Environmental variables, such as ambient energy, water availability, and environmental heterogeneity have been frequently proposed to account for species diversity gradients. How taxon-specific functional traits define large-scale richness gradients is a fundamental issue in understanding spatial patterns of species diversity, but has not been well documented. Using a large dataset on the regional flora from China, we examine the contrast spatial patterns and environmental determinants between pteridophytes and seed plants which differ in dispersal capacity and environmental requirements. Pteridophyte richness shows more pronounced spatial variation and stronger environmental associations than seed plant richness. Water availability generally accounts for more spatial variance in species richness of pteridophytes and seed plants than energy and heterogeneity do, especially for pteridophytes which have high dependence on moist and shady environments. Thus, pteridophyte richness is disproportionally affected by water-related variables; this in turn results in a higher proportion of pteridophytes in regional vascular plant floras (pteridophyte proportion) in wet regions. Most of the variance in seed plant richness, pteridophyte richness, and pteridophyte proportion explained by energy is included in variation that water and heterogeneity account for, indicating the redundancy of energy in the study extent. However, heterogeneity is more important for determining seed plant distributions. Pteridophyte and seed plant richness is strongly correlated, even after the environmental effects have been removed, implying functional linkages between them. Our study highlights the importance of incorporating biological traits of different taxonomic groups into the studies of macroecology and global change biology.

In this research, we aimed to study the genetic variation and phylogeographic pattern of Ligularia tongolensis, a perennial herb endemic to the Hengduan Mountains region of China. We sequenced two chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) intergenic spacers (trnQ-5′rps16, trnL-rpl32) in 140 individuals from 14 populations of three groups (Jinshajiang vs. Yalongjiang vs. Wumeng) within this species range. High levels of haplotype diversity (Hd = 0.814) and total genetic diversity (Ht = 0.862) were detected at the species level, based on a total of 12 haplotypes identified. Low levels of intrapopulation diversity (Hs = 0.349), high levels of genetic divergence (Gst = 0.595, Nst = 0.614, Fst = 0.597), and the absence of isolation by distance tests were also found in L. tongolensis. Furthermore, H2 and H5, the dominant haplotypes that located at internal nodes and deviated from extinct ancestral haplotype in the network, were found to be shared between Jinshajiang and Yalongjiang groups. These results indicate that past fragmentation may be the important factor responsible for the present phylogeographical pattern of L. tongolensis. Meanwhile, the locations occupied by each group might have served as independent refugia for L. tongolensis during the Quaternary glaciation. Unimodal mismatch distribution and star-like genealogies indicated this species underwent past demographic expansion events, with expansion ages of 274 ka BP.

Shorea obtusa is a keystone species of the dry deciduous dipterocarp forest in Thailand. In this study, the genetic structure and diversity of this species were evaluated by means of five microsatellite markers. A total of 146 trees were collected from five populations encompassing major forest regions of Thailand. High levels of genetic diversity were found among the five populations with the average He of 0.664. Genetic differentiations between populations, although significant, were low with approximately 3% of genetic variation partitioned among populations. This may indicate that the populations sampled were recently part of a continuous population. A tree constructed using the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic average, based on Nei's genetic distance, divided the populations into three groups. This separation was consistent with the altitudinal zonation of the populations, thus indicating that altitude might play a significant role in the genetic structure of S. obtusa. Areas of high genetic diversity were identified which could be considered priorities for conservation.

Calcareous dinoflagellates have been recorded from subarctic to tropical areas, inhabiting both neritic and oceanic regions. In the present study we analyse 12 sediment samples from the China Sea to establish the existence of calcareous dinoflagellates in this area. A total of 11 calcareous dinoflagellate species were recorded, among them, three genera (Calciodinellum, Leonella, Posoniella) and seven species (Calciodinellum albatrosianum, C. levantinum, C. operosum, Leonella granifera, Posoniella tricarinelloides, Scrippsiella irregularis, and S. regalis) were reported from the China Sea for the first time. Cysts of S. irregularis and S. precaria are identical, with a mesoepicystal archeopyle, representing the loss of 2–4′ and 1–3a paraplates; however, their thecal plates vary slightly and differ from each other in 78 positions of the internal transcribed spacer sequence. Scrippsiella trochoidea is dominant in coastal areas, whereas Calciodinellum albatrosianum is the most abundant offshore. Scrippsiella irregularis is distributed widely along the coast of China, whereas S. precaria is recorded only in northern China. Leonella granifera is the second most abundant species offshore, comprising 15–40% of the cyst assemblage.

Species of Prunus L. sect. Persica are not only important fruit trees, but also popular ornamental and medicinal plants. Correct identification of seedlings, barks, or fruit kernels is sometimes required, but no reliable morphological characters are available. Nowadays, the technique of DNA barcoding has the potential to meet such requirements. In this study, we evaluated the suitability of 11 DNA loci (atpB-rbcL, trnH-psbA, trnL-F, trnS-G, atpF-H, rbcL, matK, rpoB, rpoC1, nad1, and internal transcribed spacer [ITS]) as candidate DNA barcodes for peaches, using samples from 38 populations, covering all the species in sect. Persica. On the whole, the primers worked well in this group and sequencing difficulties were met only in the case of ITS locus. Five loci (rbcL, matK, rpoB, rpoC, and nad1) have very low variation rates, whereas atpB-rbcL, atpF-H, trnH-psbA, trnL-F and trnS-G show more variability. The most variable loci, atpB-rbcL and trnH-psbA, can distinguish three of the five species. Two two-locus combinations, atpB-rbcL+trnL-F and atpB-rbcL+atpF-H, can resolve all five species. We also find that identification powers of the loci are method-dependent. The NeighborNet method shows higher species identification power than maximum parsimony, neighbor joining, and unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean methods.

We have classified 11 species recently recognized as belonging to the genus Elymus into a resurrected and legitimate genus Campeiostachys Drobov according to the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature. Our action is based on the rationale of monophyly, discrimination, and practicality discussed in detail. Currently Elymus contains a vast number of species with different genomes which often, but not always, can be differentiated by cytological and molecular features, but are difficult to separate by traditional morphology, although an effort to do so is detailed and discussed. This difficulty can be attributed to the dominance effect of a particular genome on the other genome(s) present. Campeiostachys, with genome constitution StStHHYY, is a recent addition to a number of genera recently segregated out of Elymus, i.e. Douglasdeweya (StStPP), Kengyilia (StStPPYY), and Roegneria (StStYY, StStStStYY). A key to Campeiostachys taxa is provided, along with taxa descriptions, distribution, nomenclature, and cytology. Nineteen nomenclatural novelties, or combinations, resulted from this work, 10 species names, and nine varietal names.