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The complete chloroplast genome of the shrubby cinquefoil Dasiphora fruticosa (Rosales: Rosaceae) has been assembled from the whole-genome Illumina sequencing data. The circular genome is 152,931 bp in size, and comprises a pair of inverted repeat (IR) regions of 25,311 bp each, a large single-copy (LSC) region of 84,182 bp and a small single-copy (SSC) region of 18,127 bp. It harbors 130 genes, including 85 protein-coding genes (78 PCG species), 37 tRNA genes (30 tRNA species) and eight rRNA genes (four rRNA species). The nucleotide composition is asymmetric (31.0% A, 19.0% C, 18.3% G and 31.7% T) with an overall A+T content of 62.7%. Phylogenetic analysis agrees well with the current taxonomic framework of the order Rosales, and suggests that D. fruticosa is closely related to taxa of the genus Fragaria within the subfamily Rosoideae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complete chloroplast genome of the Purple Feathergrass Stipa purpurea (Poales: Poaceae: Stipeae) has been assembled from the whole-genome Illumina sequencing data. The circular genome is 137,370 bp in size, and comprises a pair of inverted repeat regions of 21,663 bp each, a large single-copy region of 81,202 bp and a small single-copy region of 12,842 bp. It harbors 130 genes, including 84 protein-coding genes (78 PCG species), eight ribosomal RNA genes (four rRNA species) and 38 transfer RNA genes (30 tRNA species). The base composition is asymmetric (30.7 % A, 19.3 % C, 19.5 % G, 30.5 % T) with an overall A+T content of 61.2 %. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that S. purpurea is more phylogenetically related to its contribal counterparts than to those from other tribes, except for the case of Ampelodesmos mauritanicus (tribe Ampelodesmeae) probably due to its identity as an ancient hybrid between parents from Stipeae and Phaenospermateae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fungal endophytes associated with medicinal plants have been demonstrated as a reservoir with novel natural products useful in medicine and agriculture. It is desirable to explore the species composition, diversity and tissue specificity of endophytic fungi that inhabit in different tissues of medicinal plants. In this study, a culture-independent survey of fungal diversity in the rhizosphere, leaves, stems and roots of a toxic medicinal plant, Stellera chamaejasme L., was conducted by sequence analysis of clone libraries of the partial internal transcribed spacer region. Altogether, 145 fungal OTUs (operational taxonomic units), represented by 464 sequences, were found in four samples, of these 109 OTUs (75.2 %) belonging to Ascomycota, 20 (13.8 %) to Basidiomycota, 14 (9.7 %) to Zygomycota, 1 (0.7 %) to Chytridiomycota, and 1 (0.7 %) to Glomeromycota. The richness and diversity of fungal communities were strongly influenced by plant tissue environments, and the roots are associated with a surprisingly rich endophyte community. The endophyte assemblages associated with S. chamaejasme were strongly shaped by plant tissue environments, and exhibited a certain degree of tissue specificity. Our results suggested that a wide variety of fungal assemblages inhabit in S. chamaejasme, and plant tissue environments conspicuously influence endophyte community structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to report the entire mitochondrial genome of Qingyang donkey ( Equus asinus). Donkeys play an important role in the daily lives of human beings. The population of Chinese donkey breeds has undergone an enormous decline with the advance of agricultural mechanization, rapid development of transportation and introduction of new different breeds over the past few decades. As a result, a large number of donkey breeds are close to extinction, especially Qingyang donkey. Mitochondrial DNA is used as a molecular tool in research on biodiversity conservation and sustainable utilization of biological resources. The circular genome sequenced using the Illumina Hiseq 2500 platform was 16,568 base pairs (bp), containing 13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes and a non-coding control region. The initiation site of the L-strand replication origin, 32 bp in length, was between tRNA-Asn and tRNA-Cys. The base composition of the genome was A (32.4%), C (28.7%), G (13.2%) and T (25.7%) with an A+T content of 58.1%. Molecular phylogeny demonstrated two separated clades in Equidae and the presence of a distant relationship between the domestic donkey breeds and Asian wild asses, indicating that domestic donkeys might not probably have originated from Asian wild asses. However, African wild asses were grouped as a sister to domestic donkeys. This study presented the complete mitochondrial genome of E. asinus, providing the important genetic background of protection and adequate utilization of domestic donkey breeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]