Schistidium deguchianum Ochyra & Bedn.-Ochyra, an endemic Andean species previously known only from its locus classicus in Urubamba Province (Cusco Region, Peru), is reported here from a second locality in Peru. The species was discovered in Jauja Province (Junín Region), approximately 400 km northwest of the type locality, where it was collected in 1977 by Pirkko and Eberhard Hegewald and misidentified as S. cinclidodonteum (Müll.Hal.) B. Bremer. A morphological description and photographic documentation based on the newly identified material are provided, along with notes on its ecological preferences, taxonomic affinities, and geographical distribution. A review of the species diversity within the genus Schistidium Bruch & Schimp. in South America is conducted. Schistidium angustifolium (Mitt.) Herzog and S. malacophyllum Herzog are reinstated as distinct from S. amblyophyllum (Müll.Hal.) Ochyra & Hertel and S. rivulare (Brid.) Podp., respectively. Schistidium maritimum (Sm. ex R. Scott) Bruch & Schimp., S. apocarpum (Hedw.) Bruch & Schimp., S. confertum (Funck) Bruch & Schimp., S. agassizii Sull. & Lesq. and S. platyphyllum (Mitt.) H. Perss. are excluded from the moss flora of South America. In total, 20 species of Schistidium are recognized on this continent, of which 13 are well documented in taxonomic and floristic literature, whereas seven remain known solely from their type collections. Among the accepted species, only S. rivulare (Brid.) Podp. is a widespread bipolar taxon that occurs in transitional Andean habitats. The remaining species represent Gondwanan elements belonging to several chorotypes: five Andean endemics, two Afro-American tropical oreophytes, three amphiatlantic southern cool-temperate species, and two Andean taxa extending into the northern maritime Antarctic region.
The genus Pellia sensu lato, a crucial early lineage in land plant phylogeny, has long presented a significant taxonomic challenge. This stemmed from its high phenotypic plasticity and a limited number of reliable morphological characters. This review synthesizes recent advancements in understanding this complex, focusing on taxonomic changes, cryptic speciation, phylogenetic studies, and molecular research. The advent of molecular methods fundamentally changed our understanding of Pellia sensu lato, leading to a robust division of the traditional genus into two distinct, monophyletic entities: Pellia Hedw. (sensu stricto) and the newly recognized Apopellia Grolle. Phylogenetic analyses, utilizing plastid, mitochondrial, and nuclear markers, not only confirmed this reclassification but also revealed widespread cryptic speciation. Within Pellia epiphylla, two cryptic lineages (N and S) were identified, subsequently proven as parental species for the allopolyploid Pellia borealis. Similarly, the Apopellia endiviifolia complex exhibited the existence of cryptic sister species (aquatic form A and terrestrial form B), and Apopellia alpicola was segregated from a previous subclade. Although studies on cryptic speciation have primarily concentrated in Poland, the results strongly suggest a much larger, undiscovered diversity across the taxon's vast circumboreal range. Beyond taxonomy, Pellia has become a valuable model system in molecular biology, particularly in research on sex determination mechanisms (encompassing both monoicous and dioicous species) and microtranscriptomics. Shared conservative miRNA families, present in both liverworts and green algae, offer insight into the evolution of gene regulation in land plants. Analyses of complete organellar genomes (plastid and mitochondrial) have provided new "superbarcodes" for species identification and facilitated the study of RNA editing and heteroplasmy, highlighting their role in the adaptation and diversification of liverworts.
Terpenoids are the most diverse type of plant secondary metabolites, which play important roles in plant survival and human life. However, their contents in plants are usually very limited which seriously diminish the applications. Therefore, increasing the contents of terpenoids in plants is urgently needed. Transcription factors can simultaneously regulate the expressions of multiple enzymes on terpenoid biosynthesis pathway by binding to the cis-elements in their promoters, which are effective tools to improve the yields of terpenoids. In this review, we first introduced the classifications and biosynthesis pathways of terpenoids. Then, we presented the sorts of various transcription factors and updated their roles in coordinating terpenoids biosynthesis. Finally, we discussed the potential applications in plant synthetic biology to provide the references for boosting the yields of terpenoids to meet the market demand.
Ferula communis, distributed mainly in the Mediterranean region, is a highly polymorphic species encompassing numerous morpho-and chemotypes with poorly defined boundaries. Molecular evidence has shown that F. communis and its allies form a distinct lineage, supporting their recognition as a separate subgenus, Ferula, within Ferulinae. However, this conclusion was based on a limited number of molecular markers. To provide a genomic foundation for understanding its evolutionary relationships and characteristics, we assembled the plastid genome of F. communis using Get-Organelle and NOVOPlasty from Illumina whole-genome sequence reads. The resulting 166,696 bp genome exhibited the typical quadripartite structure of angiosperm plastomes (LSC: 85,349 bp, SSC: 17,685 bp, IRs: 31,831 bp each) and contained 133 unique functional genes (88 protein-coding, 37 tRNAs, and 8 rRNAs). Comparative genomic analysis within Ferula showed high conservation, highlighting minor variations in the IRb/SSC boundary and identifying seven highly variable intergenic spacer regions. We also identified 217 simple sequence repeats (SSRs), predominantly in the LSC region, and found evidence of strong positive selection in five protein-coding genes (ccsA, ndhD, ndhF, petD, and rpl32) using the BEB and LRT tests. The resulting phylogenetic analysis strongly supports the placement of F. communis immediately after subgenus Sinoferula, consistent with recent infrageneric classifications based on combined nuclear and plastid markers.
Medicinal plants have played a crucial function in conventional medicine for a long time, offering a wide range of therapeutic advantages due to their many bioactive components. Boswellia dalzielii Hutch (B. dalzielii) (Burseraceae) is one of those plants found in Northern Nigeria and the West African savannah used by traditional healers to treat several disease conditions, including mental illness and skin disorders. This research assessed the phytochemical and antioxidant characteristics of aqueous extracts derived from the leaves, stem bark, and root bark of B. dalzielii. The leaf extract had the highest percentage yield and quantities of flavonoids (51.07 +/- 3.20 mg QE/g), vitamin C (27.25 +/- 2.12 mg AAE/g), and phenolic contents (54.63 +/- 1.85 mg GAE/g). It also exhibited enhanced hydroxyl radical scavenging and cupric-reducing capabilities. In all the antioxidant parameters checked, the root bark consistently showed the lowest antioxidant activity and phytochemical contents, whereas the stem bark displayed the maximum ferric-reducing ability and DPPH radical-scavenging capacity. In addition, the extracts exhibited concentration-dependent Fe2+ and Cu2+ chelating abilities. The result of this study also showed that compared to root bark and stem bark extracts, the leaf extract has a considerably (p < 0.05) highest chelating abilities (SC50: Fe2+ = 1.33 +/- 0.01 mg/mL, Cu2+ = 1.08 +/- 0.00 mg/mL). Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection and mass spectrometry (UHPLC-DAD-MS) analysis revealed notable phytochemical constituents; nonetheless, component profiles differ across distinct plant parts. The findings suggest that B. dalzielii might be a substantial natural source of antioxidants, particularly for mitigating disorders related to oxidative stress.
