Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia) is a popular cultivated vegetable in Asian and African countries. To reveal the characteristics of the genomic structure, evolutionary trajectory, and genetic basis underlying the domestication of bitter gourd, we performed whole-genome sequencing of the cultivar Dali-11 and the wild small-fruited line TR and resequencing of 187 bitter gourd germplasms from 16 countries. The major gene clusters (Bi clusters) for the biosynthesis of cucurbitane triterpenoids, which confer a bitter taste, are highly conserved in cucumber, melon, and watermelon. Comparative analysis among cucurbit genomes revealed that the Bi cluster involved in cucurbitane triterpenoid biosynthesis is absent in bitter gourd. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the TR group, including 21 bitter gourd germplasms, may belong to a new species or subspecies independent from M. charantia. Furthermore, we found that the remaining 166 M. charantia germplasms are geographically differentiated, and we identified 710, 412, and 290 candidate domestication genes in the South Asia, Southeast Asia, and China populations, respectively. This study provides new insights into bitter gourd genetic diversity and domestication and will facilitate the future genomics-enabled improvement of bitter gourd.

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Wind waves are responsible for some of the spatio-temporal gradients observed in the biotic and abiotic variables in large shallow lakes. However, their effects on the phytoplankton community composition are still largely unexplored especially in freshwater systems such as lakes. In this paper, using field observations and mesocosm bioassay experiments, we investigated the impact of turbulence generated by wind waves on the phytoplankton community composition (especially on harmful cyanobacteria) in Lake Taihu, a large, shallow eutrophic lake in China. The composition of the phytoplankton community varied with the intensity of wind waves in the different areas of the lake. During summer, when wind waves were strong in the central lake, diatoms and green algae seemed to dominate while harmful cyanobacteria dominated in the weakly influenced Meiliang Bay. Turbulence bioassays also showed that diatoms and green algae were favoured by turbulent mixing. The critical time for the shift of the phytoplankton community composition was approximately 10 days under turbulent conditions. However, short-term (6 days) turbulence is rather beneficial for the dominance of cyanobacteria. This study suggests that the duration of wind events and their associated hydrodynamics are key factors to understanding the temporal and spatial changes of phytoplankton communities.

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Climate change is predicted to influence the heat budget of aquatic ecosystems and, in turn, affect the stability of the water column leading to increased turbulence coupled with enhanced turbidity. However, the synergetic effects of turbulence and turbidity on zooplankton community structure remain to be understood in large, shallow lakes. To determine the possible synergetic effects of these factors on zooplankton communities, a 15-day mesocosm experiment was carried out and tested under four turbulence and turbidity regimes namely control (ɛ = 0, 7.6 ± 4.2 NTU), low (ɛ = 6.01 × 10 m s, 19.4 ± 8.6 NTU), medium (ɛ = 2.95 × 10 m s, 55.2 ± 14.4 NTU), and high (ɛ = 2.39 × 10 m s, 741.6 ± 105.2 NTU) conditions, which were comparable to the natural conditions in Lake Taihu. Results clearly showed the negative effects of turbulence and turbidity on zooplankton survival, which also differed among taxa. Specifically, increased turbulence and turbidity levels influenced the competition among zooplankton species, which resulted to the shift from being large body crustacean-dominated (copepods and cladocerans) to rotifer-dominated community after 3 days. The shift could be associated with the decrease in vulnerability of crustaceans in such environments. Our findings suggested that changes in the level of both turbidity and turbulence in natural aquatic systems would have significant repercussions on the zooplankton communities, which could contribute to the better understanding of community and food web dynamics in lake ecosystems exposed to natural mixing/disturbances.