News

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  【Xinhua News】China Releases Updated Biodiversity Catalogue

  The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) unveiled the 2025 catalogue of biological species in China, documenting a total of 162,717 species and infraspecies, including dragonflies and earthworms for the first time

  May 23, 2025
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  Prof. LI Shaohua Awarded Honorary Doctorate by France's University of Bordeaux

  Recently, the University of Bordeaux in France conferred Prof. LI Shaohua from Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the honorary degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Docteur Honoris Causa) in recognition of his achievements in the field of grapevine scientific research and genetic breeding, as well as his contributions to the Sino-French scientific cooperation and academic exchanges in the field of grapevine and wine.

  Apr 16, 2025
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  Understory Shrub Diversity: Equally Vital as Overstory Tree Diversity to Promote Forest Productivity

  Biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationships have been extensively studied, particularly within the primary layers of producers in terrestrial ecosystems. In multi-layer ecosystems such as forests, the contribution of diversity in the secondary layer, i.e. shrubs, to ecosystem functioning is still largely unknown. This study used 11-year growth data from a forest biodiversity experiment with factorially crossed manipulations of tree and shrub species richness to assess their effects on forest productivity.

  Apr 03, 2025
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  Fungal Allies: The Hidden Key to Soil Carbon Storage in Grasslands

  The critical role of mycorrhizal symbiosis in enhancing soil organic carbon (SOC) storage in grassland ecosystems across China has highlighted in recent research published in PNAS. The finding reveals how a hidden partnership between plants and mycorrhizal fungi plays a vital role in helping grasslands store more carbon—a key factor in combating climate change.

  Feb 22, 2025
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  Desert Plants' Clever Survival Trick: Two Dormancy Cycles a Year Ensure Survival in Harsh Conditions

  A fascinating survival strategy-a unique seed dormancy cycling mechanism in two desert ephemeral plants, Alyssum linifolium and Tetracme quadricornis, has been revealed. This research reveals how these plants adapt to the extreme conditions of the Gurbantunggut Desert in Central Asia by going through two dormancy cycles each year. This allows them to produce two different groups of seedlings annually.

  Feb 18, 2025
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  Hydrogen Peroxide and the Mystery of Fruit Ripening: "Signal Messengers" in Plants

  A research team led by Prof. QIN Guozheng from the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has unveiled that the RNA N6–methyladenosine (m6A) demethylase SlALKBH2 undergoes a reduction-oxidation (redox) modification, which affects SlALKBH2 protein stability, thereby modulating its physiological function in regulation of normal ripening of tomato fruits.

  Jan 10, 2025
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  Researchers Reveal Molecular Mechanism of Sugar Accumulation in Grape Berries

  Sugar transport plays a pivotal role in determining the productivity of plants and their capacity to act as carbon sinks. In the major fruit crop grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.), the transporter gene Vitis vinifera Sugars Will Eventually be Exported Transporter 15 (VvSWEET15)is strongly expressed during berry ripening.

  Dec 24, 2024
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  The Third International Symposium of Mapping Asia Plants Successfully Convenes

  Nov 29, 2024
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  SUMOylation of AL6 Regulates Seed Dormancy and Thermoinhibition in Arabidopsis

  Seed dormancy avoids seed germination under unfavorable conditions and prevents preharvest seed sprouting. Moreover, high temperature restricts the germination of nondormant seeds, referring to seed thermoinhibition

  Nov 23, 2024
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  The IUCN SSC China Plant Specialist Group was Honored with the "SSC Chair's Citation Excellence" at the 5th IUCN SSC Leaders' Meeting

  Nov 07, 2024