Carbon storage through China's planted forest expansion

China's extensive planted forests play a crucial role in carbon storage, vital for climate change mitigation. However, the complex spatiotemporal dynamics of China's planted forest area and its carbon storage remain uncaptured. Here we reveal such changes in China's planted forests from 1990 to 2020 using satellite and field data. Results show a doubling of planted forest area, a trend that intensified post-2000. These changes lead to China's planted forest carbon storage increasing from 675.6 ± 12.5 Tg C in 1990 to 1,873.1 ± 16.2 Tg C in 2020, with an average rate of ~ 40 Tg C yr-1. The area expansion of planted forests contributed ~ 53% (637.2 ± 5.4 Tg C) of the total above increased carbon storage in planted forests compared with planted forest growth. This proactive policy-driven expansion of planted forests has catalyzed a swift increase in carbon storage, aligning with China's Carbon Neutrality Target for 2060.

The functional diversity-productivity relationship of woody plants is climatically sensitive

Plot-scale experiments indicate that functional diversity (FD) plays a pivotal role in sustaining ecosystem functions such as net primary productivity (NPP). However, the relationships between functional diversity and NPP across larger scale under varying climatic conditions are sparsely studied, despite its significance for understanding forest-atmosphere interactions and informing policy development. Hence, we examine the relationships of community-weighted mean (CWM) and functional dispersion (FDis) of woody plant traits on NPP across China and if such relationships are modulated by climatic conditions at the national scale. Using comprehensive datasets of distribution, functional traits, and productivity for 9120 Chinese woody plant species, we evaluated the distribution pattern of community-weighted mean and functional dispersion (including three orthogonal trait indicators: plant size, leaf morphology, and flower duration) and its relationships with NPP. Finally, we tested the effects of climatic conditions on community-weighted mean/functional dispersion-NPP relationships. We first found overall functional diversity-NPP relationships, but also that the magnitude of these relationships was sensitive to climate, with plant size community-weighted mean promoting NPP in warm regions and plant size functional dispersion promoting NPP in wet regions. Second, warm and wet conditions indirectly increased NPP by its positive effects on community-weighted mean or functional dispersion, particularly through mean plant size and leaf morphology. Our study provides comprehensive evidence for the relationships between functional diversity and NPP under varying climates at a large scale. Importantly, our results indicate a broadening significance of multidimensional plant functional traits for woody vegetation NPP in response to rising temperatures and wetter climates. Restoration, reforestation actions and natural capital accounting need to carefully consider not only community-weighted mean and functional dispersion but also their interactions with climate, to predict how functional diversity may promote ecosystem functioning under future climatic conditions.

Improving image quality of triple-low-protocol renal artery CT angiography with deep-learning image reconstruction: a comparative study with standard-dose single-energy and dual-energy CT with adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction

AIM

To investigate the improvement in image quality of triple-low-protocol (low radiation, low contrast medium dose, low injection speed) renal artery computed tomography (CT) angiography (RACTA) using deep-learning image reconstruction (DLIR), in comparison with standard-dose single- and dual-energy CT (DECT) using adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction-Veo (ASIR-V) algorithm.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Ninety patients for RACTA were divided into different groups: standard-dose single-energy CT (S group) using ASIR-V at 60% strength (60%ASIR-V), DECT (DE group) with 60%ASIR-V including virtual monochromatic images at 40 keV (DE40 group) and 70 keV (DE70 group), and the triple-low protocol single-energy CT (L group) with DLIR at high level (DLIR-H). The effective dose (ED), contrast medium dose, injection speed, standard deviation (SD), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of abdominal aorta (AA), and left/right renal artery (LRA, RRA), and subjective scores were compared among the different groups.

RESULTS

The L group significantly reduced ED by 37.6% and 31.2%, contrast medium dose by 33.9% and 30.5%, and injection speed by 30% and 30%, respectively, compared to the S and DE groups. The L group had the lowest SD values for all arteries compared to the other groups (p<0.001). The SNR of RRA and LRA in the L group, and the CNR of all arteries in the DE40 group had highest value compared to others (p<0.05). The L group had the best comprehensive score with good consistency (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The triple-low protocol RACTA with DLIR-H significantly reduces the ED, contrast medium doses, and injection speed, while providing good comprehensive image quality.

Biodiversity responses to agricultural practices in cropland and natural habitats

Largely driven by agricultural pressures, biodiversity has experienced great changes globally. Exploring biodiversity responses to agricultural practices associated with agricultural intensification can benefit biodiversity conservation in agricultural landscapes. However, the effects of agricultural practices may also extend to natural habitats. Moreover, agricultural impacts may also vary with geographical region. We analyze biodiversity responses to landscape cropland coverage, cropping frequency, fertiliser and yield, among different land-use types and across geographical regions. We find that species richness and total abundance generally respond negatively to increased landscape cropland coverage. Biodiversity reductions in human land-use types (pasture, plantation forest and cropland) were stronger in tropical than non-tropical regions, which was also true for biodiversity reductions with increasing yield in both human and natural land-use types. Our results underline substantial biodiversity responses to agricultural practices not only in cropland but also in natural habitats, highlighting the fact that biodiversity conservation demands a greater focus on optimizing agricultural management at the landscape scale.

Study of High-Transverse-Momentum Higgs Boson Production in Association with a Vector Boson in the qqbb Final State with the ATLAS Detector

This Letter presents the first study of Higgs boson production in association with a vector boson (V=W or Z) in the fully hadronic qqbb final state using data recorded by the ATLAS detector at the LHC in proton-proton collisions at sqrt[s]=13  TeV and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 137  fb^{-1}. The vector bosons and Higgs bosons are each reconstructed as large-radius jets and tagged using jet substructure techniques. Dedicated tagging algorithms exploiting b-tagging properties are used to identify jets consistent with Higgs bosons decaying into bb[over ¯]. Dominant backgrounds from multijet production are determined directly from the data, and a likelihood fit to the jet mass distribution of Higgs boson candidates is used to extract the number of signal events. The VH production cross section is measured inclusively and differentially in several ranges of Higgs boson transverse momentum: 250-450, 450-650, and greater than 650 GeV. The inclusive signal yield relative to the standard model expectation is observed to be μ=1.4_{-0.9}^{+1.0} and the corresponding cross section is 3.1±1.3(stat)_{-1.4}^{+1.8}(syst)  pb.

Measurement of the Centrality Dependence of the Dijet Yield in p+Pb Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=8.16 TeV with the ATLAS Detector

ATLAS measured the centrality dependence of the dijet yield using 165  nb^{-1} of p+Pb data collected at sqrt[s_{NN}]=8.16  TeV in 2016. The event centrality, which reflects the p+Pb impact parameter, is characterized by the total transverse energy registered in the Pb-going side of the forward calorimeter. The central-to-peripheral ratio of the scaled dijet yields, R_{CP}, is evaluated, and the results are presented as a function of variables that reflect the kinematics of the initial hard parton scattering process. The R_{CP} shows a scaling with the Bjorken x of the parton originating from the proton, x_{p}, while no such trend is observed as a function of x_{Pb}. This analysis provides unique input to understanding the role of small proton spatial configurations in p+Pb collisions by covering parton momentum fractions from the valence region down to x_{p}∼10^{-3} and x_{Pb}∼4×10^{-4}.

The effects of microplastics on crop variation depend on polymer types and their interactions with soil nutrient availability and weed competition

Microplastics pollution of agricultural soil is a global environmental concern because of its potential risk to food security and human health. Although many studies have tested the direct effects of microplastics on growth of Eruca sativa Mill., little is known about whether these effects are regulated by fertilization and weed competition in field management practices. Here, we performed a greenhouse experiment growing E. sativa as target species in a three-factorial design with two levels of fertilization (low versus. high), two levels of weed competition treatments (weed competition versus no weed competition) and five levels of microplastic treatments (no microplastics, Polybutylene adipate-co-terephthalate [PBAT], Polybutylene succinate [PBS], Polycaprolactone [PCL] or Polypropylene [PP]). Compared to the soil without microplastics, PBS and PCL reduced aboveground biomass and leaf number of the E. sativa. PBS also resulted in increased root allocation and thicker roots in E. sativa. In addition, fertilization significantly mitigated the negative effects of PBS and PCL on aboveground biomass of E. sativa, but weed competition significantly promoted these effects. Although fertilization alleviated the negative effect of PBS on aboveground biomass, such alleviation became weaker under weed competition than when E. sativa grew alone. The results indicate that the effects of specific polymer types on E. sativa growth could be regulated by fertilization, weed management, and even their interactions. Therefore, reasonable on-farm management practices may help in mitigating the negative effects of microplastics pollution on E. sativa growth in agricultural fields.

Search for New Phenomena in Two-Body Invariant Mass Distributions Using Unsupervised Machine Learning for Anomaly Detection at sqrt[s]=13 TeV with the ATLAS Detector

Searches for new resonances are performed using an unsupervised anomaly-detection technique. Events with at least one electron or muon are selected from 140  fb^{-1} of pp collisions at sqrt[s]=13  TeV recorded by ATLAS at the Large Hadron Collider. The approach involves training an autoencoder on data, and subsequently defining anomalous regions based on the reconstruction loss of the decoder. Studies focus on nine invariant mass spectra that contain pairs of objects consisting of one light jet or b jet and either one lepton (e,μ), photon, or second light jet or b jet in the anomalous regions. No significant deviations from the background hypotheses are observed. Limits on contributions from generic Gaussian signals with various widths of the resonance mass are obtained for nine invariant masses in the anomalous regions.

Evaluation of Genetic or Cellular Impairments in Type I IFN Immunity in a Cohort of Young Adults with Critical COVID-19

Several genetic and immunological risk factors for severe COVID-19 have been identified, with monogenic conditions relating to 13 genes of type I interferon (IFN) immunity proposed to explain 4.8% of critical cases. However, previous cohorts have been clinically heterogeneous and were not subjected to thorough genetic and immunological analyses. We therefore aimed to systematically investigate the prevalence of rare genetic variants causing inborn errors of immunity (IEI) and functionally interrogate the type I IFN pathway in young adults that suffered from critical COVID-19 yet lacked comorbidities. We selected and clinically characterized a cohort of 38 previously healthy individuals under 50 years of age who were treated in intensive care units due to critical COVID-19. Blood samples were collected after convalescence. Two patients had IFN-α autoantibodies. Genome sequencing revealed very rare variants in the type I IFN pathway in 31.6% of the patients, which was similar to controls. Analyses of cryopreserved leukocytes did not indicate any defect in plasmacytoid dendritic cell sensing of TLR7 and TLR9 agonists in patients carrying variants in these pathways. However, lymphocyte STAT phosphorylation and protein upregulation upon IFN-α stimulation revealed three possible cases of impaired type I IFN signaling in carriers of rare variants. Together, our results suggest a strategy of functional screening followed by genome analyses and biochemical validation to uncover undiagnosed causes of critical COVID-19.

Observation of WZγ Production in pp Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV with the ATLAS Detector

This Letter reports the observation of WZγ production and a measurement of its cross section using 140.1±1.2  fb^{-1} of proton-proton collision data recorded at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The WZγ production cross section, with both the W and Z bosons decaying leptonically, pp→WZγ→ℓ^{'}^{±}νℓ^{+}ℓ^{-}γ (ℓ^{(^{'})}=e, μ), is measured in a fiducial phase-space region defined such that the leptons and the photon have high transverse momentum and the photon is isolated. The cross section is found to be 2.01±0.30(stat)±0.16(syst)  fb. The corresponding standard model predicted cross section calculated at next-to-leading order in perturbative quantum chromodynamics and at leading order in the electroweak coupling constant is 1.50±0.06  fb. The observed significance of the WZγ signal is 6.3σ, compared with an expected significance of 5.0σ.

[The occurrence, precaution and treatment strategies of postoperative fecal incontinence in rectal and anal diseases]

In the surgical treatment of hemorrhoids, rectal prolapse, rectal cancer, anal fissures, or anal fistulas, inadvertent damage to the nerves or muscles responsible for bowel control may potentially lead to varying degrees of fecal incontinence (FI). Surgeons need to conduct preoperative assessments based on the patient's individual condition to select an appropriate surgical plan, aiming to minimize the incidence of postoperative FI and improve the patient's postoperative quality of life as much as possible while effectively treating the disease. Additionally, the proficiency of the surgeon's skills, appropriate preoperative dietary adjustments for the patient, regular bowel habits, and exercises targeting the pelvic floor muscles all contribute to reducing the incidence of postoperative FI in patients. For patients who have already developed FI after surgery, on the basis of suitable diet, regular bowel habits, and medication, clinical practitioners can adopt such methods as biofeedback, pelvic floor muscle exercise, sacral nerve stimulation, percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation, acupuncture, injectable bulking agents, anal or vaginal inserts, transanal irrigation, surgical interventions, psychological support, etc., to individualized treatment for patients' conditions. This article, combining the literature, summarizes the current status of common diseases that may lead to postoperative FI. It elaborates on strategies for the prevention and treatment of postoperative FI, aiming to serve as a reference for peers in the field.

Combined Measurement of the Higgs Boson Mass from the H→γγ and H→ZZ^{*}→4ℓ Decay Channels with the ATLAS Detector Using sqrt[s]=7, 8, and 13 TeV pp Collision Data

A measurement of the mass of the Higgs boson combining the H→ZZ^{*}→4ℓ and H→γγ decay channels is presented. The result is based on 140  fb^{-1} of proton-proton collision data collected by the ATLAS detector during LHC run 2 at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV combined with the run 1 ATLAS mass measurement, performed at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV, yielding a Higgs boson mass of 125.11±0.09(stat)±0.06(syst)=125.11±0.11  GeV. This corresponds to a 0.09% precision achieved on this fundamental parameter of the Standard Model of particle physics.

Search for Dark Photons in Rare Z Boson Decays with the ATLAS Detector

A search for events with a dark photon produced in association with a dark Higgs boson via rare decays of the standard model Z boson is presented, using 139  fb^{-1} of sqrt[s]=13  TeV proton-proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The dark boson decays into a pair of dark photons, and at least two of the three dark photons must each decay into a pair of electrons or muons, resulting in at least two same-flavor opposite-charge lepton pairs in the final state. The data are found to be consistent with the background prediction, and upper limits are set on the dark photon's coupling to the dark Higgs boson times the kinetic mixing between the standard model photon and the dark photon, α_{D}ϵ^{2}, in the dark photon mass range of [5, 40] GeV except for the ϒ mass window [8.8, 11.1] GeV. This search explores new parameter space not previously excluded by other experiments.

[Changes of uterine morphology and endometrial T2 signal intensity in the fibrotic repair secondary to endometrial injury]

Objective: To investigate the value of uterine morphological parameters and endometrial T2 signal intensity (T2-SI) in evaluating the degree of the fibrotic repair secondary to endometrial injury. Methods: From Sep. 2018 to Feb. 2023, this study prospectively enrolled 29 patients with fibrotic repair secondary to severe endometrial injury (severe group), 17 patients with fibrotic repair secondary to mild to moderate endometrial injury (mild to moderate group), and 40 healthy women of reproductive age (control group) in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital. The length of uterine cavity (LUC), length of cervix and isthmus (LCI), width of upper uterine cavity (WUUC) and width of lower uterine cavity (WLUC) were measured using magnetic resonance imaging. T2-SI of endometrium and subcutaneous fat of buttocks were measured, and endometrial normalized T2-SI (nT2-SI; T2-SI of endometrium/T2-SI of subcutaneous fat of buttocks) was calculated. Statistical analyses of data were performed using one-way analysis of variance, Mann-Whitney U test, intraclass correlation coefficient, Spearman rho test, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Results: LUC, WUUC, WLUC and endometrial nT2-SI of severe group [(19.7±3.5) mm, (26.9±6.4) mm, (7.9±1.4) mm, 0.73±0.11, respectively] were significantly lower than those of the control group (all P<0.01), while LCI and WUUC/LUC [(51.3±7.3) mm and 1.38±0.34] were significantly higher than those of the control group (all P<0.001). LUC and WLUC of severe group were significantly lower than those of mild to moderate group [(32.4±5.1) mm and (8.8±1.2) mm; all P<0.05], while LCI and WUUC/LUC were significantly higher than those of mild to moderate group [(41.8±8.6) mm and 0.94±0.16; all P<0.001]. LUC and endometrial nT2-SI of mild to moderate group were significantly lower than those of the control group [ (32.4±5.1) vs (35.3±3.5) mm, 0.68±0.13 vs 0.80±0.12; all P<0.01]. LUC, WUUC, WLUC and endometrial nT2-SI were significantly negatively correlated to the degree of the fibrotic repair secondary to endometrial injury (Spearman rho:-0.794, -0.441, -0.471 and -0.316, respectively; all P<0.05), while LCI and WUUC/LUC were significantly positively correlated to the degree of the fibrotic repair secondary to endometrial injury (Spearman rho: 0.481 and 0.674, respectively; all P<0.05). LUC and WUUC/LUC showed high value in distinguishing severe group from the control group or mild to moderate group (all AUC>0.9, all P<0.001). Conclusion: As noninvasive and quantitative biomarkers, uterine morphological parameters and endometrial nT2-SI could evaluate the degree of the fibrotic repair secondary to endometrial injury.

Diversity and biogeography of plant phyllosphere bacteria are governed by latitude-dependent mechanisms

Predicting and managing the structure and function of plant microbiomes requires quantitative understanding of community assembly and predictive models of spatial distributions at broad geographic scales. Here, we quantified the relative contribution of abiotic and biotic factors to the assembly of phyllosphere bacterial communities, and developed spatial distribution models for keystone bacterial taxa along a latitudinal gradient, by analyzing 16S rRNA gene sequences from 1453 leaf samples taken from 329 plant species in China. We demonstrated a latitudinal gradient in phyllosphere bacterial diversity and community composition, which was mostly explained by climate and host plant factors. We found that host-related factors were increasingly important in explaining bacterial assembly at higher latitudes while nonhost factors including abiotic environments, spatial proximity and plant neighbors were more important at lower latitudes. We further showed that local plant-bacteria associations were interconnected by hub bacteria taxa to form metacommunity-level networks, and the spatial distribution of these hub taxa was controlled by hosts and spatial factors with varying importance across latitudes. For the first time, we documented a latitude-dependent importance in the driving factors of phyllosphere bacteria assembly and distribution, serving as a baseline for predicting future changes in plant phyllosphere microbiomes under global change and human activities.

[Discussion on the composition and implementation of diagnosis and treatment strategies for whole field pain management strategy]

Pain is the fifth major vital sign, and chronic pain is a large category of diseases that affects health seriously. At present, the incidence of chronic pain is high, but the overall treatment satisfaction is low. It is necessary to continuously optimize pain diagnosis and treatment strategies and improve the connotation of pain management. Based on the clinical practice of our pain center, combined with relevant literature, the article proposes a diagnosis and treatment strategy of "whole field pain management" should be carried out from the four dimensions of feeling, emotion, cognition, and behavior. Innovative digital pain diagnosis and treatment technologies such as VR/MR and brain-computer interface are used to regulate emotional, cognitive, and behavioral regulation, and combined with lifestyle changes, rehabilitation physiotherapy, drugs, and minimally invasive interventional therapy to constitute a " whole field pain management strategy" to explore the new development direction of further improving the management of chronic pain.

Measurement of the Sensitivity of Two-Particle Correlations in pp Collisions to the Presence of Hard Scatterings

A key open question in the study of multiparticle production in high-energy pp collisions is the relationship between the "ridge"-i.e., the observed azimuthal correlations between particles in the underlying event that extend over all rapidities-and hard or semihard scattering processes. In particular, it is not known whether jets or their soft fragments are correlated with particles in the underlying event. To address this question, two-particle correlations are measured in pp collisions at sqrt[s]=13  TeV using data collected by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC, with an integrated luminosity of 15.8  pb^{-1}, in two different configurations. In the first case, charged particles associated with jets are excluded from the correlation analysis, while in the second case, correlations are measured between particles within jets and charged particles from the underlying event. Second-order flow coefficients, v_{2}, are presented as a function of event multiplicity and transverse momentum. These measurements show that excluding particles associated with jets does not affect the measured correlations. Moreover, particles associated with jets do not exhibit any significant azimuthal correlations with the underlying event, ruling out hard processes contributing to the ridge.

Observation of an Excess of Dicharmonium Events in the Four-Muon Final State with the ATLAS Detector

A search is made for potential ccc[over ¯]c[over ¯] tetraquarks decaying into a pair of charmonium states in the four muon final state using proton-proton collision data at sqrt[s]=13  TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 140  fb^{-1} recorded by the ATLAS experiment at LHC. Two decay channels, J/ψ+J/ψ→4μ and J/ψ+ψ(2S)→4μ, are studied. Backgrounds are estimated based on a hybrid approach involving Monte Carlo simulations and data-driven methods. Statistically significant excesses with respect to backgrounds dominated by the single parton scattering are seen in the di-J/ψ channel consistent with a narrow resonance at 6.9 GeV and a broader structure at lower mass. A statistically significant excess is also seen in the J/ψ+ψ(2S) channel. The fitted masses and decay widths of the structures are reported.

Comparison of Pathologic Response and Survival Outcomes between Neoadjuvant Immunochemotherapy (nICT) and Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) in Patients with Locally Advanced Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

The neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy (nICT) is a novel treatment, which is likely to be safer for locally advanced, surgically resectable Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) that comparing with the traditional neoadjuvant therapy. However, the efficacy of nICT was controversial and the survival benefit remain unknown.

MATERIALS/METHODS

This study included 313 patients with locally advanced ESCC who underwent surgery following neoadjuvant therapy at Sichuan Cancer Hospital from June 2017 and September 2021. The patients were divided into nICT group and neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) group according to the neoadjuvant strategy. A 1:2 propensity score matching (PSM) was used to balance potential bias across several covariates between two groups with a caliper 0.05.

RESULTS

Among the 146 patients after PSM, the baseline factors were comparable between two groups. Compared with the nCRT group, the nICT group shown a lower pathologic complete response(pCR) rate (11.54% vs 35.11%; P = 0.0039) and lymph nodes uninvolved rate (ypN0: 44.23% vs 62.77%; P = 0.0154), but a higher perineural invasion (32.69% vs 12.77%; P = 0.0075) and angioinvasion rate (40.38% vs 10.64%; P = 0.0001). However, the 2-year OS and DFS rates were similar between the nICT group and the nCRT group in overall study cohort, and these data were confirmed in the matched samples (2-year OS, 78.2% vs 77.2% [p = 0.95]; DFS, 56.9% vs 58.0% [p = 0.69]).

CONCLUSION

Our preliminary findings indicate that, for individuals with locally advanced ESCC, nICT followed by surgery appears to be less effective in pathologic outcomes, while having a comparable survival rate to nRCT. These results imply a complicated and possibly multifaceted link between the kind of neoadjuvant therapy, the pathologic outcomes, and the final survival.

Tree communities and functional traits determine herbivore compositional turnover

There are many factors known to drive species turnover, although the mechanisms by which these operate are less clear. Based on comprehensive datasets from the largest tree diversity experiment worldwide (BEF-China), we used shared herbivore species (zeta diversity) and multi-site generalized dissimilarity modelling to investigate the patterns and determinants of species turnover of Lepidoptera herbivores among study plots across a gradient in tree species richness. We found that zeta diversity declined sharply with an increasing number of study plots, with complete changes in caterpillar species composition observed even at the fine spatial scale of our study. Plant community characteristics rather than abiotic factors were found to play key roles in driving caterpillar compositional turnover, although these effects varied with an increasing number of study plots considered, due to the varying contributions of rare and common species to compositional turnover. Our study reveals details of the impact of phylogeny- and trait-mediated processes of trees on herbivore compositional turnover, which has implications for forest management and conservation and shows potential avenues for maintenance of heterogeneity in herbivore communities.

Incorporating global change reveals extinction risk beyond the current Red List

Global changes over the past few decades have caused species distribution shifts and triggered population declines and local extinctions of many species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species (Red List) is regarded as the most comprehensive tool for assessing species extinction risk and has been used at regional, national, and global scales. However, most Red Lists rely on the past and current status of species populations and distributions but do not adequately reflect the risks induced by future global changes. Using distribution maps of >4,000 endemic woody species in China, combined with ensembled species distribution models, we assessed the species threat levels under future climate and land-cover changes using the projected changes in species' suitable habitats and compared our updated Red List with China's existing Red List. We discover an increased number of threatened species in the updated Red List and increased threat levels of >50% of the existing threatened species compared with the existing one. Over 50% of the newly identified threatened species are not adequately covered by protected areas. The Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, rather than the Hengduan Mountains, is the distribution center of threatened species on the updated Red Lists, as opposed to the threatened species on the existing Red List. Our findings suggest that using Red Lists without considering the impacts of future global changes will underestimate the extinction risks and lead to a biased estimate of conservation priorities, potentially limiting the ability to meet the Kunming-Montreal global conservation targets.

Carbon-biodiversity relationships in a highly diverse subtropical forest

Carbon-focused climate mitigation strategies are becoming increasingly important in forests. However, with ongoing biodiversity declines we require better knowledge of how much such strategies account for biodiversity. We particularly lack information across multiple trophic levels and on established forests, where the interplay between carbon stocks, stand age, and tree diversity might influence carbon-biodiversity relationships. Using a large dataset (>4600 heterotrophic species of 23 taxonomic groups) from secondary, subtropical forests, we tested how multitrophic diversity and diversity within trophic groups relate to aboveground, belowground, and total carbon stocks at different levels of tree species richness and stand age. Our study revealed that aboveground carbon, the key component of climate-based management, was largely unrelated to multitrophic diversity. By contrast, total carbon stocks-that is, including belowground carbon-emerged as a significant predictor of multitrophic diversity. Relationships were nonlinear and strongest for lower trophic levels, but nonsignificant for higher trophic level diversity. Tree species richness and stand age moderated these relationships, suggesting long-term regeneration of forests may be particularly effective in reconciling carbon and biodiversity targets. Our findings highlight that biodiversity benefits of climate-oriented management need to be evaluated carefully, and only maximizing aboveground carbon may fail to account for biodiversity conservation requirements.

Bevacizumab biosimilar candidate TAB008 compared to Avastin® in patients with locally advanced, metastatic EGFR wild-type non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer: a randomized, double-blind, multicenter study

BACKGROUND

Bevacizumab (Avastin®) is a monoclonal antibody targeting the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Used alone or in combination with chemotherapy and/or immunotherapy, Avastin® has shown promising efficacy in many cancers. This study compared the efficacy and safety of TAB008 with Avastin® sourced from the EU (bevacizumab-EU), in patients with non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (nsNSCLC).

METHOD

In this randomized, double-blind, multicenter, phase III similarity study, treatment naïve for metastatic lung cancer., EGFR wild-type, locally advanced, metastatic, or recurrent non-squamous, non-small cell, lung cancer (nsNSCLC) patients were enrolled and randomized (1:1) into TAB008 or Avastin® groups. Patients received TAB008 or Avastin® 15 mg/kg intravenously plus paclitaxel/carboplatin for 4-6 cycles followed by TAB008 or Avastin® 7.5 mg/kg until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity or death. The primary endpoint compared the objective response rate (ORR) within 6 cycles as read by an independent radiological review committee (IRRC). Secondary endpoints compared disease control rate (DCR) Within 6 cycles, duration of response (DoR), progression-free survival (PFS), a year overall survival rate (OSR), overall survival (OS), safety, immunogenicity, and steady-state pharmacokinetics.

RESULTS

A total of 549 nsNSCLC patients were enrolled (277 in TAB008 group and 272 in Avastin® group). In the full analysis set, ORRs were 55.957% for TAB008 and 55.720% for Avastin®, and the ORR ratio was 1 (90% CI 0.89-1.14), well within the predefined equivalence margin of 0.75-1.33. No significant differences were found in DCR within 6 cycles (95.703% vs 95.367%, p = 0.8536), DoR (8.17 vs 7.3 months, p = 0.3526), PFS (9.10 vs. 7.97 months, p = 0.9457), 1 year overall survival rate (66.2% vs 68%, p = 0.6793), or OS (20.4 vs 17.6 months, p = 0.6549). Serious adverse events (SAEs) occurred in 37.55% (104/277) of patients in the TAB008 group and 34.32% (93/271) in the Avastin® group. Anti-drug antibodies were reported in 3 of 277 (1.08%) TAB008 patients, and 5 of 271 (1.85%) Avastin® patients, neutralizing antibody (Nab) was positive in 1 patient on Avastin®, which became negative upon follow-up. The steady-state trough concentrations (Cssmin) were 106.13 μg/mL in TAB008 group and 96.03 μg/mL in Avastin® groups, with the treatment group ratio of LS geometric means fully contained within the bioequivalence limits of 80.00-125.00% (90% CI was 101.74-120.05%).

CONCLUSIONS

TAB008 is similar to Avastin® in terms of efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetic parameters, with comparable immunogenicity.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov number; NCT05427305.

Mapping Asia Plants: The Threat Status and Influencing Factors of Rare and Endangered Vascular Plant Species in North Asia (Asian Russia)

In order to effectively protect rare and endangered plants, 27 provincial-level administrative regions in North Asia (the Asian part of Russia) have compiled and published local Red Data Books. In this study, the names (with synonyms) of vascular plants in the 27 provincial Red Books were digitalized and merged into a database of rare and endangered vascular plants in North Asia. The purpose is to reflect the species composition, geographic distribution pattern, and protection level of these plants and their inclusion in the national Russian Red Data Book and the IUCN Red List, and provide a reference for formulating conservation strategies. The dataset has a total of 2079 species, 160 subspecies, and 53 varieties belonging to 667 genera and 143 families. It contains data on 2292 taxa, including family name, genus name, species name and synonyms, protection level, and other information. We also analyzed the main influencing factors, existing problems of rare and endangered vascular plant species, and suggestions for addressing them. We conclude that, to date, the IUCN criteria have not been applied consistently in all regions, leading to an excessive number of species being recorded in the Red Data Books of Asian Russia; specifically, one-third of all floral species are in the regional Red Data Books.

Dear neighbor: Trees with extrafloral nectaries facilitate defense and growth of adjacent undefended trees

Plant diversity can increase productivity. One mechanism behind this biodiversity effect is facilitation, which is when one species increases the performance of another species. Plants with extrafloral nectaries (EFNs) establish defense mutualisms with ants. However, whether EFN plants facilitate defense of neighboring non-EFN plants is unknown. Synthesizing data on ants, herbivores, leaf damage, and defense traits from a forest biodiversity experiment, we show that trees growing adjacent to EFN trees had higher ant biomass and species richness and lower caterpillar biomass than conspecific controls without EFN-bearing neighbors. Concurrently, the composition of defense traits in non-EFN trees changed. Thus, when non-EFN trees benefit from lower herbivore loads as a result of ants spilling over from EFN tree neighbors, this may allow relatively reduced resource allocation to defense in the former, potentially explaining the higher growth of those trees. Via this mutualist-mediated facilitation, promoting EFN trees in tropical reforestation could foster carbon capture and multiple other ecosystem functions.

Geographical patterns and determinants in plant reproductive phenology duration

Biodiversity is and always has been an important issue in ecological research. Biodiversity can reflect niche partitioning among species at several spatial and temporal scales and is generally highest in the tropics. One theory to explain it is that low-latitude tropical ecosystems are dominated by species that are generally only distributed over a narrow area. This principle is known as Rapoport's rule. One previously unconsidered extension of Rapoport's rule may be reproductive phenology, where variation in flowering and fruiting length may reflect a temporal range. Herein, we collected reproductive phenology data for more than 20,000 species covering almost all angiosperm species in China. We used a random forest model to quantify the relative role of seven environmental factors on the duration of reproductive phenology. Our results showed that the duration of reproductive phenology decreased with latitude, although there was no obvious change across longitudes. Latitude explained more of the variation in the duration of flowering and fruiting phases in woody plants than in herbaceous plants. Mean annual temperature and the length of the growing season strongly influenced the phenology of herbaceous plants, and average winter temperature and temperature seasonality were important drivers of woody plant phenology. Our result suggests the flowering period of woody plants is sensitive to temperature seasonality, while it does not influence herbaceous plants. By extending Rapoport's rule to consider the distribution of species in time as well as space, we have provided a novel insight into the mechanisms of maintaining high levels of diversity in low-latitude forests.

Multitrophic arthropod diversity mediates tree diversity effects on primary productivity

Forests sustain 80% of terrestrial biodiversity and provide essential ecosystem services. Biodiversity experiments have demonstrated that plant diversity correlates with both primary productivity and higher trophic diversity. However, whether higher trophic diversity can mediate the effects of plant diversity on productivity remains unclear. Here, using 5 years of data on aboveground herbivorous, predatory and parasitoid arthropods along with tree growth data within a large-scale forest biodiversity experiment in southeast China, we provide evidence of multidirectional enhancement among the diversity of trees and higher trophic groups and tree productivity. We show that the effects of experimentally increased tree species richness were consistently positive for species richness and abundance of herbivores, predators and parasitoids. Richness effects decreased as trophic levels increased for species richness and abundance of all trophic groups. Multitrophic species richness and abundance of arthropods were important mediators of plant diversity effects on tree productivity, suggesting that optimizing forest management for increased carbon capture can be more effective when the diversity of higher trophic groups is promoted in concert with that of trees.

Mapping Asia Plants: Historical Outline and Review of Sources on Floristic Diversity in South Asia

South Asia, which is composed of eight countries, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, is an important global biodiversity hotspot. As a part of the Mapping Asia Plants (MAP) project, we reviewed the history of botanical investigations, floristic works, and publications in this region, as well as the key floras, checklists, and online databases in South Asia. The botanical survey of this region, which began during the 17th century, has two distinct phases: surveys conducted during the British India period and those conducted in the post-British period. The seven volumes of The Flora of British India are the most important contributions to flora research in South Asia because of their wider geographical coverage, which was performed by British botanists. Following on from this, different countries have launched independent floristic surveys. At the country level, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka have completed, or partially completed, their flora surveys at the country level, while Maldives has not yet published its national flora survey. According to currently available information, the approximated numbers of plant taxa for each country in South Asia are as follows: Afghanistan, 5261 (vascular plants); Bangladesh, 3470 (vascular plants); Bhutan, 5985 (flowering plants); India, 21,558 (flowering plants); Maldives, 270 (common plants); Nepal, 6500 (flowering plants); Pakistan, 6000+ (vascular plants); and Sri Lanka, 4143 (flowering plants). Additionally, there are 151 books devoted to the key floras and checklists in South Asia. A total of 1.1 million digital records of specimens from this region can be found on the website of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). However, there are still major gaps and limitations-such as out-of-date publications, national floras that are mainly detailed only in local languages, massive non-digitized specimens, and the lack of a comprehensive online database or platform-which should be addressed in terms of their global applications.

Limited co-benefits of protected areas in southwest China under current climate change and human modification

An ambitious new Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework "Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework" has been developed. However, the combined effects of climate change and human modification can undermine the potential benefits of the global post-2020 conservation efforts. The co-benefits of stabilizing the climate, conserving biodiversity, and maintaining intact wilderness areas may help to persuade the general public of the need to quickly expand existing protected areas (PAs). To maximize the co-benefits after 2020, the careful optimization of existing (PAs) network and scientific identification of conservation targets are both essential. Here, we mapped hotspots of biodiversity, climate vulnerability, and wilderness in Southwest China (SWC). By analyzing the representativeness and gaps of the existing PAs network in SWC, we devised post-2020 conservation targets and highlighted their implications for decision-makers. Our results showed that the incongruence between hotspots of different species exists, indicating that habitats suitable for one taxon may not fully harbor other taxa. According to our assessment, the five jurisdictions of SWC have warmed on average by 0.4°C-1.1 °C over the past 60 years alone. In particular, biodiversity hotspots in SWC are undergoing stark climatic changes. We uncovered prominent conservation gaps in SWC's network of PAs, especially in terms of climate vulnerability and biodiversity. Due to their insufficient number and unreasonable spatial distribution, the PAs network in SWC may be not capable of meeting its biodiversity, climate vulnerability, and wilderness conservation objectives. To rectify this, we proposed a 3-step mission: milestone 2025, milestone 2030, and goal 2050, which aims to protect 23%, 28%, and 60% of the terrestrial area in SWC, respectively. Taken together, our study derived conservation priority areas with relatively clear spatial boundaries and importance levels, thus providing detailed, timely information for decision-makers to expand the PAs network and implement conservation measures varying in strictness in post-2020 conservation practice.

[A nomogram for preoperative prediction of lymph node metastasis in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma based on inflammation-related markers]

Objectives: To construct a nomogram for prediction of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) lymph node metastasis based on inflammation-related markers,and to conduct its clinical verification. Methods: Clinical and pathological data of 858 ICC patients who underwent radical resection were retrospectively collected at 10 domestic tertiary hospitals in China from January 2010 to December 2018. Among the 508 patients who underwent lymph node dissection,207 cases had complete variable clinical data for constructing the nomogram,including 84 males,123 females,109 patients≥60 years old,98 patients<60 years old and 69 patients were pathologically diagnosed with positive lymph nodes after surgery. Receiver operating characteristic curve was drawn to calculate the accuracy of preoperative imaging examinations to determine lymph node status,and the difference in overall survival time was compared by Log-rank test. Partial regression squares and statistically significant preoperative variables were screened by backward stepwise regression analysis. R software was applied to construct a nomogram,clinical decision curve and clinical influence curve,and Bootstrap method was used for internal verification. Moreover,retrospectively collecting clinical information of 107 ICC patients with intraoperative lymph node dissection admitted to 9 tertiary hospitals in China from January 2019 to June 2021 was for external verification to verify the accuracy of the nomogram. 80 patients with complete clinical data but without lymph node dissection were divided into lymph node metastasis high-risk group and low-risk group according to the score of the nomogram among the 858 patients. Log-rank test was used to compare the overall survival of patients with or without lymph node metastasis diagnosed by pathology. Results: The area under the curve of preoperative imaging examinations for lymph node status assessment of 440 patients was 0.615,with a false negative rate of 62.8% (113/180) and a false positive rate of 14.2% (37/260). The median survival time of 207 patients used to construct a nomogram with positive or negative postoperative pathological lymph node metastases was 18.5 months and 27.1 months,respectively (P<0.05). Five variables related to lymph node metastasis were screened out by backward stepwise regression analysis,which were combined calculi,neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio,albumin,liver capsule invasion and systemic immune inflammation index,according to which a nomogram was constructed with concordance index(C-index) of 0.737 (95%CI: 0.667 to 0.806). The C-index of external verification was 0.674 (95%CI:0.569 to 0.779). The calibration prediction curve was in good agreement with the reference curve. The results of the clinical decision curve showed that when the risk threshold of high lymph node metastasis in the nomogram was set to about 0.32,the maximum net benefit could be obtained by 0.11,and the cost/benefit ratio was 1∶2. The results of clinical influence curve showed that when the risk threshold of high lymph node metastasis in the nomogram was set to about 0.6,the probability of correctly predicting lymph node metastasis could reach more than 90%. There was no significant difference in overall survival time between patients with high/low risk of lymph node metastasis assessed by the nomogram and those with pathologically confirmed lymph node metastasis or without lymph node metastasis (Log-rank test:P=0.082 and 0.510,respectively). Conclusion: The prediction accuracy of preoperative nomogram for ICC lymph node metastasis based on inflammation-related markers is satisfactory,which can be used as a supplementary method for preoperative diagnosis of lymph node metastasis and is helpful for clinicians to make personalized decision of lymph node dissection for patients with ICC.

Functional trait space and redundancy of plant communities decrease toward cold temperature at high altitudes in Southwest China

Plant communities in mountainous areas shift gradually as climatic conditions change with altitude. How trait structure in multivariate space adapts to these varying climates in natural forest stands is unclear. Studying the multivariate functional trait structure and redundancy of tree communities along altitude gradients is crucial to understanding how temperature change affects natural forest stands. In this study, the leaf area, specific leaf area, leaf carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorous content from 1,590 trees were collected and used to construct the functional trait space of 12 plant communities at altitudes ranging from 800 m to 3,800 m across three mountains. Hypervolume overlap was calculated to quantify species trait redundancy per community. First, hypervolumes of species exclusion and full species set were calculated, respectively. Second, the overlap between these two volumes was calculated to obtain hypervolume overlap. Results showed that the functional trait space significantly increased with mean annual temperature toward lower altitudes within and across three mountains, whereas species trait redundancy had different patterns between mountains. Thus, warming can widen functional trait space and alter the redundancy in plant communities. The inconsistent patterns of redundancy between mountains suggest that warming exerts varying influences on different ecosystems. Identification of climate-vulnerable ecosystems is important in the face of global warming.

Challenges and solutions to biodiversity conservation in arid lands

The strategic goals of the United Nations and the Aichi Targets for biodiversity conservation have not been met. Instead, biodiversity has continued to rapidly decrease, especially in developing countries. Setting a new global biodiversity framework requires clarifying future priorities and strategies to bridge challenges and provide representative solutions. Hyper-arid, arid, and semi-arid lands (herein, arid lands) form about one third of the Earth's terrestrial surface. Arid lands contain unique biological and cultural diversity, and biodiversity loss in arid lands can have a disproportionate impact on these ecosystems due to low redundancy and a high risk of trophic cascades. They contain unique biological and cultural diversity and host many endemic species, including wild relatives of key crop plants. Yet extensive agriculture, unsustainable use, and global climate change are causing an irrecoverable damage to arid lands, with far-reaching consequences to the species, ground-water resources, ecosystem productivity, and ultimately the communities' dependant on these systems. However, adequate research and effective policies to protect arid land biodiversity and sustainability are lacking because a large proportion of arid areas are in developing countries, and the unique diversity in these systems is frequently overlooked. Developing new priorities for global arid lands and mechanisms to prevent unsustainable development must become part of public discourse and form the basis for conservation efforts. The current situation demands the combined efforts of researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and local communities to adopt a socio-ecological approach for achieving sustainable development (SDGs) in arid lands. Applying these initiatives globally is imperative to conserve arid lands biodiversity and the critical ecological services they provide for future generations. This perspective provides a framework for conserving biodiversity in arid lands for all stakeholders that will have a tangible impact on sustainable development, nature, and human well-being.

Tree mycorrhizal association types control biodiversity-productivity relationship in a subtropical forest

Mycorrhizae are symbiotic associations between terrestrial plants and fungi in which fungi obtain nutrients in exchange for plant photosynthates. However, it remains unclear how different types of mycorrhizae affect their host interactions and productivity. Using a long-term experiment with a diversity gradient of arbuscular (AM) and ectomycorrhizal (EcM) tree species, we show that the type of mycorrhizae critically controls the effect of diversity on productivity. With increasing diversity, the net primary production of AM trees increased, but EcM trees decreased, largely because AM trees are more effective in acquiring nitrogen and phosphorus. Specifically, with diversity increase, AM trees enhance both nutrient resorption and litter decomposition, while there was a trade-off between litter decomposability and nutrient resorption in EcM trees. These results provide a mechanistic understanding of why AM trees using a different nutrient acquisition strategy from EcM trees can dominate in subtropical forests and at the same time their diversity enhances productivity.

Species diversity pattern and its drivers of the understory herbaceous plants in a Chinese subtropical forest

Understory herbaceous plants are an important component of forest ecosystems, playing important roles in species diversity and forest dynamics in forests. However, the current understanding of the biodiversity of forest communities is mostly from woody plants, and knowledge of community structure and species diversity for understory herbaceous plants remains scarce. In a subtropical forest in China, we investigated understory vascular herbaceous diversity from 300 plots (5 × 5 m) in the main growing season. In this study, we analyzed the community structure and diversity pattern of the understory herbaceous community and linked the species diversity pattern to both abiotic and biotic environments. We found a rich diversity of understory herbaceous communities in this forest (81 species belonging to 55 genera), and floristic elements at the genus level were dominated by tropical elements, followed by temperate elements. The diversity pattern of the understory herbaceous showed a significant habitat preference, with the highest diversity in the lowland valleys and then followed by in middle slopes. In addition, herbaceous diversity was significantly affected by both abiotic factors (such as terrain convexity) and biotic factors (such as the diversity of surrounding woody plants). Our study indicated that species diversity of understory herbaceous showed a remarkable habitat preference, such as lowland valleys, and highlighted the importance of both abiotic and biotic environments in driving herbaceous diversity patterns in the subtropical forest understory.

Tree species and genetic diversity increase productivity via functional diversity and trophic feedbacks

Addressing global biodiversity loss requires an expanded focus on multiple dimensions of biodiversity. While most studies have focused on the consequences of plant interspecific diversity, our mechanistic understanding of how genetic diversity within plant species affects plant productivity remains limited. Here, we use a tree species × genetic diversity experiment to disentangle the effects of species diversity and genetic diversity, and how they are related to tree functional diversity and trophic feedbacks. We found that tree species diversity increased tree productivity via increased tree functional diversity, reduced soil fungal diversity and marginally reduced herbivory. The effects of tree genetic diversity on productivity via functional diversity and soil fungal diversity were negative in monocultures but positive in the mixture of the four tree species tested. Given the complexity of interactions between species and genetic diversity, tree functional diversity and trophic feedbacks on productivity, we suggest that both tree species and genetic diversity should be considered in afforestation.

Tree species richness as an important biotic factor regulates the soil phosphorus density in China's mature natural forests

Tree species richness has been recognized as an underlying driving factor for regulating soil phosphorus (P) status in many site-specific studies. However, it remains poorly understood whether this is true at broad scales where soil P strongly rely on climate, soil type and vegetation type. Here, based on the data of 946 mature natural forest sites from a nationwide field survey in China, we analyzed the impact of tree species richness on soil P density of China's mature natural forests (deciduous coniferous forest, DCF; evergreen coniferous forest, ECF; deciduous broad-leaved forest, DBF; evergreen broad-leaved forest, EBF; and mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forest, MF). Our results showed that tree species richness had a negative effect on soil P density in China's mature natural forests. The Random Forest regression model showed that the relative importance of tree species richness to soil P density was second only to the climate factors (mean annual temperature, MAT; mean annual precipitation, MAP). In addition, the structural equation model (SEM) results showed that the goodness fit of SEM increased when the tree species richness was included into the model. These results suggested that tree species richness was an important factor in regulating the China's mature natural forests soil P density. Furthermore, the SEM results showed that the decreased soil P density was related to the increase in ANPP and the decrease in litter P concentration induced by tree species richness. This result indicates that tree species richness could facilitate plant P absorption and inhibit plant P return into the soil, and thus reducing the soil P density in China's mature natural forests. In conclusion, we found tree species richness was an important biotic factor in regulating soil P density at broad scales, which should be fully considered in Earth models that represent P cycle.

Differential impacts of adult trees on offspring and non-offspring recruits in a subtropical forest

An important mechanism promoting species coexistence is conspecific negative density dependence (CNDD), which inhibits conspecific neighbors by accumulating host-specific enemies near adult trees. Natural enemies may be genotype-specific and regulate offspring dynamics more strongly than non-offspring, which is often neglected due to the difficulty in ascertaining genetic relatedness. Here, we investigated whether offspring and non-offspring of a dominant species, Castanopsis eyrei, suffered from different strength of CNDD based on parentage assignment in a subtropical forest. We found decreased recruitment efficiency (proxy of survival probability) of offspring compared with non-offspring near adult trees during the seedling-sapling transition, suggesting genotype-dependent interactions drive tree demographic dynamics. Furthermore, the genetic similarity between individuals of same cohort decreased in late life history stages, indicating genetic-relatedness-dependent tree mortality throughout ontogeny. Our results demonstrate that within-species genetic relatedness significantly affects the strength of CNDD, implying genotype-specific natural enemies may contribute to population dynamics in natural forests.

Effects of enemy exclusion on biodiversity-productivity relationships in a subtropical forest experiment

Interspecific niche complementarity is a key mechanism posited to explain positive species richness-productivity relationships in plant communities. However, the exact nature of the niche dimensions that plant species partition remains poorly known.Species may partition abiotic resources that limit their growth, but species may also be specialized with respect to their set of biotic interactions with other trophic levels, in particular with enemies including pathogens and consumers. The lower host densities present in more species-diverse plant communities may therefore result in smaller populations of specialized enemies, and in a smaller associated negative feedback these enemies exert on plant productivity.To test whether such host density-dependent effects of enemies drive diversity-productivity relationships in young forest stands, we experimentally manipulated leaf fungal pathogens and insect herbivores in a large subtropical forest biodiversity-ecosystem functioning experiment in China (BEF-China).We found that fungicide spraying of tree canopies removed the positive tree-species richness-productivity relationship present in untreated control plots. The tree species that contributed the most to this effect were the ones with the highest fungicide-induced growth increase in monoculture. Insecticide application did not cause comparable effects. Synthesis. Our findings suggest that tree species diversity may not only promote productivity by interspecific resource-niche partitioning but also by trophic niche partitioning. Most likely, partitioning occurred with respect to enemies such as pathogenic fungi. Alternatively, similar effects on tree growth would have occurred if fungicide had eliminated positive effects of a higher diversity of beneficial fungi (e.g. mycorrhizal symbionts) that may have occurred in mixed tree species communities.

[Pay close attention to the current characteristics and development trend of severe acute hepatitis with unknown etiology in children worldwide]

In the past, acute hepatitis of unknown etiology in children was sporadic. However, during the last three weeks, there has been a trend of short-term outbreak around the world. As of May 3, 2022, at least 228 cases had been reported in about 20 countries and regions. The main clinical manifestations of the children included abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, jaundice, and hepatomegaly. The liver functions including alanine aminotransferase and total bilirubin increased sharply. About 8.8% of the children needed liver transplantation. The etiology is not clear, but adenovirus type 41 is currently considered to be the most likely cause. Clinicians should keep alert to acute hepatitis of unknown etiology in children, strengthen epidemic surveillance, clinical treatment, and carry out necessary health education.

The Diversity Distribution and Climatic Niche of Samara Species in China

Studying the distribution of samara species is of ecological and economic significance. This information helps us with understanding species dispersal mechanisms, evaluating the risk of invasive species, and the management of ecological forests. However, limited research has explored, on a large scale, the geographic distribution of samara species and their influential abiotic factors. Here, we use the distribution data of 835 vascular samara species and growth form data to explore their geographic patterns in China and the environmental determinants. We divided China into 984 grid cells and examined the relationship between the proportion of samara species and climate variables using both ordinary and spatial linear regressions for each grid cell. Total samara species richness is higher in southern China in low altitude regions and the proportion of woody samara species is significantly higher than that of herbaceous samara species. The proportion of woody samara species is higher in the northeast regions where precipitation is sufficient, winters are dry and mild, and temperature seasonality and land surface relief degree values are high. Annual precipitation and temperature seasonality are the most important climatic drivers for the distribution of woody samara species. In contrast, herbaceous samara species prefer to distribute to the areas where climate is warm and dry but have higher temperature seasonality. Temperature related variables (mean annual temperature, mean diurnal range, and temperature seasonality) are the most important drivers for the distribution of herbaceous samara species. Samara species can better adapt to climatic regions with large temperature fluctuations and dry winters. The present distribution patterns of samara species are formed by the combined adaptation of fruit traits and growth form to climate. This work contributes to predictions of the global distribution of samara species under future climate change scenarios and conservation and management for the samara species.