Gleditsia microphylla is an important galactomannan gums source plant with characteristics of drought resistance, barren tolerance, and good adaptability. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of the biological process are not yet fully understood. Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) is an accurate and convenient method to quantify the gene expression level and transcription abundance of suitable reference genes. This study aimed to screen the best internal reference genes in G. microphylla under abiotic stresses, hormone treatments, and different tissues. Based on the transcriptome data, twelve candidate reference genes were selected, and ultimately, nine of them were further evaluated by the geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, and RefFinder algorithms. These results show that TATA-binding protein 1 (TBP1)and Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4A1 (EIF4A1)were the two most stable reference genes, and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase A subunit, chloroplastic (GAPA)and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase B subunit, chloroplastic (GAPB)were the two most unstable reference genes across all samples under the given experimental conditions. Meanwhile, the most stable reference genes varied among the different groups and tissues. Therefore, this study suggests that it is better to use a specific reference gene for a particular case rather than using a common reference gene.

As one of the most well-preserved areas in the vertical band spectrum of vegetation in central China and even in the northern hemisphere at the same latitude, the vegetation in Shennongjia Forest District is vital to global ecological balance. In order to fully understand the vegetation change in the study area, remotely sensed data since 1990, combined with the Sen-MK test, Geo detector, and LandTrendr algorithm, were used to analyze the vegetation distribution characteristics and change trends. The results showed that: (1) the overall NDVI in the study area displayed an upward trend. (2) Vegetation disturbance occurred frequently before 2000 and decreased significantly after 2000. The most severely disturbed year was 1991 when the disturbed area amounted to 4.0851 km², accounting for 16.76% of the total disturbed area. The analysis of the topographic environment reveals that most of the vegetation disturbances occur in areas with slopes of 15–25° and elevations of 1500–2000 m, which indicates that these areas have frequent human activity. (3) The explanatory power of different influences on vegetation changes varied, with altitude having the most significant effect and the superposition of two influences increasing the effect on vegetation change. Over the past 30 years, vegetation in the Shennongjia Forest District has shown a general trend of recovery, with natural forest protection initiatives playing a critical role in mitigating disturbance. This comprehensive study of vegetation changes in Shennongjia offers a valuable research paradigm for forest conservation and sustainable development in temperate forests at similar latitudes, providing significant insights into the protection and management of similar ecosystems.

The Alpine Leaf-warbler (Phylloscopus occisinensis) is a small-sized and poorly-known songbird endemic to China. In this study, we sequenced and described the whole mitochondrial genome of the Alpine leaf-warbler. The entire mitochondrial sequence was determined by long-range PCR and conserved primer walking approaches. The results demonstrated that the whole mitochondrial genome of P. occisinensis was 16,879 bp in length with 53.1% A + T content; the genome harboured the same gene order as that of other passerine birds, including 13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes and non-coding control region. The control region (D-loop) of P. rubicilloides include two portions that one was located between tRNA-Gln and tRNA-Phe (219 bp in length) and the other is between tRNA-Thr and tRNA- Pro (1087 bp in length), which is similar to other Leaf-warblers. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the genome of Phylloscopus species clustered within a clade and is closer related to Aegithalidae species than Paridae species. These mitochondrial data are potentially important for the further studies on molecular evolution and conservation genetics on leaf warbler species.