Maize was introduced into opposite sides of Eurasia 500 years ago, in Western Europe and in Asia. This caused two host-shifts in the phytophagous genus Ostrinia, O. nubilalis (the European corn borer; ECB) and O. furnacalis (the Asian corn borer; ACB) are now major pests of maize worldwide. They originated independently from Dicot-feeding ancestors, similar to O. scapulalis (the Adzuki bean borer; ABB). Unlike other host-plants, maize is yearly harvested, and harvesting practices impose severe...

1. Litter decomposition plays important roles in carbon and nutrient cycling. In dryland both microbial decomposition and abiotic degradation (by UV light or other forces) drive variation in decomposition rates, but whether and how litter traits and position determine the balance between these processes is poorly understood. 2. We investigated relationships between litter quality and their decomposition rates among diverse plant species in a desert ecosystem in vertically contrasting positions representing distinct decomposition environments driven...

Southwest China is one of the major global biodiversity hotspots. The Tanaka line, extending within southwestern China from its northwest to its southeast, is an important biogeographical boundary between the Sino-Japanese and Sino-Himalayan floristic regions. Understanding the evolutionary history of the regional keystone species would assist with both reconstructing historical vegetation dynamics and ongoing biodiversity management. In this research, we combined phylogeographic methodologies and species distribution models (SDMs) to investigate the spatial genetic patterns and...