Seasonal changes of endogenous ABA and cytokinins in environmental adaptation of different ecotypes of reed plants

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Whole-genome analysis reveals distinct adaptation signatures to diverse environments in Chinese domestic pigs

Background Long-term natural and artificial selection has resulted in many genetic footprints within the genomes of pig breeds across distinct agroecological zones.Nevertheless,the mechanisms by which these signatures contribute to phenotypic diversity and facilitate environmental adaptation remain unclear.Results Here,we leveraged whole-genome sequencing data from 82 individuals from 6 domestic pig breeds originating in tropical,high-altitude,and frigid regions.Population genetic analysis suggested that habitat isolation significantly shaped the genetic diversity and contributed to population stratification in local Chinese pig breeds.Analysis of selection signals revealed regions under selection for adaptation in tropical(55.5 Mb),high-altitude(43.6 Mb),and frigid(17.72 Mb)regions.The potential functions of the selective sweep regions were linked to certain complex traits that might play critical roles in different geographic environments,including fat coverage in frigid environments and blood indicators in tropical and high-altitude environments.Candidate genes under selection were significantly enriched in biological pathways involved in environmental adaptation.These pathways included blood circulation,protein degradation,and inflammation for adaptation to tropical environments;heart and lung development,hypoxia response,and DNA damage repair for high-altitude adaptation;and thermogenesis,cold-induced vasodilation(CIVD),and the cell cycle for adaptation to frigid environments.By examining the chromatin state of the selection signatures,we identified the lung and ileum as two candidate functional tissues for environmental adaptation.Finally,we identified a mutation(chr1:G246,175,129A)in the cis-regulatory region of ABCA1 as a plausible promising variant for adaptation to tropical environments.Conclusions In this study,we conducted a genome-wide exploration of the genetic mechanisms underlying the adaptability of local Chinese pig breeds to tropical,high-altitude,and frigid environments.Our findings shed light on the prominent role of cis-regulatory elements in environmental adaptation in pigs and may serve as a valuable biological model of human plateau-related disorders and cardiovascular diseases.

Analysis of environmental selection pressure of superoxide dismutase in deep-sea sea cucumber

Manganese superoxide dismutase(MnSOD)is an antioxidant that exists in mitochondria and can effectively remove superoxide anions in mitochondria.In a dark,high-pressure,and low-temperature deep-sea environment,MnSOD is essential for the survival of sea cucumbers.Six MnSODs were identified from the transcriptomes of deep and shallow-sea sea cucumbers.To explore their environmental adaptation mechanism,we conducted environmental selection pressure analysis through the branching site model of PAML software.We obtained night positive selection sites,and two of them were significant(97F→H,134K→V):97F→H located in a highly conservative characteristic sequence,and its polarity c hange might have a great impact on the function of MnSOD;134K→V had a change in piezophilic a bility,which might help MnSOD adapt to the environment of high hydrostatic pressure in the deepsea.To further study the effect of these two positive selection sites on MnSOD,we predicted the point mutations of F97H and K134V on shallow-sea sea cucumber by using MAESTROweb and PyMOL.Results show that 97F→H,134K→V might improve MnSOD’s efficiency of scavenging superoxide a nion and its ability to resist high hydrostatic pressure by moderately reducing its stability.The above results indicated that MnSODs of deep-sea sea cucumber adapted to deep-sea environments through their amino acid changes in polarity,piezophilic behavior,and local stability.This study revealed the correlation between MnSOD and extreme environment,and will help improve our understanding of the organism’s adaptation mechanisms in deep sea.

The environmental adaptability and reproductive properties of invasive green alga Codium fragile from the Nan'ao Island,South China Sea

It has been widely recognized that biological invasion has become one of the greatest threats to the ecosystem.Codium fragile is an invasive species which exhibits a variety of attributes like parthenogenesis,winter fragment,and vegetative reproduction;and therefore,it has become a successful invader,colonizing most subtropical regions.In China’s southeast coastal aquaculture waters,the green algal bloom caused by C.fragile will probably become a serious problem.In order to understand more details about the species,an experiment focused on its reproductive characteristics was conducted using culture established from a sample collected in the aquaculture raft of the Nan’ao Island in the South China Sea.The results showed that there were two types of gametes resembling aplanospores and zoospores respectively,both of which were able to germinate.During the gametes liberation,a long mucilage tube was formed out of the mouth of the gametangium assisting dispersal of gametes away from the parent plant.This tube was adapted not only to its surrounding flowing water environment but also to its parent plant’s outer gelatinous structure.In general,the optimum temperature for gametes release and germination was 15-20℃ and 15℃,respectively,which corresponded to the local offshore marine water.The plant was observed to produce vegetative buds under favourable reproductive conditions which were called propagules.They were capable of developing into filamentous thalli.The results will provide some scientific evidences for revealing the biological mechanism of bloom and control strategies of invasive green algae.

Biomass-Derived Carbon Heterostructures Enable Environmentally Adaptive Wideband Electromagnetic Wave Absorbers

Although advances in wireless technologies such as miniature and wearable electronics have improved the quality of our lives,the ubiquitous use of electronics comes at the expense of increased exposure to electromagnetic(EM)radiation.Up to date,extensive efforts have been made to develop high-performance EM absorbers based on synthetic materials.However,the design of an EM absorber with both exceptional EM dissipation ability and good environmental adaptability remains a substantial challenge.Here,we report the design of a class of carbon heterostructures via hierarchical assembly of graphitized lignocellulose derived from bamboo.Specifically,the assemblies of nanofibers and nanosheets behave as a nanometer-sized antenna,which results in an enhancement of the conductive loss.In addition,we show that the composition of cellulose and lignin in the precursor significantly influences the shape of the assembly and the formation of covalent bonds,which affect the dielectric response-ability and the surface hydrophobicity(the apparent contact angle of water can reach 135°).Finally,we demonstrate that the obtained carbon heterostructure maintains its wideband EM absorption with an effective absorption frequency ranging from 12.5 to 16.7 GHz under conditions that simulate the real-world environment,including exposure to rainwater with slightly acidic/alkaline pH values.Overall,the advances reported in this work provide new design principles for the synthesis of high-performance EM absorbers that can find practical applications in real-world environments.

Marine green alga Cladophora aokii Yamada and its epiphytes from Yinggehai, Hainan, China： morphological taxonomy, formation and analysis of its environmental adaption

Based on specimens collected in Yinggehai, Hainan, China from 2013 to 2016, a stable epiphytic taxon is found on the surface of the individual of marine green alga Cladophora aokii Yamada. According to the morphological characteristics, the taxonomy of Cl. aokii and its epiphytes is carried out. There are some epiphytes attached on Cl. aokii Yamada including Cl. fascicularis （Mertens ex C. Agardh） Kfitzing, Chaetomorpha pachynerna （Montagne） Kiitzing, Cerarniurn carnouii Dawson, Licmophora abbreviata Agardh, Lyngbya sp. and Chattonella sp.. The formation of the individual of Cl. aokii is dissected and explained, which can help to analyze the adaption in details among this species, its epiphytes and native marine environment. The results reveal the marine macroepiphytic taxonomy in Ha/nan, China, and preliminarily explain the adaptive relationship between macroalgae and environment.

Space Construction and Environmental Adaptability of Traditional Living Spaces in Turpan

Turpan traditional residences are primitive green buildings adaptive to the climate, materials and geographical conditions of the arid regions. The environmental adaptability of local residences and the construction methods was elaborated to provide references for building new oasis settlements in the local area.

Chemical diversity of scleractinian corals revealed by untargeted metabolomics and molecular networking

The chemical diversity of scleractinian corals is closely related to their physiological,ecological,and evolutionary status,and can be influenced by both genetic background and environmental variables.To investigate intraspecific variation in the metabolites of these corals,the metabolomes of four species(Pocillopora meandrina,Seriatopora hystrix,Acropora formosa,and Fungia fungites)from the South China Sea were analyzed using untargeted mass spectrometry-based metabolomics.The results showed that a variety of metabolites,including amino acids,peptides,lipids,and other small molecules,were differentially distributed among the four species,leading to their significant separation in principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering plots.The higher content of storage lipids in branching corals(P.meandrina,S.hystrix,and A.formosa)compared to the solitary coral(F.fungites)may be due to the high densities of zooxanthellae in their tissues.The high content of aromatic amino acids in P.meandrina may help the coral protect against ultraviolet damage and promote growth in shallow seawater,while nitrogen-rich compounds may enable S.hystrix to survive in various challenging environments.The metabolites enriched in F.fungites,including amino acids,dipeptides,phospholipids,and other small molecules,may be related to the composition of the coral's mucus and its life-history,such as its ability to move freely and live solitarily.Studying the chemical diversity of scleractinian corals not only provides insight into their environmental adaptation,but also holds potential for the chemotaxonomy of corals and the discovery of novel bioactive natural products.

Multi-omic Analyses Shed Light on The Genetic Control of High-altitude Adaptation in Sheep

Sheep were domesticated in the Fertile Crescent and then spread globally,where they have been encountering various environmental conditions.The Tibetan sheep has adapted to high altitudes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau over the past 3000 years.To explore genomic variants associated with high-altitude adaptation in Tibetan sheep,we analyzed Illumina short-reads of 994 whole genomes representing∼60 sheep breeds/populations at varied altitudes,PacBio High fidelity(HiFi)reads of 13 breeds,and 96 transcriptomes from 12 sheep organs.Association testing between the inhabited altitudes and 34,298,967 variants was conducted to investigate the genetic architecture of altitude adaptation.Highly accurate HiFi reads were used to complement the current ovine reference assembly at the most significantly associatedβ-globin locus and to validate the presence of two haplotypes A and B among 13 sheep breeds.The haplotype A carried two homologous gene clusters:(1)HBE1,HBE2,HBB-like,and HBBC,and(2)HBE1-like,HBE2-like,HBB-like,and HBB;while the haplotype B lacked the first cluster.The high-altitude sheep showed highly frequent or nearly fixed haplotype A,while the low-altitude sheep dominated by haplotype B.We further demonstrated that sheep with haplotype A had an increased hemoglobin–O_(2) affinity compared with those carrying haplotype B.Another highly associated genomic region contained the EGLN1 gene which showed varied expression between high-altitude and low-altitude sheep.Our results provide evidence that the rapid adaptive evolution of advantageous alleles play an important role in facilitating the environmental adaptation of Tibetan sheep.

Trophic niche and adaptation in highland lizards:sex has greater influences than species matching

The plateau environments are typically arid,cool,and high altitude,posing formidable challenges to wildlife survival due to resource scarcity and harsh conditions.Unraveling ecological adaptability in severe conditions requires a deeper understanding of the niche characteristics of plateau species.Trophic niche,which is a comprehensive indicator describing the energy acquisition strategy of animals,remains relatively understudied in plateau species.Here,by combining stable isotopes and morphological data,we quantified the trophic niches of two allopatric lizard species(Phrynocephalus vlangalii and P.erythrurus)that live in the hinterland of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau,and explored how their trophic niches correlate with morphological and environmental factors.While both trophic niche and morphological traits were similar between species,noteworthy distinctions were observed between male and female Phrynocephalus lizards.The morphological traits associated with predation(i.e.limb length and head size)and reproduction(i.e.abdomen length),annual mean temperature,and sex played influential roles in shifting trophic niches.These results imply that sexual dimorphism may facilitate inter-sex divergence in resource utilization,leading to trophic niche variations in the highland lizards.Furthermore,extreme environmental stress can constrain interspecific divergence in morphological and trophic traits.Our findings illustrate the dynamic variations of trophic niches in highland lizards,contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of the adaptation strategies employed by lizard species in plateau environments.

Cut-wire metasurface embedded in magnetic mediums for ultra-wideband polarization-insensitive absorber with environmental adaptability

Metamaterials with artificial designability and perfect absorption provide a novel design method for the manipulation and attenuation of microwaves.However,owing to the limitations of meta-atomic reso-nance effect and the lossless medium,it is difficult to achieve effective microwave absorption in a broad-band frequency range.Hence,an ultra-wideband metamaterial absorber(UWMA)composed of two mag-netic media and a metasurface was designed,and the absorption bandwidth of 2.9 to 18 GHz for 90%absorptivity under normal incidence was achieved,covering almost the entire S,C,X,and Ku bands.Through detailed investigation of equivalent circuit,equivalent medium theory,electromagnetic field dis-tribution and front-back interface interference,the internal physical working mechanism was clarified essentially.In addition,the multi-environment adaptabilities of the proposed absorber,including polariza-tion sensitivity,large angle incidence,dual-station radar stealth,bearing capacity and corrosion resistance,were analyzed.The proposed metamaterial absorber presents an effective way to achieve ultra-wideband absorption and compatibility with environmental adaptability,and provides a new way of thinking for intelligent full-band stealth technology.

Human Visual Attention Mechanism-Inspired Point-and-Line Stereo Visual Odometry for Environments with Uneven Distributed Features

Visual odometry is critical in visual simultaneous localization and mapping for robot navigation.However,the pose estimation performance of most current visual odometry algorithms degrades in scenes with unevenly distributed features because dense features occupy excessive weight.Herein,a new human visual attention mechanism for point-and-line stereo visual odometry,which is called point-line-weight-mechanism visual odometry(PLWM-VO),is proposed to describe scene features in a global and balanced manner.A weight-adaptive model based on region partition and region growth is generated for the human visual attention mechanism,where sufficient attention is assigned to position-distinctive objects(sparse features in the environment).Furthermore,the sum of absolute differences algorithm is used to improve the accuracy of initialization for line features.Compared with the state-of-the-art method(ORB-VO),PLWM-VO show a 36.79%reduction in the absolute trajectory error on the Kitti and Euroc datasets.Although the time consumption of PLWM-VO is higher than that of ORB-VO,online test results indicate that PLWM-VO satisfies the real-time demand.The proposed algorithm not only significantly promotes the environmental adaptability of visual odometry,but also quantitatively demonstrates the superiority of the human visual attention mechanism.

Ice-covered Environmental Adaptability Assessment for Overhead Contact System in High-speed Railways

High-speed trains rely on pantograph-catenary systems(PCSs)to collect electrical energy from power systems.However,the dynamic interaction between the pantograph and the catenary system may become mismatched once ice accumulates on the overhead conductors.More frequent arcing may occur within the PCS during train operation,posing an unpredictable threat to operational safety.Therefore,it is crucial to evaluate the ability of overhead contact system(OCS)to withstand ice-covered variability during line desgin.A new strategy is proposed to evaluate the adaptive performance of an OCS under various icing conditions.First,a dynamic model considering icing conditions is constructed to simulate the interaction within the PCS.Five different OCS structures with various icing thicknesses are studied.The parameters of the contact force within the PCS and proportion of high-possibility arcing moments are obtained.The dependence of the contact force on the icing thickness and pantograph displacement has been illustrated in the form of cloud maps.Finally,the OCS sensitivity coefficient is calculated,and ice-covered environmental adaptability assessments for the five different OCS structures are compared.

New LCA Approach with Fuzzy Evaluation

A quantitative and comprehensive method of product life cycle assessment(LCA) with fuzzy theory is developed, which will help designers to select the optimum design scheme for product life cycle design(LCD). Based on the theory of multiple attribute decision making, an algorithm of comprehensive and comparative evaluation for product environmental adaptability is presented. A program is built and used in an example of design improvement. The result shows that the proposed method and algorithm are practical and effective to the development of green products.

Study on the dominant species of Pteropoda in East China Sea

Based on the data of four seasonal marine surveys in the East China Sea （23°30′-33°N, 118°30′-128°E）during 1997-2000, the author studied the ecological characters of dominant Pteropoda species in the area. Results showed that there were five dominant Pteropoda species, more in summer, less in autumn and even in other seasons. These species, though belonging warm water species, can be categorized into two different groups in habitability. The first group was acicula, Desmopterus papilio and Creseis virgule, while adapted in summer and autumn, including Creseis the second group in winter and spring, represented by Limacina trochiformis and Agadina syimpsoni. The first group was more abundant than the second one. Besides, the first group contributed more to the Pteropoda abundance having higher occurrence frequency and aggregation intensity than the second. In horizontal distribution, the first group species reside in nearshore, and they could migrate to shallow place near estuary and aggregated in high density, while the second one was different： lower abundance, less occurred and aggregated because they were halophilic warm water species, and they were usually abundant in offshore area.

Reproductive characteristics of Psilorhynchus homaloptera Hora and Mukerji,1935 (Cyprinidae: Psilorhynchidae) in the lower Yarlung Zangbo River,Tibet

Psilorhynchus homaloptera mainly inhabits turbulent waters in the lower reach of the Yarlung Zangbo River,Tibet,China,and it is the only species of Psilorhynchus in China.However,many important aspects of its biology remain poorly documented,which hinders the conservation eff orts.Therefore,we studied its reproduction using 801 specimens from the Motuo sector of the lower Yarlung Zangbo River from December 2015 to November 2016.The sex ratio was 0.68꞉1(male꞉female)for the overall population.Females reached a larger total length and weight(134 mm and 18.6 g)than males did(113 mm and 12.2 g).Lengths at maturity were estimated 80.0 mm for males and 93.1 mm for females.Our analyses of gonad development and the size distribution of oocytes suggest that P.homaloptera is a single spawner with the peak spawning period between September and October.Furthermore,the estimated mean absolute fecundity was 557±204 eggs per fish,and mean relative fecundity was 50.9±10.9 eggs per g of female weight.The fecundity of P.homaloptera increased linearly with increasing total length,total weight,ovary weight,and age.This study on the reproductive biology of P.homaloptera demonstrates that the fish was in a vulnerable state due to the increasing anthropogenic activities in the lower Yarlung Zangbo River.

DEVELOPMENT OF A SHAPE-SHIFTING MOBILE ROBOT FOR URBAN SEARCH AND RESCUE

A portable shape-shifting mobile robot system named as Amoeba Ⅱ（A-Ⅱ） is developed for the urban search and rescue application. It is designed with three degrees of freedom and two tracked drive systems. This robot consists of two modular mobile units and a joint unit. The mobile unit is a tracked mechanism to enforce the propulsion of robot. And the joint unit can transform the robot shape to get high environment adaptation. A-Ⅱ robot can not only adapt to the environment but also change its body shape according to the locus space. It behaves two work states including the linear state （named as I state） and the parallel state （named as Ⅱ state）. With the linear state the robot can climb upstairs and go through narrow space such as the pipe, cave, etc. The parallel state enables the robot with high mobility on rough ground. Also, the joint unit can propel the robot to roll in sidewise direction. Two modular A-Ⅱ robots can be connected through jointing common interfaces on the joint unit to compose a stronger shape-shifting robot, which can transform the body into four wheels-driven vehicle. The experimental results validate the adaptation and mobility of A-Ⅱ robot.

Investigation of the thermal adaptability for a mobile cold atom gravimeter

The cold atom gravimeter offers the prospect of a new generation of inertial sensors for field applications. We ac- complish a mobile atom gravimeter. With the compact and stable system, a sensitivity of 1.4× 10-7 g.Hz-1/2 is achieved. Moreover, a continuous gravity monitoring of 80 h is carried out. However, the harsh outdoor environment is a big challenge for the atom gravimeter when it is for field applications. In this paper, we present the preliminary investigation of the thermal adaptability for our mobile cold atom gravimeter. Here, we focus on the influence of the air temperature on the performance of the atom gravimeter. The responses to different factors （such as laser power, fiber coupling efficiency, etc.） are evaluated when there is a great temperature shift of 10 ℃. The result is that the performances of all the factors deteriorate to different extent, nevertheless, they can easily recover as the temperature comes back. Finally, we conclude that the variation of air temperature induces the increase of noise and the system error of the atom gravimeter as well, while the process is reversible with the recovery of the temperature.

The complete genome of hydrocarbon-degrading Pseudoalteromonas sp. NJ289 and its phylogenetic relationship

Genus Pseudoalteromonas belongs to Family Pseudoalteromonadaceae in Gammaproteobacteria. A cold-adapted gram-negative bacterium, hydrocarbon-degrading Pseudoalteromonas sp. NJ289, was isolated from sea-ice of the Antarctica region, and sequenced the whole genome through the next generation sequencing platform. The assembly yielded three contigs representing two chromosomes and one plasmid with the sizes of 3.2 Mb, 636 kb and 1.8 kb, respectively. The G＋C contents of genome were 40.83% and included 3 589 ORFs. Functional annotation indicated some potential roles in enzymatic activity and environmental adaptability. This study may help for understanding the population diverse, evolutionary ecology and the microbial interaction.

Research on Rapid Initial Adaption to the Environment of a Plateau

We designed two types of pre-adaption plans for this study. One was a pre-adaption training with progressive intermittent hypoxia, with a constant lower pressure oxygen tank used in the plain before arriving at the plateau （PG）. The other was by progressively increasing the time of exposure to hypoxia with oxygen supplied in stages after radical plateau （RG）. By testing the blood oxygen saturation （SpO2）, heart rate （HR）, and quality of sleep after arriving at the 3800 m high plateau, results showed that the pre-acclimatization and radical groups performed better than the control group （CG）. Both strategies were equivalent in terms of effects and principles in providing more flexible choices for acclimatization.