Diversity of Tropical Plant Resources in Yunnan Province and Its Conservation

Tropical regions in Yunnan Province are endowed with abundant biodiversity resources, and the number and application range of plants are increasing gradually with local development. Based on the fi eld investigation, laboratory specimen identifi cation, establishment of voucher specimen and relevant documents, tropical plant resources in Yunnan Province were analyzed systematically. Tropical plant resources in Yunnan have great social and economic benefi ts, so we should explore reasonable development and sustainable utilization of local resources. Further exploration of the status of tropical plant resources in Yunnan, the risk factors and conservation measures were important.

Significance of Implementing ISO9001 and ISO14001 Standards in Tourism Service Enterprises——the Practice at xin Long Tropical Plants Garden

As a China national comprehensive tropical plants garden, the Xin Long Tropical Plants Garden undertakes multiple tasks of scientific research, species protection, popular science education and tourism reception. Same as a global tropical plants garden, it also faces the strategic tasks of reasonable utilization of biological resources & environmental protection, international exchange & international cooperation and upgrading the level of management. How to upgrade the level of services; how to provide the society with high quality tourism services; how to achieve both resources exploitation and environmental protection; how to match with the international practice; how to eliminate technical barrier of trade and ensure fair competition etc; all these are the problems of common concern of both domestic and foreign enterprises of tourism service. The Xin Long Tropical Plants Garden has taken a trial implementation of ISO9001:2000 and ISO14001:1996 dual standard system since 2001 and passed the certification of CQM (China Certification Center for Quality Mark) in 2002 and gained the certificate of IQNet, so set an example in implementing standardized management for both domestic and foreign enterprises of tourism service.

Oxidative stress-elevated high gamma glutamyl transferase levels, and aging, intake of tropical food plants, migration and visual disability in Central Africans

·AIM:To investigate the independent pathogenic role of high serum gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) levels, sociodemographic data, dietary and environmental risk factors for visual disability (VD). ·METHODS:This was a case-control study, run in 200 black Congolese patients managed in Saint Joseph Hospital Ophthalmology Division from Kinshasa town. Logistic regression model was used to identify determinants of VD (n = 58) among sex, age, cigarette smoking, alcohol abuse, rural-urban migration, education levels, aging ≥60 years, intake of red Beans, Safou fruit and Taro leaves, lipid profile, residence, socioeconomic status, and GGT. ·RESULTS:After adjusting for confounding factors, we identified migration (OR=3.7 95% CI:1.2-11.3; P =0.023), low education level (OR=3.1 95% CI 1.1-8.5; P =0.026), no intake of Safou fruit (OR=34.2 95% CI 11.5-102; P < 0.0001), age ≥60 years (OR=2.5 95% CI 1.01-6.5; P = 0.049), and serum GGT ≥10U/L (OR=3.6 95% CI 1.3-9.6; P = 0.012) as the significant and independent determinants of VD. ·CONCLUSION:VD appears as a major public health problem in Central Africa to be prevented or delayed by control of migration, lifestyle changes, antioxidant supplements, appropriate diet, nutrition education, and blocking of oxidative stress.

Biomarkers reveal the terrigenous organic matter enrichment in the late Oligocene-early Miocene marine shales in the Ying-Qiong Basin,South China Sea

The increase of total organic carbon content of the late Oligocene-early Miocene terrigenously-dominated marine shales in the shallower depth intervals was reported in the Ying-Qiong Basin,South China Sea.The organic enriched lower Sanya Formation shales(early Miocene)have biomarker characteristics of tropical/subtropical plants,with abundant high molecular weight n-alkanes,angiosperm-derived oleanane,rearranged oleananesⅠ,Ⅱ,Ⅱ,tricyclic/tetracyclic terpanes including des-A-oleanane,X,*,Y,Z,Z1 and bicadinanes W,T,T1,R.The biomarker characteristics are suggestive of larger influx of the dominant tropical/subtropical angiosperms in flora under a warming and more humid climate during depositions of the lower Sanya Formation(early Miocene)than the older Lingshui Formation(late Oligocene).The tropical/subtropical angiosperm input was thought as the prime control of terrigenous organic matter enrichment relative to the redox condition,and the coeval sea level changes and seafloor spreading in the South China Sea.Enrichment of the terrigenous organic matter in the early Miocene shales is likely in association with the coeval peak East Asian summer monsoon intensity in the South China Sea.

Myxomycetes occurring on selected agricultural leaf litters

Although studies of myxomycetes(plasmodial slime moulds)in the Asia Pacific region have been remarkable for the past years,studies about myxomycetes assemblages in association with homogenous vegetation are relatively few.In an effort to investigate further about myxomycetes assemblages in monotypic vegetation,the present study was carried out in three different agricultural plantations(Camellia sinensis(L.)Kuntze.,Dimocarpus longan Lour.,Psidium guajava L.).Ninety percent(90%)of the moist chamber cultures gave a total of 165 records(107 determinable fruiting bodies and 58 plasmodial records).From these records,20 myxomycetes morphospecies composed of 17 clear-cut species and three varieties of the species Arcyria cinerea were recorded.The occasionally reported myxomycetes species Physarum tenerum in other Southeast Asian countries seems to be abundantly occurring for the agricultural litters in Vietnam.This study noted that agricultural leaf litter substrates with leathery leaf texture can serve as spore traps for myxomycetes that are dispersing in the environment.Hence,agricultural litters are good microhabitat for many known cosmopolitan myxomycetes.This is the first report of myxomycetes assemblages associated with Camellia sinensis,Dimocarpus longan and Psidium guajava leaf litters.

New species and new records of Meliolaceae from Panama

Three new species of Meliolaceae,Appendiculella monsterae on Monstera deliciosa(Araceae),Asteridiella nitidae on Buddleja nitida(Scrophulariaceae),and Irenopsis chrysophylli on Chrysophyllum sp.(Sapotaceae),are described based on material collected in Panama.Eighteen species of Meliolaceae are reported for the first time for Panama,which include four first records for the Americas,viz.Ast.formosensis,Meliola indica,and M.pisoniae,previously known only from Asia,and M.dissotidis hitherto known only from Africa.Six species of plants are cited as hosts for meliolaceous fungi for the first time.In a phylogenetic hypothesis based on 28S nrDNA sequences,the position of Meliolales,including Appendiculella,Asteridiella,Endomeliola,Irenopsis,and Meliola,is found to be basal to Sordariomycetidae,Hypocreomycetidae,and Xylariomycetidae within Sordariomycetes.The five genera of Meliolaceae form a strongly supported clade.We suggest adopting the concept of the subclass Meliolomycetidae.The monophyly of Asteridiella cannot be confirmed.A hypothetical close relationship between Asteridiella and Appendiculella is not supported,but Endomeliola appears closely related to a species of Asteridiella.Two Meliola species on the same host family are closely related.