Search

Determining the mechanisms that drive phenotypic and genetic divergence by species has been a central topic in evolutionary biology for many years. However, the relative contributions of isolation by distance (IBD) and environment factors to species divergence are largely unknown in perennial herbs in East Asia. In this study, we collected population genetic samples of the cold‐tolerant perennial herb Notopterygium oviforme R. H. Shan in central China. We integrated the population transcriptomes, whole chloroplast genomes, genotyping‐by‐sequencing, microsatellite markers, and ecological factors to determine the relative contributions of geography, climate, and soil factors to genetic, chemical, and phenotypic divergence. A clear genetic distinction was identified between the West Qinling and East Qinling Mountains geographical groups of N. oviforme based on various molecular datasets. Interestingly, obvious niche conservation might have been responsible for the similarity of most of the leaf functional traits in the two groups. Multiple matrix regression with randomization analysis showed that the spatial intraspecific divergence pattern was mainly due to IBD rather than isolation by environment. In addition, transcriptomic expression divergence and some ecological factors have played key roles in intraspecific lineage differentiation. Approximate Bayesian Computation showed that both lineages have experienced historical population expansion and recent range contraction. Molecular dating suggested that intraspecific divergence was closely associated with dramatic uplifts of the Qinling Mountains in East Asia. These results demonstrate that geographical, geological, and environmental factors together shaped cryptic intraspecific diversification and shifts in the population dynamics of the perennial cold‐tolerant herb N. oviforme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mushroom-forming fungi are complex multicellular organisms that form the basis of a large industry, yet, our understanding of the mechanisms of mushroom development and its responses to various stresses remains limited. The winter mushroom (Flammulina filiformis) is cultivated at a large commercial scale in East Asia and is a species with a preference for low temperatures. This study investigated fruiting body development in F. filiformis by comparing transcriptomes of 4 developmental stages, and compared the developmental genes to a 200-genome dataset to identify conserved genes involved in fruiting body development, and examined the response of heat sensitive and -resistant strains to heat stress. Our data revealed widely conserved genes involved in primordium development of F. filiformis, many of which originated before the emergence of the Agaricomycetes, indicating co-option for complex multicellularity during evolution. We also revealed several notable fruiting-specific genes, including the genes with conserved stipe-specific expression patterns and the others which related to sexual development, water absorption, basidium formation and sporulation, among others. Comparative analysis revealed that heat stress induced more genes in the heat resistant strain (M1) than in the heat sensitive one (XR). Of particular importance are the hsp70, hsp90 and fes1 genes, which may facilitate the adjustment to heat stress in the early stages of fruiting body development. These data highlighted novel genes involved in complex multicellular development in fungi and aid further studies on gene function and efforts to improve the productivity and heat tolerance in mushroom-forming fungi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gyrodactylus konovalovi is an ectoparasite on the Amur minnow (Rhynchocypris lagowskii) that is widely distributed in the cold fresh waters of East Asia. In the present study, the phylogeography and demographic history of G. konovalovi and the distribution of its host in the Qinling Mountains are examined. A total of 79 individual parasites was sequenced for a 528 bp region of the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 5 (ND5) gene, and 25 haplotypes were obtained. The substitution rate (dN/dS) was 0.068 and indicated purifying selection. Haplotype diversity (h) and nucleotide diversity (π) varied widely in the Qinling Mountains. Phylogenetic trees based on Bayesian inference (BI), maximum likelihood (ML), and maximum parsimony (MP) methods and network analysis revealed that all haplotypes were consistently well‐supported in three different lineages, indicating a significant geographic distribution pattern. There was a significant positive correlation between genetic differentiation (Fst) and geographic distance. The results of mismatch distribution, neutrality test and Bayesian skyline plot analyses showed that whole populations underwent population contraction during the Pleistocene. Based on the molecular clock calibration, the most common ancestor was estimated to have emerged in the middle Pleistocene. Our study suggests for the first time that a clearly phylogeography of G. konovalovi was shaped by geological events and climate fluctuations, such as orogenesis, drainage capture changes, and vicariance, during the Pleistocene in the Qinling Mountains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]