DNA sequences were generated for matK and ITS for 68 and 103 samples of Cornus to reconstruct a species level phylogeny of the genus. The results support the monophyly of most subgenera, except subg. Kraniopsis and subg. Cornus. Subgenus Kraniopsis was suggested to exclude C. peruviana from South America and subg. Afrocrania and subg. Sinocornus were nested within subg. Cornus. Four major clades corresponding to groups also recognizable by morphological differences were revealed: the big‐bracted dogwoods (BB) including subg. Cynoxylon, subg. Syncarpea, and subg. Discocrania, the dwarf dogwoods (DW) including subg. Arctocrania, the cornelian cherries (CC) including subg. Cornus, subg. Sinocornus, and subg. Afrocrania, and the blue‐ or white‐fruited dogwoods (BW) including subg. Kraniopsis, subg. Mesomora, and subg. Yinquania. This finding is consistent with previous studies with more limited sampling. The single South American species C. peruviana was found to be sister to the Asian C. oblonga of subg. Yinquania, adding a fourth intercontinental disjunction in the genus that was previously unknown. Species relationships within the subgenera were clearly resolved except for the relatively large subg. Syncarpea and subg. Kraniopsis. Phylogenetic analyses of total evidence combining morphology, matK, ITS, and previously published rbcL and 26S rDNA sequences resolved the relationships among subgenera as (BW(CC(BB, DW))). Biogeographic analyses using DIVA with or without fossils resulted in different inferences of biogeographic history of the genus, indicating the importance of fossil data in biogeographic analyses. The phylogeny based on the total evidence tree including fossils supports an origin and early Tertiary diversification of Cornus in Europe and multiple trans‐Atlantic migrations between Europe and North America by the early Tertiary. It also supports that distribution of the few species in the southern hemisphere was not ancestral, but a result of migration from the north. This evidence rejects a previous hypothesis of a southern hemispheric origin of the genus.

The evolution of floral zygomorphy is an important innovation in flowering plants and is thought to arise principally from specialization on various insect pollinators. Floral morphology of neotropical Malpighiaceae is distinctive and highly conserved, especially with regard to symmetry, and is thought to be caused by selection by its oil-bee pollinators. We sought to characterize the genetic basis of floral zygomorphy in Malpighiaceae by investigating CYCLOIDEA2-like (CYC2-like) genes, which are required for establishing symmetry in diverse core eudicots. We identified two copies of CYC2-like genes in Malpighiaceae, which resulted from a gene duplication in the common ancestor of the family. A likely role for these loci in the development of floral zygomorphy in Malpighiaceae is demonstrated by the conserved pattern of dorsal gene expression in two distantly related neotropical species, Byrsonima crassifolia and Janusia guaranitica. Further evidence for this function is observed in a Malpighiaceae species that has moved to the paleotropics and experienced coincident shifts in pollinators, floral symmetry, and CYC2-like gene expression. The dorsal expression pattern observed in Malpighiaceae contrasts dramatically with their actinomorphic-flowered relatives, Centroplacaceae (Bhesa paniculata) and Elatinaceae (Bergia texana). In particular, B. texana exhibits a previously undescribed pattern of uniform CYC2 expression, suggesting that CYC2 expression among the actinomorphic ancestors of zygomorphic lineages may be much more complex than previously thought. We consider three evolutionary models that may have given rise to this patterning, including the hypothesis that floral zygomorphy in Malpighiaceae arose earlier than standard morphology-based character reconstructions suggest.ost flowers are either bilaterally symmetrical (i.e., zygomorphic) and have a single plane of symmetry or radially symmetrical (i.e., actinomorphic) and have several planes of symmetry (1). Floral zygomorphy has evolved independently at least 38 times (2-4) and is a hallmark feature of the most diverse angiosperm clades, including Asteraceae (23,600 spp.), Orchidaceae (21,950 spp.), Fabaceae (19,400 spp.), and Lamiales (23,275 spp.) (5). Plant evolutionary biologists therefore propose that the origin of floral zygomorphy may have been a key innovation for promoting speciation throughout the course of angiosperm evolution (6). The driving force behind the origin of floral zygomorphy has long been thought to be a consequence of selection by specialization on certain insect pollinators (1, 7), which has recently gained experimental support (8).The tropical plant family Malpighiaceae exhibits a strong association between floral zygomorphy and insect pollinator attraction. The floral morphology of the more than 1,000 New World species of this clade is very distinctive and highly conserved, especially with regard to symmetry and pollinator reward. The single upright/dorsal banner petal is strongly differentiated from other petals in the corolla...

Nickel‐rich layered transition‐metal oxides with high‐capacity and high‐power capabilities are established as the principal cathode candidates for next‐generation lithium‐ion batteries. However, several intractable issues such as the poor thermal stability and rapid capacity fade as well as the air‐sensitivity particularly for the Ni content over 80% have seriously restricted their broadly practical applications. The properties and nature of the stable surface/interface, where the Li+ shuttles back and forth between the cathode and electrolyte, play a significant role in their ultimate lithium‐storage performance and industrial processability. Thus, tremendous efforts are made to in‐depth understanding of the essential origins of surface/interface structure degradation and efficient surface modification methodologies are intensively explored. The purpose of the contribution is first to provide a comprehensive review of the up‐to‐date mechanisms proposed to rationally elucidate the surface/interface behaviors, and then, focus on recent developed strategies to optimize the surface/interface structure and chemistry including synthetic condition regulation, surface doping, surface coating, dual doping‐coating modification, and concentration‐gradient structure as well as electrolyte additives. Finally, the perspective on future research trends and feasible approaches toward advanced Ni‐rich cathodes with stable surface/interface is presented briefly.

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Conductive metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), as a newly emerging multifunctional material, hold enormous promise in electrochemical energy‐storage systems owing to their merits including good electronic conductivity, large surface area, appropriate pore structure, and environmental friendliness. In this contribution, a scalable solvothermal strategy was devised for the bottom‐up fabrication of 1D Cu‐based conductive MOF, that is, Cu3(2,3,6,7,10,11‐hexahydroxytriphenylene)2 (Cu‐CAT) nanowires (NWs), which were further utilized as a competitive anode for lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs). The intrinsic Li storage mechanism of the Cu‐CAT electrode was also explored. Benefiting from its structural virtues, the resultant 1D Cu‐CAT NWs were endowed with superb Li+ diffusion coefficients and electrochemical conductivities and exhibited remarkably high‐rate reversible capacities of approximately 631 mAh g−1 at 0.2 A g−1 and even approximately 381 mAh g−1 at 2 A g−1, along with striking capacity retention of 81 % after 500 cycles at 0.5 A g−1. In addition, a Cu‐CAT NWs‐based full cell assembled with LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 as the cathode displayed a large energy density of approximately 275 Wh kg−1 as well as excellent cycling behavior. These results manifest the promising application of 1D conductive Cu‐CAT NWs in advanced LIBs and even other potential versatile energy‐related fields.