Nuclear and mitochondrial genomes of Polylopha cassiicola: the first assembly in Chlidanotinae (Tortricidae)

Tortricidae is one of the largest families in Lepidoptera, including subfamilies of Tortricinae, Olethreutinae, and Chlidanotinae. Here, we assembled the gap-free genome for the subfamily Chlidanotinae using Illumina, Nanopore, and Hi-C sequencing from Polylopha cassiicola, a pest of camphor trees in southern China. The nuclear genome is 302.03 Mb in size, with 36.82% of repeats and 98.4% of BUCSO completeness. The karyotype is 2n = 44 for males. We identified 15412 protein-coding genes, 1052 tRNAs, and 67 rRNAs. We also determined the mitochondrial genome of this species and annotated 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNAs, and one rRNA. These high-quality genomes provide valuable information for studying phylogeny, karyotypic evolution, and adaptive evolution of tortricid moths.

Overestimated nitrogen loss from denitrification for natural terrestrial ecosystems in CMIP6 Earth System Models

Denitrification and leaching nitrogen (N) losses are poorly constrained in Earth System Models (ESMs). Here, we produce a global map of natural soil ¹⁵N abundance and quantify soil denitrification N loss for global natural ecosystems using an isotope-benchmarking method. We show an overestimation of denitrification by almost two times in the 13 ESMs of the Sixth Phase Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6, 73 ± 31 Tg N yr^-1), compared with our estimate of 38 ± 11 Tg N yr^-1, which is rooted in isotope mass balance. Moreover, we find a negative correlation between the sensitivity of plant production to rising carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentration and denitrification in boreal regions, revealing that overestimated denitrification in ESMs would translate to an exaggeration of N limitation on the responses of plant growth to elevated CO₂. Our study highlights the need of improving the representation of the denitrification in ESMs and better assessing the effects of terrestrial ecosystems on CO₂ mitigation.