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A taxonomic revision of Disporum of Taiwan is presented with two species and one variety being recognised. The diagnostic characters of Disporum include the colour of tepals, stolon morphology, the trichomes of filaments and style and leaf morphology. These characters, along with karyotype and pollen morphology, are discussed and evaluated amongst different taxa. As a result, D. kawakamii and D. shimadae are treated as independent species, rather than varieties of D. cantoniense and D. sessile, respectively. Disporum nantouense is treated as a synonym of D. sessile var. intermedium stat. nov. Detailed descriptions, type information, diagnostic key, line drawings, photos and distribution maps are provided.

Polygonatum is widely distributed in the northern hemisphere, especially in eastern Asia. There has been no comprehensive taxonomic study of Taiwanese taxa for some time, and researchers could not agree on a consistent treatment of the genus. Therefore, we revised the genus by literature review and type specimen examination along with comparison of morphology, karyotype and pollen characteristics. Only one species P. arisanense Hayata was recognized in this study. P. chingshuishanianum Ying and P. formosanum (Hayata) Masamune & Simada are regarded as varieties of P. arisanense and are here presented as two new combinations, P. arisanense var. chingshuishanianum and P. arisanense var. formosanum.

In the montane flora of Taiwan, Anaphalis nepalensis is the most widely present species of Anaphalis (Compositae), yet its taxonomic status is uncertain. In the present study, we employed both morphological and molecular data to demonstrate that A. nepalensis is misidentified and does not occur in Taiwan. In contrast, the name has been misapplied in Taiwan to the previously described endemic species, A. nagasawae, which can be further divided into two varieties based on the number of heads in the inflorescence: A. nagasawae var. nagasawae has one or two heads, while A. nagasawae var. niitakayamensis has three to five heads. Furthermore, the typification of A. nagasawae, A. nepalensis and Gnaphalium niitakayamense are discussed here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study employed scanning electron microscopy to investigate the pollen morphology of Taiwanese Asparagaceae species, revealing that their pollen morphology closely aligns with that of other monocotyledonous plant taxa such as Asparagales, Commelinales, and Bromeliales. Despite the overall similarity, variations in pollen morphology across different genera were noted, highlighting its potential utility in classification. Unlike the wide diversity observed in flower morphology, Asparagaceae pollen morphology appears conservative, rendering it less effective as a taxonomic marker at the species level. The study also delved into the effects of pollenkitt and harmomegathy on pollen morphology, discovering that pollenkitt partially or completely coats the pollen surface, potentially complicating the identification of exine sculpture. Furthermore, the harmomegathic effect was observed to influence aperture dynamics. Consequently, observing both hydrated and dried pollen is advisable, as it can more accurately depict the pollen's aperture morphology and offer additional insights for pollen grain analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cryptic lineage is a genetically diverged but morphologically unrecognized variant of a known species. Clarifying cryptic lineage evolution is essential for quantifying species diversity. In sympatric cryptic lineage divergence compared with allopatric divergence, the forces of divergent selection and mating patterns override geographical isolation. Introgression, by supplying preadapted or neutral standing genetic variations, can promote sympatric cryptic lineage divergence via selection. However, most studies concentrated on extant species introgression, ignoring the genetic legacy of introgression from extinct or unsampled lineages ("ghost introgression"). Cycads are an ideal plant for studying the influence of ghost introgression because of their common interspecific gene flow and past high extinction rate. Here, we utilized reference‐based ddRADseq to clarify the role of ghost introgression in the evolution of a previously identified sympatric cryptic lineage in Cycas revoluta. After re‐evaluating the evolutionary independency of cryptic lineages, the group‐wise diverged single‐nucleotide polymorphisms among sympatric and allopatric lineages were compared and functionally annotated. Next, we employed an approximate Bayesian computation method for hypothesis testing to clarify the cryptic lineage evolution and ghost introgression effect. SNPs with the genomic signatures of ghost introgression were further annotated. Our results reconfirmed the evolutionary independency of cryptic lineage among C. revoluta and demonstrated that ghost introgression to the noncryptic lineage facilitated their divergence. Gene function related to heat stress and disease resistance implied ecological adaptation of the main extant populations of C. revoluta. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims Soil quality is undergoing severe degradation under anthropogenic effects. Different methods of land management have been implemented for soil reclamation, such as turfing. Although widely accepted to improve soil quality, turfing in specific environments may also culminate in soil deterioration. We aim to know how turfing impacts soils by changing mycobiomes. Methods and results The soil physicochemical properties and ITS metabarcoding were used to investigate mycobiome diversity and eco-function differences between the eudicot Dianthus plumarius and the monocot Poa pratensis in dry, cold, and high-alkali soil. The effects of plantation and the rhizosphere (e.g. root exudates) were tested. We showed that the change in soil mycobiomes in different planted bulk soils and rhizospheres could mainly be attributed to species turnover, with minor nestedness. Unexpectedly, the soil deteriorates more following turfing. The increasing saprotrophs in planted bulk soil were more marked in the monocot than in the eudicot, even the rhizosphere effect alleviated saprotrophic risks in the rhizosphere. Conclusions Turfing deteriorates the health of high-alkali soil by reducing nitrification, and upshift the soil saprotrophs in a dry and cold environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study analyzed the epidermal morphology of Asparagaceae in detail and assessed its systematic importance. At the familial level, no consistent characteristics were found, but anticlinal wall and stomata morphology provided systematic information of different tribes, especially Ophiopogoneae and Polygonateae. In Ophiopogoneae, Liriope and Ophiopogon had similar epidermis, which implying a close relationship between them, and was also supported by related studies. The leaves of Polygonateae exhibited rounded and undulate anticlinal wall. Polygonatum arisanense var. formosanum had a rounded anticlinal wall, whereas other species exhibited undulate anticlinal walls. Different epidemis of Po. arisanense var. formosanum supported the variety treatment of Po. arisanense. The intergeneric relationship was also interpreted based on the anticlinal wall and stomata. Therefore, the epidermis could provide the systematic value of Asparagaceae. The present study also revealed the linkage of stomata and habitat types, though the adaptative significance of epidermal traits needs further study. Research Highlights: Anticlinal wall and stomatal morphology had systematic potential on tribal or generic levels of Asparagaceae.Stomatal types of Asparagaceae might be linked to environmental factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The divergence process of incipient species is fascinating but elusive by incomplete lineage sorting or gene flow. Species delimitation is also challenging among those morphologically similar allopatric species, especially when lacking comprehensive data. Cycas sect. Asiorientales , comprised of C. taitungensis and C. revoluta in the Ryukyu Archipelago and Taiwan, diverged recently with continuous gene flow, resulting in a reciprocal paraphyletic relationship. Their previous evolutionary inferences are questioned from few genetic markers, incomplete sampling, and incomprehensive morphological comparison by a long-term taxonomic misconception. By whole range sampling, this study tests the geographic mode of speciation in the two species of Asiorientales by approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) using genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The individual tree was reconstructed to delimit the species and track the gene-flow trajectory. With the comparison of diagnostic morphological traits and genetic data, the allopatric speciation was rejected. Alternatively, continuous but spatially heterogeneous gene flow driven by transoceanic vegetative dispersal and pollen flow with contrasting population sizes blurred their species boundary. On the basis of morphological, genetic, and evolutionary evidence, we synonymized these two Cycas species. This study highlights not only the importance of the Kuroshio Current to species evolution but also the disadvantage of using species with geographically structured genealogies as conservation units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hybridization frequently occurs in plant species. With repeated backcross, the introgression may influence evolutionary trajectories through the entry of foreign genes. However, the genetic admixture via hybridization events is often confused with the ancestral polymorphism, especially in closely related species that have experienced similar evolutionary events. In Taiwan, two independent-originated endemic snakebark maples have contrasted postglacial range expansion routes: northward and upward expansion in Acer caudatifolium and downward expansion in A. morrisonense. The range expansion causes the current parapatric distribution, increasing the possibility of introgression. This study elucidates how their genetic variation reflects introgression and historical demography. With 17 EST-SSR markers among the intensely sampled 657 individuals, we confirmed that the genetic admixture between species mainly was attributed to recent introgression instead of common ancestral polymorphism. The secondary contact scenario inferred by approximate Bayesian computation suggested that A. morrisonense received more genetic variations from A. caudatifolium. Introgression occurred in colonized Taiwan around the early Last Glacial Period. Furthermore, the demography of A. caudatifolium was more severely affected by introgression than A. morrisonense, especially in the wavefront populations with high altitude range expansion, implying an altitude-related adaptive introgression. In contrast, A. morrisonense exhibited ubiquitous introgression independent of postglacial expansion, suggesting that introgression in A. morrisonense was neutral. In terms of different genetic consequences, introgression had different demographic impacts on species with different altitude expansion directions even under the same climate-change conditions within an island. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genus Scutellaria comprises eight species distributed from 50 to 2000 m in Taiwan. Amongst them, S. barbata and S. taipeiensis are very similar on the basis of morphological and plastid DNA sequence information. Therefore, a comprehensive study of the taxonomic status of S. taipeiensis is necessary. We reviewed the herbarium sheets, related literature and protologues and compared morphologies of these two species, as well as their phylogenetic relationships. All evidence, including the diagnostic characters between S. taipeiensis and S. barbata , suggest that they belonged to a single species rather than two. As a result, S. taipeiensis is treated as a synonym of S. barbata ., (Chien-Ti Chao, Bing-Hong Huang, Jui-Tse Chang, Pei-Chun Liao.)

The aim of this study was to investigate the possible analgesic and anti-inflammatory mechanisms of the ethanolic extract of A. morrisonensis Hayata (AM(EtOH)). Two models were employed for evaluation of the analgesic effects: acetic acid-induced writhing response and formalin-induced paw licking. The results demonstrated that AM(EtOH) decreased writhing response for both the acetic acid assay and the licking time in the formalin test. The anti-inflammatory effect was evaluated by paw edema of mice induced by λ-carrageenan. AM(EtOH) significantly decreased induced paw edema three to four hours after λ-carrageenan injection. Additionally, the results indicated that the anti-inflammatory mechanism of AM(EtOH) may be due to the declined levels of nitric oxide (NO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the edematous paw. Furthermore, AM(EtOH) decreased the tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels, leading to the reduction of prostaglandins and subsequently alleviated edema. Isolation and purification of the AM(EtOH) extract determined p-hydroxyacetophenone to be a major component at 130 mg/g of extract. No mortality was observed in the acute toxicity test given at the dose of 10 g/kg. This study demonstrated the possible mechanisms for the analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of AM(EtOH) for mice and provided evidence for the ethnobotanical uses of A. morrisonensis in treating inflammatory diseases.