Search

Professor Yan-Cheng Tang, also known as Yen-Cheng Tang, (汤彦承, given name Yan-Cheng, surname Tang; abbreviated Y. C. Tang), passed away on August 6, 2016, in Beijing at the age of 90. He was a highly respected plant taxonomist for his massive contributions to plant taxonomy in China and for the number of botanists he influenced. A brief biography and a summary of his importance in the development of plant taxonomy in China during the latter half of the 20th century is presented.

With the development of biodiversity informatics, more and more data repositories have emerged, providing massive stores of open scientific data. The use of open data is increasingly valuable for scientific research and related decision making but little is known about which topics are addressed, especially in non-English publications. Further, how this data should be cited has been called into question. The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) is the world’s largest and most widely-used open data access platform on the occurrence of species in nature. Here, we analyze the use of GBIF-mediated data in Chinese language publications. From 623 publications containing the word “GBIF”, we obtained 324 peer-reviewed publications. Among these publications, there were 237 journal papers, 17 doctoral theses, 66 master theses, and 4 conference papers. The publications came from 114 journals and 49 research institutes and universities. We found that the most common topics addressed by these publications were species distribution, climate change, biological invasion and medicinal plants. For data citation, multiple forms coexist. 295 publications (90% of publications) only cited the name of “GBIF” in the main text, without a Digital Object Identifier (DOI). Among the 29 publications that cited GBIF in the references, 17 cited the GBIF website, 8 publications listed the URL of a species page in GBIF, and only 4 publications cited a DOI, which is what GBIF recommends. Based on a discussion on the use of GBIF-mediated data and the resulting data citation issues, this study makes three suggestions to improve data citation practice, which are applicable to data citation practice in other non-English publications.

To the problem of memory consumption caused by the method based on GPU geometric segments, this paper used the new features of DX11 inlaid the PN-Patch geometric segmentation to resolve. Mixed triangular and quadrilateral mesh, combined with displacement maps and normal maps to get rich surface details with reasonable viewpoint mosaic factor calculation method.

Over70speciesandinfraspecifictaxahavebeendescribedintheSymplocos nakaharae(Hayata)Masam. complex (Symplocaceae), and the taxonomy of this complex has been controversial. To provide a rational taxonomic revision of the complex, extensive field observations were carried out and approximately 800 herbarium specimens, covering the whole distribution range, were examined to evaluate the taxonomic importance of morphological char- acteristics. Our studies recognized 13 species and one subspecies, including S. boninensis, S. henryi, S. kawakamii, S. lucida, S. nakaharae, S. migoi, S. multipes, S. pergracilis, S. setchuensis, S. shilanensis, S. tanakae, S. tetragona, S. theifolia, and S. lucida subsp. howii comb. nov. One new combination is made and two new synonyms, S. ernestii Dunn var. pubicalyx C. Chen syn. nov. and S. kuroki Nagam. syn. nov., are recognized. Two identification keys are provided, based primarily on flower and fruit characters. Detailed morphological descriptions and geographical distribution information of the 14 taxa are given.

The phylogenetic relationships and biogeography of the Asiatic orchid genus Holcoglossum (Vandeae, Aeridinae) were inferred from sequences of chloroplast matK and trnL-F genes and nuclear ITS regions of 25 taxa. (12 Holcoglossum, 11 Aeridinae, 2 outgroups). Analysis of combined datasets with parsimony and Bayesian methods revealed that Holcoglossum is highly Supported as monophyletic, including two debatable species, H. amesianum and H. subulifolium, and consists of three well-supported major subclades which agree well with biodiversity centers of Holcoglossum: one tropical subclade comprising four species, another forming a polytomy comprising six species restricted to the temperate alpine region of the Hengduan Mountains, and the third with two species somewhat distributed between the first two regions. However, these three major subclades are only partly in accordance with previous infrageneric classifications based on morphological characters. The lip lamella, long and conical spur and tapering stipe seem to have evolved at least twice in Holcoglossum, similarly the pollination system shift has occurred at least twice. Vicariance analyses and molecular phylogeny suggest that Holcoglossum dispersed from tropical regions to the Hengduan Mountains and then radiated there as a result of the uplift of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

The reproductive morphology of Sargentodoxa cuneata (Oliv) Rehd. et Wils. is investigated through field, herbarium, and laboratory observations. Sargentodoxa may be either dioecious or monoecious. The functionally unisexual flowers are morphologically bisexual, at least developmentally. The anther is tetrasporangiate, and its wall, of which the development follows the basic type, is composed of an epidermis, endothecium, two middle layers, and a tapetum. The tapetum is of the glandular type. Microspore cytokinesis is simultaneous, and the microspore tetrads are tetrahedral. Pollen grains are two-celled when shed. The mature ovule is crassinucellate and bitegmic, and the micropyle is formed only by the inner integument. Megasporocytes undergo meiosis resulting in the formation of four megaspores in a linear tetrad. The functional megaspore develops into an eight-nucleate embryo sac after three rounds of mitosis. The mature embryo sac consists of an egg apparatus (an egg and two synergids), a central cell, and three antipodal cells. The pattern of the embryo sac development follows a monosporic Polygonum type. Comparisons with allied groups show that Sargentodoxa shares more synapomorphies with the Lardizabalaceae than other Ranunculales. Characteristics of its reproductive morphology are consistent with the placement of Sargentodoxa as the sister group of the remaining Lardizabalaceae. It does not possess a sufficient number of apomorphic characters to justify its separation into a separate family or subfamily. It is best retained as a member of the Lardizabalaceae.

A new species, Mahonia monodens J.Y.Wu, H.N.Qin & S.Z.He, sp. nov. (Berberidaceae), is described from Guangxi, China. Its distinguishing characters, description, detailed illustration and taxonomic comments are given. The species was compared with the related species, M. microphylla, and a diagnostic key is provided. The new species is critically endangered (CR) according to the categories and criteria of the World Conservation Union. © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 159, 357–361.

Impatiens angulata S. X. Yu, Y. L. Chen et H. N. Qin sp. nova (Balsaminaceae), a new species from Guangxi, China, is described and illustrated. This species is close to I. hainanensis in morphological characters. Both have succulent stems, 4 lateral sepal connected upper lobes of lateral united petals, but are distinguished by the base of stems with 6–9 ridges, leaves oblong or oblanceolate, the outer lateral sepals with 9 veins, inner lateral sepals ovate and dorsal sepal with deep bilobate spur.

The achene wall anatomy and surface sculpturing of 14 species representing Lactuca L. and related genera were investigated to evaluate inter- and intrageneric relationships. The achene wall anatomy of the studied species can be divided into two types: winged and ribbed. The winged type is present in Lactuca L., Pterocypsela Shih, Cicerbita Wallr., Chaetoseris Shih and Stenoseris Shih, and is characterized by protruding wings and costae in transverse section. Winged type achene mesocarps are composed of parenchymatous cells and fiber cells, and the distinct fibrous strands are confined to the costae or wings of the achenes. The ribbed type is present in Notoseris Shih and Paraprenanthes Chang ex Shih, and is characterized by only having costae in transverse section. Fiber cells are continuous in the costae and intercostae. In surface sculpturing, the ornamentation and the shape of epidermal cells are different among these genera. The results indicate that L. altaica and L. serriola should be conspecific, and that L. dolichophylla is probably an intermediate taxon between Lactuca and Chaetoseris. The results also support the separation of Pterocypsela, Paraprenanthes, Notoseris, Chaetoseris and Stenoseris from Lactuca and Cicerbita as independent entities. Close affinities between Pterocypsela and Lactuca, Paraprenanthes and Notoseris, and Chaetoseris and Stenoseris are also proposed. (Managing editor: Wei Wang)

The pollination system of Holcoglossum rupestre was studied in northwestern Yunnan. The species is self-compatible but pollinator-dependent and offers nectar as a reward to visitors. A species of beetle, Hybovalgus bioculatus Kolbe, is identified as the pollinator among all visitors observed. The beetles carried the pollinia in two different positions, i.e. on the buttock and the foreleg, and pollinated the flowers by two different mechanisms. The analysis suggests that Holcoglossum rupestre and its pollinator may be in an unstable pollination relationship. The natural fruit set is low, which is attributed to the low visiting frequency of pollinator and the effective mechanism to prevent self-pollination.

Bump map is the algorithm by disturbed surface normal direction to generate a bump or rough objects. This paper studies how to use HLSL to achieve bump map rendering, full use of GPU computing power and programmability to improve rendering efficiency. The five steps of the principle and implementation are described, and a summary of this realization.

China has rich biodiversity data, such as specimens, images, scientific literatures, field survey data, lab data. However, for a long time, many data are neither available nor accessible. In recent few years, few groups and institutions in China have began working on collection, collation and dissemination of biodiversity information. After the cooperation with Species 2000, EOL (Encyclopedia of Life), BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library) and other related international projects, biodiversity information in China has been organized and shared in a good way. Also in this time, with the help of biodiversity informatics, the concept of biodiversity e-Science infrastructure has come to appear. In this paper, we suggest a biodiversity e-Science infrastructure based on a Service-Oriented Architect (SOA) and OGC ISO 19119 service standards. Related data, tool, metadata standards, service, annotation, community and application will be integrated into one platform, which may play an important role in the development and application of biodiversity research in the future of China.

Background and Aims Decaisnea insignis, known as 'dead man's fingers' (Lardizabalaceae), is widely distributed in China and the Himalayan foothill countries. This economically important plant, which is the only species in the genus, has not been the subject of any embryological studies aside from one brief, older paper that lacks micrographs. Data on Decaisnea are also important because its systematic position has been unstable since the genus was established in 1855. Therefore, the objectives of this study were: (a) to use modern microscopy to document early reproductive anatomical development in Decaisnea; and (b) to compare qualitatively these early embryological characters with allied taxa in a systematic context. Methods Decaisnea insignis floral buds and inflorescences were regularly collected from Shaanxi Province, China and prepared for light microscopy. The embryological characters studied were qualitatively compared with those of allied taxa via a thorough examination of the existing literature. Key Results Early reproductive anatomy in Decaisnea was documented and novel revelations made. It was discovered that the pollen is shed when three-celled (not two-celled, as previously reported), and that endosperm formation is nuclear (not cellular or helobial, as previously reported). These two newly revealed embryological characters are not found in any other members of Lardizabalaceae. Furthermore, neither are persistent antipodal cells, which we confirmed to be present in Decaisnea. Conclusions Decaisnea and other Lardizabalaceae characteristically have tetrasporangiate anthers, a secretory tapetum, simultaneous microsporocyte cytokinesis, primarily bitegmic, crassinucellate ovules, and a Polygonum type embryo sac. However, in the family, persistent antipodals, nuclear endosperm, and pollen shed at the three-celled stage are only found in Decaisnea. These embryological data prompted the suggestion that Decaisnea needs elevation above the level of genus.