Capnodiaceae is a major family of sooty mold fungi, but its species diversity, host associations, and geographic distribution remain insufficiently documented in China. Many taxa in this family have been described based on limited morphological information or incomplete molecular datasets, resulting in unresolved generic and species boundaries. In this study, newly collected Capnodiaceae material from China was examined using morphological observations, culture characteristics, host and geographic information, and four-locus phylogenetic analyses based on ITS, LSU, tef 1-α, and rpb 2 sequence data. A total of 37 newly collected strains associated with 25 host plant taxa belonging to 23 genera and 19 families were included. Phylogenetic analyses resolved several well-supported lineages within Capnodiaceae and supported the recognition of one new genus, Hyphopolychaeton , and eight new species in Conidiocarpus , Leptoxyphium , Polychaeton , and Hyphopolychaeton . In addition, 11 new host records and three new records for China are documented. Host and geographic information showed that several taxa, including Conidiocarpus cinnamomi and C. caucasicus , occur on multiple host plants, indicating that host association alone should not be used as a primary criterion for species delimitation. Morphological comparisons showed that the position and structure of the conidiogenous region within the conidioma are informative for generic delimitation when congruent with multilocus phylogenetic evidence. In contrast, minor quantitative differences in conidiomatal or conidial dimensions may represent intraspecific variation when not supported by clear molecular divergence. An expanded Leptoxyphium phylogeny including all available unnamed strains further supports a conservative interpretation of species boundaries in this genus. Overall, this study provides new morphological, ecological, host-associated, geographic, and multilocus molecular data for Chinese Capnodiaceae and strengthens the reference framework for species recognition and generic delimitation in sooty mold fungi.

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Dalbergia L.f. is a pantropical genus consisting of 269 species of trees, shrubs, and woody lianas. This genus is listed in CITES Appendices because of illegal logging and trafficking driven by the high economic value of its heartwood. Some species are also used medicinally. Species identification of Dalbergia timber and herbs is challenging but essential for CITES implementation. Molecular methods had been developed for some timber species, mostly from Madagascar and Southeast Asia, but medicinal species in south China were usually not included in those studies. Here, we sequenced and assembled the chloroplast genomes of five Dalbergia species native to Hong Kong, four of which are medicinal plants. Our aim is to find potential genetic markers for the identification of medicinal Dalbergia species based on divergence hotspots detected in chloroplast genomes after comparative and phylogenetic analysis. Dalbergia chloroplast genomes displayed the typical quadripartite structure, with the 50 kb inversion found in most Papilionoideae lineages. Their sizes and gene content are well conserved. Phylogenetic tree of Dalbergia chloroplast genomes showed an overall topology similar to that of ITS sequences. Four divergence hotspots ( trnL (UAA)- trnT (UGU), ndhG-ndhI , ycf1a and ycf1b ) were identified and candidate markers for identification of several Dalbergia species were suggested.

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Rocky desertification is the most serious ecological disaster in karst areas. Comprehensive control of rocky desertification plays an important role in promoting the economic development of karst areas. Studying the stoichiometric characteristics of mosses and soil can provide a powerful reference for the ecological restoration and evaluation of ecosystems experiencing rocky desertification. Soil and mosses were collected from sites representing different stages of ecological restoration (bare rock, grassland, shrubland, and secondary forest), and the contents of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) were detected for ecological stoichiometric analysis. The results indicate that in different restoration stages following karst rocky desertification, the contents of soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) and the stoichiometric ratios in the shrub habitat are higher than those in the bare rock, grassland, and secondary forest habitats. However, the TP and available P contents were low at all stages (0.06 g/kg and 0.62 mg/kg, respectively). The N and P contents and stoichiometric ratios in the mosses showed no significant differences among the succession stages. The C contents in the mosses had a significant positive correlation with SOC and TN and TP content, and the P content had a significant positive correlation with the soil available P. However, there was a significant negative correlation between the C: N and C:P ratios of the bryophytes and soil C: N. In summary, during the process of natural restoration of karst rocky desertification areas, SOC and soil TN contents accumulate with each succession stage. Soil nutrients are higher in shrub habitats than in other succession stages. Mosses have a strong effect on improving soil nutrients in rocky desertification areas.

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We provide the first report on the leaf-mining Tischeriidae genus Paratischeria Diškus & Stonis from Asia. We describe Paratischeria jingdongensis Xu & Dai, sp. nov., a new species discovered in Yunnan, China, feeding on Dalbergia assamica Benth., Fabaceae and redescribe P. hestias (Meyrick, 1915), comb. nov., a hitherto very little known species from India, which has been recently discovered in northern Vietnam, feeding on Helicteres viscida Blume, Malvaceae. We also report on the Fabaceae family as a novel host-plant family of Tischeriidae. The described and redescribed Paratischeria species are illustrated with photographs of the leaf-mines, adults, genitalia, and habitats. We also provide maps of new Paratischeria findings, and, along with a diagnostic scheme to the genus, present some data on global distribution of Paratischeria occurring in tropical and subtropical regions on both sides of the Equator. In addition, we designate a new Paratischeria neotropicana species group and provide two more new taxonomic combinations: Paratischeria heteroterae (Frey & Boll, 1878) comb. nov. and P. capnota (Meyrick, 1915) comb. nov.

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The lowland rainforests of Meghalaya, India represent the westernmost limit of the rainforests north of the Tropic of Cancer. These forests, on the Shillong plateau, are akin to Whitmore's 'tropical lowland evergreen rainforest' formation and exhibit striking similarities and conspicuous differences with the equatorial rainforests in Asia-Pacific as well as tropical seasonal rainforests in southwestern China near the Tropic of Cancer. We found these common attributes of the rainforests in Meghalaya: familial composition with predominance of Euphorbiaceae, Lauraceae, Meliaceae, Moraceae, Myrsiticaceae, Myrtaceae and Rubiaceae; deciduousness in evergreen physiognomy; dominance of mega- and mesophanerophytic life-forms; abundance of species with low frequency of occurrence (rare and aggregated species); low proportional abundance of the abundant species; and truncated lognormal abundance distribution. The levels of stand density and stand basal area were comparable with seasonal rainforests in southwestern China, but were lower than equatorial rainforests. Tropical Asian species predominated flora, commanding 95% of the abundance. The differences include overall low stature (height) of the forest, inconspicuous stratification in canopy, fewer species and individuals of liana, thicker understory, higher proportion of rare species, absence of locally endemic species and relatively greater dominance of Fagaceae and Theaceae. The richness of species per hectare ( S ) was considerably lower at higher latitudes in Meghalaya than in equatorial rainforests, but was comparable with seasonal rainforests. Shannon's diversity index ( H' = 4.40 nats for ≥10 cm gbh and 4.25 nats for ≥30 cm gbh) was lower on higher latitudes in Meghalaya in comparison to species-rich equatorial rainforests, but it was the highest among all lowland rainforests near the Tropic of Cancer.

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