Endangered status and threatened population ecological factors in Salvia daiguii, an endemic species from Hunan, China.

Many species of Salvia have excellent ornamental, culinary, and medicinal values. Salvia daiguii, is an ornamental and highly medicinal perennial herb endemic to the prefecture-level city of Zhangjiajie in Hunan Province, China, with a narrow geographical distribution. However, currently, it has only been assessed as a Critically Endangered species according to the IUCN classification criteria, but its conservation has not yet been studied. This study investigated the distribution and niche characteristics of S. daiguii, and compared the differences in growth, flowering characteristics, and soil nutrients between the wild and ex situ populations. We also analyzed the effects of soil nutrients on plant growth and flowering characteristics. During the survey, we found 274 individuals on a rock approximately 200 m from ZEFR1. Nevertheless, S. daiguii were still restricted in three populations, TNFP, TGM, and ZEFR in Zhangjiajie City, with a total of about 500 plants and less than 250 mature individuals. Our results show that aspects such as adverse environmental conditions, low seedling renewal rate, a lack of soil nutrients, and competition for the characteristic niche of this and other dominant plants in the natural community are the main ecological factors affecting the growth, flowering, and geographic distribution of S. daiguii. Based on the results of field surveys, we recommend that (1) S. daiguii be classified as Critically Endangered C2b and China's List of Plant Species with Extremely Small Populations. (2) Comprehensive conservation strategies were developed, such as the establishment of nature reserves, reintroduction, public education, and institutional development to provide management recommendations related to the conservation of S. daiguii and other endangered plants.

Characterization of complete chloroplast genome of Salvia honania L. H. Bailey (Lamiaceae).

Salvia honania L. H. Bailey is an endemic species, mainly distributed in Henan and Hubei provinces in China. The first complete chloroplast genome of Salvia honania was sequenced and assembled in this study. The genome is 151,559 bp in length and contains 132 encoded genes in total, including 87 protein-coding genes, eight ribosomal RNA genes, and 37 transfer RNA genes. The phylogenomic analysis showed that Salvia honania was closely related to Salvia meiliensis according the current sampling extent.

Occurrence and Prevention of Delayed Autonomous Selfing in Salvia umbratica (Lamiaceae).

Delayed autonomous selfing (DAS) provides reproductive assurance under conditions of pollinator and/or pollen-limitation. Few plant species have been investigated to determine if DAS is terminated when a flower is sufficiently pollinated by a pollen vector, thereby saving plant resources for other purposes. We examined this possibility in bumblebee-pollinated Salvia umbratica. We first showed that DAS resulting in high fruit set (100%) and seed set (>80%) per flower occurred in the absence of insect pollinators by means of style recurvature and was completed in 94% of flowers 72 h after they opened. In contrast, in flowers pollinated immediately after opening, DAS was prevented by corollas dropping away before styles recurve toward the upper thecae. We next showed that hand-pollination of flowers immediately after they opened resulted in high fruit set (100%) and seed set (>80%) when 5-10 pollen grains or more were deposited on their stigmas, whereas fruit set and seed set were reduced to 45.00 and 22.50%, respectively, when pollen loads were reduced to 1-3 pollen grains. Finally, we showed that on average single pollinator visits deposited 26 pollen grains on stigmas of flowers that had just opened, which is more than enough to ensure high fruit and seed set. Our results indicate that flower longevity is highly correlated with the pollinator environment and female fitness of S. umbratica, with extended flower longevity allowing DAS to occur being advantageous when pollinators are absent, while reduced floral longevity and prevention of DAS being favored when flowers are pollinated by pollinators. Thus, flower longevity in S. umbratica varies so as to optimize reproductive output and resource efforts, and is dependent on the availability and effectiveness of pollinators to pollinate flowers.

Conservation Genomics of Wild Red Sage (Salvia miltiorrhiza) and Its Endangered Relatives in China: Population Structure and Interspecific Relationships Revealed From 2b-RAD Data.

Red sage (Salvia miltiorrhiza) is a widely used medicinal plant for treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Because of excessive excavation by huge market demand and habitat loss by human activities, the wild population resources of S. miltiorrhiza have reduced drastically in recent years. Meanwhile, population status of two closely related species S. bowleyana and S. paramiltiorrhiza were in a trend of decreasing due to their potential replacement of S. miltiorrhiza. Particularly, S. paramiltiorrhiza was threatened and endemic to a small region in eastern China. However, to date there has been no conservation genetic research reported for wild S. miltiorrhiza population and its endangered relatives. Assess the wild germplasm diversity for S. miltiorrhiza and its related species would provide fundamental genetic background for cultivation and molecular breeding of this medicinally important species. In the present study, we investigated the genetic diversity, population structure, and intra/inter-specific differentiation of S. miltiorrhiza and above two relatives using 2b-RAD genome-wide genotyping method. By investigating 81 individuals of S. miltiorrhiza, 55 individuals of S. bowleyana and 15 individuals of S. paramiltiorrhiza from 23 locations in China, we obtained 23,928 SNPs in total. A comparatively high genetic diversity was observed in S. miltiorrhiza (π = 0.0788, H e = 0.0783 ± 0.0007). The observed and expected heterozygosity in populations of these three species ranged from 0.0297 to 0.1481 and 0.0251 to 0.831, respectively. Two major lineage groups were detected in the examined S. miltiorrhiza populations. The results indicated that Dabie Mountain as a genetic diversity center of S. miltiorrhiza and possible complex inter-specific genetic exchange/hybridization occurred between S. miltiorrhiza and the two relatives. We suggest that strategic conservation and germplasm preservation should be considered not only for wild populations of S. miltiorrhiza, but also for its related S. bowleyana and S. paramiltiorrhiza.

The pollination of Habenaria rhodocheila (Orchidaceae) in South China: When butterflies take sides.

Habenaria is one of the largest terrestrial genera in the family Orchidaceae. Most field studies on Habenaria species with greenish-white and nocturnal scented flowers are pollinated by nocturnal hawkmoths and settling moths. However, H. rhodocheila presents reddish flowers lacking a detectable scent and fails to fit the moth pollination syndrome. We investigated the pollinators, breeding system, and functional traits of H. rhodocheila in South China and found that two diurnal swallowtail butterflies Papilio helenus and Papilio nephelus (Papilionidae) were the effective pollinators. When butterflies foraged for nectar in the spur, the pollinia became attached between the palpi. A triangular projected median rostellar lobe was found at the entrance (sinus) of the spur of H. rhodocheila. This lobe divided the spur opening into two entrances forcing butterflies to enter their proboscides through the left or right side. When the projection of median rostellar lobe was removed, the site of pollinium attachment changed to the eyes of the butterflies, leading to a higher rate of pollinium removal but lower rate of pollinium deposition. Our quartz glass cylinder choice experiment suggested that visual rather than olfactory cues provided the major stimuli for butterflies to locate these flowers. Hand pollination experiments suggested this species was self-compatible but pollinator-dependent. However, the proportion of seeds with large embryos produced in self-pollinated fruits was significantly lower than in cross-pollinated fruits, indicating a significant inbreeding depression. Unlike many other orchid species, fruit set was higher than rates of pollinium removal, indicating a high level of pollination efficiency in a species with friable pollinia. Shifts from moth to butterfly pollination in the genus Habenaria parallel other orchid lineages providing insights into the potential for pollinator-mediated floral trait selection.

[Correlation between premature ejaculation and redundant prepuce].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation between redundant prepuce and premature ejaculation. METHODS: Fifty-two cases suffering from premature ejaculation and redundant prepuce were treated with circumcision. They were asked to fill the investigating questionnaire about the changes of ejaculatory latent period, patients' and their wives' satisfaction with sexual life before and after the treatment. RESULTS: During 12 months after circumcision, 28 cases were cured and 11 cases were efficacious. The curative rate was 54.9% and effective rate was 76.5%. Twelve cases with no responding continued to be treated with routine methods, such as psychotherapy, daub narcotic to glans of penis and taking medicine to treat chronic prostatitis, which were used before circumcision but still no effects. During 18 months after circumcision, 4 cases were cured and 5 cases were efficacious. CONCLUSION: Redundant prepuce had direct or indirect relationship with premature ejaculation. The circumcision is one of the effective methods to treat premature ejaculation.