Shengfeng Chai

To examine differences in resource use and functional traits between the narrow-ranged Camellia longzhouensis and its widespread congener Camellia gigantocarpa, we compared their light and CO₂ responses, leaf anatomy, stomatal traits, photosynthetic pigments, and trait correlations under common nursery conditions. In both species, net photosynthetic rate increased rapidly with increasing irradiance and then gradually approached a plateau. The maximum net photosynthetic rate of C. gigantocarpa was significantly higher and was 4.10 times that of C. longzhouensis, whereas apparent quantum yield, light saturation point, light compensation point, and dark respiration rate did not differ significantly between the two species. As intercellular CO₂ concentration increased, net photosynthetic rate increased and then gradually leveled off in both species. Initial carboxylation efficiency was significantly higher in C. gigantocarpa, whereas the other CO₂-response parameters showed no significant differences between species. Leaf thickness and lower epidermal thickness were similar between species, but C. gigantocarpa had a thicker upper epidermis and palisade tissue and a higher palisade-to-spongy tissue thickness ratio, whereas C. longzhouensis had thicker spongy tissue and higher stomatal density. Stomatal length, width, and area did not differ significantly between species. C. gigantocarpa had significantly higher chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, and carotenoid contents, as well as a higher chlorophyll a-to-b ratio, whereas the ratio of carotenoids to total chlorophyll did not differ significantly between species. Trait correlations indicated coordinated variation among photosynthetic performance, leaf anatomy, stomatal characteristics, and photosynthetic pigments. Overall, the two species exhibited distinct combinations of leaf structural and photosynthetic functional traits under common nursery conditions, providing baseline ecophysiological information on their resource-use differences and for germplasm conservation of C. longzhouensis.

Malania oleifera is an endangered woody oil tree species endemic to China, where light conditions play a key role in seedling establishment. However, responses of seedling-associated bacterial communities to shading remain poorly characterized. This study investigated phyllosphere and rhizosphere bacterial communities under different shading regimes using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing in two-year-old seedlings. Seedlings were subjected to 75%, 50%, and 25% shading, full-light conditions, and a field-grown reference group. The phyllosphere bacterial community showed lower alpha diversity and stronger compositional variation across shading treatments than the rhizosphere community, indicating higher sensitivity of leaf-associated bacteria to changes in the light environment. The rhizosphere maintained a larger shared bacterial pool and more stable community composition, with treatment-related differences mainly reflected in shifts in relative abundance. Functional prediction using PICRUSt2 indicated that phyllosphere bacterial functions were more responsive to shading than those in the rhizosphere, particularly pathways associated with genetic information processing and metabolism. PICRUSt2-based KEGG predictions suggested that both the phyllosphere and rhizosphere communities in the less-shaded and unshaded treatments were enriched for pathways related to aromatic compound degradation. Co-occurrence network analysis further revealed that phyllosphere association patterns were more sensitive to shading variation, whereas rhizosphere network complexity remained relatively stable. Shading exerted compartment-specific effects on the bacterial communities of M. oleifera seedlings, with the phyllosphere microbiota showing higher sensitivity to light variation than the rhizosphere communities.

The genus Paphiopedilum (Orchidaceae) has high ornamental value due to its long flowering period, brilliant flower color, and peculiar floral morphology. Guangxi is the center of ecological diversity of Paphiopedilum, and therefore it is urgent to conduct rescue studies on the genetic resources and genetic structure of this genus in Guangxi. In this study, the genetic diversity of 39 populations from eight Paphiopedilum species in Guangxi was analyzed using ten selected EST-SSR primer pairs and fluorescent PCR amplification. The results show that genetic diversity varied among species, with large differences in expected heterozygosity (He). The highest genetic diversity was observed in P. barbigerum (I = 0.923; He = 0.480), while P. dianthum (I = 0.179; He = 0.098) showed the lowest diversity. From the genus perspective, molecular variance analysis (AMOVA) revealed that 57% of the genetic variation occurred among populations and 43% within populations, with inter-population variation being the main source of genetic variation. From a species perspective, genetic differentiation varied, with inter-individual differentiation ranging from 79% to 95%. The percentage of molecular variance indicated that genetic variation mainly occurred among individuals, which was the main source of total variation. According to the principle of maximum likelihood, the optimal K value was determined to be 6, and 760 Paphiopedilum samples were divided into six subgroups. The results of this study not only identify priority populations for conservation and establish a germplasm repository to preserve existing resources, but also provide references for research on asexual reproduction, seed propagation, and hybrid breeding of Paphiopedilum, thereby promoting the conservation and sustainable utilization of Paphiopedilum germplasm resources.

Horsfieldia hainanensis is China’s second-class key protected wild plant with high scientific research, timber, and medicinal values. In this study, the SNP molecular marker technology was used to determine the genetic diversity, genetic structure, genetic differentiation, genetic relationship, and its influencing factors of H. hainanensis populations. It provided a scientific basis for the formulation of its protection strategy. The results showed that (1) the genetic diversity of H. hainanensis populations exhibited a very low level (π = 0.0011). (2) The overall genetic differentiation of H. hainanensis populations was relatively large. There was a significant genetic differentiation between Hainan populations and Guangxi and Yunnan populations on the mainland (FST = 0.556); the genetic differentiation between Guangxi and Yunnan populations was relatively smaller (FST = 0.242). There is a natural water barrier around Hainan Island that reduces the gene exchange between island populations and mainland populations. Therefore, geographical isolation is one of the main factors affecting the genetic differentiation of H. hainanensis populations (p = 0.0103 < 0.05). (3) The genetic relationship between Hainan populations and Yunnan and Guangxi populations was relatively distant, while the genetic relationship between Yunnan and Guangxi populations was relatively closer. In conclusion, it is recommended that during in situ protection, the Guangxi population with higher genetic diversity should be preferentially protected, especially the populations in NG and SL should be regarded as the key protected populations of wild populations. The gene exchange between Yunnan population (MLP) and Guangxi populations (NG, SL, DX1, and DX2) should be enhanced by means of artificial pollination in different localities. During ex situ protection, the germplasm resource collection work of the population (NG, SL) with higher genetic diversity should be carried out preferentially. The technical research on tissue culture and rapid propagation should be actively carried out. A germplasm resource nursery should be established. The individuals should be planted according to provenance and family, but the planting distance between individuals can be appropriately reduced to increase the gene exchange between individuals and make up for the defects during in situ protection.

Not only are the plants of the golden camellia group examples of high-quality camellia germplasm, but they are also a plant group with rich medicinal and nutritional value, and these plants are used as food, cosmetics and traditional medicine in China. There are approximately 50 species in this group around the world, and more than 30 species of golden camellia plants have been listed in China. The leaves and flowers of these species have similar shapes, and as such, they are often confused as the same species. Our study used simplified genome sequencing technology to construct a phylogenetic tree of plants in the Chinese golden camellia group, and we also described the evolutionary relationships. At the same time, the secondary metabolic indexes of the total phenols, total flavonoids, total anthocyanins and ellagic acid in the leaves were determined, and principal component clustering analysis was also performed. The results showed that the phylogenetic relationship and genetic distance among the plant species of Chinese golden camellia group plants were fully revealed. The cluster analysis of chemical secondary metabolism and genetic phylogenetic trees showed some of the same trends, thereby indicating that secondary metabolism golden camellia can be used as biomarkers for golden camellia. The research results provide phylogenetic information for the genotype and performance diversity of the golden camellia that is regionally distributed in China, as well as provide a theoretical basis for the research and development of potential bioactive substances.

Cycas (family Cycadaceae), which spread throughout tropical and subtropical regions, is crucial in conservation biology. Due to subtle morphological variations between species, a solid species-level phylogeny for Cycas is lacking. In the present study, we assembled and analyzed the chloroplast genomes of six Cycas plants, including their genome structure, GC content, and nucleotide diversity. The Cycas chloroplast genome spans from 162,038 to 162,159 bp and contains 131 genes, including 86 protein-coding genes, 37 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, and 8 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes. Through a comparative analysis, we found that the chloroplast genome of Cycas was highly conserved, as indicated by the contraction and expansion of the inverted repeat (IR) regions and sequence polymorphisms. In addition, several non-coding sites (psbK-psbI, petN-psbM, trnE-UUC-psbD, ndhC-trnM-CAU, and rpl32-trnP-GGG) showed significant variation. The utilization of phylogenetic analysis relying on protein-coding genes has substantiated the division of Cycas primarily into four groups. The application of these findings will prove valuable in evaluating genetic diversity and the phylogenetic connections among closely related species. Moreover, it will provide essential support for the advancement of wild germplasm resources.

Plants of the golden Camellia group are not only high-quality camellia germplasm , but also a plant group with rich medicinal and nutritional value, which are used as food, cosmetics and traditional medicine in China. There are approximately 50 species in this group around the world, and more than 30 species of golden camelliaplants have been published in China. The leaves and flowers of these species have similar shapes, so they are often confused as species. Our study used simplified genome sequencing technology to construct a phylogenetic tree of plants in the Chinese golden Camellia group and describe the evolutionary relationships . At the same time, the secondary metabolic indexes of total phenols, total flavonoids, total anthocyanins and ellagic acid in the leaves were determined., and principal component clustering analysis was performed . The results showed that the chemical classification and genetic phylogenetic trees showed some of the same trends, indicating that Camellia chinensis can be used as Biomarkers for chemical type. The research results provide phylogenetic information for the genotype and performance diversity of golden camelliaregionally distributed in China. At the same time, molecular biology phylogenetic methods are used to understand or explain the characteristics of secondary metabolites of golden Camellia , and provide theoretical basis for the search and development of potential bioactive substances.

Cycas (family Cycadaceae), spread throughout tropical and subtropical regions, is crucial in con-servation biology. Due to the subtle morphological variations between species, a solid spe-cies-level phylogeny for Cycas is lacking. Because of the rapid progress in high-throughput se-quencing technology, it has become feasible to acquire complete chloroplast (cp) genome se-quences, which provide a molecular foundation for phylogenetic research. In the present study, we employed next-generation sequencing technology to assemble and analyze the chloroplast genomes of six Cycas plants, including their genome structure, GC content, and nucleotide di-versity. The Cycas chloroplast genome spans 162,038 to 162,159 bp and contains 131 genes, in-cluding 86 protein-coding genes, 37 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, and 8 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes. Through a comparative analysis, we found that the chloroplast genome of Cycas was highly conserved, as indicated by the contraction and expansion of the inverted repeat (IR) re-gions and sequence polymorphisms. In addition, several non-coding sites (psbK-psbI, petN-psbM, trnE-UUC-psbD, ndhC-trnM-CAU, and rpl32-trnP-GGG) showed significant varia-tion. The utilization of phylogenetic analysis relying on protein-coding genes has substantiated the division of Cycas primarily into four groups. The application of these findings will prove valuable in evaluating genetic diversity and the phylogenetic connections among closely related species. Moreover, it will provide essential support for the advancement of wild germplasm re-sources.

Habenaria dentata has medicinal and ornamental value, but the number of wild populations is decreasing dramatically. Thus, conducting research on its genetic diversity and structure is necessary to provide a basis for its conservation. This study aimed to explore the genetic diversity of the wild plant H. dentata and protect and optimize its wild resources. The genetic diversity of 133 samples from six wild populations of H. dentata was analyzed using Inter Simple Sequence Repeat molecular markers to provide a scientific basis for the screening of improved germplasm resources. The results showed that the average number of alleles was 1.765, the average number of effective alleles was 1.424, the average Nei’s gene diversity index was 0.252, the average Shannon diversity index was 0.381, and the average percentage of polymorphic loci was 76.499%. The variation within the populations was 77.34%, and the variation between the populations was 22.66%. The gene flow was 1.705, which was greater than 1. The results of the cluster analysis showed that the six populations were mainly divided into four clusters and were not classified according to their geographical location. There was no significant correlation between the geographical location and genetic distance between the populations (r = 0.557, p > 0.05). The genetic diversity of H. dentata is high. Among the six wild populations, the genetic diversity of the Mulun population was the highest and this population can be used as a key protection unit. The study on the genetic diversity of H. dentata can not only reveal the reasons for the decrease in the number of individuals in the population to a certain extent, and put forward the protection strategy, but also provide a scientific basis for the breeding of excellent seed resources.

In order to explore the genetic diversity of the extremely small population wild plant Habenaria dentata and protect and optimize its wild resources. The genetic diversity of 133 samples from 6 wild populations of H.dentata was analyzed by ISSR molecular marker technique to provide a scientific basis for the screening of improved germplasm resources. The results show that the average number of alleles (Na) was 1.765, the average number of effective alleles (Ne) was 1.424, the average Nei 's gene diversity index (He) was 0.252, the average Shannon information diversity index (I) was 0.381, and the average percentage of polymorphic loci (PPL) was 76.499%. The variation within populations was 77.34%, and the variation between populations was 22.66%. Gene flow (Nm) was 1.705 8, greater than 1. The results of cluster analysis showed that the six populations were mainly divided into four branches and not classified according to geographical location. There was no significant correlation between geographical location and genetic distance between populations (r=0.557, P>0.05). The genetic diversity of H.dentata is high. Among the six wild populations, the genetic diversity of Mulun population is the highest and this population can be used as a key protection unit.