Adaptive genetic diversity of dominant species contributes to species co-existence and community assembly

The synthesis of evolutionary biology and community ecology aims to understand how genetic variation within one species can shape community properties and how the ecological properties of a community can drive the evolution of a species.A rarely explored aspect is whether the interaction of genetic variation and community properties depends on the species'ecological role.Here we investigated the interactions among environmental factors,species diversity,and the within-species genetic diversity of species with different ecological roles.Using high-throughput DNA sequencing,we genotyped a canopydominant tree species,Parashorea chinensis,and an understory-abundant species,Pittosporopsis kerrii,from fifteen plots in Xishuangbanna tropical seasonal rainforest and estimated their adaptive,neutral and total genetic diversity;we also surveyed species diversity and assayed key soil nutrients.Structural equation modelling revealed that soil nitrogen availability created an opposing effect in species diversity and adaptive genetic diversity of the canopy-dominant Pa.chinensis.The increased adaptive genetic diversity of Pa.chinensis led to greater species diversity by promoting co-existence.Increased species diversity reduced the adaptive genetic diversity of the dominant understory species,Pi.kerrii,which was promoted by the adaptive genetic diversity of the canopy-dominant Pa.chinensis.However,such relationships were absent when neutral genetic diversity or total genetic diversity were used in the model.Our results demonstrated the important ecological interaction between adaptive genetic diversity and species diversity,but the pattern of the interaction depends on the identity of the species.Our results highlight the significant ecological role of dominant species in competitive interactions and regulation of community structure.

Diverse morphologies of zinc oxide nanoparticles and their electrocatalytic performance in hydrogen production

Hydrogen is considered an attractive alternative to fossil fuels,but only a small amount of it is produced from renewable energy,making it not such a clean energy carrier after all.Producing hydrogen through water electrolysis is promising,but using a cost-effective and high-performing catalyst that has longterm stability is still a challenge.This study exploits,for the first time,the potential of zinc oxide nanoparticles with diverse morphologies as catalysts for the electrocatalytic production of hydrogen from water.The morphology of the nanoparticles(wires,cuboids,spheres)was easily regulated by changing the concentration of sodium hydroxide,used as the shape controlling agent,during the synthesis.The spherical morphology exhibited the highest electrocatalytic activity at the lowest potential voltage.These spherical nanoparticles had the highest number of oxygen vacancies and lowest particle size compared to the other two morphologies,features directly linked to high catalytic activity.However,the nanowires were much more stable with repeated scans.Density-functional theory showed that the presence of oxygen vacancies in all three morphologies led to diminished band gaps,which is of catalytic interest.

When nets meet environmental DNA metabarcoding:integrative approach to unveil invertebrate community patterns of hypersaline lakes

Saline and hypersaline wetlands account for almost half of the volume of inland water globally.They provide pivotal habitat for a vast range of species,including crucial ecosystem services for humans such as carbon sink storage and extractive resource reservoirs.Despite their importance,effective ecological assessment is in its infancy compared to current conventional surveys carried out in freshwater ecosystems.The integration of environmental DNA(eDNA)analysis and traditional techniques has the potential to transform biomonitoring processes,particularly in remote and understudied saline environments.In this context,this preliminary study aims to explore the potential of eDNA coupled with conventional approaches by targeting five hypersaline lakes at Rottnest Island(Wadjemup)in Western Australia.We focused on the invertebrate community,a widely accepted key ecological indicator to assess the conservational status in rivers and lakes.The combination of metabarcoding with morphology-based taxonomic analysis described 16 taxa belonging to the orders Anostraca,Diptera,Isopoda,and Coleoptera.DNA-based diversity assessment revealed more taxa at higher taxonomic resolution than the morphology-based taxonomic analysis.However,certain taxa(i.e.,Ephydridae,Stratyiomidae,Ceratopogonidae)were only identified via net surveying.Overall,our results indicate that great potential resides in combining conventional net-based surveys with novel eDNA approaches in saline and hypersaline lakes.Indeed,urgent and effective conservational frameworks are required to contrast the enormous pressure that these ecosystems are increasingly facing.Further investigations at larger spatial temporal scales will allow consolidation of robust,reliable,and affordable biomonitoring frameworks in the underexplored world of saline wetlands.

Intraspecific morphometric diversity of barramundi (Lates calcariferBloch, 1790) in the waters of southern Bangladesh

A total of 160 barramundi's (Lates calcarifer Bloch, 1790) sampled from four rivers (Tentulia, Balaswar, Bakkhali, and Andarmanik) along the southern coastal region of Bangladesh were investigated in terms of morphometric characters to reveal the intraspecific variation. Twenty-five morphometric measurements were extracted using the conventional method and subjected to multivariate analyses (i.e., principal component analysis (PCA), discriminate function analysis (DFA), cluster analysis (CA)) to distinguish individuals from different rivers. The result demonstrated that twenty-two out of 25 measurements was statistically significant (Univariate ANOVA) among all four populations. PCA analysis of morphometric characters resulted in two principal components, PC I and PCⅡ which accounted for 79.25% and 4.28% of the total data variance. PC I-PC Ⅱ plot explained 83.53% of total variance differentiated the population of L. calcarifer into two groups. Discriminate analysis correctly classified about 88.1% of the examined fish into the four areas. The UPGMA dendrogram showed that Bakkhali populations were the most morphologically different populations in comparison to other populations, while Andarmanik and Balaswar populations were very close to each other. The strong morphometric variation between Bakkhali and Tentulia, Andarmanik and Balaswar was observed in the present study, suggested the evidence of the separate stock population of barramundi in these locations, which might require distinct stock management strategies for resource sustainability in the waters of southern Bangladesh. However, if these findings are supported by further molecular markers and geometric morphometry, this would be a strong indication of different stocks of this population in the four rivers of southern Bangladesh.

The role of machine learning in carbon neutrality:Catalyst property prediction,design,and synthesis for carbon dioxide reduction

Achieving carbon neutrality is an essential part of responding to climate change caused by the deforestation and over-exploitation of natural resources that have accompanied the development of human society.The carbon dioxide reduction reaction(CO_(2)RR)is a promising strategy to capture and convert carbon dioxide(CO_(2))into value-added chemical products.However,the traditional trial-and-error method makes it expensive and time-consuming to understand the deeper mechanism behind the reaction,discover novel catalysts with superior performance and lower cost,and determine optimal support structures and electrolytes for the CO_(2)RR.Emerging machine learning(ML)techniques provide an opportunity to integrate material science and artificial intelligence,which would enable chemists to extract the implicit knowledge behind data,be guided by the insights thereby gained,and be freed from performing repetitive experiments.In this perspective article,we focus on recent ad-vancements in ML-participated CO_(2)RR applications.After a brief introduction to ML techniques and the CO_(2)RR,we first focus on ML-accelerated property prediction for potential CO_(2)RR catalysts.Then we explore ML-aided prediction of catalytic activity and selectivity.This is followed by a discussion about ML-guided catalyst and electrode design.Next,the potential application of ML-assisted experimental synthesis for the CO_(2)RR is discussed.

Interactive effects of elevation and land use on soil bacterial communities in the Tibetan Plateau

The Tibetan Plateau of China is uniquely vulnerable to the global climate change and anthropogenic disturbances.As soil bacteria exert a considerable influence on the ecosystem function,understanding their response to different climates and land-use types is important.Here,we characterized the bacterial community composition and diversity across three major ecosystems(cropland,forest,and grassland)in the Sygera Mountains of Tibet,along a typical elevational gradient(3300–4600 m).The abundance of taxa that preferentially inhabit neutral or weak alkaline soil environments(such as Actinobacteria,Thermoleophilia,and some non-acidophilus Acidobacteria)was significantly greater in the cropland than in the forest and grassland.Furthermore,the diversity of soil bacterial communities was also significantly greater in the cropland than in the forest and grassland.We observed a unimodal distribution of bacterial species diversity along the elevation gradient.The dominant phyla Acidobacteria and Proteobacteria exhibited consistent elevational distribution patterns that mirrored the abundance of their most abundant classes,while different patterns were observed for Acidobacteria and Proteobacteria at the class level.Soil pH was the primary edaphic property that regulated bacterial community composition across the different land-use types.Additionally,soil pH was the main factor distinguishing bacterial communities in managed soils(i.e.,cropland)from the communities in the natural environments(i.e.,forest and grassland).In conclusion,land use(particularly anthropogenic disturbances such as cropping)largely controlled soil environment,played a major role in driving bacterial community composition and distribution,and also surpassed climate in affecting bacterial community distribution.

Environmental drivers and genomic architecture of trait differentiation in fire-adapted Banksia attenuata ecotypes

Trait divergence between populations is considered an adaptive response to different environments,but to what extent this response is accompanied by genetic differentiation is less clear since it may be phenotypic plasticity. In this study, we analyzed phenotypic variation between two Banksia attenuata growth forms, lignotuberous(shrub) and epicormic resprouting(tree), in fire-prone environments to identify the environmental factors that have driven this phenotypic divergence. We linked genotype with phenotype and traced candidate genes using differential gene expression analysis. Fire intervals determined the phenotypic divergence between growth forms in B. attenuata. A genome-wide association study identified 69 single nucleotide polymorphisms, putatively associated with growth form, whereas no growth form-or phenotype-specific genotypes were eidentified. Genomic differentiation between the two growth forms was low(F_(st)=0.024). Differential gene expression analysis identified 37 genes/transcripts that were differentially expressed in the two growth forms. A small heat-shock protein gene, associated with lignotuber presence, was differentially expressed in the two forms.We conclude that different fire regimes induce phenotypic polymorphism in B. attenuata, whereas phenotypic trait divergence involves the differential expression of a small fraction of genes that interact strongly with the disturbance regime. Thus, phenotypic plasticity among resprouters is the general strategy for surviving varying fire regimes.

Ecological characterization of soil-inhabiting and hypolithic soil crusts within the Knersvlakte,South Africa

Introduction:Within the Knersvlakte,cyanobacteria occur hypolithically underneath translucent quartz stones in areas with quartz pavement and,outside pavement areas,they are soil-inhabiting within the uppermost millimeters of the soil.Both habitats were characterized in terms of biomass and growth patterns of cyanobacteria.Long-term microclimatic conditions were determined.Methods:Biomass of organisms within both habitats was determined by means of chlorophyll analyses.A transect approach was used to determine the frequency of hypolithic growth depending on the size,weight,and embedding depth of the quartz pebbles.Organisms were identified by means of microscopic analyses of the samples.Microclimatic conditions within both habitats,i.e.,temperature,light intensity,air humidity,and soil moisture,were recorded bi-hourly from September 23,2004 through September 7,2006.Results:The biomass of hypolithic and soil-inhabiting crusts was almost identical,88 vs.86 mg Chla/m^(2)and 136 vs.134 mg Chla+b/m^(2).Within the quartz fields,46.8%of the surface area was covered by quartz stones with 69%of translucent quartz stones colonized by hypolithic cyanobacteria and algae.Colonized quartz stones were significantly thicker,heavier,and more deeply embedded in the soil than uncolonized ones.Whereas the annual mean temperature on top of quartz stones was nearly identical to that underneath thin and thick quartz stones,daily temperature amplitudes were largest on the stone surface(up to 48.1K),compared to the hypolithic habitats(up to 39.4K).Light intensity in the hypolithic habitat was between 15 and 30%of the ambient light intensity during daytime.Water condensation in the absence of rain occurred during 50%of the nights on the quartz stone surface,but only during 34%of the nights on the soil surface during winter months within 1 year.Soil moisture beneath quartz layers was greater and less variable than beneath soil-inhabiting crusts.Conclusions:In spite of the large differences in the microclimatic conditions,both habitats seem to be similarly well suited for cyanobacterial growth,resulting in equal biomass values but some differences in taxonomic composition.

Crystal structure of Arabidopsis thaliana HPPK/DHPS,a bifunctional enzyme and target of the herbicide asulam

Herbicides are vital formodern agriculture,but their utility is threatened by genetic or metabolic resistance in weeds,as well as regulatory barriers.Of the known herbicide modes of action,7,8-dihydropterin synthase(DHPS),which is involved in folate biosynthesis,is targeted by just one commercial herbicide,asulam.A mimic of the substrate para-aminobenzoic acid,asulam is chemically similar to sulfonamide antibiotics,and although it is still in widespread use,asulam has faced regulatory scrutiny.With an entire mode of action represented by just one commercial agrochemical,we sought to improve the understanding of its plant target.Here we solve a 2.3A°resolution crystal structure for Arabidopsis thaliana DHPS that is conjoined to 6-hydroxymethyl-7,8-dihydropterin pyrophosphokinase(HPPK),and we reveal a strong structural conservation with bacterial counterparts at the sulfonamide-bindingpocket of DHPS.We demonstrate that asulamand the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole have herbicidal as well as antibacterial activity,andwe explore the structural basis of their potency by modeling these compounds in mitochondrial HPPK/DHPS.Our findings suggest limited opportunity for the rational design of plant selectivity fromasulamand indicate that pharmacokinetic or delivery differences between plants andmicrobesmight be the bestways to safeguard thismode of action.

Graphitic carbon nitride with different dimensionalities for energy and environmental applications

As a metal-free semiconductor,graphitic carbon nitride(g-C3N4)has received extensive attention due to its high stability,nontoxicity,facile and low-cost synthesis,appropriate band gap in the visible spectral range and wide availability of resources.The dimensions of g-C3N4 can influence the regime of the confinement of electrons,and consequently,g-C3N4 with various dimensionalities shows different properties,making them available for many stimulating applications.Although there are some reviews focusing on the synthesis strategy and applications of g-C3N4,there is still a lack of comprehensive review that systemically summarises the synthesis and application of different dimensions of g-C3N4,which can provide an important theoretical and practical basis for the development of g-C3N4 with different dimensionalities and maximises their potential in diverse applications.By reviewing the latest progress of g-C3N4 studies,we aim to summarise the preparation of g-C3N4 with different dimensionalities using various structural engineering strategies,discuss the fundamental bottlenecks of currently existing methods and their solution strategies,and explore their applications in energy and environmental applications.Furthermore,it also puts forward the views on the future research direction of these unique materials.

Revisiting mycorrhizal dogmas:Are mycorrhizas really functioning as they are widely believed to do?

Since the discovery of mycorrhizas,dogmas have been developed regarding their function,ecology,and distribution.We explore if these dogmas are valid,and if there are research biases toward regions inhabited by most researchers and away from regions inhabited by most plant species.We found,first,that the mycorrhizal status is known in less than 1%of plant species,with few having proven mycorrhizal benefits for growth and development.Second,the mycorrhizal status of a plant species varies within families,even genera.Third,mycorrhizas are important for phosphorus acquisition only within a narrow phosphorus range.Fourth,mycorrhizal plants are not uniform in their response to environment;taxonomy,phylogeny and continental history strongly drive mycorrhizal diversity.For example,the center of diversification of Ericaceae and Orchidaceae is in the neotropics,rather than,as recently claimed,in cold and high-latitude climates.Understanding the importance of mycorrhizas at the family-wide and biome-wide level is therefore conflicted by a research bias toward research-intensive regions outside the phylogenetic hotspots of diversification.The current precepts on mycorrhizas provide important starting points for hypotheses to robustly test when and where mycorrhizas play a role in determining ecological trajectory.The time has come to move forward and revisit past assumptions and update the dogmas,rather than assume functional significance in terms of nutritional benefits from studies on extraneous regions and species.We conclude that non-nutritional benefits deserve far greater attention.