Ethnobotanical Study on Garcinia (Clusiaceae) in China

The genus Garcinia L. (Clusiaceae) is gaining increasing scientific attention worldwide owing to its ethnobotanical and pharmacological significance. In China, even though Garcinia plants have long been used for food, ethnomedicine, building materials, and other purposes, a comprehensive ethnobotanical study of the genus is notably limited. In the current study, the ethnobotanical importance of Garcinia plants has been extensively investigated through field surveys and literature reviews. Our studies revealed that Garcinia plants have been used in folk medicine since ancient times in China, including the Northern Song Dynasty, 960–1127 AD. Through their extensive interactions with genus, the Chinese people have gained various traditional knowledge, which is reflected in the following six aspects: food, traditional medicines, ornamental trees, construction and technology, cultural and spiritual significance, and miscellaneous uses. In particular, the four species: Garcinia hanburyi , G. paucinervis , G. xanthochymus , and G. oblongifolia , have cultural or spiritual values, among which G. paucinervis could be considered a cultural keystone species in the local communities, considering its crucial contribution to people’s cultures, spirits, and community identity. However, in general, some concerns originating from swift socio-economic changes have also been identified in the knowledge and Garcinia species. Strategies are needed to conserve traditional botanical knowledge, as well as plants.

Ethnobotanical and Chemical Studies on Gezo Molasses from Quercus brantii Lindl. Acorns in Turkey

Oak molasses, called “Gezo,” have been produced by the local people of Southeastern Anatolia. In this study, the ethnobotanical characteristics, production stages, health effects, and chemical composition of Gezo were determined. Traditional Gezo molasses is produced from the acorn of Quercus brantii Lindl. The survey was carried out in seven provinces with large populations. Molasses samples were collected from local producers in the region alongside the local names, usage, sorting, and grading methods used by the local people. The total contents of phenolics and flavanoids were found to vary between the range of 1.60–2.56 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE) and 0.62–0.72 mg rutin (RE) per g of Gezo molasses, respectively. Gezo displayed scavenging activity against DPPH radicals ranging from 7.57 to 9.44 µM Trolox/g. The CUPRAC assay results showed that molasses also possessed reducing power activity with a value of 8.57–10.20 µM Trolox/g. Gezo is typically consumed by local people as a breakfast food. However, it is also used for medical purposes to treat bronchitis, cough, asthma, and diabetes. The region’s oak species are used by locals for fuel, feed, handicrafts, and games.

Effects of Artificial Aging on Seed Vigor and Physiological Characteristics of the Invasive Alien Plant Aegilops tauschii

The control of invasive plants depends to some extent on the persistence of the soil seed bank. The high temperature (40 °C) accompanied with high humidity (95%) method was used to treat the seeds of the invasive species Aegilops tauschii Coss. The aim of our study was to evaluate the seed vigor and longevity by accelerating aging, to serve as a reference for the evaluation of invasion potential of A. tauschii and corresponding eradication strategy adoption. The results showed that with the extension of aging time, the germination rate (GR), energy (GE), and index (GI) of A. tauschii seeds reduced. All the results were significantly different from the control (CK) since the second day ( p < 0.05). During the aging process, the seed relative water content (RWC), relative electric conductivity (REC), and thiobarbituric acid (TBARS) level increased, while the superoxide dismutase (SOD) gradually decreased after second day of seed aging. In addition, the aging treatment also caused a continuous decrease in the endogenous gibberellin (GA 3 ) content and a continuous increase in the abscisic acid (ABA) content of the seeds. Thus, a sharp decrease in the GA 3 /ABA ratio was evident. Finally, the study revealed that the germination inhibitors of A. tauschii were mainly concentrated in the glumes, which was revealed during seed aging. The results of the comprehensive analysis indicated that the changes of the above-mentioned internal factors eventually led to a rapid decline of the seed vigor of A. tauschii . Based on the results of the aging test, and the distribution characteristics of A. tauschii seeds in the soil seed banks, we recommend that soil solarization is one of the effective methods to eradicate the seed bank of A. tauschii .

Intrapopulation Diversity of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Response to Copper Ions: Growth and Photosynthetic Performance Under Stress

Despite being an essential micronutrient, copper is also a potentially toxic heavy metal. Using selection experiments, we produced Chlamydomonas reinhardtii populations with increased tolerance of copper ions and then derived pure cell lines from these populations. Strains derived from the same population (both adapted and nonadapted) significantly differed in terms of growth parameters. Cultivation of the strains in a range of copper ion concentrations revealed differences in growth and photosynthetic performance, which could be attributed to microevolutionary processes occurring with each cell division. Our results demonstrate the effects of environmental factors on rapidly multiplying microorganisms.

Assessment of the Value of Stomatal Size and Density as Hallmarks of Nonaploid Kiwifruit Plants

In vitro-derived plants with elevated ploidy levels can display distinguishing features from the plants they are derived from, especially owing to their indirect regeneration. Genome size affects cell size and, thus, affects plant morphological characteristics. Therefore, stomata traits may be used as a diagnostic feature allowing identification of ploidy. Actinidia chinensis var. deliciosa A. Chev. (A. Chev.), known as kiwifruit, is successfully cultured in vitro and redifferentiated into plants via endosperm-derived calli. To identify differences between hexaploids obtained from seeds and confirmed nonaploids obtained from endosperm-derived calli, we analyzed the stomata. Our results confirmed that ploidy coincides with mean stomatal length, width, and density. Despite this correlation, this method cannot be used to distinguish individual hexaploid kiwifruit plants from nonaploid ones because samples with different ploidy yielded overlapping measurements.

Physiological Acclimation of Dicranostigma henanensis to Soil Drought Stress and Rewatering

The adaptability of plants to drought not only includes their ability to resist drought stress, but also their ability to recover after stress is relieved. In this study, a weighting method was used to control the soil water content to produce a soil water stress gradient. The effects of drought and rewatering on the changes in osmotic adjustment substance content, antioxidant enzyme activity, and photosynthetic characteristics of potted Dicranostigma henanensis seedlings were measured on Day 28 after the imposition of watering treatments and Day 7 after rewatering. During the drought stress process, the relative electrical conductivity, thiobarbituric acid, water use efficiency, and proline content displayed a continuously increasing trend. Further, the net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and transpiration rate constantly decreased, while the chlorophyll content first increased and then decreased. After rehydration, superoxide dismutase (EC 1.15.1.1) activity and photosynthetic parameters quickly recovered to the CK level (soil moisture is 75%–80% of the maximum water holding capacity in the field), indicating that D. henanensis plants have a strong ability to repair the damage caused by drought stress. In particular, the photosynthetic machinery may have sophisticated regulation and repair mechanisms, which may be associated with its stable photosystem. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that the D. henanensis plant has a strong ability to adapt to arid environments, and therefore could be an excellent ornamental flower for landscaping in arid and semiarid areas.

Wild Plants Used as Vegetables by Transhumant People Around the Georgia–Turkey Border in the Western Lesser Caucasus

Recent ethnobotanical studies in the Caucasus, mainly in Georgia, reveal the significant ethnobotanical knowledge of local people related to wild edible plants. However, few studies have been conducted in the Lesser Caucasus, west Georgia, and Turkish Caucasus. This study aims to represent and evaluate the cultural importance of wild vegetable plants and their patterns of use along the Georgia–Turkey border. During the transhumance period in the summers of 2017 and 2018, 104 participants (65 in Turkey and 39 in Georgia) were interviewed using a semistructured questionnaire. The Cultural Importance Index and Relative Frequency of Citation were used to compare the relative importance of species in each region. The use of 83 wild plant species from 23 plant families as vegetables was documented, with 45 species recorded in Georgia and 72 species in Turkey. One-third of the recorded wild plant species and 52 use instances out of 122 species-use combinations were shared on both sides of the border. Women and men had mentioned almost the same number of species, and there was a nonsignificant correlation between the plant knowledge and age. Although there were no significant differences in the plant parts used, the way people used plants as vegetables varied significantly across the border. Considering the floral similarity across the border, the number of species used in common and shared vegetable plant knowledge was quite low. There is not a significant difference between the two countries in terms of the most frequently cited and culturally important species ( Rumex , Urtica , and Polygonum spp.). However, the recognition of some of the most important shared species ( Heracleum , Chaerophyllum , Arctium , and Campanula spp.) diverged significantly in different administrative regions.

Are There Any Traces of Pinus uliginosa in the Stołowe Mountains Outside the Wielkie Torfowisko Batorowskie and Błędne Skały?

Pinus sylvestris (Scots pine) and taxa from the P. mugo (mountain pine) complex hybridize in contact zones producing morphologically-intermediate fertile hybrids. However, the hybrid specimens sometimes express only the P. sylvestris phenotype. Such cryptic hybrids were detected among P. sylvestris and P. uliginosa in the western part of Błędne Skały in the Stołowe Mountains, where the pines grow on the tops of sandstone rocks and phenotypically resemble P. sylvestris , P. uliginosa , and P. mugo . Hybrids with the P. sylvestris phenotype could be potentially present in other relic populations of this species in these mountains. During the present study, the hybrids were identified only in the area of Błędne Skały based on chloroplast and mitochondrial markers, morphological differentiation of various needle and cone traits, and phenotype assessments of the trees during sampling. These hybrids included three cryptic hybrids of P. sylvestris × P. mugo with the P. sylvestris phenotype and one displaying the phenotype of P. uliginosa . The other populations analyzed represented Scots pine with no evidence of hybridization with P. uliginosa and/or P. mugo . Biometric data on the cone and needle morphology also suggest possible hybridization within the P. mugo complex on Błędne Skały. The results indicate that hybridization takes place in this population but not in neighboring populations despite the possible connection by pollen-mediated gene flow.

Transformation and Simplification of Aquatic Vegetation Structure and Reoligotrophication of a Lake During the last 40 Years

The recovery or reconstruction of aquatic vegetation has recently been reported as a result of water quality improvement after anthropogenic eutrophication. The objectives of this study were: to investigate long-term trends in aquatic vegetation abundance in relation to decreasing water fertility and to present new directions in changes of the submerged aquatic vegetation structure, species richness, and biodiversity in Lake Kuźnickie (western Poland) with the perspective of the last 40 years (1978–2018). Lake Kuźnickie is an example of water quality improvement taking place without any additional reclamation measures, except a reduction in nutrient discharge into the lake from its direct catchment. Currently, the study lake represents a mesotrophic status. The Trophy State Index evidenced a decrease in the lake’s fertility compared to previous decades. The water quality improvement manifests in a significant reduction in the total phosphorus concentration. An analysis of the spatial changes in the phytolittoral evidenced a decrease in rush vegetation between 1978 and 2018 by over 2 ha. In the period 1978–2018, the aquatic vegetation structure in Lake Kuźnickie underwent significant reconstruction. Currently, charophytes play a much greater role in the lake compared to the last 40 years, contributing to the maintenance of the lake’s high water quality. Moreover, the endangered charophyte Lychnothamnus barbatus has recovered. Concurrently, however, the biodiversity and species richness of the submerged vegetation has decreased. At present, only four species dominate in the lake, including two charophytes L. barbatus , Nitellopsis obtusa , and two vascular plants Ceratophyllum demersum and Myriophyllum spicatum . Over 40 years, Lake Kuźnickie has changed from a eutrophic lake dominated by vascular plants to a mesotrophic lake with a codominant contribution by charophytes. The lake is characterized by good water quality, optimal for the development of aquatic vegetation, especially charophytes.

An Unusual Epiphytic Habitat for Hedwigia ciliata (Bryophyta: Hedwigiaceae) in Poland (Central Europe)

In Poland, Hedwigia ciliata (Hedw.) P. Beauv., an obligatory epilithic moss species, has in recent years also been observed on the bark of trees. In this paper, we describe 25 recently identified sites in which epiphytic H. ciliata has been observed, and provide a plausible explanation to account for this phenomenon.