A possible scenario for the end of the 21st century is that the atmospheric CO2 concentration will be in the range of 510 - 760 μl·L-I and that the mean global temperature will be 1.5°C - 4.5&d...A possible scenario for the end of the 21st century is that the atmospheric CO2 concentration will be in the range of 510 - 760 μl·L-I and that the mean global temperature will be 1.5°C - 4.5°C higher than present day. One of the pre-eminent manifestations of climate change is the increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration. Both CO2 and temperature are the key variables of global climate and may cause significant changes in crop productivity. An experiment was conducted inside open top chamber (OTCs) in kharif season 2014 to evaluate the effects of CO2 enrichment and temperature rise with condition OTC1 (ambient condition), OTC2 (25% higher CO2 than ambient), OTC3 (25% higher CO2 + 2°C 】ambient temperature) and OTC4 (2°C 】ambient temperature) on physiological traits and yield of rice genotypes to identify the suitable genotypes for changing climatic conditions. The study revealed that rice genotypes performed better under elevated CO2, with slight changes in development, such as growth and in yield attributing traits, depending on the genotypes. However, the beneficial direct impact of elevated (CO2) on crop yield can be counteract by elevated temperatures. Rice genotype IR83376-B-B-24-2 was highly responsive while IR84895-B-127-CRA-5-1-1 was least responsive toward elevated CO2. Physiological traits like relative water content (RWC %), membrane stability index (MSI %), chlorophyll content, photosynthetic rate and TSS content were improved under elevated CO2. However, responses of these traits were negative with elevated temperature. We point out that studies related to changes in crop physiology and yield as a consequence of global climatic changes should be a priority due to their association with food security.展开更多
The identification of heat tolerance traits that express across environments is key to the successful development of high temperature tolerant tomatoes. A replicated experiment of 145 tomato genotypes was established ...The identification of heat tolerance traits that express across environments is key to the successful development of high temperature tolerant tomatoes. A replicated experiment of 145 tomato genotypes was established at two temperature regimes in two planting seasons using hydroponics in a poly greenhouse to assess high temperature tolerance. Electrolyte leakage, number of inflorescences, number of flowers and fruits, fresh fruit weight and fresh and dry plant weight were measured and genotype and temperature treatment differences were observed for all traits. Planting season impacted all traits except electrolyte leakage and number of flowers. High temperature reduced number of fruits by 88.8%, flower fruit set ratio by 77.2% and fresh fruit weight by 79.3%. In contrast, traits little impacted by temperature included number of flowers per inflorescence (1.3%) and plant dry weight (11.1%). The correlation between plant dry weight under both high and optimal temperature was significant (R2 = 0.82). To assess the effectiveness of plant dry weight and flower-fruit set ratio for selection under heat stress two subsets of genotypes (A and B) comprising ten and six genotypes respectively, were subsequently selected on the basis of their dry weight loss and flower-fruit set ratio under high temperature. Organic metabolite analyses of set A and B respectively, showed a significant change (%) in citric acid (77.4 and 15.4), L-proline (117.8 and 40.2), aminobutyric acid (68.6 and 11.8), fructose (24.9 and 21.3), malic acid (50.3 and 42.7), myo-inositol (55.1 and 6.1), pentaerythitol (54.1 and 39.0) and sucrose (34.7 and 25.8). The change (%) in all metabolites was greater in heat tolerant genotypes with the exception of fructose and sucrose where sensitive genotypes produced a higher variation. The change in sucrose in tolerant genotypes was variable in subset A and more uniform in subset B. Flower-fruit set ratio was found as a reliable trait for discriminating between heat tolerant and sensitive genotypes and the sucrose levels in plant tissues provided confirmation of the heat stress response.展开更多
Drought stress is one of the factors limiting pepper production in water-stressed regions.It affects growth and development by inducing morphological,biochemical,and physiological changes.Breeding drought-resistant va...Drought stress is one of the factors limiting pepper production in water-stressed regions.It affects growth and development by inducing morphological,biochemical,and physiological changes.Breeding drought-resistant varieties is a sustainable strategy to mitigate drought,therefore,reliable evaluation systems are essential to identify drought-resistant pepper accessions.In this study,100 pepper accessions were screened for drought resistance under highly controlled conditions at the vegetative stage.Selected accessions exhibited a significantly higher recovery rate after water-deficiency and showed durable resistance under greenhouse conditions.Correlation analysis between drought resistance with morphological and physiological traits showed that the recovery rate was positively correlated with root length and relative water content,and negatively correlated with plant height and leaf area.Gene expression analysis showed that the drought-resistant accession exhibited higher expression levels of drought-responsive genes under drought stress.Among the accessions,anthocyanin-accumulating peppers showed more significant drought resistance compared to other accessions.When the MYB transcription factor An2,the genetic determinant of anthocyanin accumulation,was silenced,drought resistance was significantly reduced.Drought-resistant accessions with favorable adaptive traits identified in this study will be valuable in various breeding programs to generate new pepper cultivars to cope with climate change.展开更多
Triploid Pacific oysters(Crassostrea gigas)are highly valued due to their rapid growth and low fertility,making them commercially desirable.However,these reproductive characteristics also hinder their capability to pr...Triploid Pacific oysters(Crassostrea gigas)are highly valued due to their rapid growth and low fertility,making them commercially desirable.However,these reproductive characteristics also hinder their capability to produce subsequent generations.Large-scale triploid production relies on crossing female diploid and male tetraploid oysters.This study assessed the effects of shell morphology on body weight and fecundity in diploid and tetraploid oysters using multiple regression and path analysis.Substantial correlations were found between shell morphology and body weight traits,as well as between shell morphology and fecundity traits across diploid and tetraploid oysters.Path analysis revealed that shell morphology traits significantly impact body weight and fecundity in both diploids and tetraploids.Among these traits,shell height had the strongest direct effect on body weight and fecundity,while shell height and shell length notably contributed through indirect effects.These findings highlight the importance of shell height in shaping body weight and fecundity in diploid and tetraploid Pacific oysters,indicating that selective breeding,with a particular focus on enhancing shell height,could simultaneously promote increases in shell length.展开更多
Populus species,important economic species combining rapid growth with broad ecological adaptability,play a critical role in sustainable forestry and bioenergy production.In this study,we performed whole-genome resequ...Populus species,important economic species combining rapid growth with broad ecological adaptability,play a critical role in sustainable forestry and bioenergy production.In this study,we performed whole-genome resequencing of 707 individuals from a full-sib family to develop comprehensive single nucleotide polymorphism(SNP)markers and constructed a high-density genetic linkage map of 19 linkage groups.The total genetic length of the map reached 3623.65 cM with an average marker interval of 0.34 cM.By integrating multidimensional phenotypic data,89 quantitative trait loci(QTL)associated with growth,wood physical and chemical properties,disease resistance,and leaf morphology traits were identified,with logarithm of odds(LOD)scores ranging from 3.13 to 21.72 Notably,pleiotropic analysis revealed significant colocaliza and phenotypic variance explained between 1.7% and 11.6%.-tion hotspots on chromosomes LG1,LG5,LG6,LG8,and LG14,with epistatic interaction network analysis confirming genetic basis of coordinated regulation across multiple traits.Functional annotation of 207 candidate genes showed that R2R3-MYB and bHLH transcription factors and pyruvate kinase-encoding genes were significantly enriched,suggesting crucial roles in lignin biosynthesis and carbon metabolic pathways.Allelic effect analysis indicated that the frequency of favorable alleles associated with target traits ranged from 0.20 to 0.55.Incorporation of QTL-derived favorable alleles as random effects into Bayesian-based genomic selection models led to an increase in prediction accuracy ranging from 1% to 21%,with Bayesian ridge regression as the best predictive model.This study provides valuable genomic resources and genetic insights for deciphering complex trait architecture and advancing molecular breeding in poplar.展开更多
Urban forests are highly multifunctional and provide numerous ecological functions.Plant functional traits individually or jointly influence the ecological multifunctionality of tree species(TS-EMF)and can also modify...Urban forests are highly multifunctional and provide numerous ecological functions.Plant functional traits individually or jointly influence the ecological multifunctionality of tree species(TS-EMF)and can also modify TSEMF in response to environmental changes.However,there has been limited exploration of multitrait combinations for predicting TS-EMF across seasons and of trait thresholds that enhance TS-EMF.Here,for 10 dominant tree species in urban forests of Northeast China,14 traits were measured and four aboveground and three belowground ecological functions assessed in three seasons.Ecological functions and TS-EMF differed significantly throughout the seasons(P<0.05).Synergistic relationships were found between carbon sequestration and oxygen release,between cooling and humidification,and between organic carbon accumulation and nutrient cycling.Notably,aboveground multifunctionality played a leading role in TS-EMF.With seasonal changes,resource allocation shifted toward traits related to resource acquisition rather than conservation to maintain TS-EMF.The combination of traits that predicted TS-EMF varied by type,accounting for up to 66.45%of the variation.TS-EMF was primarily driven by leaf structure in spring and by nutrient accumulation in autumn.Leaf carbon content(LCC)consistently served as a stabilizing factor for predicting TS-EMF across seasons.At 36.5-36.8 mg g^(-1),LCC had its optimal effect on TS-EMF.Other traits in combination that positively influence total TS-EMF include leaf nitrogen content(3.43-3.45 mg g^(-1)),leaf phosphorus content(0.80-0.83 mg g^(-1)),and leaf area(65.86-68.43 cm^(2)).Within these specified trait thresholds,Morus alba and Quercus mongolica were identified as key species.These findings suggest that the trade-off between various ecological functions can be managed by altering plant traits across seasons.This approach could provide a theoretical foundation for enhancing the TS-EMF of urban forests through trait-based management,offering practical guidance for selecting tree species.展开更多
Soil drought occurrence during dry season has been the main constraint, besides prolonged flooding during rainy season, in increasing cropping intensity and rice productivity in tropical riparian wetland. Use of droug...Soil drought occurrence during dry season has been the main constraint, besides prolonged flooding during rainy season, in increasing cropping intensity and rice productivity in tropical riparian wetland. Use of drought tolerant rice genotype might be a suitable option for overcoming such problem. This study focused on the effects of gradual soil drying during early vegetative growth stage on morphological and physiological traits of five Oryza glaberrima genotypes, namely RAM12, RAM14, RAM59, RAM97 and RAM101, and two Oryza sativa subsp japonica genotypes, i.e. Koshihikari and Minamihatamochi. The plants were subjected to 6 d of gradual soil drying condition from 15 days after transplanting(DAT) to 20 DAT, and were allowed to recover until 22 DAT. Gradual soil drying reduced plant growth as indicated by dry mass accumulation. Drought reduced stomatal conductance and increased leaf rolling score of all the genotypes. All the genotypes showed comparable response on stomatal conductance, but O. glaberrima genotypes performed higher in leaf rolling recovery. Meanwhile, O. sativa genotypes decreased total leaf area and specific leaf area, but increased specific leaf weight in order to avoid further damages due to drought stress. Drought tolerance mechanisms in RAM101, RAM12, RAM59 and RAM14 were associated with leaf morpho-physiological responses, root traits and dry biomass accumulation.展开更多
The majority of rice(Oryza sativa L.) produced in the southern USA is drill-seeded and grown under upland-like conditions because permanent flooding is established after the four-leaf stage. Therefore, rice during the...The majority of rice(Oryza sativa L.) produced in the southern USA is drill-seeded and grown under upland-like conditions because permanent flooding is established after the four-leaf stage. Therefore, rice during the seedling growth stage will be subjected to variable soil moisture content. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate the performance of 15 rice cultivars commonly grown in Mississippi of USA under early-season soil moisture stress. Twenty morpho-physiological parameters of rice seedlings subjected to three different levels(100%, 66% and 33% field capacity) of soil moisture, from 10 to 30 d after sowing, were measured. Significant moisture stress × treatment interaction(P < 0.001) was observed for most of the parameters. Further, the total drought response index(TDRI) was developed to score the cultivars for drought tolerance with the variation from 26.88 to 36.21. Accordingly, the cultivars were classified into different groups of tolerance. The cultivars CL152 and CL142-AR were classified as the least and the most tolerant to drought based on TDRI and standard deviation, respectively. Even though both total root(R^2 = 0.98) or shoot(R^2 = 0.76) drought responses indices were positively correlated with TDRI, root traits were important in deriving the indices. Therefore, TDRI could be used to select cultivars for drought tolerance in a given environment and develop rice varieties with early-season drought tolerance. However, further research is needed to identify and characterize tolerance at other stages to assist breeding programs in rice.展开更多
Most plants demonstrate</span><span style="font-family:""> </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">wide interactive and complex adaptive morphological, biochemical<...Most plants demonstrate</span><span style="font-family:""> </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">wide interactive and complex adaptive morphological, biochemical</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">,</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> and physiological responses when subjected to salinity stress. Salt stress negatively impacts agricultural yields more especially cultivated crops throughout the world. Of interest to this study is maize a salt-</span><span style="font-family:""> </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">sensitive crop that is widely grown worldwide, and receiving most attention due to its significant attributes and ability to serve as a great model for stress response studies. We exposed QN701 maize cultivar, to</span><span style="font-family:""> </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">simulated salinity stress and investigated its morphological and physiological responses. Salinity negatively induced various morphological responses such as the reduction in plant height, number of leaves, shoot and root (length and biomass)</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">,</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> and leaf width;however, it significantly increased the leaf area. On the physiological aspect, salt stress decreased the number of stomata, stomatal density</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">,</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> and photosynthesis, while it increased the respiration rate. This study expanded our knowledge o</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">f</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> the morphological and physiological responses of maize to salinity stress. Additionally, these findings may serve as a recommendation for salinity breeding programs in maize and related cereal crops.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
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
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
Tintinnid ciliates are suggested as model in plankton ecology and are traditionally identified based on lorica traits with ecological importance(e.g.,growth rate,prey selection,and energy transfer efficiency).However,...Tintinnid ciliates are suggested as model in plankton ecology and are traditionally identified based on lorica traits with ecological importance(e.g.,growth rate,prey selection,and energy transfer efficiency).However,statistical validation has been limited for this taxonomic system,which has been increasingly critiqued.Here,we compiled a global dataset of tintinnid lorica morphology from the literature and statistically tested the validity of lorica traits for classification at family and genus levels.A total of 840 species were selected from over 1000 documented species,and their distinctive lorica traits(lorica types,open ends,collar presence,and biogeographic distribution patterns)were extracted and linked to the established phylogenetic tree.Significant differences were revealed across family-and genus-level(but not at species-level)classifications and across multiple morphological parameters,including critically distinctive lorica traits,size metrics(lorica oral diameter,LOD,and equivalent spherical diameter,ESD),and individual carbon biomass.Our findings provide quantitative evidence for the validity of morphological taxonomy,and preliminary foundation for linking morphological taxonomy with molecular data.Moreover,our findings provide one of the first statistical foundations for future studies integrating morphology and ecology to elucidate plankton ecological functioning at a global scale.展开更多
文摘A possible scenario for the end of the 21st century is that the atmospheric CO2 concentration will be in the range of 510 - 760 μl·L-I and that the mean global temperature will be 1.5°C - 4.5°C higher than present day. One of the pre-eminent manifestations of climate change is the increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration. Both CO2 and temperature are the key variables of global climate and may cause significant changes in crop productivity. An experiment was conducted inside open top chamber (OTCs) in kharif season 2014 to evaluate the effects of CO2 enrichment and temperature rise with condition OTC1 (ambient condition), OTC2 (25% higher CO2 than ambient), OTC3 (25% higher CO2 + 2°C 】ambient temperature) and OTC4 (2°C 】ambient temperature) on physiological traits and yield of rice genotypes to identify the suitable genotypes for changing climatic conditions. The study revealed that rice genotypes performed better under elevated CO2, with slight changes in development, such as growth and in yield attributing traits, depending on the genotypes. However, the beneficial direct impact of elevated (CO2) on crop yield can be counteract by elevated temperatures. Rice genotype IR83376-B-B-24-2 was highly responsive while IR84895-B-127-CRA-5-1-1 was least responsive toward elevated CO2. Physiological traits like relative water content (RWC %), membrane stability index (MSI %), chlorophyll content, photosynthetic rate and TSS content were improved under elevated CO2. However, responses of these traits were negative with elevated temperature. We point out that studies related to changes in crop physiology and yield as a consequence of global climatic changes should be a priority due to their association with food security.
文摘The identification of heat tolerance traits that express across environments is key to the successful development of high temperature tolerant tomatoes. A replicated experiment of 145 tomato genotypes was established at two temperature regimes in two planting seasons using hydroponics in a poly greenhouse to assess high temperature tolerance. Electrolyte leakage, number of inflorescences, number of flowers and fruits, fresh fruit weight and fresh and dry plant weight were measured and genotype and temperature treatment differences were observed for all traits. Planting season impacted all traits except electrolyte leakage and number of flowers. High temperature reduced number of fruits by 88.8%, flower fruit set ratio by 77.2% and fresh fruit weight by 79.3%. In contrast, traits little impacted by temperature included number of flowers per inflorescence (1.3%) and plant dry weight (11.1%). The correlation between plant dry weight under both high and optimal temperature was significant (R2 = 0.82). To assess the effectiveness of plant dry weight and flower-fruit set ratio for selection under heat stress two subsets of genotypes (A and B) comprising ten and six genotypes respectively, were subsequently selected on the basis of their dry weight loss and flower-fruit set ratio under high temperature. Organic metabolite analyses of set A and B respectively, showed a significant change (%) in citric acid (77.4 and 15.4), L-proline (117.8 and 40.2), aminobutyric acid (68.6 and 11.8), fructose (24.9 and 21.3), malic acid (50.3 and 42.7), myo-inositol (55.1 and 6.1), pentaerythitol (54.1 and 39.0) and sucrose (34.7 and 25.8). The change (%) in all metabolites was greater in heat tolerant genotypes with the exception of fructose and sucrose where sensitive genotypes produced a higher variation. The change in sucrose in tolerant genotypes was variable in subset A and more uniform in subset B. Flower-fruit set ratio was found as a reliable trait for discriminating between heat tolerant and sensitive genotypes and the sucrose levels in plant tissues provided confirmation of the heat stress response.
基金supported by Cooperative Research Program for Agriculture Science and Technology Development(Grant No.RS-2020-RD009069)Rural Development Administration and the National Research Foundation of Korea(Grant No.RS-2021-NR059647),Republic of Korea.
文摘Drought stress is one of the factors limiting pepper production in water-stressed regions.It affects growth and development by inducing morphological,biochemical,and physiological changes.Breeding drought-resistant varieties is a sustainable strategy to mitigate drought,therefore,reliable evaluation systems are essential to identify drought-resistant pepper accessions.In this study,100 pepper accessions were screened for drought resistance under highly controlled conditions at the vegetative stage.Selected accessions exhibited a significantly higher recovery rate after water-deficiency and showed durable resistance under greenhouse conditions.Correlation analysis between drought resistance with morphological and physiological traits showed that the recovery rate was positively correlated with root length and relative water content,and negatively correlated with plant height and leaf area.Gene expression analysis showed that the drought-resistant accession exhibited higher expression levels of drought-responsive genes under drought stress.Among the accessions,anthocyanin-accumulating peppers showed more significant drought resistance compared to other accessions.When the MYB transcription factor An2,the genetic determinant of anthocyanin accumulation,was silenced,drought resistance was significantly reduced.Drought-resistant accessions with favorable adaptive traits identified in this study will be valuable in various breeding programs to generate new pepper cultivars to cope with climate change.
基金supported by the Agricultural Seed Improvement Project of Shandong Province(No.2022 LZGCQY010)the Taishan Industrial Experts Programthe Science and Technology Program of Fujian Province(No.2024N3003)。
文摘Triploid Pacific oysters(Crassostrea gigas)are highly valued due to their rapid growth and low fertility,making them commercially desirable.However,these reproductive characteristics also hinder their capability to produce subsequent generations.Large-scale triploid production relies on crossing female diploid and male tetraploid oysters.This study assessed the effects of shell morphology on body weight and fecundity in diploid and tetraploid oysters using multiple regression and path analysis.Substantial correlations were found between shell morphology and body weight traits,as well as between shell morphology and fecundity traits across diploid and tetraploid oysters.Path analysis revealed that shell morphology traits significantly impact body weight and fecundity in both diploids and tetraploids.Among these traits,shell height had the strongest direct effect on body weight and fecundity,while shell height and shell length notably contributed through indirect effects.These findings highlight the importance of shell height in shaping body weight and fecundity in diploid and tetraploid Pacific oysters,indicating that selective breeding,with a particular focus on enhancing shell height,could simultaneously promote increases in shell length.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Plan of China(2021YFD2200202)the Key Research and Development Project of Jiangsu Province,China(BE2021366).
文摘Populus species,important economic species combining rapid growth with broad ecological adaptability,play a critical role in sustainable forestry and bioenergy production.In this study,we performed whole-genome resequencing of 707 individuals from a full-sib family to develop comprehensive single nucleotide polymorphism(SNP)markers and constructed a high-density genetic linkage map of 19 linkage groups.The total genetic length of the map reached 3623.65 cM with an average marker interval of 0.34 cM.By integrating multidimensional phenotypic data,89 quantitative trait loci(QTL)associated with growth,wood physical and chemical properties,disease resistance,and leaf morphology traits were identified,with logarithm of odds(LOD)scores ranging from 3.13 to 21.72 Notably,pleiotropic analysis revealed significant colocaliza and phenotypic variance explained between 1.7% and 11.6%.-tion hotspots on chromosomes LG1,LG5,LG6,LG8,and LG14,with epistatic interaction network analysis confirming genetic basis of coordinated regulation across multiple traits.Functional annotation of 207 candidate genes showed that R2R3-MYB and bHLH transcription factors and pyruvate kinase-encoding genes were significantly enriched,suggesting crucial roles in lignin biosynthesis and carbon metabolic pathways.Allelic effect analysis indicated that the frequency of favorable alleles associated with target traits ranged from 0.20 to 0.55.Incorporation of QTL-derived favorable alleles as random effects into Bayesian-based genomic selection models led to an increase in prediction accuracy ranging from 1% to 21%,with Bayesian ridge regression as the best predictive model.This study provides valuable genomic resources and genetic insights for deciphering complex trait architecture and advancing molecular breeding in poplar.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation(32130068,32271634,and 32071597)CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Silviculture,Institute of Applied Ecology,Chinese Academy of Sciences(KLFES-2025)。
文摘Urban forests are highly multifunctional and provide numerous ecological functions.Plant functional traits individually or jointly influence the ecological multifunctionality of tree species(TS-EMF)and can also modify TSEMF in response to environmental changes.However,there has been limited exploration of multitrait combinations for predicting TS-EMF across seasons and of trait thresholds that enhance TS-EMF.Here,for 10 dominant tree species in urban forests of Northeast China,14 traits were measured and four aboveground and three belowground ecological functions assessed in three seasons.Ecological functions and TS-EMF differed significantly throughout the seasons(P<0.05).Synergistic relationships were found between carbon sequestration and oxygen release,between cooling and humidification,and between organic carbon accumulation and nutrient cycling.Notably,aboveground multifunctionality played a leading role in TS-EMF.With seasonal changes,resource allocation shifted toward traits related to resource acquisition rather than conservation to maintain TS-EMF.The combination of traits that predicted TS-EMF varied by type,accounting for up to 66.45%of the variation.TS-EMF was primarily driven by leaf structure in spring and by nutrient accumulation in autumn.Leaf carbon content(LCC)consistently served as a stabilizing factor for predicting TS-EMF across seasons.At 36.5-36.8 mg g^(-1),LCC had its optimal effect on TS-EMF.Other traits in combination that positively influence total TS-EMF include leaf nitrogen content(3.43-3.45 mg g^(-1)),leaf phosphorus content(0.80-0.83 mg g^(-1)),and leaf area(65.86-68.43 cm^(2)).Within these specified trait thresholds,Morus alba and Quercus mongolica were identified as key species.These findings suggest that the trade-off between various ecological functions can be managed by altering plant traits across seasons.This approach could provide a theoretical foundation for enhancing the TS-EMF of urban forests through trait-based management,offering practical guidance for selecting tree species.
基金funded by the Program of the United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Kagoshima Universitysupported by Program Penelitian Unggulan Profesi Universitas Sriwijaya (Grant No. 0006/UN9/SK.LP2M.PT/2018)+1 种基金Program PMDSU (Grant No. 093/SP2H/LT/DRPM/IV/2018)Enhancing International Publication Program by Directorate of Higher Education of the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education of the Republic of Indonesia
文摘Soil drought occurrence during dry season has been the main constraint, besides prolonged flooding during rainy season, in increasing cropping intensity and rice productivity in tropical riparian wetland. Use of drought tolerant rice genotype might be a suitable option for overcoming such problem. This study focused on the effects of gradual soil drying during early vegetative growth stage on morphological and physiological traits of five Oryza glaberrima genotypes, namely RAM12, RAM14, RAM59, RAM97 and RAM101, and two Oryza sativa subsp japonica genotypes, i.e. Koshihikari and Minamihatamochi. The plants were subjected to 6 d of gradual soil drying condition from 15 days after transplanting(DAT) to 20 DAT, and were allowed to recover until 22 DAT. Gradual soil drying reduced plant growth as indicated by dry mass accumulation. Drought reduced stomatal conductance and increased leaf rolling score of all the genotypes. All the genotypes showed comparable response on stomatal conductance, but O. glaberrima genotypes performed higher in leaf rolling recovery. Meanwhile, O. sativa genotypes decreased total leaf area and specific leaf area, but increased specific leaf weight in order to avoid further damages due to drought stress. Drought tolerance mechanisms in RAM101, RAM12, RAM59 and RAM14 were associated with leaf morpho-physiological responses, root traits and dry biomass accumulation.
基金funded by Mississippi Rice Promotion Board and United States Department of AgricultureNational Institute of Food and Agriculture(USDA-NIFA,Grant No.2013-34263-20931)sub-award to Mississippi State University(Grant No.G-7799-2)
文摘The majority of rice(Oryza sativa L.) produced in the southern USA is drill-seeded and grown under upland-like conditions because permanent flooding is established after the four-leaf stage. Therefore, rice during the seedling growth stage will be subjected to variable soil moisture content. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate the performance of 15 rice cultivars commonly grown in Mississippi of USA under early-season soil moisture stress. Twenty morpho-physiological parameters of rice seedlings subjected to three different levels(100%, 66% and 33% field capacity) of soil moisture, from 10 to 30 d after sowing, were measured. Significant moisture stress × treatment interaction(P < 0.001) was observed for most of the parameters. Further, the total drought response index(TDRI) was developed to score the cultivars for drought tolerance with the variation from 26.88 to 36.21. Accordingly, the cultivars were classified into different groups of tolerance. The cultivars CL152 and CL142-AR were classified as the least and the most tolerant to drought based on TDRI and standard deviation, respectively. Even though both total root(R^2 = 0.98) or shoot(R^2 = 0.76) drought responses indices were positively correlated with TDRI, root traits were important in deriving the indices. Therefore, TDRI could be used to select cultivars for drought tolerance in a given environment and develop rice varieties with early-season drought tolerance. However, further research is needed to identify and characterize tolerance at other stages to assist breeding programs in rice.
文摘Most plants demonstrate</span><span style="font-family:""> </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">wide interactive and complex adaptive morphological, biochemical</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">,</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> and physiological responses when subjected to salinity stress. Salt stress negatively impacts agricultural yields more especially cultivated crops throughout the world. Of interest to this study is maize a salt-</span><span style="font-family:""> </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">sensitive crop that is widely grown worldwide, and receiving most attention due to its significant attributes and ability to serve as a great model for stress response studies. We exposed QN701 maize cultivar, to</span><span style="font-family:""> </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">simulated salinity stress and investigated its morphological and physiological responses. Salinity negatively induced various morphological responses such as the reduction in plant height, number of leaves, shoot and root (length and biomass)</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">,</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> and leaf width;however, it significantly increased the leaf area. On the physiological aspect, salt stress decreased the number of stomata, stomatal density</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">,</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> and photosynthesis, while it increased the respiration rate. This study expanded our knowledge o</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">f</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> the morphological and physiological responses of maize to salinity stress. Additionally, these findings may serve as a recommendation for salinity breeding programs in maize and related cereal crops.
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.
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.
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The National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract No.42576134the National Key Research and Development Program of China under contract No.2023YFD2401901the Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation under contract No.ZR2024QD183.
文摘Tintinnid ciliates are suggested as model in plankton ecology and are traditionally identified based on lorica traits with ecological importance(e.g.,growth rate,prey selection,and energy transfer efficiency).However,statistical validation has been limited for this taxonomic system,which has been increasingly critiqued.Here,we compiled a global dataset of tintinnid lorica morphology from the literature and statistically tested the validity of lorica traits for classification at family and genus levels.A total of 840 species were selected from over 1000 documented species,and their distinctive lorica traits(lorica types,open ends,collar presence,and biogeographic distribution patterns)were extracted and linked to the established phylogenetic tree.Significant differences were revealed across family-and genus-level(but not at species-level)classifications and across multiple morphological parameters,including critically distinctive lorica traits,size metrics(lorica oral diameter,LOD,and equivalent spherical diameter,ESD),and individual carbon biomass.Our findings provide quantitative evidence for the validity of morphological taxonomy,and preliminary foundation for linking morphological taxonomy with molecular data.Moreover,our findings provide one of the first statistical foundations for future studies integrating morphology and ecology to elucidate plankton ecological functioning at a global scale.
