News
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2024-12-20Phytomedicine may Lead to New Drugs for psoriasisThe effect and hypothetical mechanism of EXT in the treatment of psoriasis. Psoriasis is a chronic relapsing skin condition that affects approximately 125 million people worldwide. The typical features of psoriasis include significant thick, red, well-defined patches of skin with flaky and silver-white scales. Stress, infections from bacteria or viruses, skin injury, and immune system abnormalities can promote the devel...Read More -
2024-12-08South China Botanical Garden Uncovers Molecular Mechanism of Transcription Factor Phase Separation in Precise Flowering RegulationPhase separation plays a crucial role in organismal development and signal transduction, but how it contributes to the control of floral transition is yet to be elucidated. This study reports that co-phase separation of CO with NF-YB2/NF-YC9/FT precisely controls heterogeneous CO assembly and FT transcriptional activation to precisely regulate t... Phase separation, the formation of biomacromolecular structures without membranes inside cells, plays a crucial role in organismal development and signal transduction. The plant photoperiod regulatory factor CONSTANS (CO) protein can interact with nuclear transcription factors NF-YB2 and NF-YC9 to co-activate the expression of the key flowering ...Read More -
2024-12-01South china botanical garden unveils mechanisms of plant invasion influencing soil carbon pools in tropical coral islandsThe research demonstrates that invasive plants on tropical coral islands reduce native vegetation biomass and soil organic carbon but offset these losses through increased inorganic carbon, maintaining total soil carbon storage. Seasonal dynamics, plant identity, and soil nutrients influence these effects, emphasizing the need for long-term stud... Soil carbon pools consist of organic carbon and inorganic carbon components. While research predominantly focuses on soil organic carbon due to its shorter turnover times, greater sensitivity to environmental changes, and higher regulatory potential. This often overlooks the crucial role of soil inorganic carbon, known for its stability in alkal...Read More -
2024-12-01Niche Shifts Facilitate Mycorrhizal Fungal Specialization in BurmanniaMany questions on the relationships between mycoheterotrophic plants and their mycorrhizal fungal partners remain unknown, particularly the environmental factors underpinning the fungal specialization in mycoheterotrophs. This study assessed fungal communities in mycoheterotrophic plants and their co-occurring plants to reveal the ecological fac... Mycoheterotrophic plants (MHPs) are achlorophyllous and obtain nutrients through parasitizing mycorrhizal fungi. MHPs evolved from autotrophic ancestors independently but show obvious convergent evolution in adaptation to their life mode, such as reduced vegetative growth and habitat changes from open grassland/shrub-land to dense moist forests,...Read More -
2024-12-01Check dam promotes soil organic carbon accumulation and nitrogen and phosphorus depositionThis study explored the effects of check dams on carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) content, stoichiometry, and their depth-dependence in mangrove wetlands. The results show that check dams significantly enhanced C, N, and P accumulation, increased soil C:P and N:P stoichiometry, and altered the depth-dependence of C dynamics, with soi... Mangroves are vital coastal ecosystems that provide essential ecological services, including carbon (C) sequestration and the removal of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) pollution. With the expansion of agricultural activities and aquaculture, an increasing number of check dams have been constructed around mangrove wetlands, resulting in changes ...Read More -
2024-11-21Contrasting responses of soil organic carbon dynamics to different nitrogen−addition approachesChronic atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition caused by anthropogenic activities has dramatically affected terrestrial ecosystem carbon (C) cycling, especially in tropical and subtropical forests. Many studies based on experimental platform of understory N addition (UN) have proved that long-term N addition significantly stimulated the accumulatio...Read More -
2024-11-18"Treasure" plant drives China-Peru cooperation in biodiversity protectionThe South China Botanical Garden in Guangzhou is showcasing a meticulously curated shelf filled with various plant specimens all the way from Peru. Xinhua News | Updated: 2024-11-18GUANGZHOU, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- The South China Botanical Garden in Guangzhou is showcasing a meticulously curated shelf filled with various plant specimens all the way from Peru.Affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the garden now houses a diverse collection of 6,300 species samples from the Latin ...Read More -
2024-11-16The evolutionary history of “living fossils”: Lineage differentiation and genomic vulnerability of Bretschneidera sinensisMany relict species were widespread during the last glacial period, but now are often characterized by narrow geographic distribution, small population sizes, and limited dispersal capacity. The subtropical forests of East Asia, distinguished by their high plant diversity and endemism, are home to abundant ancient relict species. These relict species are commonly known as “living fossils” because their morphological characteristics have remained virtually unchanged over long periods of time.Many relict species were widespread duri...Read More