Microsatellite loci from Taxus chinensis var. mairei (Taxaceae), an endangered and economically important tree species in China

Taxus chinensis var.mairei is an endangered and economically important tree species in China.Four polymorphic microsatellite markers were developed and characterized using the fast isolation by amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) of sequences containing repeats (FIASCO) protocol.Polymorphism of each locus was quantified for five natural populations from Hubei Province,China.The number of alleles per locus varied from 6 to 24.The ranges of observed and expected heterozygosity were 0.493-1.000 and 0.440-0.845,respectively.These are the first microsatellites reported for the family of Taxaceae and will be helpful for the ongoing population and conservation genetics research of Taxus chinensis var.mairei.     

Isolation and characterization of 15 microsatellite loci in four endangered Amentotaxus species (Taxaceae)

? Premise of the study: Fifteen microsatellite loci were developed in an endangered species, Amentotaxus formosana, and were tested in an additional three species, A. argotaenia, A. yunnanensis, and A. poilanei, to evaluate the population structure for conservation efforts and reconstruct the phylogeographic patterns of this ancient lineage. ? Methods and Results: Polymorphic primer sets were developed from A. formosana; the number of alleles ranged from two to 10, with an observed heterozygosity ranging from 0 to 0.60. All of the loci were found to be interspecifically amplifiable. ? Conclusions: These polymorphic and transferable loci will be potentially useful for future studies that will focus on identifying distinct genetic units within species and establishing the phylogeographic patterns and the process of speciation among closely related species.     

Back to the brink: Phylogeography and demographic history of the endangered Torreya jackii

Both paleoclimatic change and anthropogenic habitat destruction can have adverse effects on species demography and, in turn, could lead a species towards being endangered and rare. Understanding the relative importance of these natural and anthropogenic factors driving species endangerment and rarity is thus crucial for effective conservation planning but remains elusive. Here, we examine the phylogeography and demographic history of an endangered conifer species in China, Torreya jackii Chun, and assess the relative importance of natural and anthropogenic factors that might have put the species in its endangered state. We collected tissue samples from all the 13 extant wild populations, and analyzed the genetic variation using eight nuclear microsatellites and four chloroplast and one mitochondrial DNA fragments. We found low genetic and nucleotide diversities, which could explain the absence of spatial and phylogeographic structure. Using a hierarchical approximate Bayesian computation technique, we identified the demographic scenario that best fits the genetic data and found that effective population size was low at least 200 000 years ago but expanded after the last glacial maximum (LGM). The paleoclimatic niche model revealed a profound effect of precipitation on the distribution of T. jackii and predicted that the current distribution areas were suitable during the LGM. Despite the post-LGM expansion, the best-supported scenario showed a dramatic population collapse during the past 300 years, when anthropogenic disturbances also increased dramatically. Overall, our study sheds light on how historical factors and human impacts jointly threaten the persistence of a species, and these aspects should be duly considered in species conservation planning.     

榧属（红豆杉科）一新种——四川榧

本新种在种子形态上与云南榧Torreya yunnanensis Cheng et L.K. Fu 相似,不同在于体态为小乔木,高4～5 m,直径10～15 cm;叶较小,长（1.2）1.5～2 cm,宽2.2～3 mm,先端具短尖头,基部圆形或圆楔形,上面仅下部有2条不明显的纵槽,下面2条灰白色气孔带较宽,其宽度与中脉和绿色边带近相等;带假种皮种子倒卵球形或稀近圆球形,较小,直径1.6～2 cm（云南榧2～2.5 cm）,易于区别。     

Microsatellite loci from Taxus chinensis var. mairei (Taxaceae), an endangered and economically important tree species in China

Taxus chinensis var. mairei is an endangered and economically important tree species in China. Four polymorphic microsatellite markers were developed and characterized using the fast isolation by amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) of sequences containing repeats (FIASCO) protocol. Polymorphism of each locus was quantified for five natural populations from Hubei Province, China. The number of alleles per locus varied from 6 to 24. The ranges of observed and expected heterozygosity were 0.493–1.000 and 0.440–0.845, respectively. These are the first microsatellites reported for the family of Taxaceae and will be helpful for the ongoing population and conservation genetics research of Taxus chinensis var. mairei.     

濒危植物长叶榧群体遗传多样性的RAPD分析

借助随机扩增多态DNA方法,分析了中国特有的濒危植物长叶榧的遗传多样性和遗传分化．结果表明：12个随机引物在9个长叶榧自然群体180个样品中可检测到180个可重复位点,其中多态位点119个．长叶榧物种水平的遗传多样性较高,多态位点百分率（P）为66．11％,Shannon信息指数（,）为0．3087,Nei指数（h）为0．2015;而群体水平的遗传多样性较低,P、I和h分别平均为23．76％、0．1221和0．0813．AMOVA分子变异显示,42．57％变异来源于群体内,57．43％变异来源于群体间,群体间的遗传分化系数（Gst）为0．5965,群体间的遗传分化程度高．长叶榧群体间的基因流很低,为0．3382．瓶颈效应、群体隔离和群体间基因流低等因素都加剧了长叶榧群体间的遗传分化．9个长叶榧群体间的平均遗传距离为0．1630．通过UPGMA进行聚类,可将9个长叶榧群体分为浙江和福建两大类群．建议在迁地保护时应尽量避免在群体之间实施种质迁移．     

利用RAPD标记分析濒危植物白豆杉种群的遗传结构

以我国特有的濒危裸子植物白豆杉为材料,采用RAPD标记对其分布于浙江、江西、湖南和广西的11个天然种群予以检测,通过贝叶斯法估测了种群的遗传分化程度,并和由其他算法得出的结果进行了比较.求出的θ^B（Hickory）、GST（Nei）及φST（AMOVA）值分别为0.5018、0.5865和0.5436;而经由Shannon指数计算出的种群间遗传多样性所占比例为0.4839,同贝叶斯法估计出的结果最为接近.和其他松杉类植物相比,白豆杉种群间发生了极其显著的遗传分化,这可能是因为：（1）种群长期处于星散分布状态;（2）雌雄异株,而生于林下的雌株经常不能正常受粉;（3）种群取样跨越的地理范围宽广.Mantel检验表明,种群间的遗传分化程度和地理距离之间显著相关（r=0.719,P=0.003）.此外还发现白豆杉的遗传变异水平偏低,推测瓶颈效应和遗传漂变对小种群的作用是造成这一后果的重要因素.对白豆杉种群的保育和管理提出了建议.     

宽坝林区珍稀濒危植物资源的初步研究

通过对宽坝林区珍稀濒危植物的区系分析,得出该林区珍稀濒危植物区系具有种类较丰富,起源古老,区系复杂等特征。并探讨了该区珍稀濒危植物的致濒原因,提出了系列保护对策。     

Plastome phylogenomic analysis of Torreya (Taxaceae)

Torreya Arn., a small genus of Taxaceae, consists of six species occurring in North America and eastern Asia. Several phylogenetic studies have previously been undertaken to reveal relationships within this genus, although only a few DNA segments or species were used. In the present study, we sequenced five Torreya plastomes and combined these with two existing plastomes from the genus to investigate plastome evolution and phylogenetic relationships within Torreya. All sequenced Torreya plastomes shared the same complement of 82 protein‐coding genes, 4 ribosomal RNA genes, and 31 transfer RNA genes. Phylogenetic inference using a maximum likelihood framework consisted of an 82‐gene, 17‐taxon dataset, including all species of Torreya, resolved Torreya as a monophyletic clade. Strongly supported relationships within the genus include the position of the early diverging T. jackii Chun, the two sister pairs T. fargesii Franch.–T. nucifera (L.) Siebold & Zucc. and T. grandis Fortune ex Lindl.–T. californica Torr., and the monophyly of the clade including T. fargesii var. yunnanensis, T. fargesii, and T. nucifera. In addition to the inference of species relationships, divergence time estimation and biogeographical analysis were carried out. The diversification of Torreya was estimated to be approximately 8.9 Ma. Ancestral state reconstruction of the geographical area suggested China/eastern North America as the most likely ancestral region for the six extant Torreya species.     

Development and characterization of microsatellite markers for the endangered Chinese yew Taxus chinensis var. mairei (Taxaceae)

We isolated and characterized 11 microsatellite loci for the Chinese yew, Taxus chinensis var. mairei, an endangered tree species in China, by constructing a (CA)(12)-enriched library. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 5 to 10. The observed heterozygosities ranged from 0.2500 to 0.8333 and the expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.5196 to 0.8680. No significant linkage disequilibrium was detected at these loci. However, four loci significantly deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The null alleles were found to be present at locus Tach9 and locus Tach11 by the Micro-checker test (P < 0.001). These polymorphic loci could be employed in research of gene flow and spatial genetic patterns of T. chinensis var. mairei.     

Biflavone of Torreya jackii Chun and Its Taxonomical Significance

Kayaflavone has been isolated from leaves of Torreya jackii Chun, a species endemic to China. Seven species, belonging to Taxus, Pseudotaxus, Amentotaxus as well as Torreya, in Taxaceae were examined for kayaflavone, which has been detected only in the genus Torreya. The result seems to justify the separation of the genus from the others and the establishment of the monotypic tribe, Torreyeae.     

Population genetic structure of Monimopetalum chinense (Celastraceae), an endangered endemic species of eastern China

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Monimopetalum chinense (Celastraceae) standing for the monotypic genus is endemic to eastern China. Its conservation status is vulnerable as most populations are small and isolated. Monimopetalum chinense is capable of reproducing both sexually and asexually. The aim of this study was to understand the genetic structure of M. chinense and to suggest conservation strategies. METHODS: One hundred and ninety individuals from ten populations sampled from the entire distribution area of M. chinense were investigated by using inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR). KEY RESULTS: A total of 110 different ISSR bands were generated using ten primers. Low levels of genetic variation were revealed both at the species level (Isp=0.183) and at the population level (Ipop=0.083). High clonal diversity (D = 0.997) was found, and strong genetic differentiation among populations was detected (49.06 %). CONCLUSIONS: Small population size, possible inbreeding, limited gene flow due to short distances of seed dispersal, fragmentation of the once continuous range and subsequent genetic drift, may have contributed to shaping the population genetic structure of the species.     

In vitro culture of Sophora toromiro (Papilionaceae), an endangered species

Sophora toromiro (Phil.) Skottsb. is a woody species in imminent danger of extinetion. Since natural regeneration by seeds is poor and plant growth is very slow, asexual propagation is necessary. In vitro regeneration from 3- to 4-month-old seedlings was achieved. A range of naphthaleneacetic acid and benzyladenine concentrations induced root formation in nodal segment explants, developing plantlets, and also promoted axillary bud development. In subculture, nodal sections derived from axillary growth initiated multiple shoot formation and roots in a liquid medium leading to plantlet formation.Abbreviations NAA naphthaleneacetic acid - BA benzyladenine - IBA indolebutyric acid - GA₃ gibberellic acid     

Pollination biology of Harrisia portoricensis (Cactaceae), an endangered Caribbean species

Traits associated with self-pollination are common features of island plant communities. In this work, we studied the pollination biology and the breeding system of Harrisia portoricensis, an island columnar cactus, to test for the presence of inbreeding and inbreeding depression. For H. portoricensis, which bears flowers with typical outcrossing morphology, the results from 322 h of direct observations and videotaping showed that visits to flowers by animals were uncommon. Controlled pollinations demonstrated that H. portoricensis has a partially self-compatible breeding system that it is not autogamous and thus requires an external mechanism for the movement of pollen to set fruit. We detected differences in seed size, seed mass, germination success, and multiplicative fitness estimates between self- and cross-pollination treatments. We found that progeny resulting from natural and self-pollination treatments showed signs of inbreeding depression compared with progeny resulting from cross-pollination; however, the magnitude of the inbreeding depression was less than 50%. Our combined results suggest that for this species an endogamous breeding system should be favored by natural selection.     

濒危物种小勾儿茶的重新发现

在距离濒危物种小勾儿茶模式标本产地约130 km处的湖北省五峰县后河国家自然保护区中重新发现了小勾儿茶Berchemiella wilsonii (Schneid.) Nakai。威尔逊1907年在湖北省兴山县采集到小勾儿茶的模式标本有花,无果实。我们在五峰县采集了小勾儿茶的花和果实标本并对其果实特征予以补充描述。     

Phylogeography of Eastern Polynesian sandalwood (Santalum insulare), an endangered tree species from the Pacific: a study based on chloroplast microsatellites

Aim Patterns of genetic variation within forest species are poorly documented in island ecosystems. The distribution of molecular variation for Santalum insulare, an endangered tree species endemic to the islands of eastern Polynesia, was analysed using chloroplast microsatellite markers. The aims were to quantify the genetic diversity; to assess the genetic structure; and to analyse the geographical distribution of the diversity within and between archipelagoes. The ultimate goal was to pre‐define evolutionary significant units (ESUs) for conservation and restoration programmes of this species, which constitutes a natural resource on small, isolated islands. Location Eleven populations, each representative of one island, covering most of the natural occurrence of S. insulare were sampled: five populations from the Marquesas Archipelago; three from the Society Archipelago; and three from the Cook–Austral Archipelago. These South Pacific islands are known for their high degree of plant endemism, and for their human occupation by Polynesian migrations. The extensive exploitation of sandalwood by Europeans nearly 200 years ago for its fragrant heartwood, used overseas in incense, carving and essential oil production for perfume, has dramatically reduced the population size of this species. Methods We used chloroplast microsatellites, which provide useful information in phylogeographical forest tree analyses. They are maternally inherited in most angiosperms and present high polymorphism. Among the 499 individuals sampled, 345 were genotyped successfully. Classical models of population genetics were used to assess diversity parameters and phylogenetic relationships between populations. Results Four microsatellite primers showed 16 alleles and their combinations provided 17 chlorotypes, of which four exhibited a frequency > 10% in the total population. The gene diversity index was high for the total population (H_e = 0.82) and varied among archipelagoes from H_e = 0.40 to 0.67. Genetic structure is characterized by high levels of differentiation between archipelagoes (36% of total variation) and between islands, but differentiation between islands varied according to archipelago. The relationship between genetic and geographical distance confirms the low gene flow between archipelagoes. The minimum spanning tree of chlorotypes exhibits three clusters corresponding to the geographical distribution in the three main archipelagoes. Main conclusions The high level of diversity within the species was explained by an ancient presence on and around the hotspot traces currently occupied by young islands. Diversity in the species has enabled survival in a range of habitats. Relationships between islands show that the Cook–Austral chlorotype cluster constitutes a link between the Marquesas and the Society Islands. This can be explained by the evolution of the island systems over millions of years, and extinction of intermediary populations on the Tuamotu Islands following subsidence there. Based on the unrooted neighbour‐joining tree and on the genetic structure, we propose four ESUs to guide the conservation and population restoration of Polynesian Sandalwood: the Society Archipelago; the Marquesas Archipelago; Raivavae Island; and Rapa Island.     

长叶榧黄酮类化合物含量及成分分析

对长叶榧不同营养器官和不同居群的3种营养器官黄酮类化合物含量进行测定,并利用聚酰胺薄层层析法对黄酮类化合物的成分进行分析。结果表明：（1）长叶榧各个营养器官均含有黄酮类化合物,其含量高低顺序依次是一年生叶>一年生枝>幼根>老根>树皮>老枝>茎;（2）长叶榧不同营养器官其黄酮类化合物的种类有很大的差异,以一年生叶、一年生枝最多,幼根次之,老根、老枝第三,树皮、茎最少;（3）不同长叶榧居群3种营养器官黄酮类化合物含量各不相同,但均以一年生叶最高,一年生枝次之,老枝最低;（4）不同长叶榧居群一年生叶黄酮类化合物含量差异不显著,一年生枝、老枝差异较大;（5）不同长叶榧居群3种营养器官其黄酮类化合物的种类在一年生叶中没有差异,一年生枝中差异较小,老枝中差异较大。