Predictive ecological niche model for Cinnamomumparthenoxylon (Jack) Meisn. (Lauraceae) from Last Glacial Maximum to future in Vietnam.

Cinnamomumparthenoxylon (Jack) Meisn. is a tree in genus Cinnamomum that has been facing global threats due to forest degradation and habitat fragmentation. Many recent studies aim to describe habitats and assess population and species genetic diversity for species conservation by expanding afforestation models for this species. Understanding their current and future potential distribution plays a major role in guiding conservation efforts. Using five modern machine-learning algorithms available on Google Earth Engine helped us evaluate suitable habitats for the species. The results revealed that Random Forest (RF) had the highest accuracy for model comparison, outperforming Support Vector Machine (SVM), Classification and Regression Trees (CART), Gradient Boosting Decision Tree (GBDT) and Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt). The results also showed that the extremely suitable ecological areas for the species are mostly distributed in northern Vietnam, followed by the North Central Coast and the Central Highlands. Elevation, Temperature Annual Range and Mean Diurnal Range were the three most important parameters affecting the potential distribution of C.parthenoxylon. Evaluation of the impact of climate on its distribution under different climate scenarios in the past (Last Glacial Maximum and Mid-Holocene), in the present (Worldclim) and in the future (using four climate change scenarios: ACCESS, MIROC6, EC-Earth3-Veg and MRI-ESM2-0) revealed that of C.parthenoxylon would likely expand to the northeast, while a large area of central Vietnam will gradually lose its adaptive capacity by 2100.

New insight into the taxonomy of Cephaloziellaceae (Marchantiophyta): the family of the smallest higher plants on Earth.

An analysis of the phylogeny of Cephaloziellaceae was carried out based on trees constructed for previously and newly obtained sequences of five genes: nuclear ITS1-2 and chloroplast trnL-F, trnG, rbcL, and psbA. Phylogenetic trees inferred from different genes are congruent for the main details; however, the position of several taxa is variable. As a result, a new phylogenetic system of the family was proposed. The narrow genus concept seems to be more appropriate for the family. Cephaloziella spinicaulis is segregated into the new genus Douiniella, the generic status for Prionolobus and Metacephalozia is confirmed, and the dubious generic status of Kymatocalyx is substantiated. The generic independence of Cylindrocolea from Cephaloziella s. str. is confirmed. The small amount of data hinders the description of two more genera from Cephaloziella s.l.

Liverwort and Hornwort Flora of Hoàng Liên National Park and the Adjacent Areas (North Vietnam, Indochina).

The study of the flora located in the central part of the Hoàng Liên SÆ¡n Range in the northern region of Indochina has revealed 279 species of liverwort and hornwort, 26 of which are newly reported for the flora of Vietnam. The uniqueness and peculiarity of the studied flora are explained by the significant altitudinal range in the area treated and its position in the contact zone of the Sikang-Yunnan floristic province of the East Asian Floristic Region with the Indochina Floristic Region. The checklist includes data on the distribution of each species in the studied region, habitats, and accompanying taxa. The high disunity of the regional floras of the southern tip of the East Asian region compared to the lesser disunity of the regional floras in the north of the East Asian region is shown. In general, the studied flora possess Sino-Himalayan mountain subtropical characteristics with the large participation of tropical elements.

Stolonicaulon: A Section-Puzzle within Marsupella (Gymnomitriaceae, Marchantiophyta).

Marsupella sect. Stolonicaulon is not speciose and is a commonly neglected section within the genus, which currently includes three species with somewhat similar morphologies (wiry shoots with distanced leaves) and distributions in the mountains of tropical and subtropical regions (SE (Southeast) Asia, the Venezuelan Andes, and the high mountains of SE Brazil). After studying materials that were found to be dissimilar to the "traditional" Marsupella that were collected in the last decade by the authors of this article, it was found that these plants belong to three new-for-science species, and all of these species should be included in Marsupella sect. Stolonicaulon. The newly described species have expanded the boundaries of morphological variability, not only for the section itself, but also for the genus based on two findings: (1) the leaves of Marsupella sect. Stolonicaulon can be either appressed and entire or spaced and deeply divided (thus, the plants could occasionally be similar to Cephaloziella or Anastrophyllum); (2) some species of the section possess regular underleaf production. The first discovery of regular underleaves in Marsupella, as noted in two of the three newly described taxa, is the main morphological novelty described in this paper. The development of regular underleaves is a presumable relict character that brings Marsupella closer to Nardia, which was recently transferred to the Gymnomitriaceae and occupies an isolated position within its own subfamily, Nardioideae.

Genetic diversity and population structure of Cinnamomum balansae Lecomte inferred by microsatellites.

Cinnamomum balansae Lecomte (Lauraceae), an economically important forest tree, is distributed in the tropical forests of central and northern Vietnam, which has been threatened in recent decades due to the destruction of its habitat and over-exploitation. The genetic diversity and population structure of the species have not been fully evaluated. We used a set of 15 microsatellites to analyze 161 adult trees from 9 different populations, representing the geographical distribution of C. balansae. Ninety-two different alleles were identified. Here our results showed a low genetic diversity level with an average H o = 0.246 and H e = 0.262, and a high level of genetic differentiation (F ST = 0.601). The bottleneck tests indicated evidence of a reduction in the population size of the two populations (TC and CP). Additionally, all three clustering methods (Bayesian analysis, principal coordinate analysis, and Neighbor-joining tree) were identified in the two genetic groups. The Mantel test showed a significant positive correlation between genetic distance and geographic distance (R 2 = 0.7331). This study will provide a platform for the conservation of C. balansae both in ex-situ and in-situ plans.

Calypogeia (Calypogeiaceae, Marchantiophyta) in Pacific Asia: Updates from Molecular Revision with Particular Attention to the Genus in North Indochina.

Calypogeia is a genus in Pacific Asia that is difficult to classify taxonomically. These difficulties arise from (1) considering the presence of oil bodies as anatomical characters for taxonomic differentiation, (2) the wide occurrence of sibling, semicryptic and geographical vicariant taxa and (3) the inevitable need to organize new datasets for molecular genetic revision of the genus. The present study uses an integrative approach, including molecular genetic, morphological, chorological and ecological methods, to understand the taxonomy of the genus in Amphi-Pacific Asia. As a result, a set of new-to-science taxa was revealed, and the suite of morphological features necessary for reliable discrimination of the taxa was revised. These results are based on the study of a large set of 'fresh' collections suitable for molecular analysis and morphological comparison and include data on oil bodies. The most basal branch in Calypogeia s.l. is segregated into a new genus, Asperifolia. Descriptions of the new taxa and the key to Calypogeia in Vietnam are provided.

The systematic position of puzzling Sino-Himalayan Lophocoleasikkimensis (Lophocoleaceae, Marchantiophyta) is identified.

Lophocoleasikkimensis, a little-known Sino-Himalayan species, was collected in North Vietnam and its taxonomic position was identified by molecular genetic techniques. The species is characterized by generally narrowly pointed leaves, which are not seen in other representatives of Lophocoleaceae. We found that it belongs to the recently described genus Cryptolophocolea, although it is clearly morphologically dissimilar to other members of the genus. We propose a corresponding nomenclature combination: Cryptolophocoleasikkimensis comb. nov. This species is the only one in its genus with a predominantly Sino-Himalayan distribution; the vast majority of congeners are distributed in the Southern Hemisphere (mostly in Australasia). Reports of this species in Vietnam further confirm the close phytogeographic relationships of the flora of northern Indochina with those of the Sino-Himalayas and suggest that this species is found in other parts of the Hoang Lien Range and the southern Hengduan Range.

Blepharostoma trichophyllum S.L. (Marchantiophyta): The Complex of Sibling Species and Hybrids.

Blepharostoma trichophyllum was found to be a species collectiva formed by several strongly genetically different species. The taxonomic diversity in the group is the possible result of radiation in early stages; then, these taxa likely survived for a long time in similar environmental conditions, which resulted in stasis. Presently, the existing taxa are similar one to another and may be morphologically distinguished with difficulties. The most taxonomically valuable morphological characteristics include oil bodies and cells in the leaf segment features. The most diverse genotypes (the vast majority of which are treated here as distinct species) were found in amphi-Pacific Asia, which may reflect the evolutionary history of the genus or may be the consequence of more profound sampling in the macro-region in comparison with other parts of the Holarctic.

A review of Calypogeia (Marchantiophyta) in the eastern Sino-Himalaya and Meta-Himalaya based mostly on types.

The eastern part of the southern macroslope of the Himalayan Range, Hengduan Mountains and the complex of smaller ranges from Hengduan southward to northern Indochina is one of the taxonomic hotspots of Calypogeia in Asia and the world. Two main circumstances hamper the understanding of taxonomic diversity of the genus in this area: the absence of recent and detailed descriptions and identification keys and the necessity of studying fresh material with surviving oil bodies in leaf cells. This study resulted in 1) eleven species confirmed for this vast land, 2) seven more taxa recorded but likely based on identification mistakes and 3) fourteen more taxa that are not yet recorded but may be expected in the area. All these taxa are discussed, and most of them are illustrated and described based on the types; an identification key is provided. The occurrence of North Holarctic taxa is hardly probable in the Sino-Himalaya, whereas new records of taxa known from the southern half of the Japanese Archipelago, Taiwan and southeastern mainland China are possible.

Particulate matter accumulation capacity of plants in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Population growth, urbanization, environmental conditions and rapid development have caused particulate matter (PM) levels to rise above all national and international health standards during the last two decades in many South-East Asian countries. These PM levels needs to be reduced urgently as they increase the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory health problems for millions of people. Plants have shown to efficiently reduce PM in the air by accumulation on their leaves. In order to investigate which plant species accumulate most PM, we screened 49 common plant species for their PM accumulation capacity in one of the tropical cities with the highest PM concentrations of the world, Hanoi (Vietnam). Using this subset of plants, we tested if certain leaf characteristics (leaf hydrophilicity, stomatal densities and the specific leaf area) can predict the PM accumulation efficiency of plant species. Our results show that the PM accumulation capacity varies substantially among species and that Muntingia calabura accumulated most PM in our subset of plants. We observed that plants with hydrophilic leaves, a low specific leaf area and a high abaxial stomatal density accumulated significantly more PM. Plants with these characteristics should be preferred by urban architects to reduce PM levels in tropical environments.