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Environmental education (EE) is a concern in modern society. Plant blindness and nature-deficit disorder highlight how important nature contact and plant consciousness is for urban populations. Considering rapid urbanisation, these phenomena are of increasing concern in China. Integrating EE curricula in Chinese cities is necessary to help younger generations appreciate the environment and understand how to address environmental challenges. Based on our EE teaching experiences in Southwest China's largest urban conglomeration, Chengdu, we discuss anecdotes and propose strategies to improve Southwest China's EE, with guidance for future research. Although children are more drawn to animals, EE education should focus on ecosystem-wide approaches rather than entirely zoocentric or anthropocentric perspectives, since these could reinforce the problematic view that plants are merely 'backdrops'. Urban greenspaces should be utilised in active education schemes, with teachers trained via professional EE modules rooted in local environmental concerns and complementing national/regional priorities. EE programmes should actively engage parents, encouraging their interaction with schools during EE activity preparation and venue selection, as their participation can help overcome obsessive safety and liability concerns. Older generations should be encouraged to transmit their own environmental and ecological knowledge, with implications for both cultural resilience and biocultural diversity conservation efforts.

Outdoor education programs are promoted to enhance connections between individuals and nature to foster pro-environmental behavior. However, behavioral change is a complex, and often difficult psychological process. This study aimed to determine if establishing nature clubs in schools could promote students' conservation behaviors by mitigating traditional hunting and insect eating in Xishuangbanna, China. Outcomes were assessed using questionnaires and interviews. The program enhanced adolescents' self-reported animal conservation through persuading others not to hunt birds and not eat native insects. Thus, we propose that nature kits and recommendations derived from this program can serve as guides for developing similar campaigns elsewhere.

Since its establishment in 2003, the Japan Council on the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD-J) has paid close attention to informal learning processes in community-based efforts to promote local sustainable development. ESD-J carried out two projects to collect information on and visualise community-based ESD practice: the "Asia Good ESD Practice Project (AGEPP)" (2006-2008), covering the Asian region, and the "ESD x Biodiversity Project" (2009-2011) at the national level. This article presents key elements of community-based ESD, derived from the observed cases of ESD in practice documented through these two projects. (Contains 9 figures, 1 box, and 3 online resources.)

Simple Summary: The South China tiger is a unique subspecies of tiger endemic to China and has become extinct in the wild. However, it is currently unclear whether there are still ideal habitats suitable for the survival of the South China tiger population in China at present and in the future. Our goal is to assess which areas will become the most suitable for the reintroduction of the South China tiger to China under the impact of climate change, and to estimate the number of tigers these areas can support. This study selects eight key prey species of the South China tiger, and predicts the potential suitable habitats for each prey under current and future climates. The study reveals that the core candidate sites for the reintroduction of the South China tiger cover a total area of 83,415 km2, with the largest core candidate site area totaling 10,000 km2, located in Tibet, which can ideally support the survival of 89 South China tigers in the wild. This study provides a research basis and strategy for the recovery of wild South China tiger populations. The South China tiger (Panthera tigris amoyensis) is a tiger subspecies unique to China and one of the top ten endangered species in the world. It used to play an important role in the overall function of the ecosystem. This study rationally screened out key prey species of the South China tiger—the Chinese serow, Chinese goral, tufted deer, water deer, Chinese muntjac, red muntjac, sambar deer, and wild boar. Candidate sites for the rewilding and reintroduction of the South China tiger were derived by exploring changes in suitable habitats for the prey using the MaxEnt model. The results show that: (1) by 2070, except for the high-suitability areas of water deer and Chinese muntjac, the areas of suitable habitats for the other six prey species would all have decreased significantly; (2) the location of the high-suitability area of the South China tiger obtained by superimposing the suitable areas of the eight prey species would be almost stable in 2050 and 2070, but the habitat index of some high- and medium-suitability areas would decrease and turn into low-suitability areas; (3) the core candidate sites were 83,415 km2 in total, of which 25,630 km2 overlapped with existing protected areas, accounting for 30.7% of the core candidate sites, and the remaining 69.3% of the core candidate sites were mostly distributed around the protected areas; (4) the maximum core candidate site area was projected to be 10,000 km2 by 2070, which could support a small population of 23 male tigers and 66 female tigers to survive and reproduce in the wild. This study revealed the core candidate sites for the rewilding of South China tigers and estimated the number of tigers that could be reintroduced to these areas, providing a preliminary research basis for promoting the rewilding of South China tigers in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Shandong Peninsula, the largest peninsula in China, is situated at the estuary of the Yellow River and is bordered by both the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea. This region is renowned for its rich plant diversity. However, the historical origins of these plant species remain poorly understood. This study analyzed 2410 shared species from 865 genera and 161 families distributed across Shandong and its nine adjacent regions to investigate the floristic diversity of the Shandong Peninsula. These regions were considered as operational taxonomic units (OTUs), with the shared species serving as the basis for each OTU. Hierarchical cluster analyses were performed to assess their floristic similarity, employing the Bray-Curtis distance algorithm and the UPGMA clustering method. The results revealed that the ten regions were grouped into three clusters, delineated by the Yellow River. Notably, the floristic similarity of the Shandong Peninsula was found to be more closely aligned with regions south of the Yellow River, despite Shandong historical connection to Liaoning in the north. These findings underscore the barrier effect of the Yellow River and provide insights into the formation of biotic diversity patterns between northern and eastern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rivers are constantly disturbed by anthropogenic stressors. Developing robust biotic indicators to assess river environments across large spatial scales is important. In the subtropical Liuxi River of China, 34 native fish indicators, including 4 genera and 30 species, were selected from 108 fish species by linear discriminant analysis. These indicators were grouped into 19 ecological items and assigned evaluation scores according to the roles they played in the food web (e.g., keystoneness and trophic level) and their positive feedback on the environment (e.g., requirements for feeding, spawning/nursing, and migrating). Three formulae for calculating the index of fish indicators (IFI) were developed based on the scoring of each indicator and weighted by relative abundance (individual number, i.e., IFI[INF]N[/INF]) and relative biomass (wet weight, i.e., IFI[INF]B[/INF]). Spearman correlation analysis showed that IFI[INF]B[/INF], which had positive (P< 0.05) correlations with elevation (m), dissolved oxygen (mg/L), flow velocity (cm/s), Shannon-Wiener diversity, benthic index of biotic integrity, exhibited a more powerful explanation of biodiversity and environmental factors than IFI[INF]N[/INF] and unweighted IFI. Therefore, IFI[INF]B[/INF] was most suitable for constructing a scoring system to evaluate ecological status (e.g., water and habitat quality). These results suggested that fish indicator-based scoring and evaluation system was effectively in not only assessing the siteor region-specific ecological status bot also reflecting the fluvial biodiversity and food web integrity. Further application and promotion of this indicator-based evaluation method may improve field investigation efficiency and contribute greatly to the conservation and management of river ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protected areas (PAs) are pivotal to biodiversity conservation, yet their efficacy is compromised by insufficient funding and management. So‐called other effective area‐based conservation measures (OECMs) present a paradigm shift and address PA limitations. Such measures can expand conservation areas, enhance connectivity, and improve the existing system. To assess the conservation status of biodiversity in Tibetan cultural areas in China, we investigated the spatial distribution of wildlife vulnerable to human disturbance (large‐ and medium‐sized mammals and terrestrial birds) in Xinlong, a traditional Tibetan cultural area. In particular, we compared a PA (Xionglongxi Nature Reserve) and OECMs targeting species conservation. We also investigated the relationship of wildlife with human temporal and spatial activities. The OECMs complemented areas not covered by PA, especially in rich understory biodiversity regions. More species in OECMs tolerated human presence than species in the PA. Existing biodiversity reserves failed to cover areas of high conservation value in Tibet and offered limited protection capacity. Expanding PAs and identifying OECMs improved Xinlong's system by covering most biodiversity hotspots. Building on the tradition of wildlife conservation in Tibet, harnessing OECMs may be an effective means of augmenting biodiversity conservation capacity. We recommend further evaluation of OECMs effectiveness and coverage in Tibetan area as a way to enhance the current PA system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Expanding the network of connected and resilient protected areas (PAs) for climate change adaptation can help species track suitable climate conditions and safeguard biodiversity. This is often overlooked when expanding PAs and quantifying their benefits, resulting in an underestimate of the benefits of expanding PAs. We expanded PAs through terrestrial mammalian species distribution hotspots, Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs), and wilderness areas. Then, we constructed climate connectivity networks using a resistance-based approach and further quantified the network resilience to propose resilient climate response strategies in China. The results showed that existing PAs suffered from location biases with important biodiversity areas. The existing PAs represented about half of the KBAs and wilderness areas, yet only 12.08% of terrestrial mammalian species distribution hotspots were located within existing PAs. Compared with the existing PA network, the network efficiency and resilience of the expanded PAs' climate connectivity increased to 1.80 times and 1.78 times, respectively. With 56% of the nodes remaining, the network efficiency of the expanded PAs was equivalent to that of the existing PAs with all nodes. The network resilience of preferentially protecting and restoring low human footprint patches was approximately 1.5–2 times that of the random scenario. These findings highlighted that confronted with the unoptimistic situation of global warming, nature conservation based on existing PAs was no longer optimal. It was critical to construct a connected and resilient conservation network relying on both important biodiversity areas and low human footprint patches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In recent years, the frequency and intensity of anthropogenic wildfires have drastically increased, significantly altering terrestrial ecosystems worldwide. These fires not only devastate vegetative cover but also impact soil environments and microbial communities, affecting ecosystem structure and function. The extent to which fire severity, soil depth, and their interaction influence these effects remains unclear, particularly in Pinus tabulaeformis forests. Methods: This study investigated the impact of wildfire intensity and soil stratification on soil physicochemical properties and microbial diversity within P. tabulaeformis forests in North China. Soil samples were collected from different fire severity zones (Control, Light, Moderate, High) and depths (topsoil: 0-10 cm; subsoil: 10-20 cm). Analyses included measurements of soil pH, organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), and other nutrients. Microbial diversity was assessed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Results: Our findings revealed significant variations in soil pH, SOC, TN, and other nutrients with fire severity and soil depth, profoundly affecting microbial community composition and diversity. Soil pH emerged as a critical determinant, closely linked to microbial α-diversity and community structure. We found that fire severity significantly altered soil pH (p =0.001), pointing to noteworthy changes in acidity linked to varying severity levels. Topsoil microbial communities primarily differentiated between burned and unburned conditions, whereas subsoil layers showed more pronounced effects of fire severity on microbial structures. Analysis of bacterial phyla across different fire severity levels and soil depths revealed significant shifts in microbial communities. Proteobacteria consistently dominated across all conditions, indicating strong resilience, while Acidobacteriota and Actinobacteriota showed increased abundances in high-severity and light/moderate-severity areas, respectively. Verrucomicrobiota were more prevalent in control samples and decreased significantly in fire-impacted soils. Chloroflexi and Bacteroidota displayed increased abundance in moderate and high-severity areas, respectively. Correlation analyses illustrated significant relationships between soil environmental factors and dominant bacterial phyla. Soil organic carbon (SOC) showed positive correlations with total nitrogen (TN) and alkaline hydrolysable nitrogen (AN). Soil pH exhibited a negative correlation with multiple soil environmental factors. Soil pH and available phosphorus (AP) significantly influenced the abundance of the phylum Myxococcota. Soil water content (WC) significantly affected the abundances of Acidobacteriota and Actinobacteriota. Additionally, ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N) and nitrate nitrogen (NO3--N) jointly and significantly impacted the abundance of the phylum Chloroflexi. Discussion: This study highlights the significant long-term effects of anthropogenic wildfires on soil microenvironment heterogeneity and bacterial community structure in P. tabulaeformis forests in North China, 6 years post-fire. Our findings demonstrate that fire severity significantly influences soil pH, which in turn affects soil nutrient dynamics and enhances microbial diversity. We observed notable shifts in the abundance of dominant bacterial phyla, emphasizing the critical role of soil pH and nutrient availability in shaping microbial communities. The results underscore the importance of soil stratification, as different soil layers showed varying responses to fire severity, highlighting the need for tailored management strategies. Future research should focus on long-term monitoring to further elucidate the temporal dynamics of soil microbial recovery and nutrient cycling following wildfires. Studies investigating the roles of specific microbial taxa in ecosystem resilience and their functional contributions under varying fire regimes will provide deeper insights. Additionally, exploring soil amendments and management practices aimed at optimizing pH and nutrient availability could enhance post-fire recovery processes, supporting sustainable ecosystem recovery and resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional small‐holder agricultural landscapes in southern China are being consolidated to increase mechanisation levels in agriculture, but it is unclear how this influences rice arthropod communities in these landscapes.Here, based on a six‐year study in 20 rice fields, we evaluated the impact of land consolidation on arthropod communities, crop damage, and rice yield. We also analysed how effects of land consolidation were moderated by the proportion of large semi‐natural habitat patches and insecticide use.We found that, compared to consolidated fields, rice fields in traditional farmlands had a higher abundance and family richness of natural enemies, but a similar abundance of rice pests. Land consolidation did not significantly interact with the proportion of large semi‐natural habitat patches or insecticide application, in terms of affecting arthropods. The proportion of semi‐natural habitat reduced the negative effect of insecticide application on key rice pests, but no equivalent interaction occurred for natural enemies.Synthesis and applications: Land consolidation can have negative impacts on the abundance and richness of natural enemies, but not pests in small‐holder rice systems, and these impacts are independent from insecticide application and proportion of semi‐natural habitat in the landscape. We recommend the implementation of agri‐environmental measures or re‐establishing field margin vegetation during the consolidation process to mitigate these potential negative effects, although trade‐off between enhancing crop yields and preserving rice arthropod biodiversity should be considered. We encourage future research to focus on the detailed assessment of the function of linear habitats for a better understanding of the impact of land consolidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization inevitably interfered with the supply and demand of ecosystem services (ESs), which has a crucial impact on the ESs balance. Scientific exploration and clarification of the coupling and decoupling relationship between them can effectively reveal the disturbance of urbanization to the ecosystem, which can help to reasonably manage and protect the ecosystem. Previous studies have paid more attention to the coupling relationship but less attention to the decoupling relationship. This study comprehensively reflected urbanization from the three aspects of construction land, population, and economy and used the evaluation matrix to measure ESs. On this basis, coupling and decoupling analyses were taken to fully clarify the complex relationship between urbanization and ESs balance in China, so as to provide a reference for the formulation of relevant policies. Coupling aspect, the coupling degrees between the proportion of construction land (CLP) and ESs balance index (ESBI) were higher only in the central and eastern plains. The coupling degrees between population density (PD) and ESBI, economic density (ED) and ESBI, and land development index (LDI) and ESBI were only lower in the central and eastern plains than in other regions. Decoupling aspect, strong, weak negative, weak, and strong negative decoupling were the main decoupling types between urbanization and ESs balance in China. Among them, the proportion of the strong decoupling type is much higher than other types, which proves the opposite relationship between the two. Weak decoupling can not only promote economic growth and social development but also protect the ecological environment and biodiversity, which is a type of sustainable development and an ideal state that urbanization should pursue. The results can provide scientific guidance for the formulation of differentiated ecosystem management policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Although it is widely acknowledged that biodiversity maintains plant community assembly processes, exploring the patterns and drivers of beta-diversity (β-diversity; species variation among local plant communities) has received much less attention compared to alpha-diversity (α-diversity; species variation within a local plant community). Here, we aim to examine the patterns and spatial–environmental drivers of taxonomic and phylogenetic β-diversity, and their components such as species turnover and nestedness, in large-scale Leymus chinensis grassland communities. Methods: We collected plant community data from 166 sites across widely distributed L. chinensis communities in northern China, and then calculated the taxonomic and phylogenetic β-diversity indices (overall, turnover and nestedness) using a pairwise dissimilarity approach. To assess the effects and to explain the variation in the patterns of β-diversity, we collected data on geospatial, climate and soil conditions. We applied descriptive statistics, Mental correlations, and multiple linear regression models to assess the patterns and spatial–environmental drivers of β-diversity. Results: The β-turnover, as compared to β-nestedness, exhibited a predominant influence, constituting 92.6% of the taxonomic β-diversity and 80.4% of the phylogenetic β-diversity. Most of the spatial–environmental variables were significantly positively correlated with the overall taxonomic and phylogenetic β-diversity and β-turnover, but not with β-nestedness. Climatic factors such as MAP and MAT were the strongest predictors of both taxonomic and phylogenetic β-diversity and β-turnover. The variance partitioning analysis showed that the combined effects of spatial and environmental factors accounted for 19% and 16% of the variation in the taxonomic and phylogenetic β-diversity (overall), 17% and 12% of the variation in the β-turnover, and 7% and 1% of the variation in the β-nestedness, respectively, which were higher than independent effects of either spatial or environmental factors. Discussion: At larger spatial scales, the turnover component of β-diversity may be associated with the species complementarity effect, but dominant or functionally important species can vary among communities due to the species selection effect. By incorporating β-diversity into grassland management strategies, we can enhance the provision of vital ecosystem services that bolster human welfare, serving as a resilient barrier against the adverse effects of climate change at regional and global scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the genus Mycena, species exhibiting brownish basidiomata present considerable challenges in identification due to similar coloration. This study underscores the significance of pileipellis types and cheilocystidia characteristics as critical in delimiting brownish Mycena species. To clarify the principal taxonomic characters and their utility in distinguishing between brownish Mycena species, a morphological taxonomy and phylogenetic analysis were performed. Five new species from China were introduced and characterized through a comprehensive morphological anatomy and phylogenetic substantiation: M. campanulatihemisphaerica sp. nov., M. digitifurcata sp. nov., M. kunyuensis sp. nov., M. limitis sp. nov., and M. oryzifluens sp. nov. Discussions of these taxa are supplemented with morphological illustrations. The phylogenetic relationships were inferred using Bayesian Inference and Maximum Likelihood methods based on sequences from the internal transcribed spacer and the large subunit regions of nuclear ribosomal RNA. With the addition of these five new species, the worldwide count of brownish Mycena increases to 94, and a key to the 29 known species of brownish Mycena from China is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: This study investigates the species–area relationship of amphibians on the Zhoushan Archipelago using eDNA metabarcoding. By analyzing amphibian species diversity on the Zhoushan Archipelago, the eDNA metabarcoding detected eight amphibian species on the islands and nine species in the mainland areas. Findings reveal that the amphibian species diversity is positively related to the island area. In comparison with the traditional line transect method, eDNA metabarcoding detected more amphibian species. eDNA showcases enormous potential in detecting amphibian species. The species–area relationship is important for understanding species diversity patterns at spatial scales, but few studies have examined the relationship using environmental DNA (eDNA) techniques. We investigated amphibian diversity on 21 islands of the Zhoushan Archipelago and nearby mainland areas in China using the combination of eDNA metabarcoding and the traditional line transect method (TLTM) and identified the species–area relationship for amphibians on the islands. The mean detection probability of eDNA is 0.54, while the mean detection probability of TLTM is 0.24. The eDNA metabarcoding detected eight amphibian species on the islands and nine species in the mainland areas, compared with seven species on the islands and nine species in the mainland areas that were identified by TLTM. Amphibian richness on the islands increased with island area and habitat diversity. The species–area relationship for amphibians in the archipelago was formulated as the power function (S = 0.47A0.21) or exponential function (S = 2.59 + 2.41 (logA)). Our results suggested that eDNA metabarcoding is more sensitive for the detection of amphibian species. The combined use of eDNA metabarcoding and the traditional line transect method may optimize the survey results for amphibians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Melanommataceous species exhibit high diversity with a cosmopolitan distribution worldwide and show a prominent saprobic lifestyle. In this study, we explored five saprobic species collected from plant litter substrates from terrestrial habitats in China and Thailand. A combination of morphological characteristics and multi-locus phylogenetic analyses was used to determine their taxonomic classifications. Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference analyses of combined LSU , SSU , ITS and tef1-α sequence data were used to clarify the phylogenetic affinities of the species. Byssosphaeria poaceicola and Herpotrichia zingiberacearum are introduced as new species, while three new host records, Bertiella fici, By. siamensis and Melanomma populicola are also reported from litter of Cinnamomum verum, Citrus trifoliata and Fagus sylvatica, respectively. Yet, despite the rising interest in the melanommataceous species, there is a considerable gap in knowledge on their host associations and geographical distributions. Consequently, we compiled the host-species associations and geographical distributions of all the so far known melanommataceous species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Establishing protected areas (PAs) is a major measure of biodiversity conservation, and various methods have been explored to assess PAs' effectiveness. However, those methods mainly compared the relative changes in land cover between treated samples inside the PAs and their matched samples outside the PAs, which would produce misjudgments, especially in some climax communities with a relatively steady state. Thus, in this study, we constructed an integrated framework through a series of assessments according to the state, trend, and relative change of each PA to explore the conservation effectiveness of PAs in the Three Parallel Rivers Region in China from 2000 to 2020. Here, "state" refers to the difference among samples from within and outside the PA, assessed through yearly sample mean comparison. "Trend" means linear regression of mean forest area of each PA throughout the assessment period. "Relative change" means the difference in the mean value of the slope of forest changes between the treated samples inside each PA and their matched control samples outside of PAs. The entire forest area within all PAs in the Three Parallel Rivers Region showed a significant increasing trend from 2000 to 2020 (R2 = 0.919, P<0.05). Among all the PAs, twelve (86%) had a positive effect on protecting the forest ecosystem, and two had a nonsignificant effect. Among the factors affecting the state and relative change in PAs' forests, the annual total precipitation was the most important, followed by distance to the nearest road. Moreover, the management-level variable was an essential factor in the state of PAs' forest ecosystems, which indicated that national PAs (nature reserves and natural parks) were in a better state than local (provincial-and county-level) nature reserves. Overall, the conservation effectiveness of forests in PAs was assessed at a regional scale in the Three Parallel Rivers Region, implying that our framework would be additional useful in regions with high biodiversity and steady ecosystems. This framework better avoids underestimating conservation effectiveness assessment tasks than traditional methods do. Thus, we posit that this framework is suitable for future global or country-level assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protected areas are widely considered an essential strategy for biodiversity conservation. Dictyostelids are unique protists known to have important ecological functions in promoting soil and plant health through their top-down regulation of ecosystem processes, such as decomposition, that involve bacterial populations. But the relationship between dictyostelid diversity within protected areas remains poorly understood, especially on a large scale. Herein, we report data on the distribution of dictyostelids, identified with ITS + SSU rRNA molecular and morphology-based taxonomy, from soil samples collected in the Fanjing Mountain protected area of Guizhou Province, Southwest China. We compared the biodiversity data of dictyostelids in Fanjing Mountain with similar data from previously sampled sites in four other protected areas, including Changbai Mountain (CB), Gushan Mountain (GS), Baiyun Mountain (BY), and Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QT) in China. We identified four species of dictyostelids belonging to three genera (Dictyostelium, Heterostelium, and Polysphondylium) and herein provide information on the taxonomy of these species. Two species (Heterostelium pallidum and Dictyostelium purpureum) are common and widely distributed throughout the world, but one species (Polysphondylium fuscans) was new to China. Our data indicate that there is no distinguishable significant correlation between the dictyostelid species studied and environmental factors. Overall, the similarity index between Baiyun Mountain in Henan Province and Fanjing Mountain in Guizhou Province, located at approximately the same longitude, is the highest, and the Jaccard similarity coefficients (Jaccard index) of family, genus, and species are 100%, 100%, and 12.5%, respectively. From a species perspective, species in the same climate zone are not closely related, but obvious geographical distributions are evident in different climate zones. This preliminary study provided evidence of the ecological adaptation of dictyostelids to different biological niches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intraspecific variation (Intra-V) has played an important role in determining the responses of ecosystem functions to climate change. However, its specific role in the regulation of ecosystem functions during community assembly is less investigated. In this study, we conducted a transect survey in northwest China and determined different plant functional types, namely resource-conservative, medium, and resource-acquisitive strategies, which describe resource-use strategies of plants in multi-functional dimensions. Plant functional traits including canopy, wood density (WD), height, specific leaf area (SLA), and leaf nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations were determined. Ecological filters, including external filtering (assembly processes at the regional scale), internal filtering (assembly processes within a certain community), and functional redundancy, were employed to examine plant environment interactions. We found that with the decrease in environmental pressure, dominant shrub plants changed from conservative to acquisition species in drylands. Specifically, a benign environment (such as stable and adequate precipitation, loose soil, and increased acid deposition) significantly increased plant mean traits, such as SLA and WD of shrubs, especially for conservative strategy plants. In addition, a benign environment mainly reduced the functional redundancy of SLA (FRedSLA) by strengthening internal filtering and, ultimately, increased aboveground biomass but decreased species richness. Our results suggest that conservative strategy plants with stronger adaptability to the external environment may exhibit more competitive advantages and play a more important role in community construction under future climate scenarios of gradual warming and wetting in northwest China. Our results also revealed that trait-based Intra-V may be a more reasonable ecological filter than plant mean traits for predicting the structure and function of dryland ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amidst rapid urbanization and escalating environmental degradation in China's urban areas due to climate change, traditional drainage systems struggle to cope with rainfall, resulting in frequent flood disasters. In response, rain gardens have emerged as ecologically practical stormwater management solutions that integrate urban flood control with landscape design. Leveraging the dual benefits of rainwater purification and aesthetic enhancement provided by vegetation, herbaceous plant-based rain gardens have assumed a pivotal role in green infrastructure. However, dedicated research on the application of herbaceous plants in rain garden design is limited, especially within China's water-stressed context. This study employs a literature review and case analysis to explore this critical issue. Initially, it delineates the concept of the sponge city introduced by the Chinese government. Subsequently, it reviews concepts and methods of plant biodiversity design in urban settings and rain gardens and elucidates the structure and function of rain gardens. Four Chinese rain gardens in different urban environments (old industrial areas, university campuses, urban villages, and urban highway green belts) were selected to examine the selection and arrangement of herbaceous plants while identifying deficiencies in their designs. Finally, feasibility suggestions are provided for the design of herbaceous plant diversity in Chinese rain gardens. This study's findings can provide a reference for the planting design of herbaceous plants in rain gardens for other countries and regions with similar climates and environmental conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The large-scale expansion of tea plantations has been associated with biodiversity decline and an increased vulnerability due to climate fluctuations within the tea cultivation landscape. In contrast, the millennium-old tea forest in Jingmai Mountain, along the Mekong River Basin in Pu'er Prefecture of Yunnan province, China, showcases a longstanding symbiosis between biodiversity conservation and the stability of rural livelihoods. This study explored indigenous knowledge pertaining to the sustainable management of the millennium-old tea forest. In the study, 239 individual farmers and key informants were interviewed for data collection. The results illustrated the profound reservoir of indigenous knowledge on sustainable management of the millennium-old tea forest preserved by the Blang community. The ecological perspective and internalized constraints of sacred knowledge, combined with productive knowledge in practice, contribute to the sustainable management of this unique ecosystem. The goal of the study is to share a success story and impart the teachings of a wise indigenous group to others for biodiversity conservation and sustainable rural development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a highly urbanized bay area bustling with socio-economic activities, Shenzhen Bay is a pivotal stopover and wintering habitat for migratory birds along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. The Futian Mangrove National Important Wetland, located in the northeast of Shenzhen bay, is a part of the Guangdong Neilingding--Futian National Nature Reserve. As the smallest national nature reserve in China, the wintering habitat of migratory birds has been significantly impacted by the compacted surrounding built-up environment. It has become an urgent need for refined high-quality ecological restoration for the habitats. This project leveraged Nature-based Solutions to develop a refined model for the ecological restoration of coastal wetland waterbird habitats in compact urban areas. By analyzing waterbird behaviors and habitat requirements, this model outlined six strategies: water surface expansion, water level control, hydrodynamic conditions improvement, shoal transformation, adaptive vegetation management, and disturbance control. To effectively guide the restoration implementation, high-, medium-, and low-adaptive approaches were proposed accordingly. After restoration in 2022, notable increases in target species, such as Platalea minor, were observed. The variety of waterbirds of the reserve in 2022 increased by 33% compared with 2021, while increased by 50.9% compared with 2016, significantly enhancing ecosystem services of the coastal area. As urban renewal in China is shifting towards spatial redevelopment, this model offers valuable insights for ecological restoration aiming at coastal wetland waterbird conservation across the country, and substantially supports establishing the "International Mangrove Center" in Shenzhen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying and protecting hotspots of endemism and species richness is crucial for mitigating the global biodiversity crisis. However, our understanding of spatial diversity patterns is far from complete, which severely limits our ability to conserve biodiversity hotspots. Here, we report a comprehensive analysis of amphibian species diversity in China, one of the most species-rich countries on Earth. Our study combines 20 y of field surveys with new molecular analyses of 521 described species and also identifies 100 potential cryptic species. We identify 10 hotspots of amphibian diversity in China, each with exceptional species richness and endemism and with exceptional phylogenetic diversity and phylogenetic endemism (based on a new time-calibrated, species-level phylogeny for Chinese amphibians). These 10 hotspots encompass 59.6% of China's described amphibian species, 49.0% of cryptic species, and 55.6% of species endemic to China. Only four of these 10 hotspots correspond to previously recognized biodiversity hotspots. The six new hotspots include the Nanling Mountains and other mountain ranges in South China. Among the 186 species in the six new hotspots, only 9.7% are well covered by protected areas and most (88.2%) are exposed to high human impacts. Five of the six new hotspots are under very high human pressure and are in urgent need of protection. We also find that patterns of richness in cryptic species are significantly related to those in described species but are not identical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plot‐scale experiments indicate that functional diversity (FD) plays a pivotal role in sustaining ecosystem functions such as net primary productivity (NPP). However, the relationships between functional diversity and NPP across larger scale under varying climatic conditions are sparsely studied, despite its significance for understanding forest–atmosphere interactions and informing policy development. Hence, we examine the relationships of community‐weighted mean (CWM) and functional dispersion (FDis) of woody plant traits on NPP across China and if such relationships are modulated by climatic conditions at the national scale. Using comprehensive datasets of distribution, functional traits, and productivity for 9120 Chinese woody plant species, we evaluated the distribution pattern of community‐weighted mean and functional dispersion (including three orthogonal trait indicators: plant size, leaf morphology, and flower duration) and its relationships with NPP. Finally, we tested the effects of climatic conditions on community‐weighted mean/functional dispersion–NPP relationships. We first found overall functional diversity–NPP relationships, but also that the magnitude of these relationships was sensitive to climate, with plant size community‐weighted mean promoting NPP in warm regions and plant size functional dispersion promoting NPP in wet regions. Second, warm and wet conditions indirectly increased NPP by its positive effects on community‐weighted mean or functional dispersion, particularly through mean plant size and leaf morphology. Our study provides comprehensive evidence for the relationships between functional diversity and NPP under varying climates at a large scale. Importantly, our results indicate a broadening significance of multidimensional plant functional traits for woody vegetation NPP in response to rising temperatures and wetter climates. Restoration, reforestation actions and natural capital accounting need to carefully consider not only community‐weighted mean and functional dispersion but also their interactions with climate, to predict how functional diversity may promote ecosystem functioning under future climatic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Penicillium species are ubiquitous in the environment and are of substantial importance, especially in industrial and medical aspects. During our investigation of the biodiversity of Penicillium, three new species were discovered in soil samples collected from East and Northeast China. They were determined as new to science based on morphological comparisons and phylogenetic analyses, and were found to belong to the subgenus Penicillium section Robsamsonia and subgenus Aspergilloides sections Aspergilloides and Citrina. Descriptions and illustrations of these species are provided, and their geographic distributions are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A significant research focus is placed on identifying animal species and areas at future risk to human‐induced alterations of the environment and long‐term changes in climatic conditions. Yet, the extent to which exposure to extreme climatic events and intense human pressure can increase the risk of harmful impacts on species remains poorly investigated. Focusing on terrestrial mammals in China, one of the world's megadiverse countries, we investigated patterns of contemporary exposure to floods and human pressures and determined their taxonomic representation and distribution across three major area‐based conservation schemes, namely, national nature reserves (NNRs), priority areas for biodiversity conservation (PABCs), and key biodiversity areas (KBAs). Among the 440 species assessed with moderate or high exposure to floods, 327 (∼75%) also qualified as moderate or high in exposure to intense human pressure. These species mainly belong to the orders Chiroptera, Eulipotyphla, and Rodentia. Likewise, there were 305, 311, and 311 species with moderate or high exposure to flood and intense human pressure represented across NNRs, PABCs, and KBAs, respectively. Our findings support the prioritization of KBAs for expansion of site‐based protection efforts such as NNRs in China, considering threats to species from exposure to adverse effects from both extreme climate and human pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five species of the genus Opopaea Simon, 1892 from southern China are recognised, including four new species: Opopaea mangun Tong & Li, sp. nov., Opopaea taibao Tong & Yang, sp. nov., Opopaea wenshan Tong & Zhang, sp. nov. and Opopaea yuhuang Tong & Li, sp. nov. from Yunnan and one newly-recorded species: Opopaea foveolata Roewer, 1963 from Hainan. Detailed diagnoses, descriptions and photomicroscopy images of new species are provided, based on specimens of both sexes. A key to species of the genus Opopaea from China is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reviews worldwide wetland park research from 1996 to 2022. A bibliometric analysis is conducted on 591 wetland park studies indexed in the Web of Science and Scopus databases. The study utilizes CiteSpace and VOSviewer tools to visualize and explore influential research focuses, themes, directions, and countries. The citation burst indicates that from 1996 to 2022, research on wetland parks transited from exploring basic community structures to complex ecosystem service assessments and the formulation of management strategies. Furthermore, over the past three years, wetland park research has seen a significant surge in studies investigating water quality, ecosystem services, and spatiotemporal analysis. Notably, the three most frequent keywords in research on wetland parks were China, South Africa, and biodiversity. These keywords reflect regions that enhance biodiversity via wetland parks. The spectral-clustering algorithm identifies carbon sequestration as a research focus, highlighting the vital role of wetlands in the carbon cycle. Most authors work in developed countries' institutions, but some are from developing countries like China, South Africa, and India. The findings suggest that economic development is crucial in wetland park construction and significantly influences related research. Developed countries may offer more PhD positions to developing countries' researchers in the field and raise their awareness about wetland conservation. Given the holistic requirements of wetlands, this research recommends that educators should adopt an interdisciplinary approach in the future when nurturing wetland staff. Additionally, the study maps out the primary areas of interest in wetland park research, including environmental science, ecological economics, forestry, wetlands, tourism, and management. New artificial intelligence and digital technologies should be developed for wetland park research. This study fills a research gap: quantitative and visualized knowledge-mapping and bibliometrics on wetland parks are scarce. Additionally, no previous study has explored the relationship between wetland park research and the economic development of countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owning to their extreme environmental conditions, lakes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau have typically displayed a simplistic food web structure, rendering them more vulnerable to climate change compared to lakes in plains. Phytoplankton, undergoing a changing aquatic environment, play a crucial role in the material cycle and energy flow of the food chain, particularly important for the unique fish species of the Tibetan Plateau. To identify the changing environment indexes and determine the response of phytoplankton composition to the environment change in alpine lakes, three lakes--Lake Qinghai, Lake Keluke and Lake Tuosu--were selected as study areas. Seasonal sampling surveys were conducted in spring and summer annually from 2018 to 2020. Our findings revealed there were significant changes in physicochemical parameters and phytoplankton in the three lakes. Bacillariophyta was the predominant phytoplankton in Lake Qinghai from 2018 to 2020, with the genera Synedra sp., Navicula sp., Cymbella sp. and Achnanthidium sp. predominated alternately. Lake Keluke alternated between being dominated by Bacillariophyta and cyanobacteria during the same period. Dolichospermum sp., a cyanobacteria, was prevalent in the summer of 2018 and 2019 and in the spring of 2020. In Lake Tuosu, Bacillariophyta was the predominant phytoplankton from 2018 to 2020, except in the summer of 2019, which was dominated by cyanobacteria. Synedra sp., Oscillatoria sp., Pseudoanabaena sp., Chromulina sp. and Achnanthidium sp. appeared successively as the dominant genera. Analysis revealed that all three lakes exhibited higher phytoplankton abundance in 2018 that in 2019 and 2020. Concurrently, they experienced higher average temperatures in 2018 than in the subsequent years. The cyanobacteria, Bacillariophyta, Chlorophyta and overall phytoplankton increased with temperature and decreased with salinity and NH4-N. Besides, the ratios of cyanobacteria, and the ratios of Bacillariophyta accounted in total phytoplankton increased with temperature. These findings suggest that cyanobacteria and phytoplankton abundance, especially Bacillariophyta, may have an increase tendency in the three alpine lakes under warm and wet climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the important biodiversity conservation areas in China, the ecosystem in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River is fragile, and is particularly sensitive to global changes. To reveal the diversity pattern of phytoplankton, the metabarcode sequencing was employed in the Medog section of the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River during autumn 2019 in present study. The phytoplankton assemblies can be significantly divided into the main stem and the tributaries; there are significant differences in the phytoplankton biomass, alpha and beta diversity between the main stem and the tributaries. While both the main stem and the tributaries are affected by dispersal limitation, the phytoplankton assemblages in the entire lower reaches are primarily influenced by heterogeneous selection. Community dissimilarity and assembly process were significantly correlated with turbidity, electrical conductivity, and nitrogen nutrition. The tributaries were the main source of the increase in phytoplankton diversity in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River. Such diversity pattern of phytoplankton in the lower reach may be caused by the special habitat in Medog, that is, the excessive flow velocity, and the significant spatial heterogeneity in physical and chemical factors between stem and tributaries. Based on the results and conclusions obtained in present study, continuous long-term monitoring is essential to assess and quantify the impact of global changes on phytoplankton. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Establishing mixed‐species plantations has become the most promising planting method to provide various goods and improve multiple environmental services. Although mixed planting has the potential to increase tree biomass, the divergent findings make it challenging to understand the mixing effects on whole forest (trees, shrubs, herbs, and litter) biomass. Therefore, we conducted a meta‐analysis compiling 156 studies published from 1982 to 2021 across 128 sites in China. We aimed to quantify the mixing effects on forest biomass between mixed plantations and monocultures and disentangle the driving factors. Our results showed that mixed planting significantly increased the total biomass, biomass of tree, and shrub layer by 14.07%, 22.49%, and 34.84%, respectively, when compared with monocultures. The effects of mixed planting on biomass were more pronounced in plantations with both nitrogen‐fixing trees and non‐nitrogen‐fixing trees, plantations with both coniferous and broad‐leaved trees, as well as uneven‐aged plantations containing young‐ and middle‐aged species. Furthermore, our results demonstrated the effects of mixed planting were predominantly governed by climatic conditions and woodland characteristics. The effect size of total biomass exhibited a significant positive correlation with mean annual temperature and precipitation, while the shrub and herb layers showed a significant negative relationship with these climatic variables. Our findings highlighted the importance of complementarity effects in mixed plantations, especially establishing uneven‐aged plantations with different leaf morphology types and N acquisition strategies. Overall, our meta‐analysis could provide strategies for future sustainable ecosystem management and improving the terrestrial carbon sink. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is one of the major threats to coastal fish biodiversity, and optimization of no‐take marine protected areas (MPAs) is imminent. We predicted fish redistribution under climate change in coastal China Seas with joint species distribution modeling and prioritized areas for conservation with Zonation, for which we used core area zonation (CAZ) and additive benefit function (ABF). Based on our results, we devised an expansion plan of no‐take MPAs. Under climate change, fish were redistributed northward along the coast. These redistributions were segmented by the Yangtze River estuary and its adjacent waters, indicating a possible biogeographical barrier. Under CAZ and ABF, significantly more fish habitat was conserved than under random prioritization (p < 0.001, Cohen's d = –0.36 and –0.62, respectively). The ABF better represented areas with higher species richness, whereas CAZ better represented core habitats for species with narrow distributions. Without accounting for species redistribution, the expanded MPAs were mainly distributed in the northwest of the South China Sea, the East China Sea, the north of the Yellow Sea, and the west of the Bohai Sea. When accounting for species redistribution, the proposed MPAs were mainly distributed in the north of the Bohai Sea and southwest of the Yellow Sea, corresponding to the northern species redistributions. These MPAs conserved less habitat for fishes at present but protected more and better quality habitat for fishes in 2050 and 2100 than those MPAs that did not account for species redistribution, indicating improved fish conservation under climate change. Incorporating species redistribution and trade‐offs between areas with high species richness and areas that contain habitats for rare species are suggested to address coastal fish conservation under climate change. This work provides valuable information for fish conservation and is a precursor to systematic conservation planning along the coastlines of China Seas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Species classified in the genus Ulva are important foundational marine primary producers distributed worldwide. These species are particularly abundant and diverse through the northwest Pacific (NWP) where they experience marked latitudinal gradients of environmental heterogeneity. It is unclear, however, to what extent such dynamic conditions can modulate phenotypic and genetic patterns in these organisms, potentially reflecting the influence of historical and contemporary biotic and abiotic factors. Here, we assessed inter- and intra-specific genetic patterns of Ulva species through the NWP using plastid rbcL and tufA gene sequences. Although we initially targeted Ulva australis based on morphological identification, we recovered eight Ulva genetic entities masked by morphological similarities. Except for the Ulva linza–procera–prolifera and U. lactuca–reticulata complexes, six of these genetic entities were recovered as individual species (i.e., U. australis, U. ohnoi, U. californica, U. compressa, U. lacinulata, and U. arasakii), and showed biogeographic patterns likely explained by clines in sea surface temperature and ocean current dispersal. At intra-specific level, all the genetic entities showed low genetic variation and divergence based on rbcL (0–0.3 %) and tuf A (0–0.9 %) data. Our results provide insights regarding intra- and inter-specific genetic patterns characterizing morphologically similar Ulva species through the NWP. However, further studies are needed to understand the mechanisms underpinning such patterns and the associated ecological and evolutionary implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we describe a new species of Crotalaria L. discovered in Mengla County, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan, China. The new species, Crotalaria menglaensis S.A.Rather, was confirmed by identifying diagnostic morphological characteristics, performing principal component analyses of phenotypic traits, and phylogenetic analyses based on nuclear ITS and plastid matK sequences. Phylogenetic analyses recovered the two accessions of the new species to be sister to C. bracteata Roxb. ex DC. In turn, these two species formed the sister clade to the two accessions of C. incana L. The morphometric analyses revealed that all three species were distinct, while the analyses of distinctive characters enabled unambiguous distinction of the new species by its growth habit, leaflets, flower structure and pod morphology. In contrast to the two related species, the new species is currently known only from ca. 100 mature individuals. Thus, this species is considered to be critically endangered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest ecological benefit compensation protects the ecological environment, increases enthusiasm among forest ecological builders, protects the legitimate economic interests of forest landowners, and maintains environmental security. In this study, a systematic analysis was conducted on 4062 publications in the field of international forest ecological benefit compensation identified using the Web of Science core collection Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-E) and Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) databases alongside CiteSpace optical measurement software. The research status and influence of countries were tracked, scientific research institutions and important authors were identified, and interdisciplinary and scientific hotspots were analyzed. The results show that the number of studies in this field has significantly increased over time and has strong development potential. The journals and articles presenting cutting-edge research in this field are all considered highly professional. The selected research is highly interdisciplinary but primarily involves environmental science and ecology. Despite the publication volume of China ranking second among the top 10 countries, its average citation volume was the lowest, indicating the urgent need to increase the international influence of China. Forest biodiversity, ecosystem services, and climate change are current research hotspots in this field. Dynamic changes in forest ecological benefit compensation and the driving forces behind its evolution are of great concern to researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is necessary for national parks to exert multiple forms of influence. One innovative function of national parks is leisure and recreation. By optimizing the recreation function, national parks can enhance public participation and tourists' willingness to pay to achieve sustainable development. This paper surveys 435 tourists in Wuyishan National Park with a discrete choice experiment, applies mixed logit models to explore their preferences for recreational attributes from three dimensions and analyzes the heterogeneity. The findings indicate that attributes such as the number of concession activities, transportation variety, the density of recreational facilities, biodiversity, sightseeing zone and combined ticket fee significantly impact tourists' willingness to pay. Higher-educated, younger and willing-to-revisit tourists are more likely to pay for the park and hope to optimize the facilities and activities. The estimated recreational value of the park is RMB 164.51 (about USD 22.75) per person. Here, heterogeneity exist: higher-educated tourists ask for lager sightseeing zone, younger ones prefer more diverse activities and those who are willing to revisit incline to variety means of transportation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plague, as an ancient zoonotic disease caused by Yersinia pestis, has brought great disasters. The natural plague focus of Marmota himalayana in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is the largest, which has been constantly active and the leading source of human plague in China for decades. Understanding the population genetics of M. himalayana and relating that information to the biogeographic distribution of Yersinia pestis and plague outbreaks are greatly beneficial for the knowledge of plague spillover and arecrucial for pandemic prevention. In the present research, we assessed the population genetics of M. himalayana. We carried out a comparative study of plague outbreaks and the population genetics of M. himalayana on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. We found that M. himalayana populations are divided into two main clusters located in the south and north of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Fourteen DFR genomovars of Y. pestis were found and exhibited a significant region-specific distribution. Additionally, the increased genetic diversity of plague hosts is positively associated with human plague outbreaks. This insight gained can improve our understanding of biodiversity for pathogen spillover and provide municipally directed targets for One Health surveillance development, which will be an informative next step toward increased monitoring of M. himalayana dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The H3 influenza viruses are widespread in domestic poultry but have been ignored because their pathogenicity in poultry is low. Three human infections with H3N8 influenza viruses have been reported in China since 2022, raising public concern. Here, we comprehensively analyzed 30 H3 subtype avian influenza viruses isolated from live poultry markets in China between 2021 and 2022. Genetic and phylogenetic analyses showed that the H3 viruses have undergone frequent reassortment and have formed complex genotypes. Notably, the viruses that caused human infections in 2022–2023 were highly homologous to the H3N8 viruses circulating in poultry in 2022, with internal genes derived from the H9N2 viruses. The analysis of chicken infections indicated that the novel H3N8 viruses were more infectious in chickens than those that do not carry H9N2 genes, whereas the H3 viruses detected in China in 2021–2022 showed low pathogenicity in mice. Our findings suggest that the novel H3N8 viruses bearing internal H9N2 genes have adapted to and circulated in chickens and pose a threat to human health. These results highlight the need for continued surveillance of the H3 influenza viruses and their impact on the poultry industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this present study, five new wood-inhabiting fungal taxa, Botryobasidium gossypirubiginosum, Botryobasidium incanum, Botryobasidium yunnanense, Coltricia zixishanensis, and Coltriciella yunnanensis are proposed. Botryobasidium gossypirubiginosum is distinguished by its slightly rubiginous hymenial surface, monomitic hyphal system, which branches at right angles, and subglobose, smooth basidiospores (14–17.5 × 13–15.5 µm); B. incanum is characterized by its white to incanus basidiomata having a hypochnoid hymenial surface, and ellipsoid, smooth basidiospores (6.5–8.5 × 3.5–5 µm); B. yunnanense is characterized by its buff to slightly yellowish hymenial surface, monomitic hyphal system, and broadly ellipsoid to globose, smooth, thick-walled basidiospores (11.5–14.5 × 9.5–10.5 µm); Coltricia zixishanensis differs in its rust brown pileal surface, and ellipsoid, thick-walled basidiospores (5–6.5 × 4–4.5 µm). Coltriciella yunnanensis is distinguished by its tiny pilei, short stipe, and navicular, verrucose basidiospores (10.5–12.5 × 6–7 µm). Sequences of ITS and nLSU genes were used for phylogenetic analyses using the maximum likelihood, maximum parsimony, and Bayesian inference methods. The phylogenetic results inferred from ITS sequences revealed that B. gossypirubiginosum was closely related to B. robustius; the species B. incanum was grouped with B. vagum; B. yunnanense was related to B. indicum. The species C. zixishanensis was grouped with C. confluens and C. perennis. ITS sequences revealed that C. zixishanensis was grouped into the genus Coltriciella, in which it was grouped with Co. globosa and Co. pseudodependens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polygala crotalarioides, a perennial herbaceous plant found in southwest China, has the potential to be used in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Endophytic fungi that reside within medicinal herbs play an important ecological role in their host plants and can serve as a valuable source for identifying active components. However, little is known about the diversity, and structure of endophytic fungi in P. crotalarioides. In this study, we investigated the community structure and diversity of endophytic fungi in the leaves, stems, and roots of P. crotalarioides at both 1- and 2-year-growth stages using a modern culture-independent method using both culture-independent (high-throughput sequencing, HTS) and culture-based methods. Using HTS, our results revealed that the richness and diversity of endophytic fungi in P. crotalarioides varied depending on the organs and growth stages. Specifically, stems and leaves exhibited significantly higher diversity compared to roots. Additionally, the highest diversity of endophytic fungi was observed in the stems of the 2-year-old plants. At the genus level, Fusarium, Colletotrichum, and Phoma were the most abundant endophytic fungi in 1-year-old samples, while Cercospora, Apiotrichum, and Fusarium were prevalent in 2-year-old samples. A total of 55 endophytic fungal strains belonging to two phyla and 24 genera were isolated from 150 plant tissue segments using culture-based methods. The anti-acetylcholinesterase activity of these isolates was evaluated in vitro and five of them, Phialophora mustea PCAM010, Diaporthe nobilis PCBM027, Fusarium oxysporum LP41, F. oxysporum SR60, and Phoma herbarum SM81, showed strong activity (>50% inhibition rate). These findings will serve as a theoretical basis and practical guide for comprehending the structural composition, biological diversity and bioactivity of endophytic fungi in P. crotalarioides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vararia is a species-rich genus in the family Peniophoraceae and has been shown to be polyphyletic. In this study, sequences of ITS and LSU rRNA markers of the studied samples were generated and phylogenetic analyses were performed with the maximum likelihood, maximum parsimony, and Bayesian inference methods. Seventeen lineages including six new species from China, i.e., V. fissurata, V. lincangensis, V. punctata, V. isabellina, V. sinensis, and V. yaoshanensis were recognized, in which V. fissurata is characterized by the brittle basidiomata with pruinose and cracking hymenophore having white to olivaceous buff hymenial surface, the clamped generative hyphae, presence of the two types gloeocystidia; V. lincangensis is characterized by the simple-septa generative hyphae, and thick-walled skeletal hyphae, and ellipsoid basidiospores; V. punctata is delimited by its thin to slightly thick-walled generative hyphae, and thick-walled skeletal hyphae, present thick-walled, clavate to cylindrical gloeocystidia; V. isabellina is characterized by having the cream to isabelline to slightly brown hymenial surface, thin to slightly thick-walled generative hyphae, and sub-fusiform to navicular basidiospores; V. sinensis is distinguishable by its white to slightly pink hymenial surface, thick-walled skeletal hyphae, and sub-fusiform to navicular basidiospores; V. yaoshanensis is characterized by cream to pinkish buff to cinnamon-buff hymenial surface, slightly thick-walled generative hyphae, the presence of two types gloeocystidia, and slightly thick-walled, ellipsoid basidiospores. Phylogram based on the ITS+nLSU rDNA gene regions included nine genera within the family Peniophoraceae as Amylostereum, Asterostroma, Baltazaria, Dichostereum, Michenera, Peniophora, Scytinostroma and Vararia, in which the six new wood-inhabiting fungi species were grouped into genus Vararia. The phylogenetic tree inferred from the combined ITS and LSU tree sequences highlighted that V. fissurata was found to be the sister to V. ellipsospora with strong supports. Additionally, V. lincangensis was clustered with V. fragilis. Furthermore, V. punctata was retrieved as a sister to V. ambigua. Moreover, V. sinensis was grouped with five taxa as V. breviphysa, V. pirispora, V. fusispora, V. abortiphysa and V. insolita. The new species V. isabellina formed a monophyletic lineage, in which it was then grouped closely with V. daweishanensis, and V. gracilispora. In addition, V. yaoshanensis was found to be the sister to V. gallica with strong supports. The present results increased the knowledge of Vararia species diversity and taxonomy of corticioid fungi in China. An identification key to 17 species of Vararia in China is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Biodiversity loss poses a significant environmental challenge, particularly in aquatic ecosystems. The advent of environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling technology offers a promising tool for monitoring biological communities with purported high efficiency. Yet, its efficacy compared to traditional sampling methods remains underexplored, especially in fish diversity research. Methods: This study conducted a comparative analysis of fish diversity and distribution across 29 sampling points within the rivers of the Changqing Nature Reserve, Central China, employing both eDNA techniques and traditional sampling methods. Results: A total of 46 unique fish species were identified through this comprehensive approach. eDNA sampling detected 34 species, surpassing the 22 species identified by traditional methods. Interestingly, 10 species were detected by both methods, while traditional methods exclusively identified 12 species not detected by eDNA, and eDNA uniquely identified an additional 24 species. Despite eDNA's broader species detection range, traditional sampling methods typically yielded higher Shannon diversity index values. Both β-diversity indices (Bray-Curtis and Jaccard) and multivariate analyses (NMDS and PCoA) were applied, revealing no significant statistical differences in biodiversity measurement between the two sampling methods. Discussion: The findings suggest that while eDNA sampling excels in identifying a wider range of species, it does not significantly outperform traditional methods in overall biodiversity assessment. By integrating both methodologies, this study demonstrates a more comprehensive and precise assessment of riverine biodiversity, underscoring the benefits of a synergistic approach for enhancing species detection and understanding distribution patterns. The combined methodology notably improves alpha diversity evaluations, particularly regarding Shannon diversity and Berger-Parker dominance. This integrated approach advocates for the amalgamation of data from both eDNA and conventional methods, fostering a robust and accurate biodiversity appraisal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The macroevolutionary processes that have shaped biodiversity across the temperate realm remain poorly understood and may have resulted from evolutionary dynamics related to diversification rates, dispersal rates, and colonization times, closely coupled with Cenozoic climate change.We integrated phylogenomic, environmental ordination, and macroevolutionary analyses for the cosmopolitan angiosperm family Rhamnaceae to disentangle the evolutionary processes that have contributed to high species diversity within and across temperate biomes.Our results show independent colonization of environmentally similar but geographically separated temperate regions mainly during the Oligocene, consistent with the global expansion of temperate biomes. High global, regional, and local temperate diversity was the result of high in situ diversification rates, rather than high immigration rates or accumulation time, except for Southern China, which was colonized much earlier than the other regions. The relatively common lineage dispersals out of temperate hotspots highlight strong source‐sink dynamics across the cosmopolitan distribution of Rhamnaceae.The proliferation of temperate environments since the Oligocene may have provided the ecological opportunity for rapid in situ diversification of Rhamnaceae across the temperate realm. Our study illustrates the importance of high in situ diversification rates for the establishment of modern temperate biomes and biodiversity hotspots across spatial scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new marine nematode species belonging to the order Monhysterida are described from the sea of China. Halomonhystera zhangi sp. nov. is characterized by its relatively small body size; short anterior sensory setae; small, circular amphidial fovea located at the level of buccal cavity base; funnel-shaped buccal cavity; an excretory-secretory system with a large ventral gland and opening as a very narrow canal just posterior to the level of cephalic setae; slightly curved slender spicules with cephalated proximal end and tapered distal end; rod-like gubernaculum without apophysis; two papilliform precloacal supplements just in front of the cloaca; conico-cylindrical tail with two ventral papillae, each with a seta; and distance between the vulva and anus slightly longer than the tail length. This is the first new species of epiphytic nematode reported in China. The second new species, Stylotheristus flagellicaudatus sp. nov., has a relatively shorter body and longer tail; striated cuticle; The anterior sensilla arranged in two circles, the first circle consisting of six inner labial setiform papillae (3-4 µm) and the second circle consisting of 16 long setae (12-19 µm); a transversely oval amphideal fovea; a well-developed muscle around the funnel-shaped buccal cavity; short spicules and a gubernaculum composed of a single piece; and precloacal supplements absent. An updated key to all species of Halomonhystera and pictorial key to all species of Stylotheristus are also given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China harbors a high species diversity of freshwater fishes not shared with any of its neighboring nations. Freshwater fish diversity in the country has been under severe threat from human activities over the past decades, thus conservation freshwater fishes and ecosystems is urgently needed. To accumulate baseline data for guiding protection actions, the third red list assessment of Chinese freshwater fishes was carried out. Among Chinese freshwater fishes assessed, there are 355 at‐risk species (22.3% of the total), including 69 ranked as Critically Endangered, 97 as Endangered, and 189 as Vulnerable. Two species are classified as Extinct and one as Regionally Extinct. China's threat level seems to be lower than the known average level found in the IUCN's global assessment of freshwater fishes, but this is an artifact of a high rate of species classified as Data Deficient. Conservation of freshwater fishes is presently facing a grim situation in China. Imperilment of Chinese freshwater fishes is primarily attributed to habitat loss and degradation arising from human perturbations, particularly river damming. Despite the adoption of protected areas setting up, captive breeding and release, and a fishing moratorium, conservation efforts for freshwater fishes are compromised by disproportional attention in China's biodiversity conservation, baseline data deficiency, insufficiently designed protection networks, and inefficient or inadequate implementation of conservation strategies. To achieve the objectives of Chinese freshwater fish conservation, it is proposed to conduct a national‐scale survey of fish diversity and reassess their at‐risk status, develop systematic conservation planning of freshwater fish diversity and ecosystems, prioritize strategies for protected areas development, perform genetic‐based captive breeding for releasing in concert with other protection actions, and implement flexible fishing moratorium strategies in different water bodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mountain ecosystems are crucial for global biodiversity conservation. However, their landscape features are constantly changing owing to urban expansion. Understanding the relationships between biotic communities and landscape features is essential for biodiversity conservation. This study aimed to examine the effect of land cover type on avian communities in Lishui, a mountainous urban area in eastern China. Avian surveys were conducted using 168 line transects in total across different land cover types once per season from December 2019 to January 2021. We assessed the diversity of bird communities by calculating various metrics at both taxonomic and functional levels. Among the land cover types measured, woodland, built-up land, cultivated land, and water bodies significantly influenced bird community diversity and composition. Species richness, species abundance, and functional richness were negatively correlated with the proportion of woodland but were positively correlated with the proportion of non-natural land cover, such as built-up and cultivated land. In contrast, functional evenness was positively correlated with the proportion of woodland and grassland but negatively correlated with the proportion of non-natural land cover. Land cover type also exhibited significant correlations with avian functional characteristics such as diet, foraging strata, and body mass, thereby influencing the overall community structure. Our results indicated that mountainous landscape patterns substantially affect avian communities. Different land cover types possess varying resource endowments that affect the distribution of avian species. Therefore, urban landscape planning in mountainous areas should carefully consider the various functions provided to organisms by different types of land cover to promote biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Free‐living N2 fixation (FNF) is an important source of bioavailable nitrogen for forests. Though increasing plant species diversity (PSD) benefits soil nitrogen accumulation, how it impacts FNF rate has not been explored.Forty‐five plots covering a PSD gradient were selected in a subtropical karst forest, southwest China. FNF rates in leaf litter and soil were measured using acetylene reduction assay calibrated with a 15N2 fixation method. Diazotrophic community, litter and soil properties were determined as well.The nifH gene abundance was not significantly altered in litter but was significantly decreased in soil by higher PSD. Diazotrophic community's Shannon diversity was significantly increased by higher PSD in both litter and soil. Increasing PSD inhibited litter FNF rate via aggravating phosphorus limitation and decreasing the relative abundance of Betaproteobacteria and Deltaproteobacteria. For the mineral soil horizon, increasing PSD suppressed FNF rate via decreasing nifH gene abundance caused by elevated N availability and lowered phosphorus and iron availability or through decreasing the relative abundance of Deltaproteobacteria but increasing that of Betaproteobacteria.Our findings, for the first time, reveal the microbial and abiotic controls on FNF in litter and soil in response to PSD, and hence benefit the prediction of nitrogen input via biological N2 fixation under changes in PSD. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most studies focused on the above‐ground diversity on leaf litter decomposition and soil respiration in tropical ecosystems, however, the mechanism understanding of root diversity on decomposition is still unclear.We selected the fine‐roots of 21 dominant tree species from a tropical rainforest in Xishuangbannan, China, then conducted a 360‐day and well‐replicated (21 replications) incubation decomposition experiment with a 0, 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18 and 21 species gradient of root diversity. The fine‐root mass loss, CO2 release, and their potential drivers were analysed.The results showed that as fine‐root diversity increased, soil properties, microbial diversity and fungal biomass changed nonlinearly, leading to higher litter mass loss and soil CO2 release in the moderate diversity with 9, 12 and 15 species mixtures. Non‐additive effect analysis also indicated that synergistic effects were greater in these three mixtures than others on soil CO2 release and litter mass loss. The indirect effects of soil properties and microbial communities were larger than the direct effect of fine‐root diversity.Our findings suggest that fine‐root diversity has nonlinear relationships with litter decomposition and soil CO2 release in tropical forests, thus highlighting the importance of plant diversity due to its role in the carbon cycle under global change scenario. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Semi-natural habitats (SNHs) surrounding agricultural fields contribute significantly to biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. SNHs can be divided into large habitat patches such as contiguous patches of forests, and smaller, interspersed linear habitat types such as grassy field margins. Traditional small-holder agricultural farmlands in China, replete with rich linear habitats, are notably beneficial for biodiversity. However, as these farmlands undergo consolidation to enhance the efficiency of machinery, linear habitats are being removed, a process that could adversely affect biodiversity. Appropriate agri-environmental measures (AEM), such as the restoration of field margins via strategic planting, could serve as an effective countermeasure to maintain biodiversity in consolidated land. This paper discusses how biodiversity monitoring can aid in evaluating the impact of land consolidation and the efficacy of AEM in China, from species richness and species composition perspectives. The paper also discusses the function of linear habitats and how they interact with large habitat patches in promoting biodiversity, while noting that outcomes are likely to vary among taxa. Long-term, multiple-taxa and comprehensive assessments are recommended in further studies, and a collaborative approach that involves multiple stakeholders is essential to ensure a success implication of AEM in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a high-quality plant resource for ecological restoration, Achnatherum splendens has strong adaptability and wide distribution. It is a constructive species of alkaline grassland in Northwest China. The close relationship between seed-borne bacteria and seeds causes a specific co-evolutionary effect which can enhance the tolerance of plants under various stresses. In this study, 272 bacterial isolates were isolated from the seeds of Achnatherum splendens in 6 different provinces of China. In total, 41 dominant strains were identified, and their motility, biofilm formation ability and antibiotic resistance were analyzed. The results showed that the bacteria of Achnatherum splendens belonged to 3 phyla and 14 genera, of which Firmicutes was the dominant phylum and Bacillus was the dominant genus. The motility and biofilm formation ability of the isolated strains were studied. It was found that there were six strains with a moving diameter greater than 8 cm. There were 16 strains with strong biofilm formation ability, among which Bacillus with biofilm formation ability was the most common, accounting for 37.5%. The analysis of antibiotic resistance showed that sulfonamides had stronger antibacterial ability to strains. Correlation analysis showed that the resistance of strains to aminoglycosides (kanamycin, amikacin, and gentamicin) was significantly positively correlated with their biofilm formation ability. This study provides fungal resources for improving the tolerance of plants under different stresses. In addition, this is the first report on the biological characteristics of bacteria in Achnatherum splendens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]