Analysis of Application Status and Recommendations for Shade-Tolerant Lawns and Ground Cover Plants in the West Lake Scenic Area

Taking 8 parks in Xihu Scenic Area as the survey objects, this study found that there are 77 kinds of shade-tolerant lawns and ground cover plants under the forest in good growth condition, and there are 3 types of application forms: dense forest, sparse forest and forest edge. In response to the existing problems, it is proposed that it is necessary to adhere to principles of ecology, adapt to local conditions and plant suitable varieties in accordance with local conditions, develop and use new varieties of wild shade-tolerant lawns and ground cover plants, and strengthen the promotion of the mixed planting model of shade-tolerant lawns and ground cover plants, so as to provide guidance for the better use of shade-tolerant lawns and ground cover under the forest in the West Lake Scenic Area in the future.

Genome-wide association with transcriptomics reveals a shade-tolerance gene network in soybean

Shade tolerance is essential for soybeans in inter/relay cropping systems.A genome-wide association study(GWAS)integrated with transcriptome sequencing was performed to identify genes and construct a genetic network governing the trait in a set of recombinant inbred lines derived from two soybean parents with contrasting shade tolerance.An improved GWAS procedure,restricted two-stage multi-locus genome-wide association study based on gene/allele sequence markers(GASM-RTM-GWAS),identified 140 genes and their alleles associated with shade-tolerance index(STI),146 with relative pith cell length(RCL),and nine with both.Annotation of these genes by biological categories allowed the construction of a protein–protein interaction network by 187 genes,of which half were differentially expressed under shading and non-shading conditions as well as at different growth stages.From the identified genes,three ones jointly identified for both traits by both GWAS and transcriptome and two genes with maximum links were chosen as beginners for entrance into the network.Altogether,both STI and RCL gene systems worked for shade-tolerance with genes interacted each other,this confirmed that shadetolerance is regulated by more than single group of interacted genes,involving multiple biological functions as a gene network.

Impact of patch size on woody tree species richness and abundance in a tropical montane evergreen forest patches of south India

We examined the effects of forest patch size on woody tree species richness and abundance in tropical montane evergreen forest patches of the Nilgiri region,south India. We sampled woody trees(>1 cm dbh) from 21 forest patches in the upper Nilgiri hills(> 2000 m elevation) and recorded a total of 35,146 individuals of 61 species, 45 genera and 30 families. Species richness and abundance of sapling/shrubs(≥ 1 to < 10 cm dbh)increased significantly with increasing patch size, but the species richness and abundance of small, medium and larger trees(≥ 10 to < 30, ≥ 30 to < 60 and ≥ 60 cm dbh,respectively) did not. Overall, forest interior species richness and abundance increased significantly with increasing patch size but edge species richness did not. Species richness and abundance of shade-tolerant and shade-demanding tree species also increased with increasing patch size. The abundance of zoochory dispersed tree species was significantly related to increasing patch size, but those dispersed by autochory did not display any clear relationship between patch size and species richness or abundance.Our findings suggest that with increasing forest patch area,tree compositional patterns may be driven by species specific shade-tolerance adaptations and dispersal patterns.Differential responses in these traits by the plant community within the individual habitat zones of forest edge and interiors likely plays a major role in determining the inherent plant community and thus the subsequent ecological processes of forest patches, including their responses to increasing patch area.