Researchers have learned to propagate Taiwanese quillwort, a rare semiaquatic herb that is only found near Menghuan Lake (夢幻湖) on Taipei’s Yangmingshan (陽明山) and which is under threat of extinction.
The endemic plant species (Isoetes taiwanensis), which was discovered in 1971, is only found within an area of less than 0.5 hectares around the lake, Taiwan Forestry Research Institute researcher Huang Yao-mou (黃曜謀) said.
Although it grows in a humid subtropical climate zone, the plant faces threats from drought and competition from other species, which almost led to its extinction in 2006, he said.
Photo courtesy of the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute via CNA
To preserve the species, Huang said he observed the plant for three to five years, during which he found that it released spores in the soil that survive the winter before germinating in the spring.
Cold winter temperatures help activate the spores, with some germinating the following year and others taking up to 30 years, he said.
He experimented by placing soil samples with Taiwan quillwort spores in a refrigerator at 4°C, removing some of the samples every two weeks.
He found that while the plant’s megaspores normally took an average of 12 weeks to germinate, exposure to sustained cold temperatures could reduce that time to as little as two weeks.
Sixty-three percent of the spores germinated after 20 weeks stored at low temperatures, compared with only 26.5 percent in normal conditions, he said.
More specimens also made it to later stages in the plant’s life cycle, allowing them to be used for educational or research purposes, and assisting in conservation efforts, Huang said.
Taiwan quillworts are the first plants in the genus Isoetes to have their genome sequenced, which is useful in studying the special type of photosynthesis — crassulacean acid metabolism photosynthesis — used by them and some terrestrial plants, he said.
As Isoetes in neighboring countries such as China, Japan and South Korea are almost all hybrids of Taiwanese quillworts, the genome data also helps scientists better understand how it evolved, he said.
Huang and his research team published the results of their study on the effects of cold on Taiwan quillwort spore germination in the twice-yearly Indian Fern Journal in December last year.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,900) for advertisements that exceeded its approved business scope and ordered the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license would be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter supervision of Chinese e-commerce platforms and more stringent measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan as US President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on origin laundering. The legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday met to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report on the matter. Democratic Progressive Party
Taiwan and its Pacific ally Tuvalu on Tuesday signed two accords aimed at facilitating bilateral cooperation on labor affairs, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). The governments inked two agreements in Taipei, witnessed by Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and visiting Deputy Tuvaluan Prime Minister Panapasi Nelesone, MOFA said in a news release. According to MOFA, the agreements will facilitate cooperation on labor issues and allow the two sides to mutually recognize seafarers’ certificates and related training. Taiwan would also continue to collaborate with Tuvalu across various fields to promote economic prosperity as well as the well-being of their
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 today amid outcry over his decision to wear a Nazi armband to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case last night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and covering the book with his coat. Lee said today that this is a serious
RSS