Institute of Botany

Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) spans most of Eurasia, yet southern and mountainous populations may retain distinctive genetic components shaped by long-term isolation and complex postglacial dynamics. We genotyped 186 trees from four Scots pine stands in Armenia (AM1-AM4) and reference stands from Germany, Russia and Montenegro with the PiSy50k SNP array and integrated these data with published European array datasets from Finland, Poland and the Baltic region. After quality checks and conservative SNP filtering, 627 individuals from 47 populations and 3659 SNP loci were retained. Within-population diversity was generally high; Armenian stands AM2–AM4 were among the most diverse, whereas AM1 showed reduced diversity and the highest differentiation relative to the remainder of the dataset (FST vs. rest = 0.0047). Direct pairwise FST and hierarchical AMOVA confirmed pronounced heterogeneity among Armenian stands, with AM1 the most differentiated stand, AM2 and AM4 closest to the broader Eurasian background, and AM3 intermediate. Principal component analysis (PC1 = 1.42%, PC2 = 0.76%) again separated AM1 strongly from all non-Armenian samples, while AM2 overlapped with the central/eastern European cluster and AM3 and AM4 combined continental-like and AM1-like individuals. Structure-like inference with LEA/sNMF showed a broad cross-entropy plateau from approximately K = 4 to K = 6; we therefore use K = 5 as a practical summary, which highlighted a dominant AM1-associated ancestry component and variable continental admixture in AM2–AM4. KING kinship estimates provided little evidence for within-stand family clustering in Armenian stands; no second-degree-or-closer pairs were observed in AM1–AM4. Together, the results reveal pronounced heterogeneity among Armenian Scots pine stands and identify AM1 as a highly differentiated but unresolved genomic component, providing a genomic baseline to support conservation planning, provenance evaluation and the management of forest reproductive material in the Lesser Caucasus.

Recent research has highlighted the gut-brain axis as a critical modulator of mental health, positioning probiotics as promising psychobiotic interventions for anxiety, stress, depression, and cognitive function. Clinical trials investigating strains such as Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Bifidobacterium longum, Lactobacillus gasseri, and multi-strain formulations have demonstrated strain- and context-specific effects on psychological and physiological outcomes. While some studies reported improvements in mood, anxiety, sleep quality, and cognitive performance, others showed limited effects, particularly in healthy populations with low baseline stress levels, reflecting the challenges of translating preclinical findings into clinical applications in humans. Mechanistic evidence suggests that psychobiotics may influence neuroactive metabolites, short-chain fatty acids, γ-aminobutyric acid, serotonin, and anti-inflammatory pathways, thereby modulating cognitive and emotional processes. The effects happen dependent on factors such as dosage, strain specificity, delivery method, baseline stress or symptom levels, and co-administration with conventional treatments. Collectively, these findings underscore the potential of targeted psychobiotics to enhance mental well-being and support stress resilience, while highlighting the need for carefully designed clinical trials to clarify efficacy and mechanisms.

Illicium nymphiiflorum Q. Lin & Y.M. Shui sp. nova (Schisandraceae) is described from China. It especially resembles I. viridiflorum from South Vietnam in being cauliflorous and in having similar greenish-white flowers and single-seriate stamens. It differs, e.g., in leaf shape (obovate vs. elliptic), apex of the innermost petals (acute vs. obtuse), arrangement of stamens (vertical vs. horizontal) and number of follicles (12–14 vs. 4–8). It also resembles I. stapfii, from which it differs in several floral characters. According to IUCN categories and criteria, I. nymphiiflorum is assessed as Critically Endangered (CR).

Large-scale forestation, a profound form of land cover change, is widely proposed for climate mitigation. Its full Earth system impact, however, depends on complex trade-offs between carbon sequestration in biomass and soils and other biogeophysical feedbacks, alongside stringent land availability constraints. This study assesses the global potential and limits of forestation as a land use change strategy by integrating high-resolution simulations of soil organic carbon dynamics with spatially explicit constraints on land availability designed to prevent adverse impacts on surface albedo, water resources, and biodiversity. Our analysis reveals that when forestation is restricted to these ecologically viable lands, its scale and consequent carbon sequestration potential are substantially lower than previous estimates that did not fully account for these Earth system trade-offs. Furthermore, when land use is limited only to areas aligned with existing national policy commitments, the feasible scope for forestation and its associated carbon sink becomes drastically reduced. Realizing significant climate benefits from forestation requires navigating critical land use trade-offs and expanding ambitious, spatially optimized land-use policies, particularly in regions with high potential.

BackgroundThe Li-Qi-Yang-Yin (LQYY) formula, a traditional Chinese medicine (TCMs) compound, holds potential in managing gastrointestinal disorders. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from medicinal plants are emerging as novel carriers of bioactive compounds, yet their role in multi-herb formulations like LQYY remains largely unexplored. This study aimed to isolate LEVs from the LQYY formula and investigate their protective effects against inflammation and oxidative stress in intestinal epithelial cells.MethodsLi-Qi-Yang-Yin formula contains EVs were isolated from the LQYY decoction via ultracentrifugation. Their physicochemical characteristics were characterized using nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The metabolite profile was analyzed by untargeted metabolomics. Using a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated inflammatory model in human NCM460 colon epithelial cells, we assessed nitric oxide (NO) production, inflammatory cytokine levels, and the expression of proteins in the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) pathway.ResultsWe successfully isolated LEVs with a typical cup-shaped morphology and an average size of 201.1 nm. Metabolomic analysis identified 862 metabolites, with significant enrichment in fatty acids, phenylpropanoids, and flavonoids. These LEVs were efficiently internalized by NCM460 cells. Pretreatment with LEVs, particularly at a high dose (50 μg/mL), significantly attenuated LPS-stimulated cytotoxicity and intracellular NO overproduction. Furthermore, LEVs dose-dependently suppressed the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α), promoted the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, and inhibited the activation of the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway.ConclusionOur findings demonstrate that LEVs from the LQYY formula are natural nanoparticles enriched with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant metabolites and can alleviate LPS-stimulated inflammatory injury in human colonic epithelial cells in vitro. These results provide proof-of-concept evidence and warrant further validation in animal models to determine disease relevance.

Abstract The amount and frequency of atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition have dramatically increased, profoundly influencing population regeneration, community composition and productivity in grasslands. Perennial species in grasslands primarily grow and expand clonally, yet it remains unclear how their below‐ground buds and above‐ground shoots respond to the amount and frequency of N deposition. We conducted a long‐term (2008–2022) N addition experiment in a semiarid grassland. The experiment included nine addition amounts (0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 50 g N m −2 year −1 ) and two addition frequencies: low frequency (twice per year) and high frequency (once per month). This allowed us to assess the interactive effects of N addition amount and frequency on bud density, shoot density and the ratio of bud to shoot density (meristem limitation index, MLI) in semiarid grasslands. We found a significant interaction between N addition amount and frequency on community bud and shoot densities. Community bud and shoot densities declined with increasing N amount under low addition frequency but remained stable under high addition frequency. However, community MLI was unchanged under low addition frequency but increased with increasing N amount under high addition frequency. Both N addition amount and frequency significantly altered the composition of community buds and shoots, with more pronounced effects under low versus high addition frequency. Bud and shoot densities and MLI declined with N amount under both addition frequencies for bunchgrasses. In contrast, rhizomatous grasses exhibited increased bud density and MLI under high N addition frequency, while shoot density remained unchanged regardless of addition frequency. These demographic responses did not alter above‐ground net primary productivity (ANPP) but shifted community composition toward greater dominance of rhizomatous grasses under N addition. Synthesis. These results suggest that grassland bud and shoot responses to N deposition depend on both the deposition amount and frequency. Commonly used low frequency N addition experiments may lead to inaccurate plant demographic and community responses to chronic N deposition.

Glyptostrobus pensilis (Staunton ex D. Don) K. Koch, 1873, an endangered plant, belonging to the genus Glyptostrobus of Taxodiaceae family. In this study, we report the complete chloroplast (cp.) genome sequence of a geographic provenance of G. pensilis from the Yiyang area of Jiangxi province (JX, 117°13′E, 28°30′N). Results indicated that the cp. genome of JX provenance was 132,255 bp in length with a GC content of 35.3% and contained 119 genes (including 83 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 32 tRNA genes and four rRNA genes). Among them, 15 genes contained at least one intron, and ten cis-spliced genes and one trans-spliced gene were identified. Phylogenetic analyses based on 77 common PCGs showed that the JX provenance is most closely related to the provenance from Fuzhou area of Fujian province (119°17′E, 26°01′N).

Gynostemma guangxiense X. X. Chen & D. H. Qin, belonging to the family Cucurbitaceae, is a perennial creeping herbaceous plant endemic to China with potential medicinal and health value. Here, we report the high-quality chromosome-level genome of G. guangxiense obtained by integrating Illumina short read, PacBio high-fidelity (HiFi) long read, Hi-C, and RNA-Seq technologies. The genome is anchored to 11 pseudochromosomes with a total size of 565.18 Mb, with a scaffold N50 of 52.63 Mb, achieving a complete BUSCO of 98.00%. Furthermore, we identified 27,527 protein-coding genes, of which 97.75% were functionally annotated. This genome provides an important molecular foundation for adaptive evolution, genetic conservation, and effective development of valuable medicinal plant resources within the Gynostemma genus.