Article
Forestry
Ming-Jia Zhang, Yong-Zheng Wang, Yang Xian, Cheng-Cheng Cui, Xiao-Man Xie, Bo-Qiang Tong, Biao Han
Summary: This study investigated the desiccation sensitivity and critical moisture content of Quercus variabilis seeds, as well as the cryopreservation of these recalcitrant seeds. The results showed changes in the antioxidant enzyme system during dehydration and successful cryopreservation of the embryonic axis using vitrification. However, the recovery survival rate needs improvement.
Article
Forestry
Higor Fernando Salvador, Hellen Cassia Mazzottini-dos-Santos, Daiane Souza Dias, Alcinei Mistico Azevedo, Paulo Sergio Nascimento Lopes, Yule Roberta Ferreira Nunes, Leonardo Monteiro Ribeiro
Summary: Mauritia flexuosa forms persistent soil seed banks in humid environments, contributing to its reproductive success and the recovery of degraded areas. The permanence of seeds in the banks is not affected by soil attributes but is influenced by predator and pathogen attacks. Seed viability is not affected by permanence in the banks, as the seeds have strong homeostatic capacities. Dormancy levels decrease in the banks, promoting germination.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Qing Cheng, Chao-Sheng Tang, Dan Xu, Hao Zeng, Bin Shi
Summary: Infiltration behavior in cracked soil was investigated in this study, revealing the distinct stages and critical values associated with surface crack ratio. The healing time of cracks and the influence of surface crack ratio on infiltration capacity were found to be significant factors. Additionally, the study showed that infiltration capacity increases dramatically with increasing surface crack ratio, and also with decreasing initial water content and increasing number of drying-wetting cycles.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Ke Xia, Matthew Daws, Lin-Lin Peng
Summary: This study investigates physiological traits related to desiccation and germination of desiccation-sensitive seeds from 19 Quercus species in China's forests. The results show a strong relationship between climate and seed traits, indicating different strategies to minimize desiccation risk across different species.
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Justin Kinda, Alexandra Bourdot, Laurent Charpin, Sylvie Michel-Ponnelle, Jean-Luc Adia, Romain Thion, Remi Legroux, Farid Benboudjema
Summary: Assessing the moisture content evolution and drying shrinkage is crucial for the long-term operation of large concrete structures. This study evaluated the impact of size and boundary conditions on predicting mass loss and drying shrinkage of cement-based materials at ambient temperature. Experimental and numerical methods were used to examine the effects and validate the models' accuracy. Additionally, a new dimensionless number, Surface Bulk Constant (SBC), was proposed to enhance the understanding of moisture transport boundary conditions.
CONSTRUCTION AND BUILDING MATERIALS
(2022)
Review
Agronomy
Noor Hanini Che Lah, Hesham Ali El Enshasy, Ahmed Mediani, Kamalrul Azlan Azizan, Wan Mohd Aizat, Jen Kit Tan, Adlin Afzan, Normah Mohd Noor, Emelda Rosseleena Rohani
Summary: Systems biology is an interdisciplinary field that combines expertise in biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, and engineering to study complex living systems using mathematical models and quantitative molecular computations. This approach can be used to investigate molecular and metabolic changes in difficult-to-store plant seeds. This review discusses how omics analyses can help uncover the molecular responses and metabolic changes in recalcitrant seeds.
Article
Forestry
Hanna Fuchs, Beata P. Plitta-Michalak, Arleta Malecka, Liliana Ciszewska, Lukasz Sikorski, Aleksandra M. Staszak, Marcin Michalak, Ewelina Ratajczak
Summary: The use of antioxidant solutions for redox priming of seeds is a method to improve their postharvest performance. Testing spermidine solution on silver maple seeds showed an increase in germination capacity for desiccated seeds, but not for aged seeds. Spermidine improved antioxidative capacity, cellular membrane stability, genome integrity, and mitochondria efficiency, but also led to a hydrogen peroxide burst. Therefore, redox priming may not be a simple solution for reinvigorating stored seeds with a low-efficiency antioxidant system.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Wei Cao, Ju Zhou, Chunxiao Ren, Mamdouh Omran, Lei Gao, Ju Tang, Fan Zhang, Guo Chen
Summary: Y2O3-ZrO2 ceramic powder is a vital material in ceramic applications due to its remarkable performance. This study investigates the impact of microwave heating technology on the drying kinetics of Y2O3-ZrO2 ceramic powder. Experimental results show that the drying rate increases with sample water content, microwave heating power, and sample mass. The Modified Page model provides the best fit for describing the drying kinetics of Y2O3-ZrO2 ceramic powder. FT-IR spectroscopy confirms the effectiveness and rapidity of microwave drying. This research provides valuable data for the industrial application of microwave-enhanced drying.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY-JMR&T
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Faiza Ali, Ghulam Qanmber, Fuguang Li, Zhi Wang
Summary: This review highlights the important roles of ABA in seed development stages and germination, as well as the crosstalk between ABA and other hormones and signaling molecules. The review addresses novel points and key challenges, and outlines future perspectives for ABA regulating seed-associated traits.
JOURNAL OF ADVANCED RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Michal Reut, Raul Bonal, Mariusz Chrabaszcz, Hanna Moniuszko
Summary: Curculio glandium is a pre-dispersal seed predator associated with Quercus robur. The study found that when the density of larvae in an acorn increased, the survival rate and body mass of the larvae decreased significantly. This high density of larvae also led to aggression, cannibalism, and complete consumption of the acorn embryo.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Necati Cetin, Beyza Ciftci, Kanber Kara, Mahmut Kaplan
Summary: The aim of this study is to determine the properties of acorns dried at gradually increasing drying temperatures. Results showed that increasing drying temperatures had significant effects on the nutritional traits and mineral composition of acorn samples. A drying temperature of 80 degrees C was found to be ideal for acorn drying in terms of animal drying and feeding characteristics.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Qing-Yan Wang, Ling Yang, Na Ge, Jin-Shan Jia, Rong-Mei Huang, Cui Chen, Zhen-Gui Meng, Long-Gen Li, Jun-Wen Chen
Summary: This study found that high concentrations of abscisic acid (ABA) treatment can reduce the germination rate of Panax notoginseng seeds and have a significant impact on hormone levels and gene expression. Meanwhile, the study also revealed the crucial role of ABA in regulating dormancy in recalcitrant seeds, providing new insights for agricultural production and storage.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Dongxing Li, Yingchao Li, Jialian Qian, Xiaojuan Liu, Huihui Xu, Guowei Zhang, Junjie Ren, Libing Wang, Lu Zhang, Haiyan Yu
Summary: This study investigated the molecular mechanism of desiccation sensitivity in Chinese cork oak seeds by comparing transcriptomic profiles at different desiccation stages. The findings identified key genes related to desiccation sensitivity, providing valuable insights for seed storage and conservation of recalcitrant seeds in the future.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Ruoyu Chen, Winston Lindqwister, Fei Wu, Boleslaw Mielniczuk, Tomasz Hueckel, Manolis Veveakis
Summary: This study extends the results of a previous study by modeling and predicting desiccation cracks in geomaterials. Experimental tests were conducted on thin-layer silt samples under controlled atmospheric conditions to obtain surface strain maps. A viscoplastic theoretical model was validated using these experimental results, and it accurately predicted the number of cracks in the experiment.
GEOMECHANICS FOR ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Weiwei Huang, Yanqiong Zhang, Hongju Qiu, Junzheng Huang, Jin Chen, Lei Gao, Mamdouh Omran, Guo Chen
Summary: This study investigates the effect of initial mass, microwave power, and initial moisture content on the drying efficiency of ammonium polyvanadate (APV) using microwave drying. The results show that the average drying rate is positively correlated with microwave output power, and the drying process can be described by the Modified Page model.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY-JMR&T
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Yong-Jiang Huang, Hai Zhu, Jin-Jin Hu, Lin-Bo Jia, Zhe-Kun Zhou
Summary: This study reports the discovery of fossil endocarps of Sambucus genus in the late Pliocene Heqing Basin in South China, suggesting an increase in diversity of Sambucus in this region during the late Pliocene. The distribution and diversification of Sambucus in South China are likely to be a recent event compared to Europe and North Asia, possibly due to the warmer climate in South China before the Pliocene.
PALAEOBIODIVERSITY AND PALAEOENVIRONMENTS
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Pieter A. Zuidema, Flurin Babst, Peter Groenendijk, Valerie Trouet, Abrham Abiyu, Rodolfo Acuna-Soto, Eduardo Adenesky-Filho, Raquel Alfaro-Sanchez, Jose Roberto Vieira Aragao, Gabriel Assis-Pereira, Xue Bai, Ana Carolina Barbosa, Giovanna Battipaglia, Hans Beeckman, Paulo Cesar Botosso, Tim Bradley, Achim Braeuning, Roel Brienen, Brendan M. Buckley, J. Julio Camarero, Ana Carvalho, Gregorio Ceccantini, Librado R. Centeno-Erguera, Julian Cerano-Paredes, Alvaro Agustin Chavez-Duran, Bruno Barcante Ladvocat Cintra, Malcolm K. Cleaveland, Camille Couralet, Rosanne D'Arrigo, Jorge Ignacio del Valle, Oliver Duenisch, Brian J. Enquist, Karin Esemann-Quadros, Zewdu Eshetu, Ze-Xin Fan, M. Eugenia Ferrero, Esther Fichtler, Claudia Fontana, Kainana S. Francisco, Aster Gebrekirstos, Emanuel Gloor, Daniela Granato-Souza, Kristof Haneca, Grant Logan Harley, Ingo Heinrich, Gerd Helle, Janet G. Inga, Mahmuda Islam, Yu-mei Jiang, Mark Kaib, Zakia Hassan Khamisi, Marcin Koprowski, Bart Kruijt, Eva Layme, Rik Leemans, A. Joshua Leffler, Claudio Sergio Lisi, Neil J. Loader, Giuliano Maselli Locosselli, Lidio Lopez, Maria Lopez-Hernandez, Jose Luis Penetra Cerveira Lousada, Hooz A. Mendivelso, Mulugeta Mokria, Valdinez Ribeiro Montoia, Eddy Moors, Cristina Nabais, Justine Ngoma, Francisco de Carvalho Nogueira Junior, Juliano Morales Oliveira, Gabriela Morais Olmedo, Mariana Alves Pagotto, Shankar Panthi, Gonzalo Perez-De-Lis, Darwin Pucha-Cofrep, Nathsuda Pumijumnong, Mizanur Rahman, Jorge Andres Ramirez, Edilson Jimmy Requena-Rojas, Adauto de Souza Ribeiro, Iain Robertson, Fidel Alejandro Roig, Ernesto Alonso Rubio-Camacho, Ute Sass-Klaassen, Jochen Schongart, Paul R. Sheppard, Franziska Slotta, James H. Speer, Matthew D. Therrell, Benjamin Toirambe, Mario Tomazello-Filho, Max C. A. Torbenson, Ramzi Touchan, Alejandro Venegas-Gonzalez, Ricardo Villalba, Jose Villanueva-Diaz, Royd Vinya, Mart Vlam, Tommy Wils, Zhe-Kun Zhou
Summary: According to a pantropical tree-ring network, dry-season climate variability is a primary driver of tropical tree growth. The study found that woody biomass growth increases with dry-season precipitation and decreases with dry-season maximum temperature. The strength of these dry-season climate responses varies among sites and is influenced by drier, hotter, and more climatically variable regions.
Article
Geography, Physical
Jian Huang, Robert A. Spicer, Shu-Feng Li, Jia Liu, Truong Van Do, Hung Ba Nguyen, Zhe-Kun Zhou, Tao Su
Summary: Recent detailed work on several Cenozoic plant megafossil sites has revealed the antiquity of the tropical Asian flora. This paper describes fossil plant assemblages from the Oligocene Dong Ho Formation in northern Vietnam. The plant fossils found belong to 38 species, including conifers and angiosperms mainly belonging to Fagaceae, Lauraceae, and Dipterocarpaceae, all with significant tropical Asian kinship. The fossil evidence suggests a long-term environmental, floristic, and vegetational stability in the Ha Long region since the Paleogene, which provided a source for populating the East Asian flora and vegetation.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Hung Ba Nguyen, Jian Huang, Truong Van Do, Lin-Bo Jia, Hoa Mai Thi Nguyen, Hung Dinh Doan, Shu-Feng Li, Zhe-Kun Zhou, Tao Su
Summary: The study reports a new fossil record of Mucuna found in the late Miocene sediments of the Yen Bai Basin in northern Vietnam, revealing a possible Asian origin of the genus and its presence and adaptation to the humid tropical climate of northern Vietnam since at least the late Miocene.
REVIEW OF PALAEOBOTANY AND PALYNOLOGY
(2022)
Biographical-Item
Paleontology
Gong-Le Shi, Yusheng (Christopher) Liu, Zhe-Kun Zhou
Editorial Material
Biodiversity Conservation
Tao Su, Robert A. Spicer, Zhe-Kun Zhou
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Lin-Bo Jia, Jin-Jin Hu, Shi-Tao Zhang, Tao Su, Robert A. Spicer, Jia Liu, Jiu-Cheng Yang, Pu Zou, Yong-Jiang Huang, Zhe-Kun Zhou
Summary: This article reports the discovery of three Bauhinia fossil species with cuticular preservation from the Paleogene of Puyang Basin, southwestern China, extending the emergence of Bauhinia in Asia to the late Eocene. It also shows that the diversification of Bauhinia in Asia and the phenomenon of a small region harboring multiple Bauhinia species in southwestern China can be traced back to the Paleogene.
Article
Geography, Physical
Mengxiao Wu, Jian Huang, Robert A. Spicer, Shufeng Li, Jiagang Zhao, Weiyudong Deng, Wenna Ding, He Tang, Yaowu Xing, Yimin Tian, Zhekun Zhou, Tao Su
Summary: This study provides insights into the paleoelevation and paleoclimate of the Lithe Basin on the southeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau during the early Oligocene. The results show that the basin had reached its present elevation at that time and experienced a humid subtropical climate. The findings also suggest that the appearance of the modern flora in this region began during the early Oligocene.
GLOBAL AND PLANETARY CHANGE
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Weiyudong Deng, Dario De Franceschi, Xiaoting Xu, Cedric Del Rio, Shook Ling Low, Zhekun Zhou, Robert A. Spicer, Lili Ren, Raoqiong Yang, Yimin Tian, Mengxiao Wu, Jiucheng Yang, Shuiqing Liang, Torsten Wappler, Tao Su
Summary: Cupressaceae fossil tree stumps from the Oligocene of southwestern China were found to contain abundant quartz-petrified damage traces, and the fossils also revealed arthropods and fungus, filling a gap in the fossil records for insect herbivory in this region. The disappearance of Taxodium supports the changes in the environment at that time.
REVIEW OF PALAEOBOTANY AND PALYNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xiuwen Geng, Renhua Tang, Aili Zhang, Zhizhi Du, Lipan Yang, Yuqi Xu, Yiling Zhong, Run Yang, Wenyun Chen, Chunxia Pu
Summary: This study sequenced the transcriptomes of 10 Elsholtzia species to identify genes related to volatile terpenoid metabolism. The results revealed interspecific differences and proposed a possible biosynthetic pathway for characteristic components in these plants. Additionally, phylogenetic analysis suggested that genes related to the volatile terpenoid biosynthetic pathway may be suitable for resolving the Elsholtzia phylogeny.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Zhekun Zhou, Jia Liu, Linlin Chen, Robert A. Spicer, Shufeng Li, Jian Huang, Shitao Zhang, Yongjiang Huang, Linbo Jia, Jinjin Hu, Tao Su
Summary: Plant fossils are crucial for understanding landscape evolution and plant diversity in the Tibetan Region. Recent studies have significantly improved our understanding of the formation of the Tibetan Plateau and its impact on climate and biota. These studies have also revealed numerous new plant fossil taxa, some of which represent the earliest records from Asia or even worldwide. Furthermore, plant fossils provide evidence of the asynchronous formation histories of different parts of the plateau, as well as the coevolution between vegetation, landform, and paleoenvironment.
SCIENCE CHINA-EARTH SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
F. J. White, F. R. Hay, T. Abeli, A. Mondoni
Summary: Climate warming in mountain areas is affecting the longevity of seeds of alpine species stored in genebanks. Seeds produced under a warmer parental environment have longer longevity in storage. The study found that seed longevity was not affected by seed mass or length of time in storage, but was influenced by temperature and precipitation during the growing season. This suggests that genebank stored seeds can provide insights into the response of alpine species to future climate changes.
Article
Plant Sciences
Hung Ba Nguyen, Jian Huang, Truong Van Do, Gaurav Srivastava, Hoa Mai Thi Nguyen, Shu-Feng Li, Lin-Lin Chen, Minh Trung Nguyen, Hung Dinh Doan, Zhe-Kun Zhou, Tao Su
Summary: The genus Albizia is one of the largest genera in the Fabaceae family and is ecologically, economically, and chemically important. A new species of Albizia fossil, named Albizia yenbaiensis, has been discovered in the late Miocene sediments of northern Vietnam, representing the first fossil record of Albizia in Southeast Asia. This finding suggests that Albizia already existed in a tropical broadleaved forest in northern Vietnam during the late Miocene and indicates its origin in the East Asian Monsoon region.
REVIEW OF PALAEOBOTANY AND PALYNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
C. T. Manjunath Prasad, Jan Kodde, Gerco C. Angenent, Fiona R. Hay, Kenneth L. McNally, Steven P. C. Groot
Summary: Seed deterioration during storage is influenced by storage conditions and genetic factors. This study identified genetic factors related to the longevity of rice seeds stored under experimental aging conditions mimicking long-term dry storage. A genome-wide association analysis revealed 11 unique genomic regions associated with germination parameters after aging, and the most significant region contained a single nucleotide polymorphism within the Rc gene. In addition, the presence of a functional Rc gene resulted in the accumulation of proanthocyanidins in the seed pericarp, which may contribute to the variation in tolerance to dry aging.
PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Mengxiao Wu, Jian Huang, Steven R. Manchester, He Tang, Yi Gao, Tengxiang Wang, Zhekun Zhou, Tao Su
Summary: A new fossil species of the Menispermaceae family has been discovered in southwestern China, suggesting that the divergence within the tribe Menispermeae might have occurred in the Late Eocene and a species similar to the modern Sinomenium acutum appeared in the region as early as in the Late Eocene.
REVIEW OF PALAEOBOTANY AND PALYNOLOGY
(2023)