Sex-specific facilitation and reproduction of the gynodioecious cushion plant Arenaria polytrichoides on the Himalaya-Hengduan mountains,SW China

When benefiting other beneficiaries,cushion plants may reciprocally receive feedback effects.The feedback effects on different sex morphs,however,remains unclear.In this study,taking the gynodioecious Arenaria polytrichiodes as a model species,we aimed to assess the sex-specific facilitation intensity of cushion plant by measuring the beneficiary cover ratio,and to assess the potential costs in cushion reproductive functions by measuring the flower and fruit cover ratios.The total beneficiary cover ratio was similar between females and hermaphrodites.Females produced much less flowers but more fruits than hermaphrodites.These results suggested that females and hermaphrodites possess similar facilitation intensity,and female cushion A.polytrichoides may allocate more resources saved from pollen production to seed production,while hermaphrodites possibly allocate more resources to pollen production hence reducing seed production.The surface areas covered by beneficiaries produced less flowers and fruits than areas without beneficiaries.In addition,strong negative correlations between beneficiary cover and flower cover were detected for both females and hermaphrodites,but the correlation strength were similar for these two sex morphs.However,the correlation between beneficiary cover and fruit cover was only significantly negative for females,suggesting that beneficiary plants negatively affect fruit reproduction of females while have neutral effects on hermaphrodites.All the results suggest that to facilitate other beneficiaries can induce reproductive costs on cushion A.polytrichoides,with females possibly suffering greater cost than hermaphrodites.Such differentiation in reproductive costs between sex morphs,in long-term perspective,may imply sex imbalance in population dynamics.

Patterns and drivers of plant sexual systems in the dry-hot valley region of southwestern China

Sexual systems play important roles in angiosperm evolution and exhibit substantial variations among different floras. Thus, studying their evolution in a whole flora is crucial for understanding the formation and maintenance of plant biodiversity and predicting its responses to environmental change. In this study, we determined the patterns of plant sexual systems and their associations with geographic elements and various life-history traits in dry-hot valley region of southwestern China, an extremely vulnerable ecosystem. Of the 3166 angiosperm species recorded in this area, 74.5% were hermaphroditic,13.5% were monoecious and 12% were dioecious, showing a high incidence of diclinous species. Diclinous species were strongly associated with tropical elements, whereas hermaphroditic species were strongly associated with temperate and cosmopolitan elements. We also found that hermaphroditism was strongly associated with showy floral displays, specialist entomophily, dry fruits and herbaceous plants.Dioecy was strongly associated with inconspicuous, pale-colored flowers, generalist entomophily, fleshy fruits, and woody plants, whereas monoecy was strongly associated with inconspicuous, pale-colored flowers, anemophily, dry fruits, and herbaceous plants. In addition, hermaphroditic species with generalist entomophily tended to flower in the dry season, whereas diclinous species with specialist entomophily tended to flower in the rainy season. However, independent of sexual systems, plants that produce dry fruits tended to flower in the rainy season and set fruits in the dry season, but the opposite pattern was found for fleshy fruit-producing plants. Our results suggest that in the dry-hot valleys, plant sexual systems are associated with geographic elements as well as various life-history traits that are sensitive to environmental change.

pyIFPNI:A package for querying and downloading plant fossil data from the IFPNI

The International Fossil Plant Names Index(IFPNI,2014-onwards)not only serves as an online gateway to the fossil plant name registry for the global scientific community,but also serves as a comprehensive and dynamic archive of fossil plants(Doweld,2016,2022).Since its establishment in 2014,the IFPNI has accumulated more than 80,000 entries of fossil plant names,along with information on over 10,000 documents and over 6000 paleobotanists,all supported by exhaustive data,demonstrating the scope of the IFPNI's work(IFPNI,2014-onwards).

Histology, physiology, and transcriptomic and metabolomic profiling reveal the developmental dynamics of annual shoots in tree peonies (Paeonia suffruticosa Andr.)

The development of tree peony annual shoots is characterized by“withering”,which is related to whether there are bud points in the leaf axillaries of annual shoots.However,the mechanism of“withering”in tree peony is still unclear.In this study,Paeonia ostii‘Fengdan’and P.suffruticosa‘Luoyanghong’were used to investigate dynamic changes of annual shoots through anatomy,physiology,transcriptome,and metabolome.The results demonstrated that the developmental dynamics of annual shoots of the two cultivars were comparable.The withering degree of P.suffruticosa‘Luoyanghong’was higher than that of P.ostii‘Fengdan’,and their upper internodes of annual flowering shoots had a lower degree of lignin deposition,cellulose,C/N ratio,showing no obvious sclerenchyma,than the bottom ones and the whole internodes of vegetative shoot,which resulted in the“withering”of upper internodes.A total of 36 phytohormone metabolites were detected,of which 33 and 31 were detected in P.ostii‘Fengdan’and P.suffruticosa‘Luoyanghong’,respectively.In addition,302 and 240 differentially expressed genes related to lignin biosynthesis,carbon and nitrogen metabolism,plant hormone signal transduction,and zeatin biosynthesis were screened from the two cultivars.Furtherly,36 structural genes and 40 transcription factors associated with the development of annual shoots were highly co-expressed,and eight hub genes involved in this developmental process were identified.Consequently,this study explained the developmental dynamic on the varied annual shoots through multi-omics,providing a theoretical foundation for germplasm innovation and the mechanized harvesting of tree peony annual shoots.

Grapevine plantlets respond to different monochromatic lights by tuning photosynthesis and carbon allocation

The quality of planting materials is the foundation for productivity,longevity,and berry quality of perennial grapevines with a long lifespan.Manipulating the nursery light spectrum may speed up the production of healthy and high-quality planting vines but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive.Herein,the effects of different monochromatic lights(green,blue,and red)on grapevine growth,leaf photosynthesis,whole-plant carbon allocation,and transcriptome reprograming were investigated with white light as control.Results showed that blue and red lights were favorable for plantlet growth in comparison with white light.Blue light repressed excessive growth,significantly increased the maximum net photosynthetic rate(Pn)of leaves by 39.58%and leaf specific weight by 38.29%.Red light increased the dry weight of the stem by 53.60%,the starch content of the leaf by 53.63%,and the sucrose content of the stem by 230%.Green light reduced all photosynthetic indexes of the grape plantlet.Photosynthetic photon flux density(PPFD)/Ci–Pn curves indicated that blue light affected photosynthetic rate depending on the light intensity and CO2 concentration.RNA-seq analysis of different organs(leaf,stem,and root)revealed a systematic transcriptome remodeling and VvCOP1(CONSTITUTIVELY PHOTOMORPHOGENIC 1),VvHY5(ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL5),VvHYH(HY5 HOMOLOG),VvELIP(early light-induced protein)and VvPIF3(PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTOR 3)may play important roles in this shoot-to-root signaling.Furthermore,the correlation network between differential expression genes and physiological traits indicated that VvpsbS(photosystem II subunit S),Vvpsb28(photosystem II subunit 28),VvHYH,VvSUS4(sucrose synthase 4),and VvALDA(fructose-bisphosphate aldolase)were pertinent candidate genes in responses to different light qualities.Our results provide a foundation for optimizing the light recipe of grape plantlets and strengthen the understanding of light signaling and carbon metabolism under different monochromatic lights.

A comprehensive evaluation of flowering plant diversity and conservation priority for national park planning in China

Establishment of a national park protection system in China,including the latest target proposed to protect at least 30%of the land area,calls for a comprehensive exploration of conservation priorities incorporating multiple diversity facets.We herein evaluate the spatial distribution of Chinese flowering plants from the perspectives of richness,uniqueness,vulnerability,and evolutionary history,by integrating three mega-phylogenies and comprehensive distribution data.We detect significantly high consistency among hotspots of different diversity measures for Chinese flowering plants,suggesting that multiple facets of evolutionary diversity are concentrically distributed in China.Affording legal protection to these areas is expected to maximize positive conservation outcomes.We propose two integrative diversity indices by incorporating three richness-based and three phylogeny-based measures,respectively.Both methods identify areas with high species richness,but the integrative phylogeny-based index also locates key areas with ancient and unique evolutionary histories(e.g.,Ailao-Wuliang Mts,Dabie Mts,Hainan rainforest,Karst area of Yunnan-Guizhou-Guangxi,Nanling Mts,and southeast coastal regions).Of all the diversity indices explored,phylogenetic endemism maximizes the incidental protection of other indices in most cases,emphasizing its significance for conservation planning.Finally,42 priority areas are identified by combining the 5%-criterion hotspots of two integrative indices and the minimum area to protect all threatened species analyzed.These priorities cover only 13.3%of China's land area,but host 97.1%of species richness(23,394/24,095),96.5%of endemic species(11,841/12,274),100%of threatened species(2,613/2,613),and 99.3%of phylogenetic diversity for flowering plants involved in this study.These frameworks provide a solid scientific basis for national park planning in China.

Phylogenetic conservatism in threatened species responses to climate change differs between functional types in the Gongga Mountains of China

Climate change has become one of the most critical threats to global biodiversity.However,whether phylogenetically related species respond to climate change in similar ways remains controversial.The answer to this question is crucial for understanding the impacts of climate change and the conservation on the tree of life.By integrating species distribution models with a molecular phylogeny of 50 threatened plant species from one of the global biodiversity hotspots,Gongga Mountains(Mt.Gongga)in southwest China,we evaluated the responses of threatened plant species to future climate change,and estimated whether species responses are phylogenetically conserved.Phylogenetic reconstruction was used to calculate the phylogenetic distance and null model to verify the reliability of the results.We found that correlations between responses of different species to future climate change decreased with the increase in their phylogenetic distance in the monocotyledonous or herbaceous species,but not in the dicotyledonous and woody species.Our results suggested that the responses of herbaceous and monocotyledonous threatened species in Mt.Gongga to future climate change tend to be phylogenetically conserved,while the responses of woody and dicotyledonous threatened species are not.Our study provides evidence for the existence of phylogenetically non-random extinction in the monocotyledonous herbs in Mt.Gongga and highlights the importance of integrating phylogenetic information and evolutionary history into conservation planning.We also provide theoretical basis and technical support for designing effective conservation schemes for the protection of biodiversity under anthropogenic climate change.

VvBBX44 and VvMYBA1 form a regulatory feedback loop to balance anthocyanin biosynthesis in grape

Anthocyanins are essential for the quality of perennial horticultural crops,such as grapes.In grapes,ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL 5(HY5)and MYBA1 are two critical transcription factors that regulate anthocyanin biosynthesis.Our previous work has shown that Vitis vinifera B-box protein 44(VvBBX44)inhibits anthocyanin synthesis and represses VvHY5 expression in grape calli.However,the regulatory mechanism underlying this regulation was unclear.In this study,we found that loss of VvBBX44 function resulted in increased anthocyanin accumulation in grapevine callus.VvBBX44 directly represses VvMYBA1,which activates VvBBX44.VvMYBA1,but not VvBBX44,directly modulates the expression of grape UDP flavonoid 3-O-glucosyltransferase(VvUFGT).We demonstrated that VvBBX44 represses the transcriptional activation of VvUFGT and VvBBX44 induced by VvMYBA1.However,VvBBX44 and VvMYBA1 did not physically interact in yeast.The application of exogenous anthocyanin stimulated VvBBX44 expression in grapevine suspension cells and tobacco leaves.These findings suggest that VvBBX44 and VvMYBA1 form a transcriptional feedback loop to prevent overaccumulation of anthocyanin and reduce metabolic costs.Our work sheds light on the complex regulatory network that controls anthocyanin biosynthesis in grapevine.

Intraspecific floral colour variation in three Pedicularis species

Flower constancy describes the phenomenon that pollinators tend to successively visit flowers of a single species during foraging,reducing reproductive interference in natural communities.The extent of flower constancy is largely determined by the floral traits of co-flowering species.Both higher inter-specific and lower intraspecific differences of floral traits should contribute to a higher level of flower constancy.However,previous studies mainly focused on interspecific difference,and the intraspecific variation(consistency)of floral traits received much less attention.We hypothesise that selection may favour lower intraspecific floral trait variation in communities composed of multiple co-flowering congeners.We investigated the floral colour variation of three focal Pedicularis species that share pollinators in 19communities composed of either single or multiple Pedicularis species.Colour was quantified using image-based colour analysis as perceived by pollinators.We found that most of the intrapopulation floral colour variation was below the colour discrimination threshold of bumblebees,implying strongly constrained by the visual selection by pollinators.Contrary to the hypothesis,there is no significant difference in intraspecific floral colour variation between different community contexts.It may be due to the relatively large interspecific floral colour differences of most co-flowering species.The influence of community context on intraspecific variation may be reflected in floral traits other than colours.

Genomic data and ecological niche modeling reveal an unusually slow rate of molecular evolution in the Cretaceous Eupteleaceae

Living fossils are evidence of long-term sustained ecological success.However,whether living fossils have little molecular changes remains poorly known,particularly in plants.Here,we have introduced a novel method that integrates phylogenomic,comparative genomic,and ecological niche modeling analyses to investigate the rate of molecular evolution of Eupteleaceae,a Cretaceous relict angiosperm family endemic to East Asia.We assembled a high-quality chromosome-level nuclear genome,and the chloroplast and mitochondrial genomes of a member of Eupteleaceae(Euptelea pleiosperma).Our results show that Eupteleaceae is most basal in Ranunculales,the earliest-diverging order in eudicots,and shares an ancient whole-genome duplication event with the other Ranunculales.We document that Eupteleaceae has the slowest rate of molecular changes in the observed angiosperms.The unusually low rate of molecular evolution of Eupteleaceae across all three independent inherited genomes and genes within each of the three genomes is in association with its conserved genome architecture,ancestral woody habit,and conserved niche requirements.Our findings reveal the evolution and adaptation of living fossil plants through large-scale environmental change and also provide new insights into early eudicot diversification.

Diploid species phylogeny and evolutionary reticulation indicate early radiation of Ephedra in the Tethys coast

Reconstructing a robust species phylogeny and disentangling the evolutionary and biogeographic history of the gymnosperm genus Ephedra,which has a large genome and rich polyploids,remain a big challenge.Here we reconstructed a transcriptome-based phylogeny of 19 diploid Ephedra species,and explored evolutionary reticulations in this genus represented by 50 diploid and polyploid species,using four low-copy nuclear and nine plastid genes.The diploid species phylogeny indicates that the Mediterranean species diverged first,and the remaining species split into three clades,including the American species(Clade A),E.rhytidosperma,and all other Asian species(Clade B).The single-gene trees placed E.rhytidosperma sister to Clade A,Clade B,or Clades A+B in similar proportions,suggesting that radiation and gene flow likely occurred in the early evolution of Ephedra.In addition,reticulate evolution occurred not only among the deep nodes,but also in the recently evolved South American species,which further caused difficulty in phylogenetic reconstruction.Moreover,we found that allopolyploid speciation was pervasive in Ephedra.Our study also suggests that Ephedra very likely originated in the Tethys coast during the late Cretaceous,and the South American Ephedra species have a single origin by dispersal from Mexico or North America.

A loss-of-function mutant allele of a glycosyl hydrolase gene has been co-opted for seed weight control during soybean domestication

The resultant DNA from loss-of-function mutation can be recruited in biological evolution and development.Here,we present such a rare and potential case of“to gain by loss”as a neomorphic mutation during soybean domestication for increasing seed weight.Using a population derived from a chromosome segment substitution line of Glycine max(SN14)and Glycine soja(ZYD06),a quantitative trait locus(QTL)of 100-seed weight(q HSW)was mapped on chromosome 11,corresponding to a truncatedβ-1,3-glucosidase(βGlu)gene.The novel gene hsw results from a 14-bp deletion,causing a frameshift mutation and a premature stop codon in theβGlu.In contrast to HSW,the hsw completely lostβGlu activity and function but acquired a novel function to promote cell expansion,thus increasing seed weight.Overexpressing hsw instead of HSW produced large soybean seeds,and surprisingly,truncating hsw via gene editing further increased the seed size.We further found that the core 21-aa peptide of hsw and its variants acted as a promoter of seed size.Transcriptomic variation in these transgenic soybean lines substantiated the integration hsw into cell and seed size control.Moreover,the hsw allele underwent selection and expansion during soybean domestication and improvement.Our work cloned a likely domesticated QTL controlling soybean seed weight,revealed a novel genetic variation and mechanism in soybean domestication,and provided new insight into crop domestication and breeding,and plant evolution.

Integrating multiplicate data: A new trend for taxonomic study

Taxonomy today encompasses classification, phylogeny,and evolution (Hong, 2016). Early taxonomic studies were mainly based on morphological-geographical evidence and even only on one or a few specimens, which greatly influenced researchers’ judgments. Moreover, limited observations of variation within and between populations have often resulted in misinterpretations of the relationship between groups and the inability to scientifically delimitate species.

大规模风电场对草地碳循环的影响

Deployment of wind energy is an essential renewable energy source that mitigates climate change and reduces air pollution[1].Over the last several decades,wind energy development has increased worldwide,expanding from~20 to~900 GW(gigawatt)during 2001–2022[1].