Chukar partridge (Alectoris chukar) is a very important bird for hunting in northern China. Currently chukar partridges are threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, hunting, and human persecution on the  Loess Plateau of eastern Gansu. We used polymerase chain reaction and dideoxy direct sequencing methods to analyze the genetic diversity of chukar partridge. A total of 491 nucleotides of the mitochondrial DNA control region gene were sequenced in 78 chukar partridges of eight populations collected from the Loess Plateau. The 24 variable sites (4.89% of the entire sequences) defined 25 haplotypes (32.05% of all the samples). The sequence variation, haplotype diversity and nucleotide diversity of the Tongchuan population were the largest among the eight populations, up to 0.47, 0.82 and 0.0029, respectively, while those of Honghui population were the lowest, 0.10, 0.28 and 0.0008, respectively. This might  result from founder effect, genetic isolation or natural selection. The eight populations shared one haplotype C1, which indicated that they came from a common ancestor and belonged to one monophyletic group and one evolutionarily significant unit. However, they clustered into two groups. The haplotype similarity index between the two groups was only 0.15, and genetic distance was 0.43%. The genetic variability was significantly different between the two groups according to one-way analysis of variance (F=5.02>F_0.05 (14,1)=4.06). It is suggested that the chukar partridge throughout the  Loess Plateau of eastern Gansu should be protected as two management units since the demographic connection between them is low. The Tongchuan population, with the highest genetic variation and genetic diversity, should be well-protected.

Genetic variation of ten chicken breeds, including nine native breeds and one introduced breed Yellow Bantam from France, was studied using eight microsatellite markers covering seven chromosomes. A total of 54 alleles were detected from eight microsatellite loci, and the average number of alleles per locus was 6.75. All microsatellite loci were highly polymorphic, with the mean PIC ranging from 0.5071 to 0.7434. All populations showed high levels of heterozygosity with the lowest value of 0.5564 for Yellow Bantam and the highest value of 0.7135 for Xianju chickens. A dendrogram was constructed based on DA distance. The ten populations grouped into three clusters: the introduced breed formed a separate branch, while the second branch comprised Chahua chickens and Gushi chickens, and the third branch included the other seven native chicken breeds. The results may be useful as an initial guide in evaluating the level of genetic variation, developing conservation strategies and predicting heterosis.

>We studied the community structure and diversity of cultivable heterotrophic bacteria in West Lake, Hangzhou from October 2001 to October 2002. Results showed that there were 510 CFU of bacteria per mL water and 2.27×10⁵ CFU per gram of dry sediment. The bacterial population in water was higher in cold seasons than in hot seasons. In sediments, the bacterial population varied not only with seasons but also with dredging of the mud. Soon after dredging of mud in Changqiao,bacterial counts were about 0.81×10⁵ CFU per gram in the new sediment. After three months, the bacterial population had increased to 4.60×10⁵ CFU per gram. There were 14 types of cultivable heterotrophic bacteria in the West Lake ecosystem. The dominant types were Pseudomonas,Enterobacteriaceae or Aeromonas, which accounted for 36.8%~80.4% of the total bacterial population in water column; and 27.7%~72.7% of those in sediments. Analysis of Shannon-Wiener index (H) and Simpson index (L) indicated that the Lake had low bacterial diversity. The index H was between 0.682 and 1.787 in water columns; and between 0.809 and 1.774 in sediments, and the index L was between 0.196 and 0.662 in the water column, and between 0.179 and 0.572 in sediments. Among the bacteria from water column, 95% were Gram negative rods, and 20.1% produced yellow pigments. In sediments, about 85% of the bacteria were Gram negative rods and only 2.07% produced yellow pigments. Furthermore, the population of Bacillus was much higher in sediments than in the water column, suggesting that there are different niches in water column and sediments in West Lake despite the frequency of water-mud exchange.

Based on study of species diversity, 50 species of entomogenous fungi belonging to 16 genera, 4 families and 4 orders were recorded in Dabie Mountains in western Anhui. At the family level,  Clavicipitaceae, comprising 27 species, had the highest percentage, with 54% of the total species, while the family Hyphomycetaceae, comprising 15 species, accounted for 30%.  The family Entomophthoraceae comprised 5 species (10%), and the smallest percentage was taken by the family Stilbellaceae, comprising 3 species (6%). Considering genera, the dominant genera were Cordyceps (27 species, 52% of the total), Paecilomyces (6 species, 12%), and Beauveria (3 species, 6%).  These three genera covered 35 species, accounting for 70% of the total, while they amounted to 18.75% of the total genera. Akanthomyces and Zoophthora were oligotypic genera, both with two species. The rest were monotypic genera, comprising 68.75% of the total genera and 22% of the total species. The dominant species were Paecilomyces farinosus, P. tenuipes, C. nutans, B. bassiana, and Metarhizium anisopliae var. anisopliae. Therefore, the dominant genera and species were evident in this area. By categorization of modern distribution centers in terms of the present distribution patterns of taxa, species were grouped into Cosmopolitan (42.11%), Eurasian (10.53%), Subtropical to Tropical (5.26%), East Asian (7.89%), East Asian-Papuan (5.26%), Sino-Japanese (5.26%), and Endemic (23.68%). Overall, East Asian elements were characteristic of this region and local and Chinese endemic species were evident.

nrDNA ITS(ITS1-5.8S-ITS2)  regions of 20 isolates of Paecilomyces farinosus were sequenced,  and its correct ITS sequence  was obtained. The results showed that the ITS of P. farinosus reported by Korean researchers was actually that of P. tenuipes. Two unidentified Korean isolates of Paecilomyces (KACC40219 and KACC40221) were identified as P. farinosus based on molecular data. The neighbour-joining tree showed that P. farinosus is monophyletic, and the teleomorph of P. farinosus was tentatively identified as a Cordyceps species.Sequence polymorphisms of the nrDNA ITS region exist among different isolates  of P. farinosus with the same geographic origins. The molecular data proved that genetic diversity of different isolates of P. farinosus is not related to geographic origins and hosts.

The genus Paphiopedilum is among the most favorite ornamental orchids, from which more than 10 000 of artificial hybrids have been bred since 1850s. South and southwest China is one of the distribution centers of this genus, where the paphiopedilums are still facing continuous demand for wild plants though they have become rather rare today. Considering the incomplete knowledge, both scientifically and technologically, of the plants and their conservation, a tentative strategy to protect the Chinese Paphiopedilum is proposed that the in situ conservation should be taken priority over all others. Meanwhile, it is also needed to pay great attention to scientific researches and conservation technical systems. The establishment of the ex situ conservation centers, on the contrary, should be strictly controlled in quantity and scale. Finally, the potential advantages of the Chinese paphiopedilums in horticulture are discussed.