Phenotypic Plasticity in Response to the Heterogeneous Water Supplyin the Rhizomatous Grass Species, Calamagrostis epigejosin the Mu Us Sandy Land of China

Calamagrostis epigejos (L.) Roth. is a perennial grass with slender and long rhizome segments between interconnected neighbor ramets. To investigate the phenotypic plasticity in response to the heterogeneous soil water supply, ramet pairs of the species were subjected to heterogeneous water supply by which either mother ramets or daughter ramets were in high or low soil water supply, respectively, in the Maowusu (Mu Us) Sandy Land of Nei Mongol. The results showed that the phenotypic characteristics of the individual ramets of C epigejos were greatly influenced by the heterogeneous water supply. The ramets treated with high water supply significantly produced more new rhizomes and more offspring (ramets), and accumulated more shoot biomass, and allocated more biomass to their shoots than those treated with low water supply. In comparison with the daughter ramets in homogeneous soil water supply, phenotypic characteristics, in terms of new rhizome growth, the production of new offspring, and the biomass allocation pattern, of the daughter ramets within the pairs of the species were not significantly changed, no matter that high or low soil water supply to mother ramets. The phenotypic responses of mother ramets to soil water supply were similar to those of daughter ramets. From these results, it is inferred that the interconnected ramets of C epigejos response phenotypically to their local soil water rather than to the soil water experienced by the interconnected ramets. The interconnected ramets of C epigejos might be independent of each other in water relationship, although they are physically interconnected with rhizome segments. The physiological independence of interconnected ramets might facilitate the risk spreading and thus enhance the genet survivorship under the frequent drought stresses in Mu Us Sandland.

Phenotypic plasticity in response to soil moisture availability in the clonal plant Eremosparton songoricum (Litv.) Vass.

Eremosparton songoricum （Litv.） Vass is a dwarf clonal shrubby legume developed on the windward slopes of mobile or semi-fixed sand dunes of Central Asia. It is assumed that E. songoricum must possess a high degree of phenotypic plasticity for such a heterogeneous habitat. The variations of E. songoricum plants growing in two typical microhabitats （the upper slope and the lower slope of semi-mobile dune） were investigated. The morphological characteristics and the biomass allocation patterns were measured and compared at the clonal fragment level. Compared with the clonal fragment on the lower slope of dune, the clonal fragment on the upper slope of the dune （a） declined in total biomass and ramet height, （b） increased the length of rhizomes and the number of roots, （c） increased the degree of asym- metry, and （d） heightened allocation to the belowground biomass. Our results confirmed the hypothesis of high phenotypic adjustment capacity of E. songoricum to habitat moisture availability. Phenotypic plasticity of E. songoricum contributed to reduce the damage risk, led to an environmentally induced specialization in function of resources exploitation, resulted in its persistence in heterogeneous environments and was adaptive in sand dune environment.

The first cavefish in the Dinaric Karst?Cave colonization made possible by phenotypic plasticity in Telestes karsticus

Cave animals are an excellent model system for studying adaptive evolution.At present,however,little is known about the mechanisms that enable surface colonizers to survive in the challenging environment of caves.One possibility is that these species have the necessary genetic background to respond with plastic changes to the pressures of underground habitats.To gain insight into this process,we conducted a comparative study with the fish species Telestes karsticus,which occurs in a hydrological system consisting of an interconnected stream and a cave.Results showed that T.karsticus resided year-round and spawned in Sušik cave,making it the first known cavefish in the Dinaric Karst.Cave and surface populations differed in morphological and physiological characteristics,as well as in patterns of gene expression without any evidence of genetic divergence.To test whether observed trait differences were plastic or genetic,we placed adult fish from both populations under light/dark or constant dark conditions.Common laboratory conditions erased all morphometric differences between the two morphs,suggesting phenotypic plasticity is driving the divergence of shape and size in wild fish.Lighter pigmentation and increased fat deposition exhibited by cave individuals were also observed in surface fish kept in the dark in the laboratory.Our study also revealed that specialized cave traits were not solely attributed to developmental plasticity,but also arose from adult responses,including acclimatization.Thus,we conclude that T.karsticus can adapt to cave conditions,with phenotypic plasticity playing an important role in the process of cave colonization.

Phenotypic plasticity of floral traits and pollination adaption in an alpine plant Pedicularis siphonantha D. Don when transplanted from higher to lower elevation in Eastern Himalaya

Phenotypic plasticity and/or pollinatormediated selection may be responsible for the changes in floral traits of plants when they are forced to live in new conditions. Although the two events could be independent, we hypothesized that phenotypic plasticity in floral traits might help to coordinate plant-pollinator interactions and enhance plant reproductive success in changing habitats. To test this hypothesis, we investigated floral traits and pollination on three natural populations of a lousewort(Pedicularis siphonantha) ranging at different elevations, as well as two downward transplanted populations in Shangeri-La County and Deqin County, northwest Yunnan, China. The results indicated that floral traits, i.e. phenology, longevity,display size, corolla tube length and pollen production differed significantly among populations. Moreover,or the two transplanted populations, floral traits diverged from their original populations, but converged to their host populations. Although the phenotypic plasticity in floral traits might be a rapid response to abiotic factor such as warmer environment, the changes in floral traits were found to be well adapted to pollination environment of the host population. Compared with plants of their original habitats in higher elevation, the transplanted individuals advanced flowering time, shortened flower longevity, reduced floral display size and pollen production, received higher visiting frequency and yielded more seeds. These findings suggested that phenotypic plasticity of floral traits might help plants adjust their resource allocation strategy between preand post-pollination stages in response to harsh or temperate conditions, which might correspondingly meet a pollinator-poor or hyphen rich environment.This would be beneficial for the widely-distributed species to adapt to various environmental changes.

Leaf phenotypic variation in natural populations of Carpinus tschonoskii in China

Carpinus tschonoskii Maxim.exhibits rich leaf phenotypic variation and various leaf shapes,but few studies show why leaf phenotypic traits have such a large variation.Basic morphological markers may provide guidance for studying plant genetic variation and species protection and utilization.To study leaf phenotypic variations and the relationship between variation characteristics and climatic and geographical factors,phenotypic traits among natural populations were investigated.Results revealed that leaf phenotypes varied significantly among and within populations.Some populations had higher phenotypic diversity,while others had lower phenotypic diversity.Among the phenotypic traits,leaf area and petiole length had the most variation.Leaf index and primary lateral veins were the most stable phenotypes,which may be important reference indexes for phenotype identification in field investigations.There was a strong consistency between leaf phenotypic traits and geographical location.Plants in high latitudes tend to have longer leaves,and plants in low temperatures tend to have longer leaves and larger leaf perimeter.In addition,plants in areas with less rainfall have longer petioles.The 13 populations of C.tschonoskii can be divided into four branches by cluster analysis,and the results show a good relationship with the geographical location of each population.Additionally,some populations geographically isolated also had unique leaf phenotypes.

Causal Analysis Between Rice Growth and Cadmium Accumulation and Transfer under Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Inoculation

Cadmium(Cd)contamination in rice has been a serious threat to human health.To investigate the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi(AMF)on the Cd translocation in rice,a controlled pot experiment was conducted.The results indicated that AMF significantly increased rice biomass,with an increase of up to 40.0%,particularly in root biomass by up to 68.4%.Notably,the number of prominent rice individuals also increased,and their plasticity was enhanced following AMF inoculation.AMF led to an increase in the net photosynthetic rate and antioxidant enzyme activity of rice.In the AMF treatment group,the Cd concentration in the rice roots was significantly higher(19.1%‒68.0%)compared with that in the control group.Conversely,the Cd concentration in the rice seeds was lower in the AMF treatment group,indicating that AMF facilitated the sequestration of Cd in rice roots and reduced Cd accumulation in the seeds.Path coefficients varied across different treatments,suggesting that AMF inoculation reduced the direct impact of soil Cd concentration on the total Cd accumulation in seeds.The translocation of Cd was consistently associated with simultaneous growth dilution and compensatory accumulation as a result of mycorrhizal effects.Our study quantitatively analyzed this process through path analysis and clarified the causal relationship between rice growth and Cd transfer under the influence of AMF.

Differences in functional traits and reproductive allocations between native and invasive plants

Because co-occurring native and invasive plants are subjected to similar environmental selection pressures,the differences in functional traits and reproductive allocation strategies between native and invasive plants may be closely related to the success of the latter.Accordingly,this study examines differences in functional traits and reproductive allocation strategies between native and invasive plants in Eastern China.Plant height,branch number,reproductive branch number,the belowground-to-aboveground biomass ratio,and the reproductive allocation coefficient of invasive plants were all notably higher than those of native species.Additionally,the specific leaf area(SLA)values of invasive plants were remarkably lower than those of native species.Plasticity indexes of SLA,maximum branch angle,and branch number of invasive plants were each notably lower than those of native species.The reproductive allocation coefficient was positively correlated with reproductive branch number and the belowground-to-aboveground biomass ratio but exhibited negative correlations with SLA and aboveground biomass.Plant height,branch number,reproductive branch number,the belowground-to-aboveground biomass ratio,and the reproductive allocation coefficient of invasive plants may strongly influence the success of their invasions.

Plant hormesis and Shelford’s tolerance law curve

Shelford’s law of tolerance is illustrated by a bell-shaped curve depicting the relationship between environmental factor/factors’intensity and its favorability for species or populations.It is a fundamental basis of ecology when considering the regularities of environment impacts on living systems,and applies in plant biology,agriculture and forestry to manage resistance to environmental limiting factors and to enhance productivity.In recent years,the concept of hormesis has been increasingly used to study the dose-response relationships in living organisms of different complexities,including plants.This requires the need for an analysis of the relationships between the hormetic dose-response model and the classical understanding of plant reactions to environments in terms of Shelford’s law of tolerance.This paper analyses various dimensions of the relationships between the hormetic model and Shelford’s tolerance law curve under the influence of natural environmental factors on plants,which are limiting for plants both in deficiency and excess.The analysis has shown that Shelford’s curve and hormetic model do not contradict but instead complement each other.The hormetic response of plants is localized in the stress zone of the Shelford’s curve when adaptive mechanisms are disabled within the ecological optimum.At the same time,in a species range,the ecological optimum is the most favorable combination of all or at least the most important environmental factors,each of which usually deviates slightly from its optimal value.Adaptive mechanisms cannot be completely disabled in the optimum,and hormesis covers optimum and stress zones.Hormesis can modify the plant tolerance range to environmental factors by preconditioning and makes limits of plant tolerance to environmental factors flexible to a certain extent.In turn,as a result of tolerance range evolution,quantitative characteristics of hormesis(width and magnitude of hormetic zone)as well as the range of stimulating doses,may significantly differ in various plant species and even populations and intra-population groups,including plants at different development stages.Using hormetic preconditioning for managing plant resistance to environmental limiting factors provides an important perspective for increasing the productivity of woody plants in forestry.

Behavioral and physiological flexibility are used by birds to manage energy and support investment in the early stages of reproduction

Interest in phenotypic flexibility has increased dramatically over the last decade, but flexibility during reproduction has received relatively little attention from avian scientists, despite its possible impact on fitness. Because most avian species maintain atrophied reproductive organs when not active, reproduction in birds requires major tissue remodeling in preparation for breeding. Females undergo rapid （days） recrudescence and regression of their reproductive organs at each breeding attempt, while males grow their organs ahead of time at a much slower rate （weeks） and may maintain them at maximal size throughout the breeding season. Reproduction is associated with significant metabolic costs. Egg production leads to a 22%-27% increase in resting metabolic rate （RMR） over non-reproductive values. This is partly due to the activity of the oviduct, an organ that may allow females to adjust reproductive investment by modulating egg size and quality. In males, gonadal recrudescence may lead to a 30% increase in RMR, but the data are inconsistent and general conclusions regarding energetic costs of reproduction in males will require more research. Recent studies on captive female zebra finches describe the impacts of these costs on daily energy budgets and highlight the strategies used by birds to maintain their investment in reproduction when energy is limited. Whenever possible, birds use behavioral flexibility as a first means of saving energy. Decreasing locomotor activity saves energy during challenges such as egg production or exposure to cold temperatures and is an efficient way to buffer variation in individual daily energy budgets. However, when behavioral flexibility is not possible, birds must rely on flexibility at the physiological level to meet energy demands. In zebra finches breeding in the cold, this results in a reduced pace of laying, likely due to down-regulation of both reproductive and non-reproductive function, allowing females to defend minimal egg size and maintain reproductive success. More research involving a range of species in captive and flee-living conditions is needed to determine how phenotypic flexibility during tissue remodeling and early reproductive investment translates to natural conditions and affects fitness [Current Zoology 56 （6）： 767-792, 2010].

Alarm cue induces an antipredator morphological defense in juvenile Nicaragua cichlids Hypsophrys nicaraguensis

Olfactory cues that indicate predation risk elicit a number of defensive behaviors in fishes, but whether they are sufficient to also induce morphological defenses has received little attention. Cichlids are characterized by a high level of morphological plasticity during development, and the few species that have been tested do exhibit defensive behaviors when exposed to alarm cues released from the damaged skin of conspecifics. We utilized young juvenile Nicaragua cichlids Hypsophrys nicaraguensis to test if the perception of predation risk from alarm cue （conspecific skin extract） alone induces an increased relative body depth which is a defense against gape-limited predators. After two weeks of exposure, siblings that were exposed to conspecific alarm cue increased their relative body depth nearly double the amount of those exposed to distilled water （control） and zebrafish Danio rerio alarm cue. We repeated our measurements over the last two weeks （12 and 14） of cue exposure when the fish were late-stage juveniles to test if the rate of increase was sustained; there were no differences in final dimensions between the three treatments. Our results show that 1） the Nicaragua cichlid has an innate response to conspecific alarm cue which is not a generalized response to an injured fish, and 2） this innate recognition ultimately results in developing a deeper body at a stage of the life history where predation risk is high [Current Zoology 56 （1）： 36-42, 2010].

Plasticity in Metamorphic Traits of Rice Field Frog(Rana limnocharis) Tadpoles:The Interactive Effects of Rearing Temperature and Food Level

In organisms with complex life cycles, such as amphibians, morphological variation is strongly influenced by environmental factors （e.g. temperature） and maternal effects （e.g. diet）. Although temperature and food level exert a strong influence on larval growth, little is known about the interacting effects of these factors on age and size at metamorphosis. In this study, plasticity in growth rates, survival, larval period, and size at metamorphosis were examined in Rice field Frog （Rana limnocharis） under different combinations of rearing temperature and food level. Rearing temperature did not affect age at metamorphosis, but a significant interaction between temperature and food level revealed that of tadpoles feeding at a high food level, those reared at 32℃ had a shorter length of larval period than those reared at 29℃ or 26℃. Similarly, our results also showed high food level produced a larger growth rate and mass at metamorphosis at 32℃, but not at 29 and 26℃. Therefore, our results revealed that the effects of food level on larval growth and metamorphosis were highly dependent on developmental temperature.

Adaptation of Drosophila species to climate change——A literature review since 2003

Global climate warming has been exerting impacts on agricultural pests. Pests also take some strategies to adapt to climate change. Understanding such adaptation could benefit more accurate predictions and integrated management of pest. However, adaptation to climate change has not been widely investigated in agricultural pests but has been well documented in model species, Drosophila, and reviewed by Hoffmann before 2003. To provide recent progress and references for agricultural entomologists who interested in thermal biology, here we have reviewed literatures since 2003 about adaptation to temperature changes under climate change. We mainly summarized thermal adaptation of Drosophila(especially to high temperatures) from three aspects, behaviors, plastic responses and micro-evolution and discussed how Drosophila increases their heat tolerance through these three mechanisms. Finally, we summarized the measures of thermotolerance and concluded the main progress in recent decade about the behavioral thermoregulation, mortality risks driven by limited evolutionary and plastic response under climate change, geographic distribution based on basal rather than plastic thermotolerance. We propose future work focus on better understanding adaptation of organisms including agricultural pests to climate change.

Predicting the dynamics of local adaptation in invasive species

An invasive plant species may restrict its spread to only one type of habitat, or, after some time, may continue to spread into a different, often stressful, secondary, habitat. The question of whether evolution is required for an invasive species to spread from one habitat to another is currently hotly debated. In order for local adaptation to occur, genetic variation must be present within invasive populations. In this paper, I focus on the effect of habitat on the maintenance of genetic variation during the lag phase, the phase of population stability prior to expansion. Genetic diversity in invasive plant populations accumulates through multiple introductions, gene flow, mutation, and hybridization, but diversity is maintained by population level processes influencing effective population size （Ne）. I show that when the plastic response to the environment results in little variation in reproductive output among indi- viduals, Ne is maximized and genetic variation is maintained. Established models of plant competition show that below-ground competition reduces the variation in reproductive output, whereas competition for light increases variation in reproductive output. The same environments that maintain high Ne also reduce the opportunity for se- lection and minimize the response to selection, and thus the effects of the environment are synchronized to prevent genetic purges. When the primary invasion habitat supports high Ne, conditions are ripe for local adaptation to a secondary habitat, particularly if the secondary habitat has high opportunity for selection. When the primary invasion habitat supports low Ne, genetic diversity is less likely to be sufficient for local adaptation to secondary habitat to occur.

Fate of rubber bush (Calotropis procera (Aiton) W. T. Aiton) in adversary environment modulated by microstructural and functional attributes

Calotropis procera(Aiton)W.T.Aiton,belonging to the family Apocynaceae,is C3 evergreen plant species in arid and semi-arid areas of the Punjab Province,Pakistan.It grows in a variety of habitats like salt affected and waterlogged area,desert/semi-desert,roadside,wasteland,graveyard,forest,crop field,coastline,and river/canal bank.A total of 12 populations growing in different ecological regions were sampled to evaluate their growth,physio-biochemical,and anatomical responses to specific environmental condition.Population adapted to desert/semi-desert showed vigorous growth(plant height,shoot length,and number of leaves),enhanced photosynthetic level(chlorophyll a,chlorophyll b,carotenoids,and total chlorophyll),and apparent anatomical modifications such as increased stem radius,cuticle thickness,storage parenchyma tissues(cortex and pith),and vascular bundles in stems,while the maximum of midrib and lamina thickness,epidermal cells,cuticle thickness,cortical proportion,abaxial stomatal density,and its area in leaves.There was high plasticity in structural and functional features of these populations,which enable them to survive and tolerate under such hot and dry desert environment.Population of saline areas exhibited very critical modifications to sustain under salt prone environment.At physiological level,it possesses the maximum amount of organic osmolytes(glycine betaine and proline)and antioxidants(superoxide dismutase(SOD),catalase(CAT),and peroxidase(POD)),while at anatomical level,it showed intensive sclerification,large phloem region(inner and outer),pith parenchyma cells,and metaxylem vessels in stems and leaves.The population of dry mountains showed very distinctive features,such as increased shoot ionic contents(K+and Ca2+),collenchyma and sclerenchyma thickness in stems,trichomes size,and numerous small stomata on abaxial surface of leaves.It is concluded that no definite or precise single character can be taken as a yardstick for adjudging the biomass production in this rubber bush weed population.

Influences of fisheries management measures on biological characteristics of threadfin bream(Nemipterus virgatus)in the Beibu Gulf,South China Sea

Long-term variations in population structure,growth,mortality,length at median sexual maturity,and exploitation rate of threadfin bream(Nemipterus virgatus)are reported based on bottom trawl survey data collected during 1960-2012 in the Beibu Gulf,South China Sea.Laboratory-based analyses were conducted on 16791 individuals collected quarterly in eight different sampling years.Average body length,estimated asymptotic length,and percentage of large individuals have decreased significantly with the growth of marine catch and fishing power,indicating individual miniaturization of this fish species.Estimated exploitation rates indicate that the N.virgatus stock in the Beibu Gulf was moderately exploited in 1960 and 1962 and overexploited after 1992.This stock was taking a good turn in status in 2012,with the lowest exploitation rate since 1992 and ceased downward trend in length indexes.These results suggest that management measures to reduce fishing pressure may have a positive influence on the biological characteristics of this commercial fish species.Biological characteristics of most commercial fish species have phenotypic plasticity and might change over years in response to fisheries management.Therefore,attentions should be paid on variations in fish biological characteristics,when evaluating the effectiveness of current measures to control the total catch for all fisheries.

Invasion syndromes:hypotheses on relationships among invasive species attributes and characteristics of invaded sites

As invasion science accepts that there is no single causal factor for biological invasion, the identification of groups of traits that are often associated, or ＂syndromes＂, is a logical move forward. Invasion syndromes are proposed to identify suites of site conditions （biotic and environmental） that render a site vulnerable to invasion by different types of invaders. This paper proposed four invasion syndromes which relate invader attributes （competitive ability, niche construction, phenotypic plasticity, and phenological niche separation） to the biotic characteristics （biodiversity and enemies） and environmental conditions （resource abundance and fluctuation） of invaded sites. The four invasion syndromes described in this paper are a development of hypotheses of how the many factors that influence species invasion might be associated. Invasion Syndrome 1 proposes that sites with relatively high resource abundance and high diversity should be vulnerable to invasion by species with high competitive ability. Invasion Syndrome 2 hypothesizes that sites with relatively low resource abundance and low diversity should be vulnerable to invasion by species with niche construction ability. Invasion Syndrome 3 postulates that sites with moderate or fluctuating resources and moderate diversity should be vulnerable to invasion by species with high phenotypic plasticity. Invasion Syndrome 4 hypothesizes that species introduced into a site where it has phenological niche separation from natives will not have to contend with interference from the biotic community at a site （diversity or natural enemies） and may invade where ever site environmental conditions suit its life history. Further work is needed to support, contradict, or refine these hypotheses and almost certainly will identify more invasion syndromes.

A highly effective incubation strategy enhanced the urban bird hatch success

Urbanization is currently considered one of the most rapid types of global environmental change.Urban habitats are biotically and abiotically different from their rural areas,i.e.,the ambient temperature,predator,and food availability.These novel challenges create new selection pressures,which allow one to investigate ecoevolutionary responses to contemporary environmental change.A total of 118 breeding nests were monitored for nest predation in both urban and rural areas from 2018 to 2020.We used environmental factors from urban and rural areas and behavioral data from 439 Chinese Blackbird(Turdus mandarinus)valid incubation days to understand the impact of urbanization on the incubation behavior of blackbirds and its adaptation mechanism to the urban environment.Cities have warmer ambient temperatures and lower predation pressures than rural areas.Urban blackbirds chose the incubation strategy with shorter and more bouts,while rural blackbirds selected the incubation strategy with longer and fewer bouts.The plasticity of incubation behavior of urban blackbirds was higher than that of rural areas,and the range of egg temperature was also higher than that of rural areas.In addition,incubation temperature and the number of bouts per day were the key factors affecting the day survival rate of blackbirds,and the hatching rate of urban blackbirds was higher than that of rural blackbirds.Our results provide evidence for behavioral shifts in blackbirds during adaptation to urbanization and support the central role of behavioral adaptation in the successful colonization of new environments by wildlife.These help us understand the behavioral characteristics required for wildlife to live in cities and the urban adaptors faced environmental pressures.

Maternal low protein diet induces persistent expression changes in metabolic genes in male rats

BACKGROUND Perinatal exposure to a poor nutritional environment predisposes the progeny to the development of metabolic disease at the adult age,both in experimental models and humans.Numerous adaptive responses to maternal protein restriction have been reported in metabolic tissues.However,the expression of glucose/fatty acid metabolism-related genes in adipose tissue and liver needs to be described.AIM To evaluate the metabolic impact of perinatal malnutrition,we determined malnutrition-associated gene expression alterations in liver and adipose tissue.METHODS In the present study,we evaluated the alterations in gene expression of glycolytic/Krebs cycle genes(Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 and citrate synthase),adipogenic and lipolytic genes and leptin in the adipose tissue of offspring rats at 30 d and 90 d of age exposed to maternal isocaloric low protein(LP)diet throughout gestation and lactation.We also evaluated,in the livers of the same animals,the same set of genes as well as the gene expression of the transcription factors peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1,forkhead box protein O1 and hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 and of gluconeogenic genes.RESULTS In the adipose tissue,we observed a transitory(i.e.,at 30 d)downregulation of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4,citrate synthase and carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1b gene expression.Such transcriptional changes did not persist in adult LP rats(90 d),but we observed a tendency towards a decreased gene expression of leptin(P=0.052).The liver featured some gene expression alterations comparable to the adipose tissue,such as pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 downregulation at 30 d and displayed other tissue-specific changes,including citrate synthase and fatty acid synthase upregulation,but pyruvate kinase downregulation at 30 d in the LP group and carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1b downregulation at 90 d.These gene alterations,together with previously described changes in gene expression in skeletal muscle,may account for the metabolic adaptations in response to maternal LP diet and highlight the occurrence of persistent transcriptional defects in key metabolic genes that may contribute to the development of metabolic alterations during the adult life as a consequence of perinatal malnutrition.CONCLUSION We conclude that perinatal malnutrition relays long-lasting transcriptional alterations in metabolically active organs,i.e.,liver and adipose tissue.

Growth and production characters of elymus cylindricus in different shortening heading time

Ramet modules in a certain population differ in terms of functions,which accounts for different contributions of the same ramets.Shortening heading time brings about different contributions of such modules.Ramets heading one after another were treated as a continuum in respective cohorts of Elymus cylindricus aged two.The reproductive ramets that head earlier were marked with tags every four days during the whole heading stage from the beginning to the end,after which all the labeled ramets at the maturity period were gathered.The results showed that,the height and biomass of ramets,the length and biomass of inflorescences,percentage of inflorescence length to ramet height,percentage of inflorescence biomass to ramet biomass,the number and biomass of seeds,seed-setting rate,and percentage of seed biomass to ramet biomass declined with the increasing intensity of heading time shortening as displayed with linear or quadratic function.Ramet characteristics weakened remarkably when shortened heading time added up to 17 days.The biomass distribution in relation to inflorescence and seed maintain a stable rate at the early heading stage and dwindled quickly at the near-end stage,but the biomass of ramets remain constant throughout the entire heading stage.The ramets with earlier heading time make greater contribution to the survival of population than the shortened heading time in this species of bunchgrass.

Manipulation of photosensory and circadian signaling restricts phenotypic plasticity in response to changing environmental conditions in Arabidopsis

Plants exploit phenotypic plasticity to adapt their growth and development to prevailing environmental conditions.Interpretation of light and temperature signals is aided by the circadian system,which provides a temporal context.Phenotypic plasticity provides a selective and competitive advantage in nature but is obstructive during large-scale,intensive agricultural practices since economically important traits(including vegetative growth and flowering time)can vary widely depending on local environmental condi-tions.This prevents accurate prediction of harvesting times and produces a variable crop.In this study,we sought to restrict phenotypic plasticity and circadian regulation by manipulating signaling systems that govern plants'responses to environmental signals.Mathematical modeling of plant growth and develop-ment predicted reduced plant responses to changing environments when circadian and light signaling pathways were manipulated.We tested this prediction by utilizing a constitutively active allele of the plant photoreceptor phytochrome B,along with disruption of the circadian systemvia mutation of EARLYFLOW-ERING3.We found that these manipulations produced plants that are less responsive to light and temper-ature cues and thus fail to anticipate dawn.These engineered plants have uniform vegetative growth and flowering time,demonstrating how phenotypic plasticity can be limited while maintaining plant productiv-ity.This has significant implications for future agriculture in both open fields and controlled environments.