,and domestication of green plants.

Integrating ancient patterns and current dynamics of insect-plant interactions＂ Taxonomic and geographic variation in herbivore specialization

The search for pattern in the ecology and evolutionary biology of insect-plant associations has fascinated biologists for centuries. High levels of tropical （tow-latitude） plant and insect diversity relative to poleward latitudes and the disproportionate abundance of host-specialized insect herbivores have been noted. This review addresses several aspects of local insect specialization, host use abilities （and loss of these abilities with specialization）, host-associated evolutionary divergence, and ecological （including ＂hybrid＂） speciation, with special reference to the generation of biodiversity and the geographic and taxonomic identification of ＂species borders＂ for swallowtail butterflies （Papilionidae）. From ancient phytochemically defined angiosperm affiliations that trace back millions of years to recent and very local specialized populations, the Papilionidae （swallowtail butterflies） have provided a model for enhanced tmderstanding of localized ecological patterns and genetically based evolutionary processes. They have served as a useful group for evaluating the feeding specialization/physiological efficiency hypothesis. They have shown how the abiotic （thermal） environment interacts with host nutritional suitability to generate ＂voltinisrn/suitability＂ gradients in specialization or preference latitudinally, and geographical mosaics locally. Several studies reviewed here suggest strongly that the oscillation hypothesis for speciation does have considerable merit, but at the same time, some species-level host specializations may lead to evolutionary dead-ends, especially with rapid environmental/habitat changes involving their host plants. Latitudinal gradients in species richness and degree of herbivore feeding specialization have been impacted by recent developments in ecological genetics and evolutionary ecology. Localized insect- plant associations that span the biospectrum from polyphenisms, polymorphisms, biotypes, demes, host races, to cryptic species, remain academically contentious, with simple definitions still debated. However, molecular analyses combined with ecological, ethological and physiological studies, have already begun to unveil some answers for many important ecological/evolutionary questions.

Role of Institutional Quality in Determining the R&D Investment of Chinese Firms

This study adds to the understanding of China ＂s innovation prospects by examining how variations in institutional quality within China impact on the R ＆D efforts of firms located in different provincial regions. In the process of identifying the effect of institutional quality, the roles of other factors such as ownership types and market structures are revealed, which provides interesting insight into firms ＂ R＆D behavior. The key findings suggest that institutional quality positively affects the decision offirms to engage in R＆D activities. Once firms start to engage in R ＆D, the subsequent expansion of firm-level R ＆D intensity depends on factors such as market structure. Therefore, strengthening domestic institutional quality is the first critical step towards the goal of building a knowledge-intensive economy in China. Efforts to nurture market development are also important for achieving this goal.