scholarly journals Investigation on natural resources and species conservation of Ophiocordyceps sinensis, the famous medicinal fungus endemic to the Tibetan Plateau

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 671-673
Author(s):  
Wenjing Wang ◽  
Ke Wang ◽  
Xiaoliang Wang ◽  
Ruiheng Yang ◽  
Yi Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Species Conservation ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Ophiocordyceps Sinensis ◽  
Medicinal Fungus

scholarly journals Genomic analyses reveal evolutionary and geologic context for the plateau fungus Ophiocordyceps sinensis

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Liu ◽  
Linong Guo ◽  
Zongwei Li ◽  
Zhe Zhou ◽  
Zhen Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Single Molecule ◽  
Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Extreme Environment ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Metal Resistance ◽  
Repeat Sequence ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Ltr Retrotransposon ◽  
Ophiocordyceps Sinensis

Abstract Background Ophiocordyceps sinensis, which is only naturally found in the high-elevation extreme environment of the Tibetan Plateau, has been used in traditional Chinese medicine. Information concerning the evolutionary and geologic context of O. sinensis remains limited, however. Methods We constructed the high-quality genome of O. sinensis and provided insight into the evolution and ecology of O. sinensis using comparative genomics. Results We mapped the whole genome of the anamorph/asexual form Hirsutella of O. sinensis using Illumina and PacBio sequencing technologies and obtained a well assembled genome of 119.2 Mbp size. Long-read Single Molecule Real Time (SMRT) sequencing technology generated an assembly with more accurate representation of repeat sequence abundances and placement. Evolutionary analyses indicated that O. sinensis diverged from other fungi 65.9 Mya in the Upper Cretaceous, during the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau. Gene family expansions and contractions in addition to genome inflation via long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposon insertions were implicated as an important driver of O. sinensis divergence. The insertion rate of LTR sequences into the O. sinensis genome peaked ~ 30–40 Mya, when the Tibetan Plateau rose rapidly. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis suggested that O. sinensis contained more genes related to ice binding compared to other closely related fungi, which may aid in their adaptability to the cold Tibetan Plateau. Further, heavy metal resistance genes were in low abundance in the O. sinensis genome, which may help to explain previous observations that O. sinensis tissues contain high levels of heavy metals. Conclusions Our results reveal the evolutionary, geological, and ecological context for the evolution of the O. sinensis genome and the factors that have contributed to the environmental adaptability of this valuable fungus. These findings suggest that genome inflation via LTR retrotransposon insertions in O. sinensis coincided with the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau. LTRs and the specific genetic mechanisms of O. sinensis contributed to its adaptation to the environment on the plateau.

scholarly journals Exploiting Shangri-La: Assessing the Tibetan Plateau’s Natural Resources and the Work of Karl Wittfogel

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Brock Ternes
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Large Population ◽  
Large Rivers ◽  
Resource Extraction ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
History Of

This paper applies Karl Wittfogel' s theory of hydraulic societies to China’s relationship with Tibet. It argues that the Chinese are interested in control over Tibet not only for its land, location, or wealth of natural resources, but also for control of its headwaters. Hundreds of millions of people rely on the numerous large rivers that start in the Tibetan plateau, making the region a critically important water supply for Asia. Wittfogel’s work theorizes that China’s territory and authority has expanded with the need to secure water for its large population and food production. The paper contains two sections: the first summarizes Wittfogel’s arguments, a history of Tibet, and China’s control of it; the second describes China’s attempts to modernize Tibet, specifically through river development, and the environmental damage caused by such efforts. Tibet’s rivers are crucial for the entirety of Asia, and the Plateau’s massive supplies of water are just one of its many resources. By focusing on rivers, this article describes the importance of Tibet and how increasing levels of resource extraction legitimatize Chinese centralized authority.

scholarly journals Fungal gold and firewood on the Tibetan plateau: examining access to diverse ecosystem provisioning services within a rural community

Oryx ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Woodhouse ◽  
Philip McGowan ◽  
E.J. Milner-Gulland
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Household Size ◽  
Tricholoma Matsutake ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Western Sichuan ◽  
Ophiocordyceps Sinensis ◽  
Caterpillar Fungus ◽  
Provisioning Services

AbstractProvisioning ecosystem services include wild products that form an integral part of rural economies. Using quantitative and qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with 50 households in a Tibetan community in Western Sichuan, China, we explored the relationships of households with three diverse provisioning services on the Eastern Tibetan plateau: firewood, medicinal caterpillar fungus Ophiocordyceps sinensis and matsutake mushrooms Tricholoma matsutake. We examined (1) how they contribute to wealth and livelihoods, (2) what determines household access, and (3) how local use has changed over time. All households were reliant on firewood, and levels extracted were explained only by household size. A more complex set of factors explained access to caterpillar fungus: younger, larger, pastoralist households with lower dependency ratios tended to collect more, and education and household size explained variation in price gained for the product. Caterpillar fungus extraction has dramatically increased over the last 20 years, providing up to 72% of household income, but poorer households have received significantly less of their income from the fungus. Matsutake contributed much less to livelihoods because of its relatively low price. The results show a contrast between subsistence and market-driven products: access to the latter is affected by competition and power relationships. Overall access to provisioning services was related to facets of wealth, especially human capital. The study contributes a household level analysis of the diverse provisioning value of an under-researched part of the world, highlighting the heterogeneity and dynamism of the relationships of households with ecosystem services.

scholarly journals Diversity of Cordyceps Fungi in Nepal

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 103-110
Author(s):  
Bhushan Shrestha
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Molecular Phylogeny ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Cordyceps Sinensis ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Alpine Grasslands ◽  
Ophiocordyceps Sinensis ◽  
Medicinal Fungi ◽  
Scientific Name

Fungi are a part of the biodiversity that play a significant role in daily livelihood of the local communities. Yarsagumba (Ophiocordyceps sinensis) is one of the highly valued medicinal fungi that grow in the Tibetan Plateau of China and alpine grasslands of Nepal, Bhutan and India. Genus Cordyceps was recently revised and divided into four genera: Cordyceps, Elaphocordyceps, Metacordyceps and Ophiocordyceps, based on molecular phylogeny and morphology. The recent revision has consequently changed the scientific name of Yarsa gumba from Cordyceps sinensis (Berk.) Sacc. to Ophiocordyceps sinensis (Berk.) Sung et al. In Nepal, scientific study of Cordyceps species started about 60 years ago. During last 30 years, different Cordyceps species have been reported from Nepal. In this paper, Cordyceps species reported from Nepal have been discussed along with their synomyms, morphological characters, hosts and distributions in the global context.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/njst.v12i0.6487 Nepal Journal of Science and Technology 12 (2011) 103-110 

Range shifts in response to climate change of Ophiocordyceps sinensis, a fungus endemic to the Tibetan Plateau

2017 ◽  
Vol 206 ◽  
pp. 143-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yujing Yan ◽  
Yi Li ◽  
Wen-Jing Wang ◽  
Jin-Sheng He ◽  
Rui-Heng Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Range Shifts ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Ophiocordyceps Sinensis

scholarly journals Remote Sensing Detection of Vegetation and Landform Damages by Coal Mining on the Tibetan Plateau

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 3851 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qianhan Wu ◽  
Kai Liu ◽  
Chunqiao Song ◽  
Jida Wang ◽  
Linghong Ke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Vegetation Cover ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Landsat Imagery ◽  
Environmental Conservation ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Mining Activities ◽  
Abrupt Changes

In order to satisfy the needs of constant economic growth, the pressure to exploit natural resources has been increasing rapidly in China. Particularly with the implementation of the National Western Development Strategies since 1999, more and more mining activities and related infrastructure constructions have been conducted on the Tibetan Plateau (TP). Mining activities are known to have substantial impacts on plant dynamics and hence the water and energy cycles. Identifying mining activities and quantifying their effects on vegetation cover are critical to the monitoring and protection of the pristine TP environment. Thus, this study aims to develop an automated approach that detects the timing of initial mining development and assess the spatial distribution of mining-ruined vegetation. The Breaks for Additive Seasonal and Trend (BFAST) algorithm was used to decompose the signal in the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) time series derived from high-frequency MODIS images, and to detect abrupt changes of surface vegetation. Results show that the BFAST algorithm is able to effectively identify abrupt changes in vegetation cover as a result of open-mining development on the studied alpine grassland. The testing study in Muli Town of Qinghai Province shows that the mining development began in 2003 and massive destructions of vegetation cover followed between 2008 and 2012. The integrated use of Landsat imagery and multi-temporal DEMs further reveals detailed areal and volumetric changes in the mining site. This study demonstrates the potential of applying multi-mission satellite datasets to assess large-scale environmental influences from mining development, and will be beneficial to environmental conservation and sustainable use of natural resources in remote regions.

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