Meng-Ying Tsai, Chi Kuan, Zheng-Lin Guo, Hsun-An Yang, Kuo-Fang Chung, Chin-Min Kimmy Ho
Stomata are a pivotal adaptation of land plants and control gas exchange. While most plants present solitary stomata, some plant species experiencing chronic water deficiency display clustered stomata on their epidermis; for instance, limestone-grown begonias. Moreover, the membrane receptor TOO MANY MOUTHS (TMM) plays a major role in spacing stomata on the epidermis in Arabidopsis, but the function of its Begonia orthologs is unknown. We used two Asian begonias, Begonia formosana (single stomata) and B. hernandioides (clustered stomata), to explore the physiological function of stomatal clustering. We also introduced the Begonia TMMs into Arabidopsis tmm mutants to study the function of Begonia TMMs. B. hernandioides showed higher water use efficiency under high light intensity, smaller stomata, and faster pore opening than B. formosana. The short distance between stomata in a cluster may facilitate cell-to-cell interactions to achieve synchronicity in stomatal movement. Begonia TMMs function similarly to Arabidopsis TMM to inhibit stomatal formation, although complementation by TMM from the clustered species was only partial. Stomatal clustering in begonias may represent a developmental strategy to build small and closer stomata to achieve fast responses to light which provides tight support between stomatal development and environmental adaption.
气孔是陆地植物的重要适应器官,控制着植物的气体交换。虽然大多数植物呈现单生气孔,但一些长期缺水的植物在表皮上呈现成簇状气孔;例如,石灰岩生长的秋海棠。此外,膜受体TOO MANY mouth (TMM)在拟南芥表皮气孔间距中起主要作用,但其海棠同源物的功能尚不清楚。以亚洲秋海棠(单气孔)和海棠(簇气孔)为研究对象,探讨了气孔聚类的生理功能。我们还将海棠TMMs引入拟南芥tmm突变体中,研究海棠TMMs的功能。高光强条件下,白刺草的水分利用效率高于台湾白刺草,气孔较小,气孔打开速度较快。气孔之间的距离较短,有利于细胞间的相互作用,从而实现气孔运动的同步性。海棠TMM抑制气孔形成的功能与拟南芥相似,尽管来自聚集物种的TMM只是部分互补。秋海棠的气孔聚集可能代表了一种发育策略,即建立小而密的气孔以实现对光的快速响应,为气孔发育和环境适应提供了紧密的支持。
{"title":"Stomatal clustering in <i>Begonia</i> improves water use efficiency by modulating stomatal movement and leaf structure.","authors":"Meng-Ying Tsai, Chi Kuan, Zheng-Lin Guo, Hsun-An Yang, Kuo-Fang Chung, Chin-Min Kimmy Ho","doi":"10.1002/pei3.10086","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/pei3.10086","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Stomata are a pivotal adaptation of land plants and control gas exchange. While most plants present solitary stomata, some plant species experiencing chronic water deficiency display clustered stomata on their epidermis; for instance, limestone-grown begonias. Moreover, the membrane receptor TOO MANY MOUTHS (TMM) plays a major role in spacing stomata on the epidermis in <i>Arabidopsis</i>, but the function of its <i>Begonia</i> orthologs is unknown. We used two Asian begonias, <i>Begonia formosana</i> (single stomata) and <i>B. hernandioides</i> (clustered stomata), to explore the physiological function of stomatal clustering. We also introduced the <i>Begonia TMM</i>s into <i>Arabidopsis tmm</i> mutants to study the function of <i>Begonia</i> TMMs. <i>B. hernandioides</i> showed higher water use efficiency under high light intensity, smaller stomata, and faster pore opening than <i>B. formosana</i>. The short distance between stomata in a cluster may facilitate cell-to-cell interactions to achieve synchronicity in stomatal movement. <i>Begonia</i> TMMs function similarly to <i>Arabidopsis</i> TMM to inhibit stomatal formation, although complementation by TMM from the clustered species was only partial. Stomatal clustering in begonias may represent a developmental strategy to build small and closer stomata to achieve fast responses to light which provides tight support between stomatal development and environmental adaption.</p>","PeriodicalId":74457,"journal":{"name":"Plant-environment interactions (Hoboken, N.J.)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10168073/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9591349","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Péter Takács, Judit Slíz-Balogh, Dénes Száz, Gábor Horváth
After anthesis, the majority of mature sunflower (Helianthus annuus) inflorescences face constantly East, which direction ensures maximal light energy absorbed by the inflorescences in regions where afternoons are on average cloudier than mornings. Several theories have tried to explain the function(s) of this eastward orientation. Their common assumption is that eastward facing has certain advantages for sunflowers. In sunflower plantations, the capitulum of many plants can also face North, South, or upward. Large deviations from the conducive East direction can decrease the plant's reproductive fitness. A larger mass and number of seeds, for example, can guarantee safer seed germination and better early development of more offspring. Thus, our hypothesis was that the East facing of sunflower inflorescences ensures a larger seed number and mass compared to disoriented inflorescences. This idea was tested in a sunflower plantation, where we compared the number and mass of seeds in plants, the inflorescences of which were naturally or artificially oriented northward, eastward, southward, westward, or upward. Our study tested head diameter, seed weight, and seed number in a normal agronomic field setting being different from earlier investigations. The other difference was that we tested five head orientations and only East showed significantly increased seed weight and number. Using radiational computations, we showed that East facing ensures more absorbed light energy than other orientations, except upward. This finding can be one of the reasons for the maximal seed number and mass in East-facing sunflower capitula. Although upward-facing horizontal inflorescences absorbed maximal light energy, they had the fewest and lightest seeds probably because of the larger temperature and humidity as well as the too much sunlight, all three factors impairing the normal seed development. This study is the first that compares the seed traits of all head orientations of Helianthus annuus and proposes that the absorbed radiation could play a major role in the maximal seed number and mass of east-facing heads.
{"title":"East-facing <i>Helianthus annuus</i> has maximal number and mass of kernel-filled seeds: Seed traits versus head orientation.","authors":"Péter Takács, Judit Slíz-Balogh, Dénes Száz, Gábor Horváth","doi":"10.1002/pei3.10083","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/pei3.10083","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>After anthesis, the majority of mature sunflower (<i>Helianthus annuus</i>) inflorescences face constantly East, which direction ensures maximal light energy absorbed by the inflorescences in regions where afternoons are on average cloudier than mornings. Several theories have tried to explain the function(s) of this eastward orientation. Their common assumption is that eastward facing has certain advantages for sunflowers. In sunflower plantations, the capitulum of many plants can also face North, South, or upward. Large deviations from the conducive East direction can decrease the plant's reproductive fitness. A larger mass and number of seeds, for example, can guarantee safer seed germination and better early development of more offspring. Thus, our hypothesis was that the East facing of sunflower inflorescences ensures a larger seed number and mass compared to disoriented inflorescences. This idea was tested in a sunflower plantation, where we compared the number and mass of seeds in plants, the inflorescences of which were naturally or artificially oriented northward, eastward, southward, westward, or upward. Our study tested head diameter, seed weight, and seed number in a normal agronomic field setting being different from earlier investigations. The other difference was that we tested five head orientations and only East showed significantly increased seed weight and number. Using radiational computations, we showed that East facing ensures more absorbed light energy than other orientations, except upward. This finding can be one of the reasons for the maximal seed number and mass in East-facing sunflower capitula. Although upward-facing horizontal inflorescences absorbed maximal light energy, they had the fewest and lightest seeds probably because of the larger temperature and humidity as well as the too much sunlight, all three factors impairing the normal seed development. This study is the first that compares the seed traits of all head orientations of <i>Helianthus annuus</i> and proposes that the absorbed radiation could play a major role in the maximal seed number and mass of east-facing heads.</p>","PeriodicalId":74457,"journal":{"name":"Plant-environment interactions (Hoboken, N.J.)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10168033/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9583598","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Special Issue Second Call: Plant-environment interactions in Africa-Solutions to the challenges of environmental change.","authors":"Wayne Dawson, Stacy Singer, Abdelbagi Ismail","doi":"10.1002/pei3.10085","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/pei3.10085","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":74457,"journal":{"name":"Plant-environment interactions (Hoboken, N.J.)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10168035/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9583602","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Selections on emergence time might be conflicting, suggesting the existence of the optimal emergence time for plants. However, we know little about this and how morphological plasticity contributes to the strategies of plants in response to emergence timing. To better understand this issue from a dynamic perspective, we conducted a field experiment by subjecting plants of Abutilon theophrasti to four emergence treatments (ET1 ~ ET4) and measuring a number of mass and morphological traits on them at different growth stages (I ~ IV). On day 50, 70, and/or final harvest, among all ET treatments, plants germinated in late spring (ET2) performed the best in total mass, spring germinants (ET1) and ET2 performed better in stem allocation, stem, and root diameters than later germinants (ET3 and ET4); summer germinants (ET3) had the highest reproductive mass and allocation, while late-summer germinants (ET4) had the greatest leaf mass allocation, with greater or canalized leaf number, and root length traits than others. Plants that emerged in late spring can maximize their growth potential, while those with either advanced or delayed emergence are still capable of adaptation via allocation and morphological plasticity. Early germinants (ET1 and ET2) preferred stem growth to leaf and reproductive growth, due to sufficient time for reproduction in the growth season. With limited time for growth, plants that emerged late may prefer to quicken leaf growth (indicated by increased leaf mass allocation and leaf number) at the cost of stem or root growth for the complete life cycle, reflecting both positive and negative effects of delayed emergence.
{"title":"Dynamic morphological plasticity in response to emergence timing in <i>Abutilon theophrasti</i> (Malvaceae).","authors":"Shu Wang, Dao-Wei Zhou","doi":"10.1002/pei3.10084","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/pei3.10084","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Selections on emergence time might be conflicting, suggesting the existence of the optimal emergence time for plants. However, we know little about this and how morphological plasticity contributes to the strategies of plants in response to emergence timing. To better understand this issue from a dynamic perspective, we conducted a field experiment by subjecting plants of <i>Abutilon theophrasti</i> to four emergence treatments (ET1 ~ ET4) and measuring a number of mass and morphological traits on them at different growth stages (I ~ IV). On day 50, 70, and/or final harvest, among all ET treatments, plants germinated in late spring (ET2) performed the best in total mass, spring germinants (ET1) and ET2 performed better in stem allocation, stem, and root diameters than later germinants (ET3 and ET4); summer germinants (ET3) had the highest reproductive mass and allocation, while late-summer germinants (ET4) had the greatest leaf mass allocation, with greater or canalized leaf number, and root length traits than others. Plants that emerged in late spring can maximize their growth potential, while those with either advanced or delayed emergence are still capable of adaptation via allocation and morphological plasticity. Early germinants (ET1 and ET2) preferred stem growth to leaf and reproductive growth, due to sufficient time for reproduction in the growth season. With limited time for growth, plants that emerged late may prefer to quicken leaf growth (indicated by increased leaf mass allocation and leaf number) at the cost of stem or root growth for the complete life cycle, reflecting both positive and negative effects of delayed emergence.</p>","PeriodicalId":74457,"journal":{"name":"Plant-environment interactions (Hoboken, N.J.)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10168065/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9591895","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Moritz Schroll, Katharina Lenhart, Steffen Greiner, Frank Keppler
Methane (CH4) formation by vegetation has been studied intensively over the last 15 years. However, reported CH4 emissions vary by several orders of magnitude, thus making global estimates difficult. Moreover, the mechanism(s) for CH4 formation by plants is (are) largely unknown.Here, we introduce a new approach for making CH4 formation by plants clearly visible. By application of 13C-labeled dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) onto the leaves of tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacum) and Chinese silver grass (Miscanthus sinensis) the effect of light and dark conditions on CH4 formation of this pathway was examined by monitoring stable carbon isotope ratios of headspace CH4 (δ13C-CH4 values).Both plant species showed increasing headspace δ13C-CH4 values while exposed to light. Higher light intensities increased CH4 formation rates in N. tabacum but decreased rates for M. sinensis. In the dark no formation of CH4 could be detected for N. tabacum, while M. sinensis still produced ~50% of CH4 compared to that during light exposure.Our findings suggest that CH4 formation is clearly dependent on light conditions and plant species and thus indicate that DMSO is a potential precursor of vegetative CH4. The novel isotope approach has great potential to investigate, at high temporal resolution, physiological, and environmental factors that control pathway-specific CH4 emissions from plants.
{"title":"Making plant methane formation visible-Insights from application of <sup>13</sup>C-labeled dimethyl sulfoxide.","authors":"Moritz Schroll, Katharina Lenhart, Steffen Greiner, Frank Keppler","doi":"10.1002/pei3.10076","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/pei3.10076","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Methane (CH<sub>4</sub>) formation by vegetation has been studied intensively over the last 15 years. However, reported CH<sub>4</sub> emissions vary by several orders of magnitude, thus making global estimates difficult. Moreover, the mechanism(s) for CH<sub>4</sub> formation by plants is (are) largely unknown.Here, we introduce a new approach for making CH<sub>4</sub> formation by plants clearly visible. By application of <sup>13</sup>C-labeled dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) onto the leaves of tobacco plants (<i>Nicotiana tabacum</i>) and Chinese silver grass (<i>Miscanthus sinensis</i>) the effect of light and dark conditions on CH<sub>4</sub> formation of this pathway was examined by monitoring stable carbon isotope ratios of headspace CH<sub>4</sub> (δ<sup>13</sup>C-CH<sub>4</sub> values).Both plant species showed increasing headspace δ<sup>13</sup>C-CH<sub>4</sub> values while exposed to light. Higher light intensities increased CH<sub>4</sub> formation rates in <i>N. tabacum</i> but decreased rates for <i>M. sinensis</i>. In the dark no formation of CH<sub>4</sub> could be detected for <i>N. tabacum</i>, while <i>M. sinensis</i> still produced ~50% of CH<sub>4</sub> compared to that during light exposure.Our findings suggest that CH<sub>4</sub> formation is clearly dependent on light conditions and plant species and thus indicate that DMSO is a potential precursor of vegetative CH<sub>4</sub>. The novel isotope approach has great potential to investigate, at high temporal resolution, physiological, and environmental factors that control pathway-specific CH<sub>4</sub> emissions from plants.</p>","PeriodicalId":74457,"journal":{"name":"Plant-environment interactions (Hoboken, N.J.)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10168057/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9591896","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kennedy Odokonyero, Adair Gallo, Vinicius Dos Santos, Himanshu Mishra
Irrigated agriculture in arid and semi-arid regions is a vital contributor to the global food supply. However, these regions endure massive evaporative losses that are compensated by exploiting limited freshwater resources. To increase water-use efficiency in these giga-scale operations, plastic mulches are utilized; however, their non-biodegradability and eventual land-filling renders them unsustainable. In response, we have developed superhydrophobic sand (SHS) mulching technology that is comprised of sand grains or sandy soils with a nanoscale coating of paraffin wax. Here, we investigate the effects of 1 cm-thick SHS mulching on the evapotranspiration and phenotypic responses of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) plants as a model system under normal and reduced irrigation inside controlled growth chambers. Experimental results reveal that under either irrigation scenario, SHS mulching suppresses evaporation and enhances transpiration by 78% and 17%, respectively relative to the unmulched soil. Comprehensive phenotyping revealed that SHS mulching enhanced root xylem vessel diameter, stomatal aperture, stomatal conductance, and chlorophyll content index by 21%, 25%, 28%, and 23%, respectively, in comparison with the unmulched soil. Consequently, total fruit yields, total dry mass, and harvest index increased in SHS-mulched plants by 33%, 20%, and 16%, respectively compared with the unmulched soil. We also provide mechanistic insights into the effects of SHS mulching on plant physiological processes. These results underscore the potential of SHS for realizing food-water security and greening initiatives in arid regions.
{"title":"Effects of superhydrophobic sand mulching on evapotranspiration and phenotypic responses in tomato (<i>Solanum lycopersicum</i>) plants under normal and reduced irrigation.","authors":"Kennedy Odokonyero, Adair Gallo, Vinicius Dos Santos, Himanshu Mishra","doi":"10.1002/pei3.10074","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/pei3.10074","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Irrigated agriculture in arid and semi-arid regions is a vital contributor to the global food supply. However, these regions endure massive evaporative losses that are compensated by exploiting limited freshwater resources. To increase water-use efficiency in these giga-scale operations, plastic mulches are utilized; however, their non-biodegradability and eventual land-filling renders them unsustainable. In response, we have developed superhydrophobic sand (SHS) mulching technology that is comprised of sand grains or sandy soils with a nanoscale coating of paraffin wax. Here, we investigate the effects of 1 cm-thick SHS mulching on the evapotranspiration and phenotypic responses of tomato (<i>Solanum lycopersicum</i>) plants as a model system under normal and reduced irrigation inside controlled growth chambers. Experimental results reveal that under either irrigation scenario, SHS mulching suppresses evaporation and enhances transpiration by 78% and 17%, respectively relative to the unmulched soil. Comprehensive phenotyping revealed that SHS mulching enhanced root xylem vessel diameter, stomatal aperture, stomatal conductance, and chlorophyll content index by 21%, 25%, 28%, and 23%, respectively, in comparison with the unmulched soil. Consequently, total fruit yields, total dry mass, and harvest index increased in SHS-mulched plants by 33%, 20%, and 16%, respectively compared with the unmulched soil. We also provide mechanistic insights into the effects of SHS mulching on plant physiological processes. These results underscore the potential of SHS for realizing food-water security and greening initiatives in arid regions.</p>","PeriodicalId":74457,"journal":{"name":"Plant-environment interactions (Hoboken, N.J.)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10168038/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9645082","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Guanqiang Zuo, Robert M Aiken, Naijie Feng, Dianfeng Zheng, Haidong Zhao, Thomas J Avenson, Xiaomao Lin
Pulsed amplitude modulation (PAM) chlorophyll a fluorescence provides information about photosynthetic energy transduction. When reliably measured, chlorophyll a fluorescence provides detailed information about critical in vivo photosynthetic processes. Such information has recently provided novel and critical insights into how the yield potential of crops can be improved and it is being used to understand remotely sensed fluorescence, which is termed solar-induced fluorescence and will be solely measured by a satellite scheduled to be launched this year. While PAM chlorophyll a fluorometers measure fluorescence intensity per se, herein we articulate the axiomatic criteria by which instrumentally detected intensities can be assumed to assess fluorescence yield, a phenomenon quite different than fluorescence intensity and one that provides critical insight about how solar energy is variably partitioned into the biosphere. An integrated mathematical, phenomenological, and practical discussion of many useful chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters is presented. We draw attention to, and provide examples of, potential uncertainties that can result from incorrect methodological practices and potentially problematic instrumental design features. Fundamentals of fluorescence measurements are discussed, including the major assumptions underlying the signals and the methodological caveats about taking measurements during both dark- and light-adapted conditions. Key fluorescence parameters are discussed in the context of recent applications under environmental stress. Nuanced information that can be gleaned from intra-comparisons of fluorescence-derived parameters and intercomparisons of fluorescence-derived parameters with those based on other techniques is elucidated.
{"title":"Fresh perspectives on an established technique: Pulsed amplitude modulation chlorophyll <i>a</i> fluorescence.","authors":"Guanqiang Zuo, Robert M Aiken, Naijie Feng, Dianfeng Zheng, Haidong Zhao, Thomas J Avenson, Xiaomao Lin","doi":"10.1002/pei3.10073","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/pei3.10073","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Pulsed amplitude modulation (PAM) chlorophyll <i>a</i> fluorescence provides information about photosynthetic energy transduction. When reliably measured, chlorophyll <i>a</i> fluorescence provides detailed information about critical in vivo photosynthetic processes. Such information has recently provided novel and critical insights into how the yield potential of crops can be improved and it is being used to understand remotely sensed fluorescence, which is termed solar-induced fluorescence and will be solely measured by a satellite scheduled to be launched this year. While PAM chlorophyll <i>a</i> fluorometers measure fluorescence intensity <i>per se</i>, herein we articulate the axiomatic criteria by which instrumentally detected intensities can be assumed to assess <i>fluorescence yield</i>, a phenomenon quite different than fluorescence intensity and one that provides critical insight about how solar energy is variably partitioned into the biosphere. An integrated mathematical, phenomenological, and practical discussion of many useful chlorophyll <i>a</i> fluorescence parameters is presented. We draw attention to, and provide examples of, potential uncertainties that can result from incorrect methodological practices and potentially problematic instrumental design features. Fundamentals of fluorescence measurements are discussed, including the major assumptions underlying the signals and the methodological caveats about taking measurements during both dark- and light-adapted conditions. Key fluorescence parameters are discussed in the context of recent applications under environmental stress. Nuanced information that can be gleaned from intra-comparisons of fluorescence-derived parameters and intercomparisons of fluorescence-derived parameters with those based on other techniques is elucidated.</p>","PeriodicalId":74457,"journal":{"name":"Plant-environment interactions (Hoboken, N.J.)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10168060/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9595250","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract Fine root phenology is controlled by complex mechanisms associated with aboveground phenological events and environmental conditions, and therefore, elucidating fine root responses to changing environments remains difficult without considering the dynamics within and among years. This study evaluated the response of fine root growth at variable time scales to the surrounding environments of soil temperature and moisture at ecosystem scales. Optical scanners were used to measure fine root production over 4 years in two forests dominated by either cypress or deciduous oak trees. Correlations between fine root production and soil temperature and moisture were analyzed using the state‐space model. Fine root phenology varied among years in the cypress stand and showed stable growth patterns in the oak stand as production peaked in spring every year. Soil temperature had a dominant influence on fine root production, while soil moisture enhanced fine root growth especially in the oak stand. Fine root responses to both soil temperature and moisture peaked during the early growing season, indicating its own temperature hysteresis that means different responses under same temperature within a year. The time‐varying response of fine root growth to external factors is a key perspective to explain fine root growth mechanisms, and whether evergreen or deciduous habits differentiates the fine root phenology due to a linkage between above‐ and belowground resource dynamics.
{"title":"Time-varying response of fine root growth to soil temperature and soil moisture in cypress and deciduous oak forests.","authors":"Ryo Nakahata","doi":"10.1002/pei3.10072","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/pei3.10072","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Fine root phenology is controlled by complex mechanisms associated with aboveground phenological events and environmental conditions, and therefore, elucidating fine root responses to changing environments remains difficult without considering the dynamics within and among years. This study evaluated the response of fine root growth at variable time scales to the surrounding environments of soil temperature and moisture at ecosystem scales. Optical scanners were used to measure fine root production over 4 years in two forests dominated by either cypress or deciduous oak trees. Correlations between fine root production and soil temperature and moisture were analyzed using the state‐space model. Fine root phenology varied among years in the cypress stand and showed stable growth patterns in the oak stand as production peaked in spring every year. Soil temperature had a dominant influence on fine root production, while soil moisture enhanced fine root growth especially in the oak stand. Fine root responses to both soil temperature and moisture peaked during the early growing season, indicating its own temperature hysteresis that means different responses under same temperature within a year. The time‐varying response of fine root growth to external factors is a key perspective to explain fine root growth mechanisms, and whether evergreen or deciduous habits differentiates the fine root phenology due to a linkage between above‐ and belowground resource dynamics.","PeriodicalId":74457,"journal":{"name":"Plant-environment interactions (Hoboken, N.J.)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10168066/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9645088","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Genevieve Alexander, John Almendinger, Peter White
Nonnative European earthworms are invading hardwood forests of the Chippewa National Forest, MN. While effects on plant communities at the leading edge of invasion have been studied, little is known about longer-term effects of invasive earthworms. We applied a model using historic O-horizon soil thickness and a chronosequence approach to classify 41 hardwood sites in the Chippewa National Forest as "long-term wormed" (wormed >2 decades), "short-term wormed" or "unwormed/lightly wormed." Graminoids, especially Carex pensylvanica, had the greatest mean percent cover in sites that had been wormed for over two decades. The families with the greatest negative change in mean percent cover after over two decades of earthworm invasion were Asteraceae, Violaceae, and Sapindaceae (specifically Acer species). Across all diversity metrics measured, long-term wormed sites had the lowest understory plant species diversity, short-term wormed sites had intermediate diversity, and unwormed/lightly wormed sites exhibited the highest diversity. Long-term wormed sites had the lowest mean species richness across all sample scales (1-1024 m2). The greatest within-group compositional dissimilarity occurred at sites that had been wormed for over two decades, suggesting that sites that had been wormed for over two decades have not reached a compositionally similar end-state "wormed" community type. Our study suggests that understory diversity will decrease as hardwood forest stands become wormed over time. While our results support other findings that exotic earthworm invasion is associated with lower understory plant diversity in hardwood forests, our study was the first to use space-for-time substitution to document the effects after multiple decades of earthworm invasion.
{"title":"The long-term effects of invasive earthworms on plant community composition and diversity in a hardwood forest in northern Minnesota.","authors":"Genevieve Alexander, John Almendinger, Peter White","doi":"10.1002/pei3.10075","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/pei3.10075","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Nonnative European earthworms are invading hardwood forests of the Chippewa National Forest, MN. While effects on plant communities at the leading edge of invasion have been studied, little is known about longer-term effects of invasive earthworms. We applied a model using historic O-horizon soil thickness and a chronosequence approach to classify 41 hardwood sites in the Chippewa National Forest as \"long-term wormed\" (wormed >2 decades), \"short-term wormed\" or \"unwormed/lightly wormed.\" Graminoids, especially Carex pensylvanica, had the greatest mean percent cover in sites that had been wormed for over two decades. The families with the greatest negative change in mean percent cover after over two decades of earthworm invasion were Asteraceae, Violaceae, and Sapindaceae (specifically Acer species). Across all diversity metrics measured, long-term wormed sites had the lowest understory plant species diversity, short-term wormed sites had intermediate diversity, and unwormed/lightly wormed sites exhibited the highest diversity. Long-term wormed sites had the lowest mean species richness across all sample scales (1-1024 m<sup>2</sup>). The greatest within-group compositional dissimilarity occurred at sites that had been wormed for over two decades, suggesting that sites that had been wormed for over two decades have not reached a compositionally similar end-state \"wormed\" community type. Our study suggests that understory diversity will decrease as hardwood forest stands become wormed over time. While our results support other findings that exotic earthworm invasion is associated with lower understory plant diversity in hardwood forests, our study was the first to use space-for-time substitution to document the effects after multiple decades of earthworm invasion.</p>","PeriodicalId":74457,"journal":{"name":"Plant-environment interactions (Hoboken, N.J.)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10168095/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9595247","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Stress memory is a phenomenon whereby exposure to initial stress event influences a response to subsequent stress exposures. Studying stress memory is important to understand the cellular behavior in dynamic environment, especially nowadays, in times with growing environmental instability. Stress memory has been characterized in vascular plants but its occurrence in nonvascular plant species has been rarely investigated. We hypothesized that stress memory occurs in nonvascular plants in relation to metabolic stress. We sought to test it using accumulation of lipids (triacylglycerols) in model green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii subjected to nitrogen deprivation stress as a model system. Here, we established stress memory protocol on C. reinhardtii cells. Using a blend of microscopy and gas chromatography methods, we showed that the cells exposed to recurrent stress show differential accumulation of triacylglycerols on the quantitative level without qualitative changes in lipid composition, comparing to single stress controls. Overall, our results suggest that metabolic stress memory does occur in nonvascular plant C. reinhardtii and provides a starting point to characterize mechanistic principles of metabolic stress memory. Due to the commercial potential of algae, our findings are relevant for basic science, as well as industrial production of algae-derived compounds.
{"title":"<i>Chlamydomonas reinhardtii</i> exhibits stress memory in the accumulation of triacylglycerols induced by nitrogen deprivation.","authors":"Pawel Mikulski, Javier Santos-Aberturas","doi":"10.1002/pei3.10069","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/pei3.10069","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Stress memory is a phenomenon whereby exposure to initial stress event influences a response to subsequent stress exposures. Studying stress memory is important to understand the cellular behavior in dynamic environment, especially nowadays, in times with growing environmental instability. Stress memory has been characterized in vascular plants but its occurrence in nonvascular plant species has been rarely investigated. We hypothesized that stress memory occurs in nonvascular plants in relation to metabolic stress. We sought to test it using accumulation of lipids (triacylglycerols) in model green alga <i>Chlamydomonas reinhardtii</i> subjected to nitrogen deprivation stress as a model system. Here, we established stress memory protocol on <i>C. reinhardtii</i> cells. Using a blend of microscopy and gas chromatography methods, we showed that the cells exposed to recurrent stress show differential accumulation of triacylglycerols on the quantitative level without qualitative changes in lipid composition, comparing to single stress controls. Overall, our results suggest that metabolic stress memory does occur in nonvascular plant <i>C. reinhardtii</i> and provides a starting point to characterize mechanistic principles of metabolic stress memory. Due to the commercial potential of algae, our findings are relevant for basic science, as well as industrial production of algae-derived compounds.</p>","PeriodicalId":74457,"journal":{"name":"Plant-environment interactions (Hoboken, N.J.)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10168029/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9963427","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}