Article
Biology
Hongran Li, Yan Peng, Yansong Wang, Bryce Summerhays, Xiaohan Shu, Yumary Vasquez, Hannah Vansant, Christy Grenier, Nicolette Gonzalez, Khyati Kansagra, Ryan Cartmill, Edison Ryoiti Sujii, Ling Meng, Xuguo Zhou, Gabor L. Loevei, John J. Obrycki, Arun Sethuraman, Baoping Li
Summary: This study provides new insights into the invasion processes of the harlequin ladybird into other continents from its native range in Asia. It identifies a population in eastern China as the source of non-native populations and identifies potential adaptive genomic loci related to body color variation, visual perception, and hemolymph synthesis. The study also reveals asymmetric migration, varying population sizes, historical bottlenecks, and different mitochondrial haplotypes between native and non-native populations.
Article
Agronomy
Daniela A. Sepulveda, Gonzalo Barrueto, Margarita C. G. Correa, Luis E. Castaneda, Christian C. Figueroa
Summary: The study shows that global warming currently does not significantly affect grain aphids outbreaks and their biological control in Chile, but emphasizes the importance of preemptive monitoring to detect aphids and their parasitoid wasps losing synchrony.
Article
Ecology
Xiao Xu, Chenhao Zhou, Qiang He, Shiyun Qiu, Yan Zhang, Ji Yang, Bo Li, Ming Nie
Summary: This study reveals that the invasive plant Spartina alterniflora exhibits plasticity in light use, reducing intraspecific competition and increasing biomass production. Shorter individuals show higher light-use efficiency and specific leaf area in response to reduced light intensity, while taller individuals do not exhibit this ecophysiological plasticity.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Scott L. Fedick, Louis S. Santiago
Summary: The Yucatan Peninsula experienced a series of droughts during the Classic Maya period, which may have contributed to the disruption or collapse of Maya polities. While climate change alone cannot explain the political turmoil of the time, strong droughts could have resulted in limited food availability, leading to famine, migration, and societal decline. This study reveals that there was a greater diversity of food sources beyond maize available to the Maya during the drought, allowing for a continuing food supply under most conditions.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Huixuan Liao, Robert W. Pal, Ulo Niinemets, Michael Bahn, Bruno E. L. Cerabolini, Shaolin Peng
Summary: Different dimensions of invasion success are associated with different functional traits. Invasion success at the regional scale is related to traits that promote rapid colonization, while invasion success at the local scale is related to traits that are potentially less preferred by herbivores. Studying different dimensions of invasion success separately is important to avoid inconsistent or controversial conclusions.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Ramiro R. Ripa, Julissa Roncal, Yan B. Linhart, Jorgelina Franzese, Estela Raffaele, Andrea C. Premoli
Summary: Evolutionary forces such as genetic drift and natural selection play a crucial role in biological invasion. The gene pool of invasive fire-adapted species may differ from the native and originally planted species due to selective forces and founder effects. Genetic differentiation is influenced by both neutral and adaptive drivers, and fire acts as a rapid selection factor promoting the adaptive divergence of cohorts recruited after fires in fire-prone ecosystems.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yue Zheng, Maosong Feng, Xue Li, Xingyan Huang, Gang Chen, Wenyu Bai, Xueju Xu, Jiayi Li, Xiaohong Li, Bin Leng, Hao Sun, Chunyan He, Yunjie Chen
Summary: In this study, the phenotypic variation of Alnus cremastogyne was investigated by measuring and analyzing its growth-related and reproductive-related phenotypic traits. The results showed abundant phenotypic variations among and within provenances, with significant correlations among most phenotypic traits. Twelve excellent clones were selected as breeding materials, with average genetic gain ranging from 4.78% to 32.05%. These findings contribute to the genetic improvement and clone selection of Alnus cremastogyne.
Article
Horticulture
Michael J. Havey
Summary: The amounts and types of epicuticular waxes on onion leaves have an impact on feeding damage by onion thrips. Wax amounts on leaves of plants grown in the greenhouse were approximately twice that of the same plants grown outside. Hentriacontanone-16 was the main wax component on most onion plants except for one variety. Measurements of waxes on onion foliage in protected conditions are important for better understanding phenotypic variation.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Renata Nurzynska-Wierdak
Summary: Phenolic compounds are secondary metabolites with potent biological activity, mainly sourced from cultivated and natural plants. The wide range of biological activities of these compounds has led to the constant search for new sources and extraction methods. Genetic and seasonal variations in phenolic content and activity can be assessed to determine the optimal harvest time, increasing yields and obtaining the most valuable compounds.
Article
Plant Sciences
Charlie D. Clark, Angela T. Moles, Fatih Fazlioglu, Claire R. Brandenburger, Stephen Hartley
Summary: Phenotypic plasticity in introduced populations of Arctotheca populifolia, a plant species, was found to be lower compared to their native source population. This unexpected result may be attributed to founder effects or differences in selective pressures between the native and introduced ranges.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Yunqi Xiong, Ayub M. O. Oduor, Caiyun Zhao
Summary: This study investigated the relative contributions of phenotypic plasticity and local adaptation to the performance of the invasive plant Ambrosia artemisiifolia under different soil nitrogen levels. The results showed significant interpopulation genetic differentiation and plastic responses in various traits of A. artemisiifolia across nitrogen treatments. Additionally, individuals from higher latitudes exhibited different growth patterns regardless of nitrogen treatment, while other trait responses depended on the nitrogen levels. Overall, these findings suggest that rapid adaptive evolution and phenotypic plasticity may jointly contribute to invasiveness in A. artemisiifolia under varying nitrogen availability, supporting the idea that invasive plants can colonize diverse environmental conditions.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sabine Urban, Alexander Nater, Axel Meyer, Claudius F. Kratochwil
Summary: In this study, researchers found that in Lake Malawi, the melanic horizontal stripes in cichlid fish are associated with recent de novo mutations near the agrp2 gene, whereas in Lake Victoria, the stripes are linked to two intronic regions. The haplotypes associated with these traits predate the Lake Victoria radiation and indicate a standing genetic variation driving phenotypic divergence. Both new and ancient allelic variation at the same locus fueled rapid and convergent phenotypic evolution.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yan Lin, Meng Zhang, Tianxing Lin, Luying Wang, Guanggao Wang, Tianbao Chen, Songkun Su
Summary: This study revealed that chestnut royal jelly enhances cutaneous wound healing by promoting keratinocyte growth and mobility, modulating AQP3 expression, regulating MAPK and calcium pathways, and mediating inflammatory responses. Through proteomic and metabolomic techniques, comprehensive molecules in CmRJ-Zj and BnRJ-Zj were identified, with a total of 15 and 631 differential proteins and compounds identified, and 217 newly found proteins in the royal jelly proteome.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Wenheng Gong, Yan Wang, Chao Chen, Yuntao Xiong, Yue Zhou, Feng Xiao, Bo Li, Yi Wang
Summary: Invasive plants exhibit different adaptations to selection pressures over time and geographical gradients. Early-stage populations of Ageratina adenophora invest more energy in growth during the initial invasion stage and are more tolerant to simulated herbivory and high Cd stress compared to new stage populations.
ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiaoyue Zhang, Lei Chen, Zhenyao Shen
Summary: The study revealed significant spatiotemporal variation of fecal coliform (FC) in an urbanizing watershed, with peak FC levels occurring in summer and autumn in upstream and downstream areas respectively. When the impervious surface area reached 65%, the key source of FC shifted from agriculture to urban. However, there was a poor correlation between urban landscape pattern changes and annual FC variation. Urbanization speed was identified as the main driver for deteriorating FC pollution, with Low Impact Development potentially leading to a significant reduction in FC levels at the watershed scale.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Guillaume Delhaye, Olivier J. Hardy, Maxime Seleck, Edouard Ilunga Wa Ilunga, Gregory Mahy, Pierre Meerts
JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE
(2020)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Sylvain Boisson, Audrey Labonte, Gregory Mahy, Arnaud Monty
JOURNAL FOR NATURE CONSERVATION
(2020)
Article
Ecology
Guillaume Delhaye, David Bauman, Maxime Seleck, Edouard Ilunga Wa Ilunga, Gregory Mahy, Pierre Meerts
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Sandrine Godefroid, Julien Piqueray, Louis-Marie Delescaille, Arnaud Monty, Gregory Mahy
JOURNAL FOR NATURE CONSERVATION
(2020)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Julien Piqueray, Valentin Gilliaux, E. R. Jasper Wubs, Gregory Mahy
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2020)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Fanny Boeraeve, Marc Dufrene, Nicolas Dendoncker, Amandine Dupire, Gregory Mahy
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Sandrine Godefroid, Ann Van de Vyver, Sylvain Boisson, Gregory Mahy
JOURNAL FOR NATURE CONSERVATION
(2020)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Floriane Jacquemin, Cyrille Violle, Francois Munoz, Gregory Mahy, Pierre Rasmont, Stuart P. M. Roberts, Sarah Vray, Marc Dufrene
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
F. de Tombeur, B. L. Turner, E. Laliberte, H. Lambers, G. Mahy, M-P Faucon, G. Zemunik, J-T Cornelis
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Aurore Fanal, Gregory Mahy, Adeline Fayolle, Arnaud Monty
Summary: Identifying emerging invasive species is crucial for early prevention and control measures. A study in southern Belgium utilized arboreta as natural experiments to identify alien conifers showing invasive behavior. The research found that some alien conifer species exhibited important regeneration density and dispersal distances, potentially posing a threat to the forests in Western Europe.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Charly Geron, Jonas J. Lembrechts, Jan Borgelt, Jonathan Lenoir, Rafiq Hamdi, Gregory Mahy, Ivan Nijs, Arnaud Monty
Summary: The research found that in European areas with a temperate climate, alien plant species growing in more urban environments tend to originate from warmer or drier native ranges.
BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Felix de Tombeur, Etienne Laliberte, Hans Lambers, Michel-Pierre Faucon, Graham Zemunik, Benjamin L. Turner, Jean-Thomas Cornelis, Gregory Mahy
Summary: The study found that plants growing on nitrogen (N) limited young soils tend to express phenol-based defences, while plants on old, phosphorus (P) impoverished soils favor silica-based defences. The two types of defences show a negative correlation at both the community and individual species level.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Felix de Tombeur, Jean-Thomas Cornelis, Etienne Laliberte, Hans Lambers, Gregory Mahy, Michel-Pierre Faucon, Benjamin L. Turner
Summary: Recent studies show that soil age plays a significant role in silicon dynamics in terrestrial ecosystems, but the impact of ecosystem water balance and soil parent material variation on this trajectory is still unclear. The results suggest that the initial carbonate concentration in the soil parent material and subsequent mineralogical evolution strongly influence long-term soil silicon dynamics.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
J. C. Aleman, A. Fayolle, C. Favier, A. C. Staver, K. G. Dexter, C. M. Ryan, A. F. Azihou, D. Bauman, M. te Beest, E. N. Chidumayo, J. A. Comiskey, J. P. G. M. Cromsigt, H. Dessard, J. -L. Doucet, M. Finckh, J. -F. Gillet, S. Gourlet-Fleury, G. P. Hempson, R. M. Holdo, B. Kirunda, F. N. Kouame, G. Mahy, F. Maiato P. Goncalves, I. McNicol, P. Nieto Quintano, A. J. Plumptre, R. C. Pritchard, R. Revermann, C. B. Schmitt, A. M. Swemmer, H. Talila, E. Woollen, M. D. Swaine
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2020)