Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Le Jiao, Tao Sun, Peng Zhang, Wei Yang, Dongdong Shao, Shaokui Zheng
Summary: Density-dependent fecundity is crucial for plant populations, especially those in saltmarshes. The optimal floral traits and pollinator visitation are observed at intermediate plant densities, leading to maximized fecundity. Regular freshwater restoration positively impacts pollinator visitation and plant fecundity of Tamarix chinensis.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Xoaquin Moreira, Luis Abdala-Roberts, Rieta Gols, Beatriz Lago-Nunez, Sergio Rasmann, Gregory Roeder, Pilar Soengas, Carla Vazquez-Gonzalez, Maria Elena Cartea
Summary: This study provides strong evidence for volatile-mediated indirect interactions between plant enemies and pollinators, ultimately impacting plant fitness, with specificity in both the enemy and the compounds involved.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Plant Sciences
Marta Barberis, Daniele Calabrese, Marta Galloni, Massimo Nepi
Summary: In recent years, there has been an increased understanding of the complex chemistry of floral nectar and its ecological implications for plant-pollinator relationships. Nectar is now seen as more than just a reward for pollinators, but rather a platform for complex interactions with insects and other organisms. This review aims to provide an overview of our current knowledge of nectar secondary compounds (NSCs), including recently highlighted aspects such as non-protein amino acids and biogenic amines. It also discusses the implications of these NSCs in the pollination scenario, hypotheses regarding the evolution of complex nectar profiles, and potential cues for future research on plant-pollinator relationships.
Article
Ecology
Benno I. Simmons, Andrew P. Beckerman, Katrine Hansen, Pietro K. Maruyama, Constantinos Televantos, Jeferson Vizentin-Bugoni, Bo Dalsgaard
Summary: This study examines the impact of indirect interactions on plant-hummingbird pollination networks and finds that different assembly processes result in significantly different patterns of indirect interactions. Neutral effects tend to produce densely connected motifs, while niche-based processes lead to motifs with a core of interacting generalists and peripheral specialists.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Katherine A. Arstingstall, Sandra J. DeBano, Xiaoping Li, David E. Wooster, Mary M. Rowland, Skyler Burrows, Kenneth Frost
Summary: This study used DNA metabarcoding to identify plant species in bee pollen loads and compared the results with observations of foraging behavior, demonstrating that DNA metabarcoding can provide a more comprehensive understanding of plant-pollinator interactions.
Article
Ecology
Wendy A. Valencia-Montoya, Elodie Flaven, Juliette Pouzadoux, Eric Imbert, Pierre-Olivier Cheptou
Summary: The study found that the evolution of growth-related and reproductive traits of three populations of Cyanus segetum in France varied across latitudes, suggesting that natural selection may have contributed to changes in flowering phenology and rosette size. These findings highlight the potential for rescue of natural populations through contemporary evolution and underscore the complex interplay between spatial and temporal variation in species' responses to global change.
Article
Agronomy
Angeliki Paspati, Evangelia Karakosta, Virginia Balanza, Amador Rodriguez-Gomez, Carolina Gravalos, Dina Cifuentes, Aikaterini Koukaki, Marianna Stavrakaki, Emmanouil Roditakis, Pablo Bielza, Anastasia Tsagkarakou
Summary: Pesticides have harmful effects on non-target organisms, including beneficial arthropods and pollinators. Natural pesticides are considered safer alternatives. Evaluating their toxicity and impact on beneficial arthropods and pollinators is crucial for successful pesticide use.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Laura Russo, Jane C. Stout
Summary: This study demonstrates that network connectance can be manipulated through agrochemical treatments, with the fertilizer treatment increasing connectance and a combination of fertilizer and herbicide maintaining connectance. This has important implications for management goals and conservation efforts in mutualistic communities.
Article
Agronomy
Jing Gao, TongLai Tao, Steven P. Arthurs, Fengxian Ye, Xincheng An, Mubasher Hussain, Runqian Mao
Summary: This study found that the citrus aphid species Aphis spiraecola and Aphis citricidus have different plant-mediated effects on the feeding and reproduction of the Asian citrus psyllid Diaphorina citri, by activating or suppressing citrus JA dependent defense, thus affecting subsequent psyllid performance.
PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Laura Duque, Erik H. Poelman, Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter
Summary: Exposure to high levels of ozone accelerates flowering in plants and attracts more pollinators, resulting in retained reproductive fitness despite negative effects on plant growth.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2021)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Yizhi Qiu, Xiaoping Yan, Hui Ma, Yuxian Wang, Rong Yang, Oystein H. Opedal, Zhigang Zhao
Summary: The study investigates the effects of proximity to mass-flowering crops on plant-pollinator interactions and natural selection patterns in two habitat types on the Tibetan Plateau. Results showed that the proximity to oilseed rape fields increased pollinator visitation and changed pollinator composition in neighboring habitats. The study also found context-dependent variation in plant-pollinator interactions, suggesting potential effects on the evolution of flower traits.
EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Jing Lu, Dongqiao Zheng, Mengshuang Li, Maoyin Fu, Xianchen Zhang, Xiaochun Wan, Shihua Zhang, Qi Chen
Summary: In this study, the gene structure, expression patterns, and response to stress of CsPYL/CsPP2C-A/CsSnRK gene families in ABA signal transduction pathway were investigated in tea plants. The hierarchical model of ABA signaling was constructed, and the protein interaction of the CsPYL4/7-CsPP2C-A2-CsSnRK2.8 signaling pathway was verified. The results provide valuable information for understanding the ABA-dependent signal transduction model in tea plants and studying stress tolerance genes.
Article
Ecology
Josephine Kuczyk, Caroline Mueller, Klaus Fischer
Summary: Anthropogenic climate change poses a significant challenge to biodiversity conservation by directly affecting plants and animals, as well as indirectly influencing herbivores through changes in host-plant chemistry. The combined effects of temperature and water availability on plant-animal interactions are still not well understood and require further research. Changes in critical chemical cues due to climate-induced alterations in plant chemistry may reduce host-plant detectability and impact herbivore performance.
BASIC AND APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Felipe Libran-Embid, Ingo Grass, Carine Emer, Cristina Ganuza, Teja Tscharntke
Summary: The study found that interactions involving habitat specialist plants and large-bodied pollinators play a central role in plant-pollinator interaction networks. Large fragments in landscapes with high land cover diversity exhibit the highest centrality, while small fragments harbor unique interactions.
Article
Microbiology
Lu Wang, Yi-Ning Xu, Chung-Ching Chu, Zehua Jing, Yabin Chen, Jinsong Zhang, Mingming Pu, Tingyan Mi, Yaping Du, Zongqi Liang, Chandraprabha Doraiswamy, Tao Zeng, Jiarui Wu, Luonan Chen
Summary: Urban living can cause various skin disorders, with the skin microbiome playing a key role in urbanization-related skin alterations. The connectivity and fragility of individual microbiome networks (MNI) significantly mediate the adverse effects of air pollution on skin health, while smoking habits deepen the negative impact of pollution on facial skin microbiota.