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The species within the family Cunninghamellaceae are widely distributed and produce important metabolites. Morphological studies along with a molecular phylogeny based on the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and large subunit (LSU) of ribosomal DNA revealed two new species in this family from soils in China, that is, Absidia ovalispora sp. nov. and Cunninghamella globospora sp. nov. The former is phylogenetically closely related to Absidia koreana, but morphologically differs in sporangiospores, sporangia, sporangiophores, columellae, collars, and rhizoids. The latter is phylogenetically closely related to Cunninghamella intermedia, but morphologically differs in sporangiola and colonies. They were described and illustrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the third contribution in the ‘Land’ section, this paper explores the interactions between institutional credibility and epistemic diversity within grassland management in China’s Inner Mongolia and Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. It proceeds in two steps. First, a literature review ascertains that privatization of grassland use rights in Inner Mongolia is contested by a local predisposition for pastoral mobility. Advances in rangeland ecology validate the need for mobility, thus highlighting how pastoralists and policymakers have been evaluating the grasslands not only from unequal positions of power but also on epistemologically contradictory terms. Secondly, through a case study of two villages in Ningxia, it is demonstrated that – under equal circumstances of a Grazing Ban – the rural community that uses grassland primarily as a resource to be converted to agricultural production (thus posing a heavier use on grassland) perceives ecological improvement. Contradictorily, the community that is grassland-dependent for herding or opportunistic dryland farming, and is hampered in that use by land degradation prevention policies, does not perceive improvement. The diverging perceptions of degradation among semi-pastoralist communities examined in this study suggest a more participatory approach towards institution-making can bring closer the knowledge and environmental perceptions of various actors, thus opening up opportunities for more credible institutional arrangements. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]