Article
Ecology
Benjamin P. Gerstner, Michael A. Mann, Robert G. Laport, Kenneth D. Whitney
Summary: Research indicates the potential presence of microbially-mediated niche differentiation in mixed-ploidy plant populations, where cytotypes interact with different sets of microbes to occupy distinct niches. By studying the dominant desert shrub Larrea tridentata, it was found that certain fungi are differentiated by host plant cytotype, indicating evidence of this phenomenon.
Article
Ecology
Caroline Dallstream, Monique Weemstra, Fiona M. Soper
Summary: Fine roots balance plant functions and contribute to plant productivity. The coordination of root functional traits is multidimensional, leading to functional diversity in plant belowground morphology and symbioses with soil biota. In tropical forests, a large variety of belowground trait combinations may coexist due to their immense biodiversity and phosphorus-limited soils. This study identifies and investigates fine-root trait syndromes in tropical tree species adapted to phosphorus-poor soil and discusses the implications for root sampling design, species coexistence, community structure, and biogeochemical cycling.
Article
Plant Sciences
Pedro M. de Souza Campos, Fernando Borie, Pablo Cornejo, Sebastian Meier, Juan Antonio Lopez-Raez, Alvaro Lopez-Garcia, Alex Seguel
Summary: The study found that the interactions between plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are significantly influenced by the fungus species and intra-specific variations in root traits at the genotype level. Additionally, the growth responses related to improved nutrition depend on the plant's intrinsic acquisition efficiency.
JOURNAL OF PLANT PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Kristyna Semberova, Marek Svitok, Karol Marhold, Jan Suda, Roswitha E. Schmickl
Summary: This study investigated the morphological and environmental differentiation of diploid, tetraploid, and hexaploid cytotypes of Campanula rotundifolia agg. The results showed that reproductive isolation mechanisms vary between cytotypes, and higher polyploids exhibit morphological differences compared to other cytotypes.
Article
Agronomy
Kira Ryhti, Liisa Kulmala, Jukka Pumpanen, Jarkko Isotalo, Mari Pihlatie, Helja-Sisko Helmisaari, Jaana Leppalammi-Kujansuu, Antti-Jussi Kieloaho, Jaana Back, Jussi Heinonsalo
Summary: Changes in climate can have unpredictable effects on belowground carbon processes in boreal forests. Understanding the interactions of soil processes and quantifying potential changes in the carbon cycle are crucial. This study successfully partitioned the sources of forest floor CO2 emissions in a mature Scots pine stand in southern Finland using nine different treatment methods, showing intense competition between plant roots and soil microbes in carbon processes.
AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST METEOROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Zoology
Shannon M. Kachel, Khalil Karimov, Aaron J. Wirsing
Summary: This study investigated the spatial, temporal, and dietary niche overlap between snow leopards and wolves in the Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan. The results showed moderate spatial partitioning but overlapping temporal and dietary niches between the two predators. Both predators relied on seasonally abundant marmots as their primary prey.
JOURNAL OF MAMMALOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Priyanka Justa, Salvador Lyngdoh
Summary: Predators compete for resources aggressively, forming trophic hierarchies that shape the structure of an ecosystem. Competitive interactions between species are modified in the human-altered environment, especially when an introduced predator can negatively affect native predator and prey species. Our study found that red fox site use was positively related to snow leopard site use, but negatively related to dog and wolf site use. Moreover, the site use of the dog was negatively associated with top predators, while the top predators themselves had a negative relationship in their site use. These findings suggest that these predators coexist in a resource-scarce landscape through dietary or spatiotemporal segregation, indicating competition for limited resources.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Noushka Reiter, Myles H. M. Menz
Summary: The study found that optimizing microsite selection can significantly improve the survival and recruitment rate of translocated rare plants, thereby improving long-term population persistence and the utilization of conservation funding.
AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Esteban Galindo, Alan Giraldo, Andres Felipe Navia
Summary: The study analyzed the diet and trophic relationships of 4 sympatric hammerhead shark species, revealing that their trophic niches tend to be more similar within species than among them, indicating potential competitive interactions between conspecifics. Subadults of S. lewini could be considered top predators, with significant implications for the structure and function of marine food webs.
MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Jan Ponert, Mario Portilla Andrade, Adam P. Karremans, Zuzana Chumova, Pavel Travnicek
Summary: Pabstiella elegans is a newly described orchid species based on cultivated material collected near Chaucha in Ecuador. It belongs to a group of small, creeping species and can be distinguished by its larger flowers and unique creamy white sepals with red dots. Additionally, it has a larger genome size compared to its closest relative, P. aryter, and its phylogenetic placement is supported by genetic analysis.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Zuzana Chumova, Terezie Mandakova, Pavel Travnicek
Summary: Polyploidy plays a crucial role in plant evolution, with some species having limited understanding of their evolutionary history. This study used various techniques to investigate the origins of sweet vernal grass and alpine sweet vernal grass, revealing different polyploidization patterns and extensive variation among European populations.
Article
Plant Sciences
Kristyna Semberova, Marek Svitok, Karol Marhold, Jan Suda, Roswitha E. Schmickl
Summary: This study investigated the morphological and environmental differentiation of diploid, tetraploid, and hexaploid cytotypes of Campanula rotundifolia agg. The results showed that reproductive isolation mechanisms vary between cytotypes, and higher polyploids exhibit morphological differences compared to other cytotypes.
Review
Biochemical Research Methods
Elwira Sliwinska, Joao Loureiro, Ilia J. Leitch, Petr Smarda, Jillian Bainard, Petr Bures, Zuzana Chumova, Lucie Horova, Petr Koutecky, Magdalena Lucanova, Pavel Travnicek, David W. Galbraith
Summary: Flow cytometry (FCM) is widely used in establishing nuclear DNA content in plants, with a variety of applications in plant science. This paper discusses the advantages and limitations of FCM in determining plant ploidy, genome size, DNA base composition, and provides recommendations on obtaining accurate and reliable results, as well as troubleshooting guidance.
Article
Plant Sciences
Jan Kirschner, Jan Stepanek, Monika Kaminska, Pavel Travnicek, Alina Trejgell, Grzegorz Voncina
Summary: This study reassesses Taraxacum pieninicum, a remarkable West Carpathian endemic member of Taraxacum sect. Erythrocarpa, in terms of its reproduction, ploidy level, and taxonomy. It is found to be a tetraploid diplosporous agamospermous taxon, not confined to the Pieniny Mts but with a wider geographical range in the northernmost and westernmost Carpathians. This species is morphologically and taxonomically distinct, belonging to the section Erythrocarpa, which is mainly found in the Mediterranean area in Europe.
Article
Plant Sciences
Pavel Travnicek, Zuzana Chumova, Eliska Zaveska, Johana Hanzlickova, Lucie Kupkova (Jankolova), Jaromir Kucera, Eliska Gburova Stubnova, Ludmila Rejlova, Terezie Mandakova, Jan Ponert
Summary: Knowledge of population variation across species' ranges is crucial for understanding evolutionary history, taxonomy, and conservation strategies. In this study, the genus Neotinea was examined using various biosystematic methods, revealing four major lineages with distinct phenotypic variations. Relationships within the genus were identified, highlighting the importance of considering both morphological and phylogenetic data when delineating cryptic taxa among orchids.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Editorial Material
Plant Sciences
Jakub Tesitel, Tamara Tesitelova
Article
Ecology
Tamara Tesitelova, Lada Klimesova, Helene Vogt-Schilb, Milan Kotilinek, Jana Jersakova
Summary: Restoring grasslands on arable land often leads to high residual nutrients, modified soil biota, and low plant species diversity. This study investigates the effect of adding mycorrhizal fungi on the germination of orchid seeds and finds that it enhances seed germination, especially for mycorrhizal specialist orchids.
BASIC AND APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Nikita P. Tikhomirov, Polina A. Volkova, Pavel Travnicek, Alexandr S. Kashin, Ivan A. Schanzer
Summary: The study found that the relatively cold-intolerant Vaccinium myrtillus species is genetically impoverished, likely due to bottlenecking during the Pleistocene glaciations, resulting in a single genetic haplotype across Eurasia. Habitat modeling also suggests that no suitable environments for Vaccinium myrtillus existed in Beringia and Siberia during the Last Glacial Maximum.
Article
Plant Sciences
Frederik W. Becker, Kenneth C. Oberlander, Pavel Travnicek, Leanne L. Dreyer
Summary: This study investigates the presence of the gigas effect in the polyploid-rich geophyte Oxalis at both organ and cellular scales. The research found that polyploid Oxalis purpurea individuals exhibit significantly higher underground biomass and more bulbils compared to diploid individuals, suggesting a potential role of whole genome duplication in the weediness of this species.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Zuzana Chumova, Alexander Belyayev, Terezie Mandakova, Vojtech Zeisek, Eva Hodkova, Kristyna Semberova, Douglas Euston-Brown, Pavel Travnicek
Summary: Non-coding repetitive DNA, dominated by transposable elements (TEs) and satellite DNA, plays an active role in the structure, evolution, and function of the nuclear genome. This study explores the relationship between changes in repetitive DNA and responses to a harsh environment in plants from the Cape Floristic hotspot. The findings suggest that the transition from Succulent Karoo to Fynbos environments is accompanied by a burst of TEs, which may contribute to phylogenetic divergence. The analysis of rapidly evolving repeatome could serve as an important proxy for understanding lineage divergence in rapidly radiating groups.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sophie Mennicken, Helene Vogt-Schilb, Tamara Tesitelova, Milan Kotilinek, Yasmin A. A. Alomia, Bertrand Schatz, Jana Jersakova
Summary: Network analysis is an effective tool to understand the interactions between plants and root-associated fungi. Investigating the structure of these interactions in mycoheterotrophic plants like orchids provides insights into plant community assembly and coexistence. This study used next-generation sequencing to analyze orchid-OMF networks in two European regions with different climates and found that the networks were both nested and modular, with fungal communities varying between co-occurring orchid species. The results suggest that both biotic and abiotic factors play a role in shaping plant-mycorrhizal fungus interactions.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Oliver Hawlitschek, David Sadilek, Lara-Sophie Dey, Katharina Buchholz, Sajad Noori, Inci Livia Baez, Timo Wehrt, Jason Brozio, Pavel Travnicek, Matthias Seidel, Martin Husemann
Summary: Animal genomes vary greatly in size, and the reasons for the differences are poorly understood. The largest insect genomes are found in Orthoptera, but recently a species of Ensifera, Deracantha onos, was found to have the largest genome. In this study, new genome size estimates were obtained for 50 species of Ensifera and Caelifera. Bryodemella tuberculata was found to have the largest measured genome of all insects. The reasons for the large genomes in Orthoptera remain unknown, and further research is needed to understand the evolutionary mechanisms behind it.
Article
Plant Sciences
Jan Ponert, Pavel Travnicek, Zuzana Chumova
Summary: Madisonia has been redefined recently using DNA analyses and morphological characters. This article focuses on Specklinia ordinata, a little-known species. By obtaining DNA data, the study demonstrates that this species clearly belongs to Madisonia and shares morphological characters with it, suggesting its inclusion in the genus.
Article
Plant Sciences
E. Zaveska, O. Sida, J. Leong-Skornickova, Z. Chumova, P. Travnicek, M. F. Newman, A. D. Poulsen, A. Bohmova, H. Chudackova, T. Fer
Summary: Species with large genomes tend to be excluded from environments with shorter growing seasons, and the size of the genome is closely related to shoot seasonality in ginger plants. In the Zingiberoidae subfamily, species with larger genomes are excluded from areas with a shorter growing season, while in the Alpinioideae subfamily, genome size is correlated with stem type and light requirements.
