Climate change is an important driver of biodiversity patterns and species distributions, understanding how organisms respond to climate change will shed light on the conservation of endangered species. In this study, we modeled the distributional dynamics of a critically endangered montane shrub Lonicera oblata in response to climate change under different periods by building a comprehensive habitat suitability model considering the effects of soil and vegetation conditions. Our results indicated that the current suitable habitats for L. oblata are located scarcely in North China. Historical modeling indicated that L. oblata achieved its maximum potential distribution in the last interglacial period which covered southwest China, while its distribution area decreased for almost 50% during the last glacial maximum. It further contracted during the middle Holocene to a distribution resembling the current pattern. Future modeling showed that the suitable habitats of L. oblata contracted dramatically, and populations were fragmentedly distributed in these areas. As a whole, the distribution of L. oblata showed significant migration northward in latitude but no altitudinal shift. Several mountains in North China may provide future stable climatic areas for L. oblata, particularly, the intersections between the Taihang and Yan mountains. Our study strongly suggested that the endangered montane shrub L. oblata are sensitive to climate change, and the results provide new insights into the conservation of it and other endangered species.
Background Plants in cliff habitats may evolve specific reproductive strategies to cope with harsh environments, and unraveling these reproductive characteristics can improve our understanding of survival strategies and lithophyte evolution. This understanding is especially important for efforts to protect rare and endemic plants. Here, we investigated the reproductive biology of Lonicera oblata, an endangered lithophytic shrub that is scattered in highly fragmented and isolated cliff habitats of the Taihang and Yan mountains in North China. Results Flowers of L. oblata are herkogamous and protandrous, characteristics that can prevent autogamy at the single-flower level, and insects are necessary for pollination. The outcrossing index, pollen/ovule ratio, and the results of hand pollination were measured and all revealed a mixed mating system for L. oblata, that combines cross-fertilization and partial self-fertilization. The floral traits of L. oblata of zygomorphic and brightly yellowish corolla, heavy fragrance, and rich nectar, suggest an entomophilous pollination system. Sweat bees were observed as the most effective pollinators but their visiting frequencies were not high. Pollen limitation may limit the reproductive success of L. oblata. Conclusions We determined the reproductive characteristics of L. oblata, a critically endangered species endemic to cliffs in North China, providing insight into its endangerment and suggesting conservation strategies. L. oblata has highly pollinator-dependent self-fertilization as part of a mixed mating system. Floral features such as low-flowering synchrony, asynchronous anthers dehiscence, and high duration of stigma receptivity, improve pollination efficiency in the case of low pollinator service. Our work provides reference information to understand the survival strategies and conservation of L. oblata and other lithophytes.
Characterizing genetic diversity and structure and identifying conservation units are both crucial for the conservation and management of threatened species. The development of high-throughput sequencing technology provides exciting opportunities for conservation genetics. Here, we employed the powerful SuperGBS method to identify 33, 758 high-quality single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) from 134 individuals of a critically endangered montane shrub endemic to North China, Lonicera oblata. A low level of genetic diversity and a high degree of genetic differentiation among populations were observed based on the SNP data. Both principal component and phylogenetic analyses detected seven clusters, which correspond exactly to the seven geographic populations. Under the optimal K = 7, Admixture suggested the combination of the two small and geographically neighboring populations in the Taihang Mountains, Dongling Mountains, and Lijiazhuang, while the division of the big population of Jiankou Great Wall in the Yan Mountains into two clusters. High population genetic diversity and a large number of private alleles were detected in the four large populations, while low diversity and non-private alleles were observed for the remaining three small populations, implying the importance of these large populations as conservation units in priority. Demographic history inference suggested two drastic contractions of population size events that occurred after the Middle Pleistocene Transition and the Last Glacial Maximum, respectively. Combining our previous ecological niche modeling results with the present genomic data, there was a possible presence of glacial refugia in the Taihang and Yan Mountains, North China. This study provides valuable data for the conservation and management of L. oblata and broadens the understanding of the high biodiversity in the Taihang and Yan Mountains.
The mechanisms underlying the origin, evolution, and distributional patterns of organisms are a major focus of biogeography. Vicariance and long-distance dispersal (LDD) are two important explanations for disjunctive distribution patterns among lineages. In-depth biogeographic studies of taxa that exhibit wide-ranging disjunctions can provide valuable information for addressing the relative importance of these biogeographic mechanisms. The genus Celastrus contains ca. 30 species that are disjunctly distributed in five continents of both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, providing an excellent system for historical biogeographic analyses. Here, we used sequence data from five markers (nuclear external transcribed spacer and internal transcribed spacer, and plastid psbA-trnH, rpl16, and trnL-F) to reconstruct the phylogeny of Celastrus and investigate its phylogenetic relationships with Tripterygium, estimate clade divergence times using the fossil-calibrated method, and infer its ancestral distribution range. Celastrus and Tripterygium were each supported as monophyletic. The morphology-based classification systems were not supported by the phylogenetic results. The divergence time between Celastrus and Tripterygium was estimated to be 26.22 Ma (95% highest posterior density: 24.46-28.17 Ma), and the diversification of Celastrus were suggested to be linked to global warming events during the Miocene. Celastrus was suggested to have a tropical Asian origin, and dispersed to Central and South America, North America, Oceania, and Madagascar at different periods, most probably through LDD. Birds may have facilitated transoceanic migrations of Celastrus because of its bicolored fruits, which contain red and fleshy arils. Our results highlight the importance of key morphological innovations and animal-mediated dispersals for the rapid diversification of plant lineages across vast distributional ranges.
Physochlaina is an important perennial herbaceous genus with significant medicinal value, while the phylogeny of Physochlaina and tribe Hyoscyameae is not well resolved yet. In this study, we report the complete chloroplast genome sequences of Ph. physaloides, its complete chloroplast genome is 156,413 bp in length, which is a typical quadripartite structure that includes a large single-copy region of 86,659 bp, a small single-copy region of 18,012 bp, and its GC content was 37.7%. A total of 132 genes were identified, including 87 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. Furthermore, a phylogenetic tree of the tribe Hyoscyameae was constructed based the complete chloroplast genome sequence, and a new topology of the tribe was obtained. This study provides valuable genetic information for the conservation and utilization of Ph. physaloides and also provide the potential for better understanding of the phylogeny of Hyoscyameae and Solanaceae.
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