Pythium stalk rot(PSR)is a destructive disease of maize,severely affecting yield and grain quality.The identification of quantitative trait loci(QTL)or genes for resistance to PSR forms the basis of diseaseresistant h...Pythium stalk rot(PSR)is a destructive disease of maize,severely affecting yield and grain quality.The identification of quantitative trait loci(QTL)or genes for resistance to PSR forms the basis of diseaseresistant hybrids breeding.In this study,a major QTL,Resistance to Pythium stalk rot 1(RPSR1),was identified from a set of recombinant inbred lines derived from MS71 and POP.Using a recombinant progeny testing strategy,RPSR1 was fine-mapped in a 472 kb interval.Through candidate gene expression,gene knock-down and knock-out studies,a leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinase gene,PEP RECEPTOR 2(ZmPEPR2),was assigned as a PSR resistance gene.These results provide insights into the genetic architecture of resistance to PSR in maize,which should facilitate breeding maize for resistance to stalk rot.展开更多
Epigenetics-mediated breeding(epibreeding)involves engineering crop traits and stress responses through the targeted manipulation of key epigenetic features to enhance agricultural productivity.While conventional bree...Epigenetics-mediated breeding(epibreeding)involves engineering crop traits and stress responses through the targeted manipulation of key epigenetic features to enhance agricultural productivity.While conventional breeding methods raise concerns about reduced genetic diversity,epibreeding propels crop improvement through epigenetic variations that regulate gene expression,ultimately impacting crop yield.Epigenetic regulation in crops encompasses various modes,including histone modification,DNA modification,RNA modification,non-coding RNA,and chromatin remodeling.This review summarizes the epigenetic mechanisms underlying major agronomic traits in maize and identifies candidate epigenetic landmarks in the maize breeding process.We propose a valuable strategy for improving maize yield through epibreeding,combining CRISPR/Cas-based epigenome editing technology and Synthetic Epigenetics(SynEpi).Finally,we discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with maize trait improvement through epibreeding.展开更多
Heat stress hinders the growth and productivity of sweetpotato plants,predominantly through oxidative damage to cellular membranes.Therefore,the development of efficient approaches for mitigating heat-related impairme...Heat stress hinders the growth and productivity of sweetpotato plants,predominantly through oxidative damage to cellular membranes.Therefore,the development of efficient approaches for mitigating heat-related impairments is essential for the long-term production of sweetpotatoes.Melatonin has been recognised for its capacity to assist plants in dealing with abiotic stress conditions.This research aimed to investigate how different doses of exogenous melatonin influence heat damage in sweetpotato plants.Heat stress drastically affected shoot and root fresh weight by 31.8 and 44.5%,respectively.This reduction resulted in oxidative stress characterised by increased formation of hydrogen peroxide(H_(2)O_(2))by 804.4%,superoxide ion(O_(2)^(·-))by 211.5%and malondialdehyde(MDA)by 234.2%.Heat stress also reduced chlorophyll concentration,photosystemⅡefficiency(F_v/F_m)by 15.3%and gaseous exchange.However,pre-treatment with 100μmol L^(-1)melatonin increased growth and reduced oxidative damage to sweetpotato plants under heat stress.In particular,melatonin decreased H_(2)O_(2),O_(2)^(·-)and MDA by 64.8%,42.7%and 38.2%,respectively.Melatonin also mitigated the decline in chlorophyll levels and improved stomatal traits,gaseous exchange and F_(v)/F_(m)(13%).Results suggested that the favorable outcomes of melatonin treatment can be associated with elevated antioxidant enzyme activity and an increase in non-enzymatic antioxidants and osmo-protectants.Overall,these findings indicate that exogenous melatonin can improve heat stress tolerance in sweetpotatoes.This stu dy will assist re searchers in further investigating how melatonin makes sweetpotatoes more resistant to heat stress.展开更多
Assessing the threat status of species in response to global change is critical for biodiversity monitoring and conservation efforts.However,current frameworks,even the IUCN Red List,often neglect critical factors suc...Assessing the threat status of species in response to global change is critical for biodiversity monitoring and conservation efforts.However,current frameworks,even the IUCN Red List,often neglect critical factors such as genetic diversity and the impacts of climate and land-use changes,hindering effective conservation planning.To address these limitations,we developed an enhanced extinction risk assessment framework using Diploderma lizards as a model.This framework incorporates long-term field surveys,environmental data,and land-use information to predict distributional changes for 10 recently described Diploderma species on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau,which hold ecological significance but remain underassessed in conservation assessment.By integrating the distribution data and genetically inferred effective population sizes(Ne),we conducted scenario analyses and used a rank-sum approach to calculate Risk ranking scores(RRS)for each species.This approach revealed significant discrepancies with the IUCN Red List assessments.Notably,D.yangi and D.qilin were identified as facing the highest extinction risk.Furthermore,D.vela,D.batangense,D.flaviceps,D.dymondi,D.yulongense,and D.laeviventre,currently classified as“Least Concern”,were found to warrant reclassification as“Vulnerable”due to considerable threat from projected range contractions.Exploring the relationship between morphology and RRS revealed that traits such as snout-vent length and relative tail length could serve as potential predictors of extinction risk,offering preliminary metrics for assessing species vulnerability when comprehensive data are unavailable.This study enhances the precision of extinction risk assessment frameworks and demonstrates their capacity to refine and update risk assessments,especially for lesser-known taxa.展开更多
Introduction: Sickle cell disease is one of the most common autosomal recessive inherited diseases. Its prevalence is increasing due to the perpetuity of carriers of the trait who are able to marry. Women aged 18 to 3...Introduction: Sickle cell disease is one of the most common autosomal recessive inherited diseases. Its prevalence is increasing due to the perpetuity of carriers of the trait who are able to marry. Women aged 18 to 35 years constitute the most reproductive age group. This study was conducted with the aim of determining the prevalence of sickle cell trait among women aged 18 to 35 years and the attitude of women carriers towards the choice of a carrier spouse. Materials and methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study with analytical aims conducted from March to September 2024 in Kisangani. A total of 215 women aged 18 to 35 years presented for screening for sickle cell trait. This study described the following parameters: Sociodemographic data (age, level of education, socioeconomic level, marital status), obstetric and medical history (obstetric formula, sickle cell disease, high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, asthma), knowledge of sickle cell disease (etiological classification, transmission, prevention, high-risk marriages, clinical manifestations, progression of the disease), attitude of the woman in relation to the choice of an AS spouse, as well as the reasons justifying each attitude. Results: The prevalence of sickle cell trait was 23.7% (51/215). A total of 64.3% of respondents had accepted the choice of spouse before confirmation of carrier status and 73.8% had refused after confirmation of carrier status. Choice was significantly related to age (p-value = 0.027), occupation (p-value = 0.015), parity (p-value = 0.039) and gesture (p-value = 0.034) before test. The ignorance of the union at risk was associated with the risk (p = 0.005;OR: 9.10;CI 95%: 2.03 - 4.81) of accepting the choice of a spouse carrying the trait. Conclusion: The prevalence of sickle cell trait among women aged 18 to 35 years in Kisangani remains within the limits of that of the general population. The choice of a spouse carrying sickle cell trait is associated with the woman’s age, her profession, parity, gestation and her knowledge about high-risk unions. Screening campaigns and health education sessions enable women carrying sickle cell trait to make a wise choice.展开更多
The restoration of severely fragmented forests requires urgent guidance from succession theory.New theories and methods in plant functional ecology offer novel perspectives on the mechanisms that drive forest successi...The restoration of severely fragmented forests requires urgent guidance from succession theory.New theories and methods in plant functional ecology offer novel perspectives on the mechanisms that drive forest succession and productivity.Here,we established a restoration gradient of seven forest logging periods in temperate forests in China,and conducted systematic surveys on the leaf functional traits of all observed plant species,plant community structure,and soil properties.Inspired by the new concept of two-dimensional plant community traits(i.e.,efficiency and quantity traits)and plant trait networks(PTNs),we explored the adaptation mechanisms of forest communities along a restoration succession and their relationship to productivity.Efficiency and quantity traits initially increased and then stabilized,whereas multi-trait relationships(MR)exhibited fluctuations,with community resource utilization efficiency increasing initially before stabilization.As expected,productivity is poorly explained by either efficiency or quantity traits alone but is substantially better explained by their joint consideration as two-dimensional community traits.Among these,the efficiency and quantity traits of leaf area and leaf dry weight can explain up to 43%of productivity.Furthermore,MR exhibit a time-lag effect on productivity.A structural equation model(SEM)with time-lag analysis showed that efficiency traits,quantity traits,MR,and soil properties explained 64%of the spatial variation in productivity during forest succession.Efficiency and quantity traits directly regulated productivity,whereas soil properties and MR indirectly regulated productivity.Our findings are the first to demonstrate the regulation mechanisms between forest succession and productivity from the framework of efficiency traits-quantity traits-MR,providing theoretical guidance and a reference for ecological restoration,and predicting the spatial variation of forest productivity,especially at small scale.展开更多
Life-history traits represent evolutionary adaptations that mediate responses to external environments.Analyzing variation in these traits provides valuable insights into macroecological processes and supports the dev...Life-history traits represent evolutionary adaptations that mediate responses to external environments.Analyzing variation in these traits provides valuable insights into macroecological processes and supports the development of effective conservation and restoration strategies.However,large-scale biogeographic patterns in life-history trait diversity among terrestrial vertebrates remain insufficiently characterized,and the processes shaping these patterns are not well understood.This study integrated life-history and spatial distribution data for 2334 terrestrial vertebrate species in China,including 398 amphibians,211 reptiles,541 mammals,and 1184 birds,to evaluate spatial patterns of trait diversity and identify underlying drivers.Assemblages in South and Southwest China exhibited high species richness,substantial assemblage-level evolutionary distinctiveness,expanded trait volumes,and elevated trait densities compared to null expectations,indicating roles as both evolutionary museums and cradles.In contrast,assemblages on the Tibetan Plateau showed expanded trait volumes but low trait densities,reflecting niche expansion among limited taxa.These findings emphasize the importance of niche packing before assemblages reach environmental carrying limits.Assemblages with high evolutionary distinctiveness tended to display high trait volumes and low trait densities,suggesting a consistent relationship between phylogenetic structure and functional diversification.Among the four groups,amphibians showed the highest sensitivity to environmental variation,highlighting the need for focused conservation efforts.Overall,this study revealed pronounced spatial heterogeneity in trait diversity across China,shaped by species richness,evolutionary distinctiveness,and environmental variation,providing valuable insights for refining conservation priorities for terrestrial vertebrate taxa.展开更多
To screen high-quality early-maturing rapeseed germplasm resources,this study took six early-maturing Brassica napus varieties(ZY1,ZY2,ZY3,ZY4,ZY5,and ZY6)as research objects to compare and analyze their agronomic tra...To screen high-quality early-maturing rapeseed germplasm resources,this study took six early-maturing Brassica napus varieties(ZY1,ZY2,ZY3,ZY4,ZY5,and ZY6)as research objects to compare and analyze their agronomic traits,resistance,and yield traits.The results showed that the six early-maturing rapeseed varieties exhibited strong pre-winter growth,with the number of green leaf on the main stem ranging from 9.0 to 11.6,the total leaf number of main stem from 11.8 to 14.2,the maximum leaf length on main stem from 41.28 cm to 47.54 cm,the maximum leaf width from 12.02 cm to 13.38 cm,and the rhizome thickness from 20.64 mm to 25.82 mm.The order of green leaf,total leaf,maximum leaf length,and rhizome thickness from high to low across varieties was ZY1>ZY2>ZY3>ZY4>ZY5>ZY6,while the maximum leaf width followed ZY2>ZY1>ZY3>ZY4>ZY5>ZY6.Compared with other varieties,ZY1 and ZY2 had earlier bolting,initial flowering,final flowering,and harvesting times.The growth periods of the varieties were 183-189 d,with ZY1 being the shortest(183 d)and ZY2 following(185 d).Resistance investigations showed that ZY1 had the lowest freeze damage rate(13%)and freeze damage index(0.043),followed by ZY2(15%and 0.060).No Sclerotinia stem rot was observed at the seedling stage,while all varieties developed the disease at maturity;ZY1 had the lowest incidence(15%)and disease index(0.050),followed by ZY2(18%and 0.070).In terms of yield traits,the yield per plant of the six varieties ranged from 11.46 g to 14.53 g,with ZY1 being the highest(14.53 g)and ZY2 following(13.42 g).In conclusion,ZY1 and ZY2 exhibited vigorous pre-winter growth,early bolting and flowering,short growth periods,strong freeze and disease resistance,and high yield per plant,making them ideal materials for early-maturing rapeseed breeding.展开更多
The karst forest in southwestern China is characterized by thin soil layers,numerous fissures and holes,resulting in low soil water availability and poor water retention,making it challenging for plant growth and surv...The karst forest in southwestern China is characterized by thin soil layers,numerous fissures and holes,resulting in low soil water availability and poor water retention,making it challenging for plant growth and survival.While the relationship between plant functional traits and tree growth performance has been extensively studied,the links between tree seasonal growth and drought-tolerant traits in tree species with different leaf habit remains poorly understood.This study evaluated the associations between four-year averaged rainy season stem diameter growth rate and 17 branch and leaf traits across evergreen and deciduous species in a tropical karst forest in southwest China.The cross-species variations in tree growth rates were related to plant hydraulic traits(e.g.,vessel lumen diameter,xylem vessel density,stomatal density,and stomatal size)and leaf anatomical traits(e.g.,total leaf thickness,lower/upper epidermis thickness,and spongy thickness).The growth of evergreen trees exhibited lower hydraulic efficiency but greater drought tolerance than deciduous tree,which enabled them to maintain higher persistence under low soil water availability and consequently a relatively longer growing season.In contrast,deciduous species showed no correlation between their functional traits and growth rate.The distinct water use strategies of evergreen and deciduous trees may offer a potential explanation for their co-existence in the tropical karst forests.展开更多
Objective:The combination of science and art in nursing is essential for providing effective care.Since art is inherent and a part of human personality traits,it is believed that nurses’personality traits are importa...Objective:The combination of science and art in nursing is essential for providing effective care.Since art is inherent and a part of human personality traits,it is believed that nurses’personality traits are important to achieve this cohesive combination in nursing.Accordingly,this study was conducted to determine the relationship between nurses’personality traits and the esthetics of nursing care.Methods:A cross-sectional descriptive design was employed.Study participants that consisted of 95 nurses and 285 patients from health centers in Iran were selected by convenience sampling method.Measures included the five-factor personality questionnaires(NEO-FFI)scale and Esthetics of Nursing Care Scale(ENCS).Results:The findings indicated a significant relationship between neuroticism(r=−0.149,P=0.028)and extraversion traits(r=0.136,P=0.045)of nurses in esthetics nursing care.In this study,no significant relationship was found between the personality traits and esthetics of nursing care using nurses’demographic information.Conclusions:The esthetics of nursing care depends on nurse personality traits.Since the art of nursing complements the expected care,it is suggested that nursing managers pay attention to the personality traits of nurses in planning to provide effective care.展开更多
Habitat fragmentation dramatically reshapes species richness and community composition.However,most estimates ofβ-diversity rely on incidence-based metrics,which consider only species presence/absence.Here,we introdu...Habitat fragmentation dramatically reshapes species richness and community composition.However,most estimates ofβ-diversity rely on incidence-based metrics,which consider only species presence/absence.Here,we introduce a novel framework that explicitly incorporates species abundance and intraspecifictrait variation(ITV)into the quantificationof taxonomic,functional,and phylogeneticβ-diversity,allowing a more nuanced understanding of community differentiation.To demonstrate the utility of this framework,we quantifiedthe effects of island area and isolation onβ-diversity across plant communities in China's Thousand Island Lake.Abundance-weighted taxonomic multiple-site/pairwiseβ-diversity showed substantially higher nestedness and stronger nestedness-area relationship than incidence-based metrics,indicating that species-poor communities are not only subsets of richer ones but share similar abundance hierarchies,highlighting strong environmental filteringand hierarchical species sorting.We also found that the turnover component was less sensitive to isolation,suggesting limited dispersal effects.Incidence-based functional and phylogenetic distances increased with differences in island area,but these associations weakened or disappeared in abundance-weighted measures,suggesting stronger environmental filteringand functional/phylogenetic clustering among larger islands.Only abundance-weighted standardized effect sizes increased with island area differences.Additionally,ITV further amplifiedfunctional nestedness and buffered the influenceof isolation on turnover,emphasizing its role in mitigating dispersal limitations.By jointly considering abundance and ITV,two often-overlooked but critical dimensions,this study advances our understanding of how fragmentation shapesβ-diversity.These findingshighlight the importance of integrating abundanceweighted and trait-based metrics into conservation strategies to better detect functionally important species,prioritize larger habitat patches,and design biodiversity monitoring that captures withinspecies variation.展开更多
Amomum tsaoko Crevost&Lemarie is a perennial herb belonging to the genus Amomum in the family Zingiberaceae(Fig.S1;Wu and Kai,2000).It is primarily distributed in southern China,with smaller populations occurring ...Amomum tsaoko Crevost&Lemarie is a perennial herb belonging to the genus Amomum in the family Zingiberaceae(Fig.S1;Wu and Kai,2000).It is primarily distributed in southern China,with smaller populations occurring in northern Vietnam(Yang et al.,2022).The dried fruit of A.tsaoko is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine for treating gastrointestinal disorders,vomiting,and malaria(Chinese Pharmacopoeia Commission,2025).展开更多
Heading date is one of the most important agronomic traits that directly affect rice yield and determines the regional adaptability in specific growing environments.As a short-day plant,rice can grow under long-day(LD...Heading date is one of the most important agronomic traits that directly affect rice yield and determines the regional adaptability in specific growing environments.As a short-day plant,rice can grow under long-day(LD)conditions due to the synergistic regulation of many photosensitive genes.Using a set of chromosome segment substitution lines(CSSLs)with the indica cultivar Huanghuazhan(HHZ)as the recipient parent and Basmati Surkh 89-15(BAS)as the donor parent,we identified a QTL locus.展开更多
This study investigated the political,economic,social,and cultural environment perceptions on international students that define their acculturation and health related quality of life.Participants were 117 internation...This study investigated the political,economic,social,and cultural environment perceptions on international students that define their acculturation and health related quality of life.Participants were 117 international students from 32 countries attending a Chinese university(females=43%,mean age=21.17 years,SD=4.45 years).They reported on their acculturation to China and physical and psychological well-being.Results from t-tests and correlation analyses indicate political liberals had more positive attitudes toward China than the conservatives,and higher self-reported physical and psychological results.Higher scores on the“interdependence”dimension of self-construal,as well as the“extraversion”and“emotional stability”dimensions of personality traits,were associated with more positive views of China and better health outcomes.These findings are consistent with Berry’s framework for acculturation,which posits that individual-level variables are related to cultural adaptation,and that cultural adaptation is associated with improved physical and mental health.International student offices at host universities should implement comprehensive support programs,including language assistance,cultural orientation,and social integration initiatives to effectively enhance the health related quality of life of international students.展开更多
Root anatomical traits play an important role in understanding the link between root physiological function and ecological process. To determine how plants change root anatomical traits to adapt to distinct environmen...Root anatomical traits play an important role in understanding the link between root physiological function and ecological process. To determine how plants change root anatomical traits to adapt to distinct environments, we measured four key root anatomical traits-stele diameter(SD), cortex thickness(CT), root diameter(RD), and the stele to root diameter ratio(SDRD)-of first-order roots of 82species collected from different vegetation zones along a 2000 m altitudinal gradient on the northern slope of Taibai Mountain. Compared with other altitudes, plants located in temperate birch and fir forests had thinner SD, CT, RD, and SDRD. We found that elevational variation in root anatomical traits could largely be explained by phylogenetic taxonomy(clade). In addition, changes in SD were driven by soil bulk density, whereas variations in CT and RD were influenced by soil available nitrogen. When phylogenetic factors were removed from our analysis, allometric relationships between RD and root anatomical traits(SD and CT) were observed across different altitudes. Our study reveals the influence of phylogeny and environment on the elevational variation in root anatomical traits and further supports the allometric relationship between root anatomical traits(SD and CT) and RD. These findings enhance our understanding of the evolutionary and adaptive mechanisms of root anatomical structures, providing a basis for predicting how root anatomical traits respond to global changes.展开更多
Rapid urbanization has contributed to global increases in air pollution derived from urban areas.Unlike natural forests,urban forests are exposed to higher concentrations of airborne pollutants due to the strong urban...Rapid urbanization has contributed to global increases in air pollution derived from urban areas.Unlike natural forests,urban forests are exposed to higher concentrations of airborne pollutants due to the strong urban-suburban-rural pollutant emission gradients.However,there remains a pressing lack of available information pertaining to the urban air pollutionrelated effects on the leaf economics spectrum,anatomical,ultrastructural,and stomatal traits of tree species along an urban-rural gradient.Here,the degree to which urban air pollution impacts the adaption of greening tree species and associated service functions was assessed by sampling five common tree species(Acer pictum,Fraxinus chinensis,Koelreuteria paniculata,Salix babylonica,Sophora japonica)along urban-rural-natural forests in the Beijing metropolitan region of China.These analyses revealed a significant reduction in leaf mass per unit area(-13.4%),leaf thickness(-16.7%),and stomatal area(-27.5%)with increasing proximity to areas of greater air pollution that coincide with significant increases in leaf tissue density(+12.6%),leaf nitrogen content(+10.1%),relative chlorophyll content(+2.7%),and stomatal density(+11.9%).Higher air pollution levels were associated with organelle changes including gradual disintegration of chloroplasts,larger intercellular spaces and apparent starch and plastoglobuli deposition.Air pollutionwas conducive to the strengthening of the trade-off potential and adaptation strategies of trees in urban ecosystems,which are associated with trees with a rapid investment return strategy associated with thick leaves and strong photosynthetic capacity.These results provide strong empirical evidence of the profound air pollution-induced changes in leaf functional traits and adaption ability of urban forest tree species.展开更多
Efficient and accurate identification of candidate causal genes within quantitative trait loci(QTL)is a significant challenge in genetic research.Conventional linkage analysis methods often require substantial time an...Efficient and accurate identification of candidate causal genes within quantitative trait loci(QTL)is a significant challenge in genetic research.Conventional linkage analysis methods often require substantial time and resources to identify causal genes.This paper proposes a QTG-LGBM method for prioritizing causal genes in maize based on the Light GBM algorithm.QTG-LGBM dynamically adjusts gene weights and sample proportions during training to mitigate the effects of class imbalance.The method prevents overfitting in datasets with small samples by introducing a regularization term.Experimental results on maize traits,including plant height(PH),flowering time(FT),and tassel branch number(TBN),demonstrated that QTG-LGBM outperforms the commonly used methods QTG-Finder,GBDT,XGBoost,Bernoulli NB,SVM,CNN,and ensemble learning.We validated the generalization of QTG-LGBM using Arabidopsis,rice,Setaria,and sorghum.We also applied QTG-LGBM using reported QTL that affect traits of maize PH,FT and TBN,and FT in Arabidopsis,rice,and sorghum,as well as known causal genes within the QTL.When examining the top 20%of ranked genes,QTG-LGBM demonstrated a significantly higher recall rate of causal genes compared to random selection methods.We identified key gene features affecting phenotypes through feature importance analysis.QTG-LGBM is available at http://www.deepcba.com/QTG-LGBM.展开更多
Litchi(Litchi chinensis Sonn.),an important fruit tree in tropical and subtropical regions,possesses substantial economic value.The branchand leaf-related traits of litchi have a significant impact on litchi yield and...Litchi(Litchi chinensis Sonn.),an important fruit tree in tropical and subtropical regions,possesses substantial economic value.The branchand leaf-related traits of litchi have a significant impact on litchi yield and quality.However,due to limitations such as the density of the genetic linkage map,there have been few studies on mapping QTLs of branch-and leaf-related traits.In this study,a high-density genetic map was constructed by next-generation sequencing(NGS)using an F_(1) population of 264 progenies,derived from the cross between the cultivars‘Sanyuehong'and‘Ziniangxi'.A total of 2574 high-quality BINs(binomial intervals)were obtained,and a genetic linkage map was constructed with a total length of 1753.3 cM and an average marker distance of 0.68 cM.With the genetic map and the phenotyping of single leaf length(SLL),single leaf width(SLW),leaf shape index(LSI),weight of specific leaf(WSL),petiole length(PL)and compound leaf length(CLL)measured in three seasons,11,9,9,10,9 and 12 QTLs were detected for SLL,SLW,WSL,LSI,PL and CLL traits,respectively.Among these QTLs,five QTLs were consistently detected in two seasons and 12 pleiotropic QTLs were identified for at least two traits.These findings will provide new insights for the gene cloning for branch-and leaf-related traits as well as marker-assisted selection(MAS).展开更多
Male fiddler crabs own an enlarged claw which is a weapon and an ornament.The enlargement of this claw begins from the juvenile stage and continues throughout life.Males may voluntarily lose(i.e.,autotomize)this claw....Male fiddler crabs own an enlarged claw which is a weapon and an ornament.The enlargement of this claw begins from the juvenile stage and continues throughout life.Males may voluntarily lose(i.e.,autotomize)this claw.After several molts males may regenerate a new claw,called leptochelous,which acquires a similar length but a lower muscle mass area than the original one,called brachychelous.In some species,regenerated claws develop permanently as leptochelous,the population having 2 discrete claw morphologies.Other species present morphological variations with leptochelous and brachychelous being 2 ends of a continuum.In the species Leptuca uruguayensis,we studied the morphological variation of this enlarged claw,whether it may be caused by its regeneration at different male sizes,and its consequences on mating success.We found that claws could not be discriminated as discrete morphs,suggesting a morphological continuum from brachychelous to leptochelous.Regenerated claws in the laboratory were initially small and proportional to body size,although a field experiment confirmed that claw size is recovered after several molts.Morphological variation may be caused by energetic limitations where males of different sizes must differently trade-off between restitution of claw length(ornament function)or claw muscle area(weapon function).Fiddler crabs use 2 mating tactics with different levels of female choice.However,regardless of the mating tactic,leptochelous males were at a disadvantage at high densities,although not at low densities,suggesting that the consequences of autotomy and regeneration on mating success may depend on the social context.展开更多
Wheat(Triticum aestivum L.)is an important staple food crop in the world and supplies about 20%of human caloric and protein consumption(Giraldo et al.,2019;Xiao et al.,2022).Wheat production accounts for~30%of global ...Wheat(Triticum aestivum L.)is an important staple food crop in the world and supplies about 20%of human caloric and protein consumption(Giraldo et al.,2019;Xiao et al.,2022).Wheat production accounts for~30%of global cereal crops(Li et al.,2019).With the global population increasing and the frequency of natural disasters rising,enhancing wheat yield is crucial to meet food demand.Spike traits such as increased grain number per spike are key determinants of wheat yield.Pre-harvest sprouting(PHS)is a significant natural disaster that severely impacts grain yield and end-use quality of wheat(Tai et al.,2021,2024).展开更多
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(32302371 to Junbin Chen)the National Key Research and Development Program,Ministry of Science and Technology of China(2022YFD1201802 to Wangsheng Zhu)Research Program from State Key Laboratory of Maize Biobreeding(SKLMB2424 to Wangsheng Zhu).
文摘Pythium stalk rot(PSR)is a destructive disease of maize,severely affecting yield and grain quality.The identification of quantitative trait loci(QTL)or genes for resistance to PSR forms the basis of diseaseresistant hybrids breeding.In this study,a major QTL,Resistance to Pythium stalk rot 1(RPSR1),was identified from a set of recombinant inbred lines derived from MS71 and POP.Using a recombinant progeny testing strategy,RPSR1 was fine-mapped in a 472 kb interval.Through candidate gene expression,gene knock-down and knock-out studies,a leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinase gene,PEP RECEPTOR 2(ZmPEPR2),was assigned as a PSR resistance gene.These results provide insights into the genetic architecture of resistance to PSR in maize,which should facilitate breeding maize for resistance to stalk rot.
基金supported by funding from the National Key R&D Program of China(2023ZD0407304)the Sci-Tech Innovation 2030 Agenda(2022ZD0115703)Fundamental Research Funds for Central Non-Profit of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences(Y2023PT20).
文摘Epigenetics-mediated breeding(epibreeding)involves engineering crop traits and stress responses through the targeted manipulation of key epigenetic features to enhance agricultural productivity.While conventional breeding methods raise concerns about reduced genetic diversity,epibreeding propels crop improvement through epigenetic variations that regulate gene expression,ultimately impacting crop yield.Epigenetic regulation in crops encompasses various modes,including histone modification,DNA modification,RNA modification,non-coding RNA,and chromatin remodeling.This review summarizes the epigenetic mechanisms underlying major agronomic traits in maize and identifies candidate epigenetic landmarks in the maize breeding process.We propose a valuable strategy for improving maize yield through epibreeding,combining CRISPR/Cas-based epigenome editing technology and Synthetic Epigenetics(SynEpi).Finally,we discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with maize trait improvement through epibreeding.
基金supported jointly by the earmarked fund for CARS-10-GW2the key research and development program of Hainan Province(Grant No.ZDYF2020226)+1 种基金Collaborative innovation center of Nanfan and high-efficiency tropical agriculture,Hainan University(Grant No.XTCX2022NYC21)funding of Hainan University[Grant No.KYQD(ZR)22123]。
文摘Heat stress hinders the growth and productivity of sweetpotato plants,predominantly through oxidative damage to cellular membranes.Therefore,the development of efficient approaches for mitigating heat-related impairments is essential for the long-term production of sweetpotatoes.Melatonin has been recognised for its capacity to assist plants in dealing with abiotic stress conditions.This research aimed to investigate how different doses of exogenous melatonin influence heat damage in sweetpotato plants.Heat stress drastically affected shoot and root fresh weight by 31.8 and 44.5%,respectively.This reduction resulted in oxidative stress characterised by increased formation of hydrogen peroxide(H_(2)O_(2))by 804.4%,superoxide ion(O_(2)^(·-))by 211.5%and malondialdehyde(MDA)by 234.2%.Heat stress also reduced chlorophyll concentration,photosystemⅡefficiency(F_v/F_m)by 15.3%and gaseous exchange.However,pre-treatment with 100μmol L^(-1)melatonin increased growth and reduced oxidative damage to sweetpotato plants under heat stress.In particular,melatonin decreased H_(2)O_(2),O_(2)^(·-)and MDA by 64.8%,42.7%and 38.2%,respectively.Melatonin also mitigated the decline in chlorophyll levels and improved stomatal traits,gaseous exchange and F_(v)/F_(m)(13%).Results suggested that the favorable outcomes of melatonin treatment can be associated with elevated antioxidant enzyme activity and an increase in non-enzymatic antioxidants and osmo-protectants.Overall,these findings indicate that exogenous melatonin can improve heat stress tolerance in sweetpotatoes.This stu dy will assist re searchers in further investigating how melatonin makes sweetpotatoes more resistant to heat stress.
基金supported by the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program (STEP,2019QZKK0402)Science and Technology Plan Project of Xizang Autonomous Region to Y.Q. (XZ202201ZY0030G)National Natural Science Foundation of China (32201424 to Z.Y.L.and 31872233 to Y.Q.)。
文摘Assessing the threat status of species in response to global change is critical for biodiversity monitoring and conservation efforts.However,current frameworks,even the IUCN Red List,often neglect critical factors such as genetic diversity and the impacts of climate and land-use changes,hindering effective conservation planning.To address these limitations,we developed an enhanced extinction risk assessment framework using Diploderma lizards as a model.This framework incorporates long-term field surveys,environmental data,and land-use information to predict distributional changes for 10 recently described Diploderma species on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau,which hold ecological significance but remain underassessed in conservation assessment.By integrating the distribution data and genetically inferred effective population sizes(Ne),we conducted scenario analyses and used a rank-sum approach to calculate Risk ranking scores(RRS)for each species.This approach revealed significant discrepancies with the IUCN Red List assessments.Notably,D.yangi and D.qilin were identified as facing the highest extinction risk.Furthermore,D.vela,D.batangense,D.flaviceps,D.dymondi,D.yulongense,and D.laeviventre,currently classified as“Least Concern”,were found to warrant reclassification as“Vulnerable”due to considerable threat from projected range contractions.Exploring the relationship between morphology and RRS revealed that traits such as snout-vent length and relative tail length could serve as potential predictors of extinction risk,offering preliminary metrics for assessing species vulnerability when comprehensive data are unavailable.This study enhances the precision of extinction risk assessment frameworks and demonstrates their capacity to refine and update risk assessments,especially for lesser-known taxa.
文摘Introduction: Sickle cell disease is one of the most common autosomal recessive inherited diseases. Its prevalence is increasing due to the perpetuity of carriers of the trait who are able to marry. Women aged 18 to 35 years constitute the most reproductive age group. This study was conducted with the aim of determining the prevalence of sickle cell trait among women aged 18 to 35 years and the attitude of women carriers towards the choice of a carrier spouse. Materials and methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study with analytical aims conducted from March to September 2024 in Kisangani. A total of 215 women aged 18 to 35 years presented for screening for sickle cell trait. This study described the following parameters: Sociodemographic data (age, level of education, socioeconomic level, marital status), obstetric and medical history (obstetric formula, sickle cell disease, high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, asthma), knowledge of sickle cell disease (etiological classification, transmission, prevention, high-risk marriages, clinical manifestations, progression of the disease), attitude of the woman in relation to the choice of an AS spouse, as well as the reasons justifying each attitude. Results: The prevalence of sickle cell trait was 23.7% (51/215). A total of 64.3% of respondents had accepted the choice of spouse before confirmation of carrier status and 73.8% had refused after confirmation of carrier status. Choice was significantly related to age (p-value = 0.027), occupation (p-value = 0.015), parity (p-value = 0.039) and gesture (p-value = 0.034) before test. The ignorance of the union at risk was associated with the risk (p = 0.005;OR: 9.10;CI 95%: 2.03 - 4.81) of accepting the choice of a spouse carrying the trait. Conclusion: The prevalence of sickle cell trait among women aged 18 to 35 years in Kisangani remains within the limits of that of the general population. The choice of a spouse carrying sickle cell trait is associated with the woman’s age, her profession, parity, gestation and her knowledge about high-risk unions. Screening campaigns and health education sessions enable women carrying sickle cell trait to make a wise choice.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(32301362,42301544,32430067)。
文摘The restoration of severely fragmented forests requires urgent guidance from succession theory.New theories and methods in plant functional ecology offer novel perspectives on the mechanisms that drive forest succession and productivity.Here,we established a restoration gradient of seven forest logging periods in temperate forests in China,and conducted systematic surveys on the leaf functional traits of all observed plant species,plant community structure,and soil properties.Inspired by the new concept of two-dimensional plant community traits(i.e.,efficiency and quantity traits)and plant trait networks(PTNs),we explored the adaptation mechanisms of forest communities along a restoration succession and their relationship to productivity.Efficiency and quantity traits initially increased and then stabilized,whereas multi-trait relationships(MR)exhibited fluctuations,with community resource utilization efficiency increasing initially before stabilization.As expected,productivity is poorly explained by either efficiency or quantity traits alone but is substantially better explained by their joint consideration as two-dimensional community traits.Among these,the efficiency and quantity traits of leaf area and leaf dry weight can explain up to 43%of productivity.Furthermore,MR exhibit a time-lag effect on productivity.A structural equation model(SEM)with time-lag analysis showed that efficiency traits,quantity traits,MR,and soil properties explained 64%of the spatial variation in productivity during forest succession.Efficiency and quantity traits directly regulated productivity,whereas soil properties and MR indirectly regulated productivity.Our findings are the first to demonstrate the regulation mechanisms between forest succession and productivity from the framework of efficiency traits-quantity traits-MR,providing theoretical guidance and a reference for ecological restoration,and predicting the spatial variation of forest productivity,especially at small scale.
基金supported by the National Key Program of Research and Development,Ministry of Science and Technology(2022YFF1301401,2022YFF0802300)National Natural Science Foundation of China(32370553)+3 种基金Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program(STEP,2019QZKK0501)China Biodiversity Observation Networks(Sino BON)Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(SWU-KR24004)Scientific Research Innovation Project of Graduate Student of Southwest University(SWUB23080)。
文摘Life-history traits represent evolutionary adaptations that mediate responses to external environments.Analyzing variation in these traits provides valuable insights into macroecological processes and supports the development of effective conservation and restoration strategies.However,large-scale biogeographic patterns in life-history trait diversity among terrestrial vertebrates remain insufficiently characterized,and the processes shaping these patterns are not well understood.This study integrated life-history and spatial distribution data for 2334 terrestrial vertebrate species in China,including 398 amphibians,211 reptiles,541 mammals,and 1184 birds,to evaluate spatial patterns of trait diversity and identify underlying drivers.Assemblages in South and Southwest China exhibited high species richness,substantial assemblage-level evolutionary distinctiveness,expanded trait volumes,and elevated trait densities compared to null expectations,indicating roles as both evolutionary museums and cradles.In contrast,assemblages on the Tibetan Plateau showed expanded trait volumes but low trait densities,reflecting niche expansion among limited taxa.These findings emphasize the importance of niche packing before assemblages reach environmental carrying limits.Assemblages with high evolutionary distinctiveness tended to display high trait volumes and low trait densities,suggesting a consistent relationship between phylogenetic structure and functional diversification.Among the four groups,amphibians showed the highest sensitivity to environmental variation,highlighting the need for focused conservation efforts.Overall,this study revealed pronounced spatial heterogeneity in trait diversity across China,shaped by species richness,evolutionary distinctiveness,and environmental variation,providing valuable insights for refining conservation priorities for terrestrial vertebrate taxa.
文摘To screen high-quality early-maturing rapeseed germplasm resources,this study took six early-maturing Brassica napus varieties(ZY1,ZY2,ZY3,ZY4,ZY5,and ZY6)as research objects to compare and analyze their agronomic traits,resistance,and yield traits.The results showed that the six early-maturing rapeseed varieties exhibited strong pre-winter growth,with the number of green leaf on the main stem ranging from 9.0 to 11.6,the total leaf number of main stem from 11.8 to 14.2,the maximum leaf length on main stem from 41.28 cm to 47.54 cm,the maximum leaf width from 12.02 cm to 13.38 cm,and the rhizome thickness from 20.64 mm to 25.82 mm.The order of green leaf,total leaf,maximum leaf length,and rhizome thickness from high to low across varieties was ZY1>ZY2>ZY3>ZY4>ZY5>ZY6,while the maximum leaf width followed ZY2>ZY1>ZY3>ZY4>ZY5>ZY6.Compared with other varieties,ZY1 and ZY2 had earlier bolting,initial flowering,final flowering,and harvesting times.The growth periods of the varieties were 183-189 d,with ZY1 being the shortest(183 d)and ZY2 following(185 d).Resistance investigations showed that ZY1 had the lowest freeze damage rate(13%)and freeze damage index(0.043),followed by ZY2(15%and 0.060).No Sclerotinia stem rot was observed at the seedling stage,while all varieties developed the disease at maturity;ZY1 had the lowest incidence(15%)and disease index(0.050),followed by ZY2(18%and 0.070).In terms of yield traits,the yield per plant of the six varieties ranged from 11.46 g to 14.53 g,with ZY1 being the highest(14.53 g)and ZY2 following(13.42 g).In conclusion,ZY1 and ZY2 exhibited vigorous pre-winter growth,early bolting and flowering,short growth periods,strong freeze and disease resistance,and high yield per plant,making them ideal materials for early-maturing rapeseed breeding.
基金financially funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(3186113307,31770533,31870591)the West Light Talent Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(xbzg-zdsys-202218).
文摘The karst forest in southwestern China is characterized by thin soil layers,numerous fissures and holes,resulting in low soil water availability and poor water retention,making it challenging for plant growth and survival.While the relationship between plant functional traits and tree growth performance has been extensively studied,the links between tree seasonal growth and drought-tolerant traits in tree species with different leaf habit remains poorly understood.This study evaluated the associations between four-year averaged rainy season stem diameter growth rate and 17 branch and leaf traits across evergreen and deciduous species in a tropical karst forest in southwest China.The cross-species variations in tree growth rates were related to plant hydraulic traits(e.g.,vessel lumen diameter,xylem vessel density,stomatal density,and stomatal size)and leaf anatomical traits(e.g.,total leaf thickness,lower/upper epidermis thickness,and spongy thickness).The growth of evergreen trees exhibited lower hydraulic efficiency but greater drought tolerance than deciduous tree,which enabled them to maintain higher persistence under low soil water availability and consequently a relatively longer growing season.In contrast,deciduous species showed no correlation between their functional traits and growth rate.The distinct water use strategies of evergreen and deciduous trees may offer a potential explanation for their co-existence in the tropical karst forests.
文摘Objective:The combination of science and art in nursing is essential for providing effective care.Since art is inherent and a part of human personality traits,it is believed that nurses’personality traits are important to achieve this cohesive combination in nursing.Accordingly,this study was conducted to determine the relationship between nurses’personality traits and the esthetics of nursing care.Methods:A cross-sectional descriptive design was employed.Study participants that consisted of 95 nurses and 285 patients from health centers in Iran were selected by convenience sampling method.Measures included the five-factor personality questionnaires(NEO-FFI)scale and Esthetics of Nursing Care Scale(ENCS).Results:The findings indicated a significant relationship between neuroticism(r=−0.149,P=0.028)and extraversion traits(r=0.136,P=0.045)of nurses in esthetics nursing care.In this study,no significant relationship was found between the personality traits and esthetics of nursing care using nurses’demographic information.Conclusions:The esthetics of nursing care depends on nurse personality traits.Since the art of nursing complements the expected care,it is suggested that nursing managers pay attention to the personality traits of nurses in planning to provide effective care.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(grant no.32371603,31901211 and 31930073).
文摘Habitat fragmentation dramatically reshapes species richness and community composition.However,most estimates ofβ-diversity rely on incidence-based metrics,which consider only species presence/absence.Here,we introduce a novel framework that explicitly incorporates species abundance and intraspecifictrait variation(ITV)into the quantificationof taxonomic,functional,and phylogeneticβ-diversity,allowing a more nuanced understanding of community differentiation.To demonstrate the utility of this framework,we quantifiedthe effects of island area and isolation onβ-diversity across plant communities in China's Thousand Island Lake.Abundance-weighted taxonomic multiple-site/pairwiseβ-diversity showed substantially higher nestedness and stronger nestedness-area relationship than incidence-based metrics,indicating that species-poor communities are not only subsets of richer ones but share similar abundance hierarchies,highlighting strong environmental filteringand hierarchical species sorting.We also found that the turnover component was less sensitive to isolation,suggesting limited dispersal effects.Incidence-based functional and phylogenetic distances increased with differences in island area,but these associations weakened or disappeared in abundance-weighted measures,suggesting stronger environmental filteringand functional/phylogenetic clustering among larger islands.Only abundance-weighted standardized effect sizes increased with island area differences.Additionally,ITV further amplifiedfunctional nestedness and buffered the influenceof isolation on turnover,emphasizing its role in mitigating dispersal limitations.By jointly considering abundance and ITV,two often-overlooked but critical dimensions,this study advances our understanding of how fragmentation shapesβ-diversity.These findingshighlight the importance of integrating abundanceweighted and trait-based metrics into conservation strategies to better detect functionally important species,prioritize larger habitat patches,and design biodiversity monitoring that captures withinspecies variation.
基金supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(2024YFF1306700)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(82260739)+2 种基金the Yunnan Provincial Science and Technology Department-Applied Basic Research Joint Special Funds of Yunnan University of Chinese Medicine(202101AZ070001-005,202101AZ070001-166)the Yunnan Revitalization Talent Support Program“Young Talent”Project(YNWR-QNBJ-2020-278)Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(XDB1230000).
文摘Amomum tsaoko Crevost&Lemarie is a perennial herb belonging to the genus Amomum in the family Zingiberaceae(Fig.S1;Wu and Kai,2000).It is primarily distributed in southern China,with smaller populations occurring in northern Vietnam(Yang et al.,2022).The dried fruit of A.tsaoko is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine for treating gastrointestinal disorders,vomiting,and malaria(Chinese Pharmacopoeia Commission,2025).
基金supported by the Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.LZ24C130004 and LQ24C130008)。
文摘Heading date is one of the most important agronomic traits that directly affect rice yield and determines the regional adaptability in specific growing environments.As a short-day plant,rice can grow under long-day(LD)conditions due to the synergistic regulation of many photosensitive genes.Using a set of chromosome segment substitution lines(CSSLs)with the indica cultivar Huanghuazhan(HHZ)as the recipient parent and Basmati Surkh 89-15(BAS)as the donor parent,we identified a QTL locus.
文摘This study investigated the political,economic,social,and cultural environment perceptions on international students that define their acculturation and health related quality of life.Participants were 117 international students from 32 countries attending a Chinese university(females=43%,mean age=21.17 years,SD=4.45 years).They reported on their acculturation to China and physical and psychological well-being.Results from t-tests and correlation analyses indicate political liberals had more positive attitudes toward China than the conservatives,and higher self-reported physical and psychological results.Higher scores on the“interdependence”dimension of self-construal,as well as the“extraversion”and“emotional stability”dimensions of personality traits,were associated with more positive views of China and better health outcomes.These findings are consistent with Berry’s framework for acculturation,which posits that individual-level variables are related to cultural adaptation,and that cultural adaptation is associated with improved physical and mental health.International student offices at host universities should implement comprehensive support programs,including language assistance,cultural orientation,and social integration initiatives to effectively enhance the health related quality of life of international students.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.32271611)Functional traits of plant communities at different elevation gradients in the Taibai Mountain of Qinling Mountains financed by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China(No.2016YFC0500202)245 Qinling National Forest Ecosystem Research Station in 2022 financed by Ministry of Education of China.
文摘Root anatomical traits play an important role in understanding the link between root physiological function and ecological process. To determine how plants change root anatomical traits to adapt to distinct environments, we measured four key root anatomical traits-stele diameter(SD), cortex thickness(CT), root diameter(RD), and the stele to root diameter ratio(SDRD)-of first-order roots of 82species collected from different vegetation zones along a 2000 m altitudinal gradient on the northern slope of Taibai Mountain. Compared with other altitudes, plants located in temperate birch and fir forests had thinner SD, CT, RD, and SDRD. We found that elevational variation in root anatomical traits could largely be explained by phylogenetic taxonomy(clade). In addition, changes in SD were driven by soil bulk density, whereas variations in CT and RD were influenced by soil available nitrogen. When phylogenetic factors were removed from our analysis, allometric relationships between RD and root anatomical traits(SD and CT) were observed across different altitudes. Our study reveals the influence of phylogeny and environment on the elevational variation in root anatomical traits and further supports the allometric relationship between root anatomical traits(SD and CT) and RD. These findings enhance our understanding of the evolutionary and adaptive mechanisms of root anatomical structures, providing a basis for predicting how root anatomical traits respond to global changes.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.32271673)5·5 Engineering Research&Innovation Team Project of Beijing Forestry University(No.BLRC2023B06).
文摘Rapid urbanization has contributed to global increases in air pollution derived from urban areas.Unlike natural forests,urban forests are exposed to higher concentrations of airborne pollutants due to the strong urban-suburban-rural pollutant emission gradients.However,there remains a pressing lack of available information pertaining to the urban air pollutionrelated effects on the leaf economics spectrum,anatomical,ultrastructural,and stomatal traits of tree species along an urban-rural gradient.Here,the degree to which urban air pollution impacts the adaption of greening tree species and associated service functions was assessed by sampling five common tree species(Acer pictum,Fraxinus chinensis,Koelreuteria paniculata,Salix babylonica,Sophora japonica)along urban-rural-natural forests in the Beijing metropolitan region of China.These analyses revealed a significant reduction in leaf mass per unit area(-13.4%),leaf thickness(-16.7%),and stomatal area(-27.5%)with increasing proximity to areas of greater air pollution that coincide with significant increases in leaf tissue density(+12.6%),leaf nitrogen content(+10.1%),relative chlorophyll content(+2.7%),and stomatal density(+11.9%).Higher air pollution levels were associated with organelle changes including gradual disintegration of chloroplasts,larger intercellular spaces and apparent starch and plastoglobuli deposition.Air pollutionwas conducive to the strengthening of the trade-off potential and adaptation strategies of trees in urban ecosystems,which are associated with trees with a rapid investment return strategy associated with thick leaves and strong photosynthetic capacity.These results provide strong empirical evidence of the profound air pollution-induced changes in leaf functional traits and adaption ability of urban forest tree species.
基金supported by the Biological Breeding-Major Projects(2023ZD04067)Hubei Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China(2023AFB832)+1 种基金Guizhou Provincial Basic Research Program(Natural Science)(MS[2025]096)Major Project of Hubei Hongshan Laboratory(2022HSZD031)。
文摘Efficient and accurate identification of candidate causal genes within quantitative trait loci(QTL)is a significant challenge in genetic research.Conventional linkage analysis methods often require substantial time and resources to identify causal genes.This paper proposes a QTG-LGBM method for prioritizing causal genes in maize based on the Light GBM algorithm.QTG-LGBM dynamically adjusts gene weights and sample proportions during training to mitigate the effects of class imbalance.The method prevents overfitting in datasets with small samples by introducing a regularization term.Experimental results on maize traits,including plant height(PH),flowering time(FT),and tassel branch number(TBN),demonstrated that QTG-LGBM outperforms the commonly used methods QTG-Finder,GBDT,XGBoost,Bernoulli NB,SVM,CNN,and ensemble learning.We validated the generalization of QTG-LGBM using Arabidopsis,rice,Setaria,and sorghum.We also applied QTG-LGBM using reported QTL that affect traits of maize PH,FT and TBN,and FT in Arabidopsis,rice,and sorghum,as well as known causal genes within the QTL.When examining the top 20%of ranked genes,QTG-LGBM demonstrated a significantly higher recall rate of causal genes compared to random selection methods.We identified key gene features affecting phenotypes through feature importance analysis.QTG-LGBM is available at http://www.deepcba.com/QTG-LGBM.
基金supported by the Science and Technology Special Fund of Hainan Province(Grant Nos.ZDYF2021XDNY159 and ZDYF2021XDNY156)the Central Public-interest Scientific Institution Basal Research Fund for Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Science(Grant No.1630032022007)China Agricultural Research System of MOF and MARA(Grant No.CARS-32-01)。
文摘Litchi(Litchi chinensis Sonn.),an important fruit tree in tropical and subtropical regions,possesses substantial economic value.The branchand leaf-related traits of litchi have a significant impact on litchi yield and quality.However,due to limitations such as the density of the genetic linkage map,there have been few studies on mapping QTLs of branch-and leaf-related traits.In this study,a high-density genetic map was constructed by next-generation sequencing(NGS)using an F_(1) population of 264 progenies,derived from the cross between the cultivars‘Sanyuehong'and‘Ziniangxi'.A total of 2574 high-quality BINs(binomial intervals)were obtained,and a genetic linkage map was constructed with a total length of 1753.3 cM and an average marker distance of 0.68 cM.With the genetic map and the phenotyping of single leaf length(SLL),single leaf width(SLW),leaf shape index(LSI),weight of specific leaf(WSL),petiole length(PL)and compound leaf length(CLL)measured in three seasons,11,9,9,10,9 and 12 QTLs were detected for SLL,SLW,WSL,LSI,PL and CLL traits,respectively.Among these QTLs,five QTLs were consistently detected in two seasons and 12 pleiotropic QTLs were identified for at least two traits.These findings will provide new insights for the gene cloning for branch-and leaf-related traits as well as marker-assisted selection(MAS).
基金funded by the Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica(PICT-2019-2385)Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas(PIP-11220200102466CO)Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata(EXA953/20).
文摘Male fiddler crabs own an enlarged claw which is a weapon and an ornament.The enlargement of this claw begins from the juvenile stage and continues throughout life.Males may voluntarily lose(i.e.,autotomize)this claw.After several molts males may regenerate a new claw,called leptochelous,which acquires a similar length but a lower muscle mass area than the original one,called brachychelous.In some species,regenerated claws develop permanently as leptochelous,the population having 2 discrete claw morphologies.Other species present morphological variations with leptochelous and brachychelous being 2 ends of a continuum.In the species Leptuca uruguayensis,we studied the morphological variation of this enlarged claw,whether it may be caused by its regeneration at different male sizes,and its consequences on mating success.We found that claws could not be discriminated as discrete morphs,suggesting a morphological continuum from brachychelous to leptochelous.Regenerated claws in the laboratory were initially small and proportional to body size,although a field experiment confirmed that claw size is recovered after several molts.Morphological variation may be caused by energetic limitations where males of different sizes must differently trade-off between restitution of claw length(ornament function)or claw muscle area(weapon function).Fiddler crabs use 2 mating tactics with different levels of female choice.However,regardless of the mating tactic,leptochelous males were at a disadvantage at high densities,although not at low densities,suggesting that the consequences of autotomy and regeneration on mating success may depend on the social context.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2023YFD1200403 and 2023YFF1000600)the Innovation Program of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences。
文摘Wheat(Triticum aestivum L.)is an important staple food crop in the world and supplies about 20%of human caloric and protein consumption(Giraldo et al.,2019;Xiao et al.,2022).Wheat production accounts for~30%of global cereal crops(Li et al.,2019).With the global population increasing and the frequency of natural disasters rising,enhancing wheat yield is crucial to meet food demand.Spike traits such as increased grain number per spike are key determinants of wheat yield.Pre-harvest sprouting(PHS)is a significant natural disaster that severely impacts grain yield and end-use quality of wheat(Tai et al.,2021,2024).
