Article
Plant Sciences
Eric F. LoPresti, Madison E. Stessman, Sara E. Warren, Katherine Toll
Summary: This study reveals the impact of environmental conditions on seed mucilage attachment strength and demonstrates the context-dependency of its defensive function. The results provide insights into the mechanism and ecological significance of this trait in seed survival.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Jofre Carnicer, Maria Vives-Ingla, Laura Blanquer, Xavier Mendez-Camps, Carme Rosell, Santi Sabate, Emilia Gutierrez, Teresa Sauras, Josep Penuelas, Adria Barbeta
Summary: The resilience of endangered cold-adapted forests at the rear edge in the Mediterranean basin is affected by extreme heatwaves and drought pressures. Microclimatic variations within these forests may lead to large intra-population variability in demographic responses, promoting coexistence of declining and resilient trends across small topographic gradients. Local-scale topographic, microclimatic, and biotic factors strongly influence the indicators of forest resilience to global warming.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Julianne N. Pelaez, Andrew D. Gloss, Julianne F. Ray, Samridhi Chaturvedi, Diler Haji, Joseph L. M. Charboneau, Kirsten I. Verster, Noah K. Whiteman
Summary: Herbivorous insects, which are diverse but limited to one-third of insect orders, may have evolved a trait called plant-penetrating ovipositor with densely lined hard bristles to overcome plant physical defenses. In this study, the evolution of this trait in the Scaptomyza genus was investigated, and it was found that the number of ovipositor bristles increased as herbivory evolved in the lineage. Genome-wide association study revealed the genetic architecture of variation in ovipositor bristle number, highlighting the involvement of transcriptional repressors and genes related to peripheral nervous system development. This study suggests that regulatory variation in conserved developmental genes contributes to the morphological trait involved in plant colonization.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Isabel Garcia-Garcia, Belen Mendez-Cea, Ester Gonzalez de Andres, Antonio Gazol, Raul Sanchez-Salguero, David Manso-Martinez, Jose Luis Horreo, J. Julio Camarero, Juan Carlos Linares, Francisco Javier Gallego
Summary: Ongoing climatic change poses a threat to drought-sensitive tree species like silver fir. This study used ddRADseq to examine the genetic characteristics of declining and non-declining silver fir trees in the Spanish Pyrenees. While no genetic differences were found between the two groups, there were strong associations between the genome and environmental factors, suggesting the influence of climate, soil properties, and microbial diversity on local adaptation. Incorporating genetic data into silver fir forest dieback studies can provide valuable insights into local adaptation.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sandra Lubinska-Mielinska, Zygmunt Kacki, Dariusz Kaminski, Julien Petillon, Christiane Evers, Agnieszka Piernik
Summary: Inland salt marshes in Europe are unique and valuable habitats, but there is still a lack of understanding regarding their vegetation classification and environmental requirements. In order to investigate the relationship between vegetation and environmental factors, researchers collected a database of vegetation plots from various European countries and analyzed the data using statistical and multivariate methods. They identified nine classes of vegetation, including two typical salt-marsh vegetation classes, and found significant differences in species preferences and environmental factors among these classes. This information has direct implications for the sustainable management of salt marshes.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Zuxin Zhang, Jing Zheng, Yingjie Guang, Guozhi Zhao, Xinping Luo, Dali Chen, Cunzhi Jia, Xiaowen Hu
Summary: This study investigated soil-mediated local adaptation in the early-life stages of Stipa breviflora. The results showed that the strength of local adaptation varies across populations and early development stages. Soil traits indirectly affect seedling survival by altering soil fungal diversity and total nitrogen concentration. These findings provide new insights into the role of soil conditions in the local adaptation of plants.
Article
Biology
Xavier Bonnet, Francois Brischoux, Marine Briand, Richard Shine
Summary: The study found that despite the genetic homogeneity of adult sea krait populations, there are differences in body size and jaw size in different areas, indicating that phenotypic plasticity can promote speciation by creating multiple phenotypically distinct subpopulations shaped by their environment.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Rui Zhao, Xiaodan Zhang, Jose Luis Gabriel, Jose Antonio Rodriguez Martin, Kening Wu
Summary: Agricultural land consolidation is an effective tool for ensuring national food security. However, the current classification of agricultural land consolidation types does not consider soil safety, resulting in randomness in project site selection. Ensuring soil security is a prerequisite for efficient agricultural land consolidation, and incorporating soil's functional advantages is an effective means of securing soil safety.
LAND DEGRADATION & DEVELOPMENT
(2023)
Review
Plant Sciences
Velemir Ninkovic, Dimitrije Markovic, Merlin Rensing
Summary: Volatile organic compounds play a crucial role in mediating interactions between plants and their environment, regulating plant responses to stress and competition. Plant communication mediated by volatiles is complex and context-dependent, shaping plant growth and survival in specific environments. The dialogue between emitter and receiver based on volatile cues determines communication patterns at the community level and ecological implications at other trophic levels.
PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Borislav Banjac, Velimir Mladenov, Sofija Petrovic, Mirela Matkovic-Stojsin, Dorde Krstic, Svetlana Vujic, Ksenija Mackic, Boris Kuzmanovic, Dusana Banjac, Snezana Jaksic, Danilo Begic, Rada Sucur
Summary: By selecting bread wheat genotypes that can be grown in low-productivity areas, the economic value of these lands can be increased, and the cultivation area for this strategic crop can be expanded, providing more food sources for the growing global population. The phenotypic variation of ear mass and grain mass per ear, as well as the interaction between genotype and environment, were studied under soil salinity stress. The results showed that both additive and non-additive sources of variation significantly influenced the phenotypic variation of the analyzed traits. Certain local landrace and old varieties exhibited good adaptation to the soil salinity stress. The stability of genotypes varied under different test conditions, with Rapsodija and Renesansa showing the highest stability.
Article
Biology
Joana L. Santos, Dieter Ebert
Summary: The study found that trehalose in resting stages plays a protective role, with higher concentrations produced in harsher habitats. Trehalose provides protection under summer dry conditions, while winter freezing does not explain variation in trehalose content. Adaptations to droughts are crucial due to the expected increase in summer dryness of water bodies with ongoing climate change.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Vaclav Voltr, Martin Hruska, Lubos Nobilis
Summary: This paper provides economic, energy and environmental assessments of 20 crops and evaluates the relationships of soil-climatic conditions in the Czech Republic. By comparing main soil quality indicators according to land and climate regions, the study assesses energy and economic efficiency, as well as environmental impacts. Soil properties such as soil skeleton, land slope and soil depth are found to significantly impact emissions from energy production. Energy crops, particularly perennial crops and silage maize, show better emission parameters per 1 MJ, with alfalfa exhibiting a positive relationship with soil quality. This highlights the potential for energy crops in low-carbon economies.
Article
Biology
Renske E. Onstein, W. Daniel Kissling, H. Peter Linder
Summary: The extinction of non-avian dinosaurs in the Cretaceous-Palaeogene period led to a 25 million year gap in megaherbivores, which had significant consequences for plant diversification and trait evolution. By studying palms, researchers found that this gap was characterized by slower speciation, decreased evolution of defensive traits, and increased evolution of large fruits. The absence of browsing by megaherbivores led to a loss of defence traits, but did not result in a loss of large fruits, which may be explained by rising temperatures and the subsequent radiation of seed-dispersing birds and mammals.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Anais Zimmer, Timothy Beach, Sheryl Luzzadder-Beach, Antoine Rabatel, Rolando Cruz Encarnacion, Joshua Lopez Robles, Edison Jara Tarazona, Arnaud J. A. M. Temme
Summary: Climate warming has accelerated glacial retreat and soil formation in mountainous regions. The accumulation of soil organic carbon and nitrogen is influenced by environmental factors, with maximum temperature and initial site conditions playing important roles in soil development.
Article
Plant Sciences
Leonardo Warzea Lima, McKenna Castleberry, Ami L. Wangeline, Bernadette Aguirre, Stefano Dall'Acqua, Elizabeth A. H. Pilon-Smits, Michela Schiavon
Summary: This study analyzed the effects of selenium hyperaccumulation on the fitness of Stanleya pinnata and found that the variation in selenium accumulation did not appear to enhance or compromise the plant's fitness in seleniferous habitats.
Article
Ecology
Sergio Alvarez-Perez, Kaoru Tsuji, Marion Donald, Ado Van Assche, Rachel L. Vannette, Carlos M. Herrera, Hans Jacquemyn, Tadashi Fukami, Bart Lievens
Summary: Floral nectar is commonly colonized by yeasts and bacteria, whose growth is influenced by their ability to utilize nitrogen sources, withstand high osmotic pressures, and balance carbon-to-nitrogen ratios. The phylogenetic relatedness of strains is associated with nitrogen assimilation variation, and nutrient source as well as isolate origin can predict the ability of acinetobacters to assimilate nitrogen-rich compounds. Inter-clade variation in the potential of acinetobacters as nitrogen scavengers suggests that nutritional dependences might impact interactions between bacteria and yeasts in floral nectar.
Article
Ecology
Carlos M. Herrera
Summary: This article explores the comparative importance of facilitation and competition as drivers of pollinator resource use at the community level. Results suggest that in undisturbed montane habitats, plant species are arranged in a way that is closer to a facilitation-dominated extreme on a competition-facilitation gradient.
Article
Plant Sciences
Carlos M. Herrera, Pilar Bazaga, Ricardo Perez, Conchita Alonso
Summary: This study on Lavandula latifolia (Lamiaceae) shrubs revealed the presence of epigenetic heterogeneity within plants, which was shown to be a result of internal epigenetic diversification occurring steadily during individual development and subsequently propagated by branch divisions. This highlights that epigenetic mosaicism is a continuous process within plants.
Correction
Ecology
Sergio Alvarez-Perez, Kaoru Tsuji, Marion Donald, Ado Van Assche, Rachel L. Vannette, Carlos M. Herrera, Hans Jacquemyn, Tadashi Fukami, Bart Lievens
Summary: A correction to this paper has been published.
Article
Plant Sciences
Clara de Vega, Rafael G. Albaladejo, Sergio Alvarez-Perez, Carlos M. Herrera
Summary: Yeast in floral nectar can directly or indirectly influence plant reproductive success. The direct effect of yeast on plant reproduction was not significant, but significant indirect effects were observed for plant species pollinated by bumblebees or hawkmoths, with the direction of effects varying for different fitness components. There was no consistent effect of yeast on maternal fecundity for species with diverse pollinator assemblages.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Alexander Suarez-Marino, Gerardo Arceo-Gomez, Cristopher Albor, Victor Parra-Tabla
Summary: Co-flowering communities with high plant generalization and pollinator sharing are influenced by flowering phenology and floral similarity, which play important roles in shaping plant-pollinator network structure. Flowering overlap has a positive effect on pollinator sharing and plant generalization, and also influences network nestedness and modularity. The interaction between floral similarity and flowering overlap affects pollinator sharing and network nestedness.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Carlos M. Herrera, Monica Medrano, Pilar Bazaga, Conchita Alonso
Summary: This study reveals the presence of intraindividual epigenetic mosaicism in plants, and the predictable relationship between epigenetic and phenotypic variations in different modules of the same plant. The phenotypes of offspring were also linked to the epigenotype of the maternal module.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Jose R. Morales-Poole, Clara de Vega, Kaoru Tsuji, Hans Jacquemyn, Robert R. Junker, Carlos M. Herrera, Chris Michiels, Bart Lievens, Sergio Alvarez-Perez
Summary: The growth performance of Acinetobacter spp. and Rosenbergiella spp. in floral nectar is largely influenced by the nectar chemistry and bacterial phylogeny.
Article
Plant Sciences
Alexander Suarez-Marino, Gerardo Arceo-Gomez, Cristopher Albor, Victor Parra-Tabla
Summary: Flowering phenology is an important factor influencing the structure and dynamics of plant-pollinator networks. However, many studies fail to consider its effects. This study examines the temporal dynamics of plant-pollinator networks in two coastal communities by analyzing co-flowering networks and the similarity in floral traits and pollinator sharing. The results show that floral trait similarity and pollinator sharing are related to changes in network structure, but these changes vary among communities. The prevalence of specialized interactions throughout the flowering season suggests the importance of explicitly considering flowering phenology in understanding temporal changes in plant-pollinator networks.
Article
Ecology
Carlos M. Herrera, Alejandro Nunez, Luis O. Aguado, Conchita Alonso
Summary: Understanding the factors that drive community-wide assembly of plant-pollinator systems along environmental gradients has significant implications. This study shows that the seasonality in bee pollinator composition in Mediterranean montane habitats is due to the thermal biology of mining bees (Andrena).
ECOLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Carlos M. M. Herrera, Alejandro Nunez, Javier Valverde, Conchita Alonso
Summary: This paper assesses the shrinking effect of body size in a community of solitary bees in a well-preserved habitat during climatic warming. The results show a significant decline in the average body mass of the solitary bees, with larger species shrinking at a faster rate than smaller species. The shrinking effect may lead to significant alterations in the pollination and mating systems of bee-pollinated plants.
Article
Plant Sciences
Brian Suarez, Juan Tun-Garrido, Paula Sosenski, Victor Parra-Tabla
Summary: This study comprehensively examined the distyly system in the tropical shrub Waltheria rotundifolia and found that it exhibited asymmetry in pollen deposition and a heteromorphic incompatibility system, indicating a low efficiency of pollen transfer by the main floral visitor, Apis mellifera.
PLANT SPECIES BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Victor Parra-Tabla, Juan Tun-Garrido, Jose Garcia-Franco, Maria Luisa Martinez
Summary: The invasive plant Cassytha filiformis extensively invades the coastal dunes of the Yucatan Peninsula, significantly reducing the sexual reproduction of its host plants. It parasitizes three common shrub species and has higher reproductive success when parasitizing Suriana maritima.
BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Judith Isabel Lopez-Lopez, Victor Parra-Tabla, Demetria Mondragon
Summary: The study revealed that there are variations in the flowering phenology of vascular epiphytes along different elevational zones, although phorophyte features were not significantly related to the onset and duration of flowering. This suggests that vascular epiphytes follow elevational patterns in phenology similar to other life forms, with populations in the same elevation range showing variability. Further investigation is needed to understand the causes of intra-elevational variation.
ACTA BIOLOGICA COLOMBIANA
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Victor Parra-Tabla, Conchita Alonso
Summary: The endemic plant species Cienfuegosia yucatanensis in the north coast of the Yucatan peninsula, Mexico, is self-compatible and has efficient autonomous pollination mechanisms, which ensure reproductive assurance without early inbreeding depression effects.
BOTANICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
