Genome sequences of the first Autographiviridae phages infecting marine Roseobacter

The ubiquitous and abundant marine phages play critical roles in shaping the composition and function of bacterial communities, impacting biogeochemical cycling in marine ecosystems. Autographiviridae is among the most abundant and ubiquitous phage families in the ocean. However, studies on the diversity and ecology of Autographiviridae phages in marine environments are restricted to isolates that infect SAR11 bacteria and cyanobacteria. In this study, ten new roseophages that infect marine Roseobacter strains were isolated from coastal waters. These new roseophages have a genome size ranging from 38 917 to 42 634 bp and G+C content of 44.6-50 %. Comparative genomics showed that they are similar to known Autographiviridae phages regarding gene content and architecture, thus representing the first Autographiviridae roseophages. Phylogenomic analysis based on concatenated conserved genes showed that the ten roseophages form three distinct subgroups within the Autographiviridae, and sequence analysis revealed that they belong to eight new genera. Finally, viromic read-mapping showed that these new Autographiviridae phages are widely distributed in global oceans, mostly inhabiting polar and estuarine locations. This study has expanded the current understanding of the genomic diversity, evolution and ecology of Autographiviridae phages and roseophages. We suggest that Autographiviridae phages play important roles in the mortality and community structure of roseobacters, and have broad ecological applications.

The Systems Measurement of Mammalian Biotas, Part Two

For a recent publication, the authors identified a seven-region model of mammal family distribution patterns, in which each unit contributes equally to the system's overall statistical characteristics of diversity, despite its individual units having measurably different levels of diversity and endemism. This systemization presents a highly efficient descriptive model that can possibly be interpreted as a form of natural classification. An additional analysis of the same mode is described here, in which the seven-region model of the distribution of mammal families' spatial affinities is shown to closely approach a most-probable-state arrangement, as assessed through combinatorics, raising some important questions about how macroevolutionary patterns might self-organize spatially. One of the possible practical applications of the overall approach is to areal representation; statistical moments of the underlying world patterns can be used to characterize faunal statuses at any individual location by relating the latter to the former. Through this approach, classical concepts such as corridors, tracks, and transition zones might be re-examined in a manner that better lends itself to hypothesis testing. An arbitrarily chosen bounded area, the conterminous United States, is treated in this fashion by way of illustration.

Liverwort and Hornwort Flora of Hoàng Liên National Park and the Adjacent Areas (North Vietnam, Indochina)

The study of the flora located in the central part of the Hoàng Liên Sơn Range in the northern region of Indochina has revealed 279 species of liverwort and hornwort, 26 of which are newly reported for the flora of Vietnam. The uniqueness and peculiarity of the studied flora are explained by the significant altitudinal range in the area treated and its position in the contact zone of the Sikang-Yunnan floristic province of the East Asian Floristic Region with the Indochina Floristic Region. The checklist includes data on the distribution of each species in the studied region, habitats, and accompanying taxa. The high disunity of the regional floras of the southern tip of the East Asian region compared to the lesser disunity of the regional floras in the north of the East Asian region is shown. In general, the studied flora possess Sino-Himalayan mountain subtropical characteristics with the large participation of tropical elements.

Assessing risk from invasive alien plants in China: Reconstructing invasion history and estimating distribution patterns of Lolium temulentum and Aegilops tauschii

INTRODUCTION

The establishment of invasive alien plants (IAPs) is primarily driven by climate warming and human activities, and their populations have a negative impact on agricultural economics, ecological systems, and human health. Lolium temulentum and Aegilops tauschii are critical IAPs in China because they reduce the quality of cereal grains and decrease wheat yields. Lolium temulentum is a winter-temperate weed that spreads easily and is poisonous to humans and animals. Aegilops tauschii is resistant to herbicides, has a high reproductive rate, and frequently grows in wheat. Both species have been listed in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China's management catalog since 2006.

METHODS

In the present study, the historical occurrence and invasion of each species were collected and reconstructed, which showed that the population outbreak of L. temulentum began in 2010, whereas that of A. tauschii began in 2000. Using the optimal MaxEnt model, the geographical distributions of L. temulentum and A. tauschii were predicted based on screened species occurrences and environmental variables under the current and three future scenarios in the 2030s and 2050s (i.e., SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, and SSP5-8.5).

RESULTS

The mean AUC values were 0.867 and 0.931 for L. temulentum and A. tauschii, respectively. Human influence index (HII), mean temperature of coldest quarter (bio11), and precipitation of coldest quarter (bio19) were the most significant variables for L. temulentum, whereas human influence index, temperature seasonality (standard deviation×100) (bio4), and annual mean temperature (bio1) were the critical environmental variables for A. tauschi. Suitable habitat areas in China for L. temulentum and A. tauschii currently covered total areas of 125 × 10⁴ and 235 × 10⁴ km², respectively. Future suitable areas of L. temulentum reached the maximum under SSP2-4.5, from 2021 to 2060, whereas for A. tauschii they reached the maximum under SSP5-8.5, from 2021 to 2060. Furthermore, the overlap area under the current climate conditions for L. temulentum and A. tauschii was approximately 90 × 10⁴ km², mainly located in Hubei, Anhui, Jiangsu, Shandong, Henan, Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Hebei. The overlap areas decreased in the 2030s, increased in the 2050s, and reached a maximum under SSP1-2.6 (or SSP2-4.5) with an approximate area of 104 × 10⁴ km². The centroid of L. temulentum in Henan was transferred to the southwest, whereas for A. tauschii it transferred to higher latitudes in the northeast.

DISCUSSION

Our findings provide a practical reference for the early warning, control, and management of these two destructive IAP populations in China.

Informativeness across Interpreting Types: Implications for Language Shifts under Cognitive Load

Previous quantitative studies discussing interpreting types have focused on various features of linguistic forms in outputs. However, none of them has examined their informativeness. Entropy, as a measure of the average information content and the uniformity of the probability distribution of language units, has been applied to quantitative linguistic research on different types of language texts. In the present study, entropy and repeat rate were used to investigate the difference of overall informativeness and concentration of output texts between simultaneous interpreting and consecutive interpreting. We intend to figure out the frequency distribution patterns of word and word category in two types of interpreting texts. Analyses of linear mixed-effects models showed that entropy and repeat rate can distinguish the informativeness of consecutive and simultaneous interpreting outputs, and consecutive interpreting outputs entail a higher word entropy value and a lower word repeat rate than simultaneous interpreting outputs. We propose that consecutive interpreting is a cognitive process which reaches an equilibrium between production economy for interpreters and comprehension sufficiency for listeners, especially in the case where input speeches are more complex. Our findings also shed lights on the selection of interpreting types in application scenarios. The current research is the first of its kind in examining informativeness across interpreting types, demonstrating a dynamic adaptation of language users to extreme cognitive load.

Exploring antibiotic resistance load in paddy-upland rotation fields amended with commercial organic and chemical/slow release fertilizer

Agricultural fertilization caused the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in agro-ecological environment, which poses a global threat to crop-food safety and human health. However, few studies are known about the influence of different agricultural fertilization modes on antibiotic resistome in the paddy-upland rotation soils. Therefore, we conducted a field experiment to compare the effect of different fertilization (chemical fertilizer, slow release fertilizer and commercial organic fertilizer replacement at various rates) on soil antibiotic resistome in paddy-upland rotation fields. Results revealed that a total of 100 ARG subtypes and 9 mobile genetic elements (MGEs) occurred in paddy-upland rotation soil, among which MDR-ARGs, MLSB-ARGs and tet-ARGs were the dominant resistance determinants. Long-term agricultural fertilization remarkably facilitated the vertical accumulation of ARGs, in particular that bla _ampC and tetO in relative abundance showed significant enrichment with increasing depth. It's worth noting that slow release fertilizer significantly increased soil ARGs, when comparable to manure with 20% replacing amount, but chemical fertilizer had only slight impact on soil ARGs. Fertilization modes affected soil microbial communities, mainly concentrated in the surface layer, while the proportion of Proteobacteria with the highest abundance decreased gradually with increasing depth. Furthermore, microbial community and MGEs were further proved to be essential factors in regulating the variability of ARGs of different fertilization modes by structural equation model, and had strong direct influence (λ = 0.61, p < 0.05; λ = 0. 55, p < 0.01). The results provided scientific guidance for reducing the spreading risk of ARGs and control ARG dissemination in agricultural fertilization.

The Taxonomically Richest Liverwort Hemiboreal Flora in Eurasia Is in the South Kurils

The long coexistence of various floral elements, landscape diversity, and island isolation led to the formation of the richest Eurasian hemiboreal liverwort flora in the southern Kurils. This land that covers less than 5000 square kilometres and houses 242 species and two varieties of liverworts and hornworts. The flora 'core' is represented by hemiboreal East Asian and boreal circumpolar taxa. Other elements that have noticeable input in the flora formation are cool-temperate East Asian hypoarctomontane circumpolar and arctomontane. The distribution of some species is restricted to the thermal pools near active or dormant volcanoes or volcanic ash deposits; such species generally provide specificity to the flora. Despite the territorial proximity, the climate of each considered island is characterized by features that, in the vast majority of cases, distinguish it from the climate of the neighbouring island. The last circumstance may inspire the difference in the liverwort taxonomic composition of each of the islands. The comparison of the taxonomic composition of district floras in the Amphi-Pacific hemiarctic, boreal, and cool-temperate Asia revealed four main focal centres: East Kamchatka Peninsula and Sakhalin Island, the southern Sikhote-Alin and the East Manchurian Mountains, the mountains of the southern part of the Korean Peninsula, and the South Kurils plus northern Hokkaido. The remaining floras involved in the comparison occupy an intermediate position between these four centres.

Distribution Patterns of Primary Health Care Centers in Osun State, Southwestern Nigeria: Implications for Sustainable Development Goals and Containment of COVID-19 Pandemic

This article examines the distribution patterns of primary health care centers (PHCC) in the 30 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Osun State, Nigeria, using secondary data. The study focused on the problem of inequality and inadequacy in the distribution pattern of PHCCs among the population. The provision of PHCCs in the state was analyzed using three criteria: among the three senatorial districts; among the 30 LGAs; and on the basis of population per PHCC. Findings revealed that although PHCCs were almost equally distributed among senatorial districts, disparities exist in distribution patterns among the LGAs and within each senatorial district and in terms of population ratio per PHCC in the state. Sixty percent (60%) of the LGAs had fewer than 26 PHCCs, which is the expected average number of PHCCs in the state. The inequalities observed in the study favored rural areas against urban areas. The study further revealed inadequacies in the provision of PHCCs in terms of the population ratio per PHCCs. The study concluded that to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030—and to contain the COVID-19 pandemic—there is a need for government intervention in the provision of PHCCs in Osun State for equal and adequate distribution.

A Cross-Sectional Study of the Distribution Patterns and Potential Determinants in Plasma Selenium Status Among Chinese Adults With Hypertension

Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element in selenoproteins biosynthesis for the human body and plays an important role in the prevention and control of subsequent cardiovascular disease in adults with hypertension. However, reports on Se status and its potential determinants in populations from different regions of China are limited, especially data on adults with hypertension, a high-risk group more vulnerable to oxidative stress. Thus, we conducted a cross-sectional study from February 2017 to May 2018 of 2,599 participants (1,389 men and 1,210 women) on middle-aged to elderly adults with hypertension with a mean age of 63.1 years (SD 13.3) from 14 provinces of China and aimed to examine the relationship of plasma Se status with demographic characteristics and lifestyles. Overall, the male participants (mean value 75.0 μg/L) tended to have higher plasma Se concentrations than the female participants (73.7 μg/L) when controlling for relevant factors. There were significant differences among regions, and in age and body mass index (BMI) in plasma Se distribution, and plasma Se concentrations were significantly lower among those in the regions with relatively lower Se, aged 60 years or older, and with BMI lower than 28 kg/m². Moreover, a higher frequency of meat consumption (1-2 or ≥3 times/week vs. <1 time/week) was significantly associated with higher plasma Se concentrations in men and women, and male alcohol drinkers had significantly higher plasma Se concentrations than non-alcohol drinkers. Adequate consumption of fruits and vegetables (0.5-1.5 kg/week) was associated with higher plasma Se concentrations among women, but was associated with relatively lower plasma Se concentrations in men. Our results indicated relatively low plasma Se status in Chinese adults with hypertension from 14 provinces, while specific factors including geographic, demographic, and lifestyle characteristics and blood pressure were significantly associated with plasma Se status in this hypertensive population. In addition, more studies are required to further evaluate dietary structure and other lifestyle factors that influence circulating Se status.

Contrasting Community Assembly Mechanisms Underlie Similar Biogeographic Patterns of Surface Microbiota in the Tropical North Pacific Ocean

Marine microbiota are critical components of global biogeochemical cycles. However, the biogeographic patterns and ecological processes that structure them remain poorly understood, especially in the oligotrophic ocean. In this study, we used high-throughput sequencing of 16S and 18S rRNA genes to investigate the distribution patterns of bacterial and microeukaryotic communities and their assembly mechanisms in the surface waters of the tropical North Pacific Ocean. The fact that both the bacterial and the microeukaryotic communities showed similar distribution patterns (i.e., similar distance-decay patterns) and were clustered according to their geographic origin (i.e., the western tropical North Pacific and central tropical North Pacific) suggested that there was a significant biogeographic pattern of microbiota in the North Pacific Ocean. Indices of alpha diversity such as species richness, phylogenetic diversity, and the Shannon diversity index also differed significantly between regions. The correlations were generally similar between spatial and environmental variables and the alpha and beta diversities of bacteria and microeukaryotes across the entire region. The relative importance of ecological processes differed between bacteria and microeukaryotes: ecological drift was the principal mechanism that accounted for the structure of bacterial communities; heterogeneous selection, dispersal limitation, and ecological drift collectively explained much of the turnover of the microeukaryote communities.

IMPORTANCE Bacteria and microeukaryotes are extremely diverse groups in the ocean, where they regulate elemental cycling and energy flow. Studies of marine microbial ecology have benefited greatly from the rapid progress that has been made in genomic sequencing and theoretical microbial ecology. However, the spatial distribution of marine bacteria and microeukaryotes and the nature of the assembly mechanisms that determine their distribution patterns in oligotrophic marine waters are poorly understood. In this study, we used high-throughput sequencing methods to identify the distribution patterns and ecological processes of bacteria and microeukaryotes in an oligotrophic, tropical ocean. Our study showed that contrasting community assembly mechanisms underlaid similar biogeographic patterns of surface bacterial and microeukaryotic communities in the tropical North Pacific Ocean.

Genomic diversity, life strategies and ecology of marine HTVC010P-type pelagiphages

SAR11 bacteria dominate ocean surface bacterioplankton communities, and play an important role in marine carbon and nutrient cycling. The biology and ecology of SAR11 are impacted by SAR11 phages (pelagiphages) that are highly diverse and abundant in the ocean. Among the currently known pelagiphages, HTVC010P represents an extremely abundant but under-studied phage group in the ocean. In this study, we have isolated seven new HTVC010P-type pelagiphages, and recovered 77 nearly full-length HTVC010P-type metagenomic viral genomes from marine metagenomes. Comparative genomic and phylogenomic analyses showed that HTVC010P-type pelagiphages display genome synteny and can be clustered into two major subgroups, with subgroup I consisting of strictly lytic phages and subgroup II mostly consisting of phages with potential lysogenic life cycles. All but one member of the subgroup II contain an integrase gene. Site-specific integration of subgroup II HTVC010P-type pelagiphage was either verified experimentally or identified by in silico genomic sequence analyses, which revealed that various SAR11 tRNA genes can serve as the integration sites of HTVC010P-type pelagiphages. Moreover, HTVC010P-type pelagiphage integration was confirmed by the detection of several Global Ocean Survey (GOS) fragments that contain hybrid phage–host integration sites. Metagenomic recruitment analysis revealed that these HTVC010P-type phages were globally distributed and most lytic subgroup I members exhibited higher relative abundance. Altogether, this study significantly expands our knowledge about the genetic diversity, life strategies and ecology of HTVC010P-type pelagiphages.

Comparison of Multiple Bioactive Constituents in the Corolla and Other Parts of Abelmoschus manihot

Abelmoschus manihot (L.) Medic (AM), called Huangshukui in Chinese, is a widely used medicinal plant. Each part of AM has medicinal value, including Abelmoschi Radix (AR), Abelmoschi Herba (AH), Abelmoschi Folium (AF), Abelmoschi Corolla (AC), and Abelmoschi Semen (AS). However, only AC is documented in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. In order to investigate whether there is any difference between AC and the other parts of AM, an analytical method based on ultra-fast performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole-linear ion trap mass spectrometry (UFLC-QTRAP-MS/MS) was established for the simultaneous determination of 35 constituents in different parts of AM. Moreover, principal components analysis (PCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) were applied to classify and evaluate the different parts of AM based on the content of the 35 constituents. The total contents of the 35 constituents in AC were significantly higher than in the other parts of AM and the results revealed significant differences between AC and the other parts of AM. Eight constituents were remarkably related to the sample classifications. This research does not just provide the basic information for revealing the distribution patterns in different parts of AM from the same origin, but also complements some of the scientific data for the comprehensive quality evaluation of AC.

Genomic Characterization and Distribution Pattern of a Novel Marine OM43 Phage

Bacteriophages have a significant impact on the structure and function of marine microbial communities. Phages of some major bacterial lineages have recently been shown to dominate the marine viral communities. However, phages that infect many important bacterial clades still remained unexplored. Members of the marine OM43 clade are methylotrophs that play important roles in C1 metabolism. OM43 phages (phages that infect the OM43 bacteria) represent an understudied viral group with only one known isolate. In this study, we describe the genomic characterization and biogeography of an OM43 phage that infects the strain HTCC2181, designated MEP301. MEP301 has a genome size of 34,774 bp. We found that MEP301 is genetically distinct from other known phage isolates and only displays significant sequence similarity with some metagenomic viral genomes (MVGs). A total of 12 MEP301-type MVGs were identified from metagenomic datasets. Comparative genomic and phylogenetic analyses revealed that MEP301-type phages can be separated into two subgroups (subgroup I and subgroup II). We also performed a metagenomic recruitment analysis to determine the relative abundance of reads mapped to these MEP301-type phages, which suggested that subgroup I MEP301-type phages are present predominantly in the cold upper waters with lower salinity. Notably, subgroup II phages have an inverse different distribution pattern, implying that they may infect hosts from a distinct OM43 subcluster. Our study has expanded the knowledge about the genomic diversity of marine OM43 phages and identified a new phage group that is widespread in the ocean.

Patterns of Relative and Quantitative Abundances of Marine Bacteria in Surface Waters of the Subtropical Northwest Pacific Ocean Estimated With High-Throughput Quantification Sequencing

Bacteria play a pivotal role in shaping ecosystems and contributing to elemental cycling and energy flow in the oceans. However, few studies have focused on bacteria at a trans-basin scale, and studies across the subtropical Northwest Pacific Ocean (NWPO), one of the largest biomes on Earth, have been especially lacking. Although the recently developed high-throughput quantitative sequencing methodology can simultaneously provide information on relative abundance, quantitative abundance, and taxonomic affiliations, it has not been thoroughly evaluated. We collected surface seawater samples for high-throughput, quantitative sequencing of 16S rRNA genes on a transect across the subtropical NWPO to elucidate the distribution of bacterial taxa, patterns of their community structure, and the factors that are potentially important regulators of that structure. We used the quantitative and relative abundances of bacterial taxa to test hypotheses related to their ecology. Total 16S rRNA gene copies ranged from 1.86 × 10⁸ to 1.14 × 10⁹ copies L^-1. Bacterial communities were distributed in distinct geographical patterns with spatially adjacent stations clustered together. Spatial considerations may be more important determinants of bacterial community structures than measured environmental variables. The quantitative and relative abundances of bacterial communities exhibited similar distribution patterns and potentially important determinants at the whole-community level, but inner-community connections and correlations with variables differed at subgroup levels. This study advanced understanding of the community structure and distribution patterns of marine bacteria as well as some potentially important determinants thereof in a subtropical oligotrophic ocean system. Results highlighted the importance of considering both the quantitative and relative abundances of members of marine bacterial communities.

The spatial variation of soil bacterial community assembly processes affects the accuracy of source tracking in ten major Chinese cities

Urban soils harbor billions of bacterial cells and millions of species. However, the distribution patterns and assembly processes of bacterial communities remain largely uncharacterized in urban soils. It is also unknown if we can use the bacteria to track soil sources to certain cities and districts. Here, Illumina MiSeq sequencing was used to survey soil bacterial communities from 529 random plots spanning 61 districts and 10 major cities in China. Over a 3,000 km range, community similarity declined with increasing geographic distance (Mantel r=0.62), and community composition was clustered by city (R²=0.50). Within cities (<100 km), the aforementioned biogeographic patterns were weakened. Process analysis showed that homogenizing dispersal and dispersal limitation dominated soil bacterial assembly at small and large spatial scales, respectively. Accordingly, the probabilities of accurately tracking random soil sources to certain cities and districts were 90.0% and 66.7%, respectively. When the tested samples originated from cities that were more than 1,265 km apart, the soil sources could be identified with nearly 100% accuracy. Overall, this study demonstrates the strong distance-decay relationship and the clear geographic zoning of urban soil bacterial communities among cities. The varied importance of different community assembly processes at multiple spatial scales strongly affects the accuracy of microbial source tracking.

Environmental niche patterns of native and non-native fishes within an invaded African river system

To test ecological niche theory, this study investigated the spatial patterns and the environmental niches of native and non-native fishes within the invaded Great Fish River system, South Africa. For the native fishes, there were contrasting environmental niche breadths that varied from being small to being large and overlapped for most species, except minnows that were restricted to headwater tributaries. In addition, there was high niche overlap in habitat association among fishes with similar distribution. It was therefore inferred that habitat filtering-driven spatial organisation was important in explaining native species distribution patterns. In comparison, most non-native fishes were found to have broad environmental niches and these fishes showed high tolerance to environmental conditions, which generally supported the niche opportunity hypothesis. The proliferation of multiple non-native fishes in the mainstem section suggest that they form a functional assemblage that is probably facilitated by the anthropogenic modification of flow regimes through inter-basin water transfer. Based on the distribution patterns observed in the study, it was inferred that there was a likelihood of negative interactions between native and non-native fishes. Such effects are likely to be exacerbated by altered flow regime that was likely to have negative implications for native ichthyofauna.

Inpatient Flow Distribution Patterns at Shanghai Hospitals

Empirical studies based on patient flow data are needed to provide more materials to summarize the general pattern of patient distribution models. This study takes Shanghai as an example and tries to demonstrate the inpatient flow distribution model for different levels and specialties of medical institutions. Power, negative exponential, Gaussian, and log-logistic models were used to fit the distributions of inpatients, and a model of inpatient distribution patterns in Shanghai was derived, based on these four models. Then, the adjusted coefficient of determination (R²) and Akaike information criterion (AIC) values were used to assess the model fitting effect. The log-logistic function model has a good simulation effect and the strongest applicability in most hospitals. The estimated value of the distance-decay parameter β in the log-logistic function model is 1.67 for all patients, 1.89 for regional hospital inpatients, 1.40 for tertiary hospital inpatients, 1.64 for traditional Chinese medicine hospital inpatients, and 0.85 for mental hospital inpatients. However, the simulations at the tumor, children’s and maternity hospitals, were not satisfactory. Based on the results of empirical analysis, the four attenuation coefficient models are valid in Shanghai, and the log-logistic model of the inpatient distributions at most hospitals have good simulation effects. However, further in-depth analysis combined with the characteristics of specific specialties is needed to obtain the inpatient model in line with the characteristics of these specialties.

Distribution Patterns for Bioactive Constituents in Pericarp, Stalk and Seed of Forsythiae Fructus

Forsythiae Fructus (FF) is a widely used folk medicine in China, Japan, and Korea. The distribution of bioactive constituents throughout the fruit segments has rarely been addressed, although mounting evidence suggests that plant secondary metabolites are synthesized and distributed regularly. The phytochemical profiles of three segments of FF (pericarp, stalk and seed) were firstly revealed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)-based quantitative analysis of twenty-one bioactive constituents, including three phenylethanoid glycosides, five lignans, eight flavonoids, and five phenolic acids to explore the spatial distribution of bioactive constituents. Furthermore, the hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) and one-way analysis of variance (one-way ANOVA) were conducted to visualize and verify the distribution regularity of twenty-one analytes among three segments. The results showed that phytochemical profiles of the three segments were similar, i.e., phenylethanoid glycosides covering the most part were the predominant compounds, followed by lignans, flavonoids and phenolic acids. Nevertheless, the abundance of twenty-one bioactive constituents among three segments was different. Specifically, phenylethanoid glycosides were highly expressed in the seed; lignans were primarily enriched in the stalk; flavonoids were largely concentrated in the pericarp, while the contents of phenolic acids showed no much difference among various segments. The research improves our understanding of distribution patterns for bioactive constituents in FF, and also complements some scientific data for further exploring the quality formation mechanism of FF.

A Method to Study the Distribution Patterns for Metabolites in Xylem and Phloem of Spatholobi Caulis

Spatholobi Caulis (SC), the vine stem of Spatholobus suberectus Dunn, is a widely used traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for the treatment of blood stasis syndrome and related diseases. Xylem and phloem are the main structures of SC and the color of xylem in SC is red brown or brown while the phloem with resin secretions is reddish brown to dark brown. They are alternately arranged in a plurality of concentric or eccentric rings. In order to investigate the distribution patterns of metabolites in xylem and phloem of SC, an analytical method based on UFLC–QTRAP–MS/MS was established for simultaneous determination of 22 constituents including four flavanols, nine isoflavones, two flavonols, two dihydroflavones, one flavanonol, one chalcone, one pterocarpan, one anthocyanidin and one phenolic acid in the samples (xylem and phloem) from Laos. Furthermore, according to the contents of 22 constituents, heat map, principal components analysis (PCA), orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS–DA) and t–test were used to evaluate the samples and discover the differences between xylem and phloem of SC. The results indicated that the measured ingredients in xylem and phloem were significantly different. To be specific, the contents of flavonoids in xylem were higher than that in phloem, while the content of protocatechuic acid showed a contrary tendency. This study will not only reveal the distribution patterns of metabolites in xylem and phloem of SC but also facilitate further study on their quality formation.

Phylogeography of the Hypnea musciformis species complex (Gigartinales, Rhodophyta) with the recognition of cryptic species in the western Atlantic Ocean

Populations of the marine benthic red macroalgae Hypnea musciformis and Hypnea pseudomusciformis along the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans were tested for phylogeographic structure using the DNA barcode COI-5P combined with rbcL for the construction of the phylogenetic tree. Strong patterns of genetic structure were detected across 210 COI-5P DNA sequences, and 37 COI-5P haplotypes were found, using multiple statistical approaches. Hypnea musciformis was found in the Northeast and Northwest Atlantic, the Mediterrean Sea, Namibia, and along the Pacific coast of Mexico. Two new putative species were detected, Hypnea sp. 1 in the Caribbean Sea and Hypnea sp. 2 in the Dominican Republic. Three distinct marine phylogeographic provinces were recognized in the Southern Hemisphere for H. pseudomusciformis: Uruguay, South-Southeast Brazil, and Northeast Brazil. The degree of genetic isolation and distinctness among these provinces varied considerably. The Uruguay province was the most genetically distinct, as characterized by four unique haplotypes not shared with any of the Brazilian populations. Statistically significant results support both, isolation by distance and isolation by environment hypotheses, explaining the formation and mantainance of phylogeographic structuring along the Uruguay-Brazil coast. Geographic, taxonomic and molecular marker concordances were found between our H. pseudomusciformis results and published studies. Furthermore, our data indicate that the Hawaiian introduced populations of H. musciformis contain Hypnea sp. 1 haplotypes, the current known distribution of which is restricted to the Caribbean.

Two new species of Ateuchus with remarks on ecology, distributions, and evolutionary relationships (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Scarabaeinae)

Two new species of the genus Ateuchus Weber are described from the region of Los Chimalapas, Oaxaca, Mexico: A.benitojuarezisp. n. and A.colossussp. n. A diagnosis for distinguishing these new species from the other species of this genus in North America is included. This paper is illustrated with pictures of the dorsal habitus and the male genitalia of the new species. The evolutionary relationships of the species are discussed, as well as their distribution and ecology. It is considered that the species of the genus Ateuchus present in North and Central America correspond to the Typical Neotropical and Mountain Mesoamerican distribution patterns.

Complex cytogeographical patterns reveal a dynamic tetraploid-octoploid contact zone

The distribution of cytotypes in mixed-ploidy species is crucial for evaluating ecological processes involved in the establishment and evolution of polyploid taxa. Here, we use flow cytometry and chromosome counts to explore cytotype diversity and distributions within a tetraploid-octoploid contact zone. We then use niche modelling and ploidy seed screening to assess the roles of niche differentiation among cytotypes and reproductive interactions, respectively, in promoting cytotype coexistence. Two cytotypes, tetraploids and octoploids, were dominant within the contact zone. They were most often distributed parapatrically or allopatrically, resulting in high geographic isolation. Still, 16.7 % of localities comprised two or more cytotypes, including the intermediate hexaploid cytotype. Tetraploids and octoploids had high environmental niche overlap and associated with similar climatic environments, suggesting they have similar ecological requirements. Given the geographical separation and habitat similarity among cytotypes, mixed-ploidy populations may be transitional and subject to the forces of minority cytotype exclusion which lead to pure-ploidy populations. However, seed ploidy analysis suggests that strong reproductive barriers may enforce assortative mating which favours stable cytotype coexistence. High cytogenetic diversity detected in the field suggests that unreduced gamete formation and hybridization events seem frequent in the studied polyploid complex and might be involved with the recurrent polyploid formation, governing, as well, the gene flow between cytogenetic entities.

Elevation and temporal distributions of Chrysomelidae in southeast Brazil with emphasis on the Galerucinae

In this study we present an ecological pattern of elevation and temporal variations found in the Chrysomelidae in one of the highest mountains in southeastern Brazil. Monthly surveys using an entomological sweep-net were conducted between April 2011 and June 2012, at five different elevations (800 m, 1000 m, 1750 m, 2200 m and 2450 m). A total of 2318 individuals were collected, belonging to 91 species. The elevation and temporal patterns of distribution of Chrysomelidae were heavily dominated by the Galerucinae. This subfamily had the highest richness and abundance at intermediate altitudes and during the rainy season. Probably the food availability as well as abiotic factors this time of the year favor the development of Galerucinae. Also, most of the more abundant Galerucinae species showed broad elevation ranges but approximately 20% of these species were only collected on the mountaintop sites. We would expect these species to be ones most prone to extinction in a scenario of climate warming or even after local disturbances.

Embracing the emerging precision agriculture technologies for site-specific management of yield-limiting factors

Precision agriculture (PA) is providing an information revolution using Global Positioning (GPS) and Geographic Information (GIS) systems and Remote Sensing (RS). These technologies allow better decision making in the management of crop yield-limiting biotic and abiotic factors and their interactions on a site-specific (SSM) basis in a wide range of production systems. Characterizing the nature of the problem(s) and public education are among the challenges that scientists, producers, and industry face when adapting PA technologies. To apply SSM, spatio-temporal characteristics of the problem(s) need to be determined and variations within a field demonstrated. Spatio-temporal characteristics of a given pathogen or pest problem may be known but may not be the only or primary cause of the problem. Hence, exact cause-and-effect relationships need to be established by incorporating GIS, GPS, and RS-generated data as well as possible interactions. Exploiting the potential of PA technologies in sustainable ways depends on whether or not we first ask ''Are we doing the right thing?'' (strategic) as opposed to ''Are we doing it right?'' (tactical).