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Studies of biogeographic patterns of fungi have long been behind those of plants and animals. The presence of worldwide species, the lack of systematic sampling design and adequate sampling effort, and the lack of research units are responsible for this status. This study investigates the biogeographical patterns of Arthrobotrys oligospora, the most widespread globally distributed nematodetrapping fungi (NTF), by stratified collecting and analyzing 2,250 samples from 228 sites in Yunnan Province, China. The A. oligospora was isolated, and 149 strains were subjected to ITS, TUB, TEF and RPB2 gene sequencing and multigene association phylogeographic analysis. The results show that at population level A. oligospora is randomly distributed throughout Yunnan Province and has no biogeographical distribution pattern. At the genetic level, the phylogenetic tree of A. oligospora diverges into five major evolutionary clades, with a low degree of gene flow between the five clades. However, the correlation between the phylogenetic diversity of A. oligospora and geographical factors was low. There was no clear pattern in the phylogenetic clades distribution of A. oligospora either without dividing the study unit or when the grid was used as the study unit. When watersheds were used as the study unit, 67.4%, 63.3%, 65.9%, 83.3%, and 66.7% of clade 1-5 strains were distributed in the Jinsha river, Red river, Peal river, Lancang river, and Nujiang-Irawaddy river watersheds, respectively. The clades distribution of A. oligospora was highly consistent with the watersheds distribution. Training predictions of the clades distributions using randomly generated polygons were also less accurate than watersheds. These results suggest that watersheds are key to discovering the biogeographic distribution patterns of A. oligospora. The A. oligospora populations are blocked by mountains in the watershed, and gene flow barriers have occurred, which may have resulted in the formation of multiple cryptic species. Watersheds are also ideal for understanding such speciation processes, explaining factors affecting biodiversity distribution and coupling studies of plant and animal and microbial diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large-scale magnetite deposit containing scandium oxide is located in Yunnan province of China. The reserves of scandium oxide in the deposit are estimated to be > 40,000 tons. With the aid of EDS analysis and polarizing microscopy, samples of the ore were examined, and the different types of minerals containing scandium were identified together with their disseminated features. The results reveal that the useful minerals for scandium pre-concentration are pyroxene, tremolite, hornblende and clay. Based on the sample's composition, particle size distribution and the occurrence state of scandium, studies were conducted of the pre-concentration of scandium oxide from the low-grade magnetite ore. From the results of these experiments, a beneficiation process was developed and validated based on low-intensity magnetic separation for iron recovery and high-intensity magnetic separation for scandium enrichment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Here we provide a detailed description of male birth attendance during a diurnal birth event in nonhuman primate. • The 2nd observed diurnal birth event in Rhinopithecus bieti. • We suggest that infant attraction or 'Aunt behavior' offers the strongest explanation of cases of birth assistance and attendance in nonhuman primates. Birth attendance, or midwifery service, is an important characteristic in human evolution, and has been argued to separate our lineage from other taxa in the animal kingdom. Recent studies, however, indicate that similar or analogous behaviors also may occur in a small number of nonhuman primate species. Here, we report the first case of both male and female attendance and female birth assistance in a wild species of nonhuman primate, the black-and-white snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus bieti). At our field site in Yunnan, China we observed a diurnal birth event in which the leader male of a one-male unit (OMU) remained in close- proximity (0–2 m) to the parturient, groomed her, and remained vigilant over a five hour pre- and postpartum period. In addition, a multiparous female member of the OMU also remained in close proximity to the soon-to-be mother, helped to pull the neonate from the birth canal, took the neonate from the new mother within 15 s of the birth, held the infant for 20 min, and then severed the umbilical cord. For the next several days the leader male traveled in close-proximity to the new mother and four days after the birth event, we observed him to share food with her. Given that diurnal births are extremely rare in this primate species; it remains unclear the degree to which the events we observed commonly occur during nighttime births. We argue that adult male and female black-and-white snub-nosed monkeys are highly attracted to young infants, and birth attendance and birth assistance in this, and certain other primate species, may play a critical role in maternal and infant survivorship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]