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— Lithocarpus cadamensis Ngoc & Son, a new species of Fagaceae, is described and illustrated from Mt. Ca Dam, Tra Bong District, Quang Ngai Province, central Vietnam. The new species is characterized by its large leaf blades with long petioles, solitary and subsessile cupules which almost completely cover the nut, and spiny cupule scales, in a combination that clearly differs from the previously known species of Lithocarpus including the most similar species in the region, L. campylolepis, L. eucalyptifolius, and L. gougerotae. A MIG-seq phylogeny based on genome-wide SNPs reveals a phylogenetic position close to L. eucalyptifolius, from which the new species is differentiated by multiple morphological characters. A morphological description and comparison with related species, photographs, line drawing, preliminary conservation status, and DNA barcode sequences are provided for the new species.

An unknown species of the genus Sedum was discovered in Kawara-dake and Ryu-ga-hana, limestone mountains in Kyushu, Japan. The present study aimed to clarify the taxonomic status of the unknown Sedum species through morphological and ecological comparisons and molecular phylogenetic analysis using ITS sequences based on comprehensive taxon sampling of sect. Sedum in East Asia. Morphologically and ecologically, the unknown species was most similar to S. lipingense in China, but was distinguished by having larger spatulate rosulate leaves and more flowers per flowering stem. Phylogenetically, it belonged to a clade with four Chinese endemics including S. lipingense and two other species widely distributed in East Asia. The clade showed polytomy at the base, but the unknown species was genetically differentiated from the other species. Therefore, we describe the unknown species from Kawara-dake as a new species, S. kawaraense.

The premise of the study Though phenological studies in montane forests are important, particularly in tropical Asia where primitive angiosperms are found, the phenology in these forests is still poorly understood. To characterize the phenological patterns and reveal the relationships between meteorological factors and phenology, we observed the leafing, flowering, and fruiting phenology in the tropical montane forests of Vietnam. Methods We observed the leafing, flowering, and fruiting phenology of 91 species every three months in five plots (elev. 1460–1920 m) in Bidoup-Nui Ba National Park, Vietnam, and analyzed how the number of species that were leafing, flowering, or fruiting varied in relation to precipitation, temperature, or daylength. Key results The leafing phenology showed a peak at the beginning of the wet season (April) and was significantly influenced by all of day length, precipitation, and temperature. The flowering phenology did not show any distinct peaks and was influenced by day length and precipitation. The fruiting phenology showed a low peak from the wet season (July) to the beginning of the dry season (December) and was not significantly influenced by any of the meteorological factors. Main conclusion The community-wide phenological patterns of leafing, flowering, and fruiting in the tropical montane forest of Bidoup-Nui Ba are unique among the tropical forests of East and Southeast Asia. In particular, our observation suggests that masting in tropical montane forests may be an ancestral state of both general flowering in tropical rainforests and masting found in temperate forests in East and Southeast Asia.

The Asia-Pacific Biodiversity Observation Network (APBON) was launched in 2009, in response to the establishment of the Biodiversity Observation Network under the Group on Earth Observations in 2008. APBON's mission is to increase exchange of knowledge and know-how between institutions and researchers concerning biodiversity science research in the Asia-Pacific (AP) region and thereby contribute to evidence-based decision-making and policy-making. Here we summarize APBON activities and achievements in its first 10 years. We review how APBON has developed networks, facilitated communication for sharing knowledge, and built capacity of researchers and stakeholders through workshops and publications as well as discuss the network plan. Key findings by APBON members include descriptions of species new to science, mapping tropical forest cover change, evaluating impacts of hydropower dams and climate change on fish species diversity in the Mekong, and mapping “Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas” in the oceans. APBON has also contributed to data collection, sharing, analysis, and synthesis for regional and global biodiversity assessment. A highlight was contributing to the “Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services” regional report. New strategic plans target the development of national-level BONs and interdisciplinary research to address the data and knowledge gaps and increase data accessibility for users and for meeting societal demands. Strengthening networks in AP region and capacity building through APBON meetings will continue. By promoting monitoring and scientific research and facilitating the dialogue with scientists and policymakers, APBON will contribute to the implementation of conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in the entire AP region.

It is vital to measure the levels of genetic diversity and differentiation between populations in a species to understand the current genetic structure and evolution of the species. Here, MIG-seq (multiplexed inter-simple sequence repeat genotyping by sequencing) was employed to assess the genetic variation in two tropical leguminous tree species, Dalbergia cochinchinensis and D. nigrescens, in Cambodia and Thailand. Sequence data for 255-618 loci, each with an approximate length of 100 bp, were obtained, and the nucleotide diversity, Tajima's D and FST were computed. The estimates calculated from the data obtained by MIG-seq were compared to those obtained by Sanger sequencing of nine nuclear coding genes in D. cochinchinensis in our previous study. The nucleotide diversity at the MIG-seq loci was slightly higher than that at silent sites in the coding loci, whereas the FST values at the MIG-seq loci were generally lower than those at the coding loci, although the differences were not significant. Moreover, nucleotide diversities within populations of the two species were similar to each other, at approximately 0.005. Three and four population clusters were genetically recognized in D. cochinchinensis and D. nigrescens, respectively. Although the populations were differentiated from each other, the levels of differentiation among them, as measured by FST, were higher in D. cochinchinensis than in D. nigrescens. This indicates higher levels of gene flow between the populations in the latter species. We recommend using MIG-seq for quick surveys of genetic variation because it is cost-effective and results in smaller variance in the estimates of population genetic parameters.

Six pteridophyte species of five families and 12 spermatophyte species of 10 families are reported from Bolaven Plateau, southern Laos, as new records to the flora of Laos. Moreover, two new species, Sterculia bolavenensis (Malvaceae) and Wikstroemia bolavenensis (Thymelaeaceae), are described. For each species, voucher specimens are cited, photographs are shown and additional information including geographical distribution, ecology and taxonomic notes are provided.

A new species of Paraboea (Gesneriaceae), P. khotamiae, from a limestone karst in central Laos, is described and illustrated. The species resembles Paraboea bintangensis, P. prazeri and P. robusta, but differs in leaf shape and floral features, especially corolla shape and size, the interior of the corolla tube, and capsule characters. In addition, we report the occurrence of Middletonia reticulata (Gesneriaceae) for the flora of Laos for the first time.

A new species of Diospyros, D. laoensis, from Nam Kading National Protected Area, central Laos, is described and illustrated. It morphologically resembles D. longipilosa of Thailand, D. martabanica of India and Southeast Asia, and D. xishuangbannaensis of China, but is distinguished by its adaxially glabrous midrib, shorter calyx lobes and shorter fruiting pedicel. DNA barcodes of the rbcL and matK regions, a vernacular name and preliminary conservation assessment are also provided. As the species is considered to be endemic to a restricted area which is under threat from deforestation, it is here suggested for assessment under the category of Endangered (EN) within the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Yooprasert, Sawita, Culham, Alastair, Tagane, Shuichiro, Yahara, Tetsukazu, Nguyen, Van Du, Nguyen, Khang Sinh, Utteridge, Timothy M. A. (2022): New species and new status of Urophyllum Wall. (Rubiaceae) from Cambodia and Viêtnam. Adansonia (3) 44 (11): 91-114, DOI: 10.5252/adansonia2022v44a11

This paper presents a re-evaluation of the taxonomic identity of Sciaphila major described from Sarawak, Borneo, Malaysia which has been considered conspecific with S. secundiflora. We revealed that S. major is clearly distinguishable from S. secundiflora s.s. by the arrangement of flowers on rachis (spirally and subdensely arranged vs. secundly and laxly arranged), rachis length in a fully developed inflorescence [(2–)3–6(–7) cm vs. 6–19 cm], tepal length of male flowers (2–2.3 mm vs. 3–4 mm) and the number of perianth segments (more than 6 vs. 6). By spirally-arranged and white flowers, S. major is most similar to S. alba, but is distinguishable by plant height (15–25 cm vs. 25–35 cm in S. alba), rachis length in a fully developed inflorescence [(2–)3–6(–7) cm vs. 8–14 cm)], the number of flowers (usually less than 20 vs. usually more than 20), the arrangement of flowers on rachis (subdensely arranged vs. laxly arranged), the number of male perianth segments (usually more than 6 vs. usually 6) and the condition of floral disc (flat vs. bowl-shaped). We also provide an updated key to the species of Sciaphila distributed in Borneo.

Mallotus tokiae (Euphorbiaceae), a poorly known species, was described based upon a single fruiting specimen from Surat Thani Province, peninsular Thailand. We found this species with staminate and slightly mature pistillate flowers in Lampi Island, Myanmar. A new locality record, description of flowers, preliminary conservation assessment and DNA barcoding of this species are provided.

Molecular phylogenetic studies of Hosta pulchella (Asparagaceae) and its relatives, which are native to Japan, have been conducted and resulted in a highly resolved phylogeny. Specifically, the relationship of H. pulchella to H. alata Hatusima, nom. nud. is investigated. These data include genome-wide SNPs obtained through conducting multiplexed ISSR genotyping by sequencing (MIG-seq). Based on these phylogenetic results, morphological observations, distribution, and differences in flowering periods of H. alata collections sympatric with H. pulchella, we find the two species closely related, but distinct. As such, we formally describe Hosta alatasp. nov. from the Oita Prefecture of Kyushu island, southwestern Japan.

The sika deer population on Yakushima Island exhibits high genetic diversity despite the small size of the island. We hypothesized that the high genetic diversity of the population had been maintained by the population structure, which included several subpopulations among which gene flow was limited. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed the spatial genetic structure of the population using 12 microsatellite loci. Two and four subpopulations were detected by STRUCTURE (stN and stS) and GENELAND (glN, glE, glS, and glW) software, respectively. The basic genetic structure assigned by STRUCTURE was supported by GENELAND, while stN and stS were further separated into two subpopulations (glN and glE; glS and glW, respectively) by GENELAND. All pairwise genetic differentiations between the two and four subpopulations were significant. These results demonstrated that the Yakushima population was structured into genetically distinct subpopulations. Although the location of the western boundary between stN and stS corresponded with a large river, no landscape or biological feature could be identified for the eastern boundary. We discussed the relationships between the genetic structure and management units designed by the local government and concluded that the Yakushima population should be managed based on their spatial population structures considering multiple time scales.

Premise Flowering phenology may differ among life forms due to the costs and benefits to attract pollinators, dependence on outcross pollination, and resource availability in their habitats. However, few studies have compared flowering phenology among life forms within a community and described flowering phenology at the individual, species, and community levels. Methods We recorded flowering events for individuals of insect-pollinated trees, perennial herbs, and annuals from spring to summer of 2016 and 2017 in a warm-temperate forest in Japan. To compare phenological variables including mean and variance of flowering length, we standardized the number of observed individuals for each species and tested differences in variables, considering the phylogenetic relationships among species. Results Total flowering length in trees (9-50 d) was significantly shorter than perennial herbs (27-113 d) or annuals (22-89 d), but mean flowering length was not significantly different among them. Flowering length variance was significantly smaller and intraspecies synchrony significantly higher in trees than in perennial herbs and annuals. At the community level, flowering times largely overlapped among successively flowering species, but interspecies synchrony was positive for all life forms. Conclusions Shorter total flowering length and higher intraspecific synchrony in trees are explained by a modified pollinator attraction hypothesis suggesting that selection favors higher intraspecific synchrony because it promotes between-individual movement of pollinators. At the community level, positive interspecific synchrony for all life forms supports the hypothesis that flowering times tend to converge among species.

A new species, Gynochthodes honbaensis (Rubiaceae), from Hon Ba Nature Researve, Khanh Hoa Province, southern Vietnam, is described, with a key to the species of Gynochthodes in Vietnam. This species is phenotypically most similar to G. macrophylla distributed in Nicobar Islands, Thailand, and Peninsular Malaysia, but differs in having smaller leaves, and much longer and glabrous peduncles.

The color and patterns of animal-pollinated flowers are known to have effects on pollinator attraction. In this study, the relative importance of flower color and color contrast patterns on pollinator attraction was examined in two pollinator groups, swallowtail butterflies and hawkmoths using two Hemerocallis species; butterfly-pollinated H. fulva and hawkmoth-pollinated H. citrina, having reddish and yellowish flowers in human vision, respectively. Flowers of both species have UV bullseye patterns, composed of UV-absorbing centers and UV-reflecting peripheries, known to function as a typical nectar guide, but UV reflectance was significantly more intense in the peripheries of H. citrina flowers than in those of H. fulva flowers. Comparison based on the visual systems of butterflies and hawkmoths showed that the color contrast of the bullseye pattern in H. citrina was more intense than that in H. fulva. To evaluate the relative importance of flower color and the color contrast of bullseye pattern on pollinator attraction, we performed a series of observations using experimental arrays consisting of Hemerocallis species and their hybrids. As a result, swallowtail butterflies and crepuscular/nocturnal hawkmoths showed contrasting preferences for flower color and patterns: butterflies preferred H. fulva-like colored flower whereas the preference of hawkmoths was affected by the color contrast of the bullseye pattern rather than flower color. Both crepuscular and nocturnal hawkmoths consistently preferred flowers with stronger contrast of the UV bullseye pattern, whereas the preference of hawkmoths for flower color was incoherent. Our finding suggests that hawkmoths can use UV-absorbing/reflecting bullseye patterns for foraging under light-limited environments and that the intensified bullseye contrast of H. citrina evolved as an adaptation to hawkmoths. Our results also showed the difference of visual systems between pollinators, which may have promoted floral divergence.

It is vital to measure the levels of genetic diversity and differentiation between populations in a species to understand the current genetic structure and evolution of the species. Here, MIG-seq (multiplexed inter-simple sequence repeat genotyping by sequencing) was employed to assess the genetic variation in two tropical leguminous tree species, Dalbergia cochinchinensis and D. nigrescens, in Cambodia and Thailand. Sequence data for 255-618 loci, each with an approximate length of 100 bp, were obtained, and the nucleotide diversity, Tajima's D and F

Abstract According to the contemporary classification of Hydrangea native to Japan, H.serrata is a polymorphic species including six varieties. We discovered a plant identified as H.serrata, but morphologically distinct from previously known varieties, in Yakushima island where approximately 50 endemic species are known. To determine the relationship of this plant with previously known varieties, we examined morphology and constructed a highly resolved phylogeny of H.serrata and its relatives using three chloroplast genomic regions, rbcL, trnL intron, psbA-trnH, and two nuclear genomic regions, ITS1 and ITS2, and Multiplex ISSR genotyping by sequencing (MIG-seq). Based on these morphological and phylogenetic observations, we describe Hydrangeaacuminatasubsp.yakushimensissubsp. nov. as a newly discovered lineage in Yakushima, Japan and propose Hydrangeaminamitaniistat. nov. and Hydrangeaacuminatasubsp.australisstat. nov. which were previously treated as varieties of H.serrata.

Molecular phylogenetic studies of

Correction to Chapter 1 in: Yahara T. et al. (2021) Decision Science for Future Earth: A Conceptual Framework. In: Yahara T. (eds) Decision Science for Future Earth. Springer, Singapore. 10.1007/978-981-15-8632-3_1

The purpose of this chapter is to review progress in our understanding of human behavior and decision-making relevant to future earth research agenda, and propose Decision Science as a hub of knowledge networks connecting disciplinary and interdisciplinary sciences with the practice of problem-solving. This review is composed of four sections. First, we describe the conceptual framework of “decision science for a sustainable society” and argue that evolutionary biology of the human nature is key to construct this framework. Second, we review how our group decision-making often fails due to various cognitive biases and argue that participatory approaches of co-design and co-production do not guarantee reasonable decision-making. Third, we review success stories of problem-solving in local communities and consider how we can connect those successes in local communities to successful national and global decision-making. Fourth, learning from both failures and successes, we argue that the adaptive learning of society is a process enabling us to transform our society toward a sustainable future. We review some positive global trends toward sustainability and consider the cognitive processes and behavioral mechanisms behind those trends that would provide clues for finding successful ways to transform our society.

International audience; Natural history collections and tropical tree diversity are both treasure troves of biological and evolutionary information, but their accessibility for scientific study is impeded by a number of properties. DNA in historical specimens is generally highly fragmented, complicating the recovery of high-grade genetic material. Furthermore, our understanding of hyperdiverse, wide-spread tree assemblages is obstructed by extensive species ranges, fragmented knowledge of tropical tree diversity and phenology, and a widespread lack of species-level diagnostic characters, prohibiting the collecting of readily identifiable specimens which can be used to build, revise or strengthen taxonomic frameworks. This, in turn, delays the application of downstream conservation action. A sizable component of botanical collections are sterile-thus eluding identification and are slowing down progress in systematic treatments of tropical biodiversity. With rapid advances in genomics and bioinformatic approaches to biodiversity research, museomics is emerging as a new field breathing life into natural collections that have been built up over centuries. Using MIGseq (multiplexed ISSR genotyping by sequencing), we generated 10,000s of short loci, for both freshly collected materials and museum specimens (aged > 100 years) of Lithocarpus-a widespread tropical tree genus endemic to the Asian tropics. Loci recovery from historical and recently collected samples was not affected by sample age and preservation history of the study material, underscoring the reliability and flexibility of the MIGseq approach. Phylogenomic inference and biogeographic reconstruction across insular Asia, highlights repeated migration and diversification patterns between continental regions and islands. Results indicate that co-occurring insular species at the extremity of the distribution range are not monophyletic, raising the possibility of multiple independent dispersals along the outer edge of Wallacea. This suggests that dispersal of large seeded tree genera throughout Malesia and across Wallacea may have been less affected by large geographic distances and the presence of marine barriers than generally assumed. We demonstrate the utility of MIGseq in museomic studies using non-model taxa, presenting the first range-wide genomic assessment of Lithocarpus and tropical Fagaceae as a proof-of-concept. Our study shows the potential for developing innovative genomic approaches to improve the capture of novel evolutionary signals using valuable natural history collections of hyperdiverse taxa.

A new species of Lauraceae,Cryptocarya kaengkrachanensisM.Z.Zhang, Yahara & Tagane, from Kaeng Krachan National Park, Phetchaburi Province, southwestern Thailand, is described and illustrated. This species is morphologically most similar toC. amygdalinain that its leaves are pinnately veined, leathery, and apparently glabrous (but microscopically hairy) abaxially, twigs are yellowish brown hairy, and fruits are 1.36 to 1.85 times longer than width. However,C. kaengkrachanensisis distinguished fromC. amygdalinain having the leaves of ovate and elliptic (vs. oblong-lanceolate) with leaf aspect ratio (length:width) from 1.38 to 2.28 (vs. 2.46–3.43), and ovoid fruits (vs. ellipsoid) with stalk distinctly swollen (vs. not or only slightly swollen). In addition, phylogenetic trees constructed based on internal transcribed spacer sequences (ITS) and genome-wide SNPs using MIG-seq showed thatC. kaengkrachanensisis not sister toC. amygdalinaand is distinct from all the otherCryptocaryaspecies hitherto recognized in Thailand. Analysis including other species demonstrates thatC. floribundashould be a synonym ofC. amygdalina, but we recognizeC. scortechiniias a distinct species.

The COVID-19 pandemic began in December 2019 and severely influenced society. In response, the Japanese government declared a state of emergency on 7th April in seven prefectures. The study conducted an immediate survey on 8th April to record the response of the general public to the first emergency status due to epidemics. The study hypothesized that personality traits, moral foundation, and political ideology can influence people's mentality, cognition, and behavior toward COVID-19. Based on a nationwide dataset of 1856 respondents (male = 56.3%, Mage = 46.7, emergency regions = 49.9%), the study found that personality, morality, and ideology altered mental health status and motivated behaviors toward COVID-19. Neuroticism and avoiding harm involved cognition and behavior through various means. The study also found significant differences among demographic groups. Results are informative and contributive to the governance and management of, and aid for, individual responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.