Positive relationships among aboveground biomass, tree species diversity, and urban greening management in tropical coastal city of Haikou.

Within urban green spaces, tree species diversity is believed to correlate with aboveground biomass, though there is some disagreement within the literature on the strength and directionality of the relationship. Therefore, we assessed the relationship between the biodiversity of woody species and the aboveground biomass of woody plant species in the tropical, coastal city of Haikou in southern China. To accomplish this, we obtained comprehensive tree and site data through field sampling of 190 urban functional units (UFUs, or work units) corresponding to six types of land uses governmental-institutional, industrial-commercial, park-recreational, residential, transport infrastructure, and undeveloped area. Based on our field data, we investigated the relationship between tree species diversity and aboveground biomass using multiple regression, which revealed significant relationships across all five types of land uses. Aboveground biomass in green spaces was also correlated with anthropogenic factors, especially time since urban development, or site age, annual maintenance frequency by human caretakers, and human population density. Among these factors, maintenance is the strongest predictor of aboveground biomass in urban green space. Therefore, this study highlights the critical role of maintenance of urban green space in promoting both aboveground biomass and woody biodiversity in urban ecosystems and, consequently, on urban ecosystem services. Our findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the ecosystem services provided by communities of woody plant species in urban areas.

Complete plastome sequence of Torenia benthamiana Hance (Linderniaceae), an endemic herb in South China.

Torenia benthamiana Hance is an endemic plant species distributed in southern China. In this study, we report and characterize the complete plastid genome sequence of T. benthamiana in order to provide genomic resources helpful for promoting its conservation and garden utilization. The complete plastome is 153,526 bp in length and contains the typical quadripartite structure of angiosperm plastome, including two inverted repeat (IR) regions of 24,638 bp, a large single-copy (LSC) region of 85,417 bp, and a small single-copy (SSC) region of 18,833 bp. The plastome contains 114 genes, consisting of 80 unique protein-coding genes, 30 unique tRNA gene, and 4 unique rRNA genes. The overall A/T content in the plastome of T. benthamiana is 62.40%. The complete plastome sequence of T. benthamiana will provide a useful resource for the conservation and garden utilization of this species as well as for the phylogenetic studies of Linderniaceae.

Complete plastome sequence of Callicarpa nudiflora Vahl (Verbenaceae): a medicinal plant.

Callicarpa nudiflora Vahl is a medicinal plant occurring in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan provinces of China. Here, we report and characterize the complete plastid genome sequence of C. nudiflora in an effort to provide genomic resources useful for promoting its conservation. The complete plastome is 154,080 bp in length and contains the typical structure and gene content of angiosperm plastome, including two inverted repeat (IR) regions of 25,657 bp, a large single-copy (LSC) region of 84,949 bp, and a small single-copy (SSC) region of 17,817 bp. There are 113 genes annotated, including 79 unique protein-coding genes, 4 unique ribosomal RNA genes, and 30 transfer RNA genes. To investigate the evolution status of C. nudiflora, as well as Verbenaceae, we constructed a phylogenetic tree with C. nudiflora and other 11 species based on their complete chloroplast genomes. According to the phylogenetic topologies, C. nudiflora was closely related to Lancea hirstua.

Complete plastome sequence of Torenia concolor Lindley (Linderniaceae): an ornamental herb.

In this study we firstly reported the complete chloroplast genome of Torenia concolor, a species of Linderniaceae. The complete chloroplast genome of T. concolor is 153,853 bp in length with a typical quadripartite structure, consisting of a large single-copy region (LSC, 85,446 bp), a single-copy region (SSC, 18,837 bp), and a pair of inverted repeats (IRs, 24,785 bp). There are 114 genes annotated, including 80 unique protein-coding genes, 4 unique ribosomal RNA genes, and 30 transfer RNA genes. To investigate the evolution status of T. concolor, as well as Linderniaceae, we constructed a phylogenetic tree with T. concolor and other 16 species based on their complete chloroplast genomes. According to the phylogenetic topologies, T. concolor was closely related to Pedicularis hallaisanensis.

Complete plastome sequence of Lysimachia congestiflora Hemsl. a medicinal and ornamental species in Southern China.

Lysimachia congestiflora Hemsl. is a perennial herb of Primulaceae. It is mainly distributed in the provinces to the south of the Changjiang River and south of Shanxi, Gansu province and Taiwan. It is a plant that combines medicinal, ornamental, and economic values. To date no study has been carried out on the genome of L. congestiflora. Here, we report and characterize the complete plastid genome sequence of L. congestiflora in order to provide genomic resources useful for promoting its conservation. The complete chloroplast genome of L. congestiflora is 154,505 bp in length with a typical quadripartite structure, consisting of a large single-copy region (LSC, 84,606 bp), a single-copy region (SSC, 17,961 bp), and a pair of inverted repeats (IRs, 25,969 bp). There are 114 annotated genes, including 80 unique protein-coding genes, 4 unique ribosomal RNA genes, and 30 transfer RNA genes. To investigate the evolution status of L. congestiflora, as well as Primulaceae, we constructed a phylogenetic tree with L. congestiflora and other 11 species based on their complete chloroplast genomes. According to the phylogenetic topologies, L. congestiflora was closely related to L. coreana.

Complete plastome sequence of Ilex asprella (Hooker and Arnott) Champion ex Bentham (Aquifoliaceae), a Chinese folk herbal medicine.

The complete chloroplast genome of Ilex asprella, a species of Aquifoliaceae is reported for the first time in this study. The complete chloroplast genome of I. asprella is 157,856 bp in length with a typical quadripartite structure, consisting of a large single-copy region (LSC, 87,258 bp), a single-copy region (SSC, 18,441 bp) and a pair of inverted repeats (IRs, 26,082 bp). There are 114 genes annotated, including 85 unique protein-coding genes, four unique ribosomal RNA genes, and 30 transfer RNA genes. To investigate the evolution status of T. concolor, as well as Scrophulariaceae, we build a phylogenetic tree with I. asprella and other eight species based on their complete chloroplast genomes. According to the phylogenetic topologies, I. asprella was closely related to I. wilsonii.

Complete plastome sequence of Rhodoleia championii Hook. f. (Hamamelidaceae).

The complete chloroplast genome of Rhodoleia championii (Hamamelidaceae) was firstly reported in this study. The complete chloroplast genome of R. championii is 159,115 bp in length with a typical quadripartite structure, consisting of a large single-copy region (LSC, 88,123 bp), a single-copy region (SSC, 18,131 bp) and a pair of inverted repeats (IRs, 26,420 bp). There are 114 genes annotated, including 80 unique protein-coding genes, 4 unique ribosomal RNA genes, and 30 transfer RNA genes. According to the phylogenetic tree of R. championii and the other 9 species, R. championii was closely related to Chunia bucklandioides.

Correction: Taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity of vascular plants at Ma'anling volcano urban park in tropical Haikou, China: Reponses to soil properties.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0198517.].

Taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity of vascular plants at Ma'anling volcano urban park in tropical Haikou, China: Reponses to soil properties.

Anthropogenic processes and socio-economic factors play important roles in shaping plant diversity in urban parks. To investigate how plant diversity of Ma' anling urban volcano park in Hainan Province, China respond to these factors, we carried out a field investigation on the taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity of vascular plants and soil properties in this area. We found 284 species of vascular plants belonging to 88 families and 241 genera, which included 194 native species, 23 invasive species, 31 naturalized species, 40 cultivars, and 4 rare / endangered plant species. Tree composition and richness significantly varied between different vegetation formations (plantation, secondary forest, and abandoned land). Plant species richness and community composition were significantly affected by elevation (El), soil water content (WC), total soil nitrogen (TN) and soil organic matter (SOM). There were significant diversity differences between plantations and abandoned lands, but not between the plantations and secondary forests. The flora in the study site was tropical in nature, characterized by pantropic distributions. Compared to adjacent areas, floristic composition in the study site was most similar to that of Guangdong, followed by that of Vietnam. Our study revealed the diversity patterns of volcanic plants and provided the basis for future planning of plant conservation, such as preserving plant species, maintaining plant habitats, and coordinating plant management in this region.