Developmental Genetics and Morphological Evolution of Flowering Plants, Especially Bladderworts (Utricularia): Fuzzy Arberian Morphology Complements Classical Morphology

This review compares new developmental models on flowering andother vascular plants with evolutionary hypotheses formulatedby Agnes Arber (1879–1960) and like-minded botanists.Special emphasis is laid on philosophical basics such as perspectivism,pluralism about evolutionary modelling, continuum way of thinking,and fuzzy logic. Arber's perspective is best labelled as F uzzyA rberian M orphology (FAM Approach). Its proponents (‘FAMmers’)treat structural categories (e.g. ‘roots’, ‘shoots’,‘stems’, ‘leaves’, ‘stipules’)in vascular plants as concepts with fuzzy borderlines allowingintermediates (including transitional forms, developmental mosaics).The FAM Approach complements Cla ssical Plant M orphology (ClaMApproach), which is the traditional approach in botany. ClaMproponents (‘ClaMmers’) postulate that the structuralcategories of vascular plants are regarded as concepts withclear-cut borderlines and without intermediates. However, duringthe evolution of vascular plants, the root-shoot distinctionand the stem-leaf distinction have become blurred several timesdue to developmental changes, resulting in organs with uniquecombinations of features. This happened, for example, in thebladderworts (Utricularia, Lentibulariaceae). When focusingon the ‘leaf’, the FAM Approach is identical toArber's ‘partial-shoot theory of the leaf’ and Sinha's‘leaf shoot continuum model’. A compound leaf canrepeat the developmental pathway of the whole shoot, at leastto some degree. For example, compound leaves of Chisocheton(Meliaceae)with indeterminate apical growth and three-dimensional branchingmay be seen as developmental mosaics sharing some growth processeswith whole shoots! We focus here on the FAM Approach becausethis perspective is especially promising for developmental geneticistsstudying flowering and other vascular plants. Copyright 2001Annals of Botany Company Review, body plan, developmental mosaics, leaf development, history of botany, homeosis, homeotic genes, Lentibulariaceae, morphological evolution, process morphology, stipules, Utricularia, flowering plants     

Benefits of Classical Biological Control for Managing Invasive Plants

As a result of the rapid expansion in international travel and trade over the past few decades, invasive plants have become a problem of global proportions. Plant invasions threaten the existence of endangered species and the integrity of ecosystems, and their ravages cost national economies tens of billions of dollars every year. Strategies for managing the threats posed by plant invasions involve three main tactics: prevention, eradication, and control. The effectiveness of prevention, involving enactment of legislation to prohibit the entry and spread of noxious alien plants, has been questioned. Eradication of all but the smallest, most localized weed infestations generally is not regarded as economically feasible. Conventional weed control techniques, such as mechanical and chemical controls, because they are expensive, energy and labor intensive, and require repeated application, are impractical for managing widespread plant invasions in ecologically fragile conservation areas or low-value habitat, such as rangelands and many aquatic systems. In addition, mechanical means of control disturb the soil and may cause erosion; chemical herbicides have spurred the evolution of resistance in scores of weed species and, further, may pose risks to wildlife and human health. Because of drawbacks associated with conventional weed control methods, classical biological control, the introduction of selective exotic natural enemies to control exotic pests, increasingly is being considered and implemented as a safe, cost-effective alternative to address the invasive plant problem. Worldwide, biological weed control programs have had an overall success rate of 33 percent; success rates have been considerably higher for programs in individual countries. Benefits are several-fold. Biological control is permanent, energy-efficient, nonpolluting, and inexpensive relative to other methods. Economic returns on investment in biological weed control have been spectacular in some cases, and range from an estimated benefit/cost ratio of 2.3 to 4000 or more. Although the risks involved in biological control in general are considered unacceptable by some, biological weed control in particular has had an enviable safety record. Since establishment of the stringent standards and regulatory apparatus currently in place in the United States and elsewhere, there have been no reported cases of biological weed control causing significant harm to nontarget populations or to the environment at large.     

Amoebae as Exemplary Cells: The Protean Nature of an Elementary Organism

In the nineteenth century protozoology and early cell biology intersected through the nexus of Darwin’s theory of evolution. As single-celled organisms, amoebae offered an attractive focus of study for researchers seeking evolutionary relationships between the cells of humans and other animals, and their primitive appearance made them a favourite model for the ancient ancestor of all living things. Their resemblance to human and other metazoan cells made them popular objects of study among morphologists, physiologists, and even those investigating animal behaviour. The amoeba became the exemplar of the new protoplasmic cell concept of mid-century and because its apparent simplicity made it widely generalizable it became a popular subject in a breadth of experimental investigations and theoretical speculations. It was able to do this because “the amoeba” denotes not a particular organism, but a general type of behaviour common to the cells of a range of protozoa, simple plants and higher animals. Its status as an exemplary cell also rested upon auxiliary philosophical assumptions about what constitutes a primitive characteristic and the thesis that evolution is a progressive development of order from chaos.     

Morphology of Hydatellaceae, an anomalous aquatic family recently recognized as an early-divergent angiosperm lineage

The family Hydatellaceae was recently reassigned to the early-divergent angiosperm order Nymphaeales rather than the monocot order Poales. This dramatic taxonomic adjustment allows comparison with other early-divergent angiosperms, both extant and extinct. Hydatellaceae possess some monocot-like features that could represent adaptations to an aquatic habit. Ecophysiological parallels can also be drawn from fossil taxa that are known from small achene-like diaspores, as in Hydatellaceae. Reproductive units of Hydatellaceae consist of perianthlike bracts enclosing several pistils and/or stamens. In species with bisexual reproductive units, a single unit resembles an "inside-out" flower, in which stamens are surrounded by carpels that are initiated centrifugally. Furthermore, involucre development in Trithuria submersa, with delayed growth of second whorl bracts, resembles similar delayed development of the second perianth whorl in Cabomba. Several hypotheses on the homologies of reproductive units in Hydatellaceae are explored. Currently, the most plausible interpretation is that each reproductive unit represents an aggregation of reduced unisexual apetalous flowers, which are thus very different from flowers of Nymphaeales. Each pistil in Hydatellaceae is morphologically and developmentally consistent with a solitary ascidiate carpel. However, ascidiate carpel development, consistent with placement in Nymphaeales, is closely similar to pseudomonomerous pistil development as in Poaes.     

Classical dot–blot format implemented as an amperometric hybridisation genosensor

A new electrochemical hybridisation genosensor has been designed. This genosensor is based on a concept adapted from classical dot–blot DNA analysis, but implemented in an electrochemical biosensor configuration. The use of amperometric transduction and the enzyme label method—that increases the genosensor sensitivity—are the main features of this new approach. The analytical procedure consists of five steps: DNA target immobilisation by adsorption onto a nylon membrane, hybridisation between DNA target and biotin–DNA probe, complexation reaction between biotin-DNA probe and an enzyme (horseradish peroxidase) streptavidin conjugate; integration of the modified membrane onto an electrochemical transducer; and finally, amperometric detection using a suitable substrate for the enzyme labelled duplex. Besides the adapted dot–blot format, a competitive assay in which the target is in solution is reported as well. This procedure, based on amperometric transduction, represents certain advantages with respect to dot–blot analysis: labelled hybrid detection is far simpler, quicker and requires more ordinary or simple reactives; the response obtained is a direct analytical signal via low-cost instrumentation, a nonisotopic labelling is used, and the membranes can be reused. These characteristics are ideal in implementing the procedure developed in kit form.     

Intra- and Extrabud Stages of Elementary Shoot Development in Ligneous Plants

Length of elementary shoots and the number of metamers in them have been compared in a number of ligneous plants. The shoot length varies to a greater extent than the number of metamers. The number of metamers with bud scales is the most invariable and species-specific. This indicates relative independence of the intrabud stage of the shoot development.     

Study of the Classical Cassie Theory and Wenzel Theory Used in Nanoscale

Recently,there are hesitations in the application scope of the classical Cassie theory and Wenzel theory.In this paper,Molecular Dynamics(MD)simulations are use...     

Inheritance of Altered Flower Morphology and Kanamycin-Resistance in Transgenic Tobacco Plants

Inheritance of altered flower morphology and resistance to antibiotic kanamycin was studied in the first and second generations (T₁and T₂, respectively) of self-pollinated transgenic tobacco plants. In most transformants, kanamycin resistance was closely linked to mutant phenotype. T-DNA-induced mutations were shown to be dominant.     

17份蔷薇属植物的亲缘关系的形态学和ISSR分析

利用ISSR分子标记结合形态学指标对17份蔷薇属植物进行亲缘关系研究,采用NTSYS2.1进行聚类分析。结果表明：13个引物共扩增出479 条带,其中有221条多态带,多态性比例为46.1%;根据形态学聚类分析,在相似系数为0.12时17份蔷薇属植物可分为三类,第一类包括‘宝岛玫瑰’ 、‘索菲之常花种’、‘凯拉伯爵夫人’ 、‘索菲的玫瑰’、 ‘藤神奇’、 ‘大富贵’、‘美人鱼’、‘金瓯泛绿’、‘金粉莲’和‘一季粉’;第二类包括‘绿萼’、 ‘湖中月’、 ‘羽士妆’、 ‘杨基歌’、‘四面镜’和‘匍匐红’; ‘法国变色蔷薇’为第三类。根据ISSR聚类分析,在相似系数为0.66时可分为四类,第一类为‘宝岛玫瑰’;第二类为‘绿萼’、‘匍匐红’、‘凯拉伯爵夫人’、 ‘美人鱼’、‘四面镜’、‘湖中月’和‘羽士妆’;第三类为‘索菲的玫瑰’和 ‘杨基歌’;第四类为‘法国变色蔷薇’、‘金瓯泛绿’、 ‘藤神奇’、‘索菲之常花种’、‘一季粉’、 ‘大富贵’和‘金粉莲’。形态学聚类与ISSR聚类结果基本一致。     

Invariant NKT Cells Act as an Adjuvant to Enhance Th2 Inflammatory Response in an OVA-Induced Mouse Model of Asthma

Background

Invariant natural killer T cells (iNKT cells) are a unique subset of T lymphocytes and are considered to play an important role in the development of allergic bronchial asthma. Recently, iNKT cells were shown to play an immunoregulatory role in CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cell-mediated adaptive immune response. Allergen-specific Th2 inflammatory responses are an important part of the adaptive immune response in asthma. However, the regulatory functions of the Th2 inflammatory response in asthma have not been studied in detail.

Method

In this study, we have investigated the regulatory functions of iNKT cells on the Th2 inflammatory response in an ovalbumin (OVA)-induced murine model of asthma.

Results

Our results demonstrate that α-Galactosylceramide (α-GalCer) administration activated iNKT cells but could not induce the Th2 inflammatory response in wild-type (WT) mice. In the OVA-induced asthma model, α-GalCer administration and adoptive transfer of iNKT cells significantly augmented the Th2 inflammatory responses, including elevated inflammatory cell infiltration in the lung and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF); increased levels of IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 in the BALF and splenocyte culture supernatant; and increased serum levels of OVA-specific IgE and IgG1. In addition, the Th2 inflammatory response was reduced, but not completely abrogated in CD1d^-/- mice immunized and challenged with OVA, compared with WT mice.

Conclusion

These results suggest that iNKT cells may serve as an adjuvant to enhance Th2 inflammatory response in an OVA-induced murine model of asthma.     

Regulation of Levels of Proline as an Osmolyte in Plants under Water Stress

Compatible osmolytes are potent osmoprotectants that play arole in counteracting the effects of osmotic stress. Proline(Pro) is one of the most common compatible osmolytes in water-stressedplants. The accumulation of Pro in dehydrated plants is causedboth by activation of the biosynthesis of Pro and by inactivationof the degradation of Pro. In plants, L-Pro is synthesized fromL-glutamic acid (l-G1u) via     

Resource-Ratio Theory and the Control of Invasive Plants

There have been relatively few tests of resource-ratio theory in terrestrial systems. Additionally, resources are known to be an important factor determining the success of invasive species. Here I discuss how the study by Newingham and Belnap (pp. 29–40, this issue) tests predictions of resource-ratio theory and how they apply it to questions of invasion by Bromus tectorum in a terrestrial grassland.     

海拔梯度对高原湿地植物形态和生理学效应研究

研究了纳帕海高原湿地4种常见的多年生水生植物经移栽至不同海拔后,在生长过程中的生长状况、叶绿素、可溶性糖、游离脯氨酸（Pro）含量、过氧化物酶（POD）活性的变化及其生理特性。结果表明,水葱（Scirpusvalidus）、荸荠（Heleocharis dulcis）、黑三棱（Sparganium stoloniferum）和茭草（Zizania latifolia）的生长状况随着海拔的降低均有所改善,其中,4种湿地植物的株高随海拔的降低均有所升高,水葱和荸荠的茎粗随海拔的降低均呈现增粗的趋势,黑三棱和茭草的叶片宽度也随海拔的降低有所增加;4种湿地植物的叶绿素（a＋b）含量随着海拔的降低均呈现不断下降的趋势;4种植物的可溶性糖和游离脯氨酸（Pro）含量随海拔的降低均有所下降;荸荠、黑三棱和茭草的过氧化物酶（POD）活性随海拔的降低均呈下降趋势,而水葱的过氧化物酶（POD）活性随着海拔的降低无显著变化,黑三棱和茭草的过氧化物酶（POD）活性显著高于其它两种植物。可见,4种湿地植物的形态、生理特征对不同海拔生境的适应方式可能是通过多种途径实现的,如形态特征、光合作用、抗寒物质代谢、抗氧化酶系统等随海拔梯度的变化而变化。这些不同的适应方式在不同的植物间既有共同规律,又有着各自的特性。     

Plants as sources of new drugs

The search for new drugs from plants poses a number of problems. Collection, identification, selection, and testing of plants, as well as the extraction and isolation of potentially useful constituents are discussed, wih reference to the alkaloids as examples, from the point of view of the industrial research laboratory.     

Glutathione as an Antioxidant and Regulatory Molecule in Plants Under Abiotic Stress Conditions

The glutathione (GSH)/glutathione disulfide (GSSG) redox couple is involved in several physiologic processes in plants under both optimal and stress conditions. It participates in the maintenance of redox homeostasis in the cells. The redox state of the GSH/GSSG couple is defined by its reducing capacity and the half-cell reduction potential, and differs in the various organs, tissues, cells, and compartments, changing during the growth and development of the plants. When characterizing this redox couple, the synthesis, degradation, oxidation, and transport of GSH and its conjugation with the sulfhydryl groups of other compounds should be considered. Under optimal growth conditions, the high GSH/GSSG ratio results in a reducing environment in the cells which maintains the appropriate structure and activity of protein molecules because of the inhibition of the formation of intermolecular disulfide bridges. In response to abiotic stresses, the GSH/GSSG ratio decreases due to the oxidation of GSH during the detoxification of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and changes in its metabolism. The lower GSH/GSSG ratio activates various defense mechanisms through a redox signalling pathway, which includes several oxidants, antioxidants, and stress hormones. In addition, GSH may control gene expression and the activity of proteins through glutathionylation and thiol-disulfide conversion. This review discusses the size and redox state of the GSH pool, including their regulation, their role in redox signalling and defense processes, and the changes caused by abiotic stress.     

Potential Nitrification as an Indicator of Preferential Uptake of Ammonium or Nitrate by Plants in an Oak Woodland Understorey

The preferences of some woodland understorey species for ammoniumand nitrate were investigated by measuring the potential nitrification(conversion of ammonium to nitrate) in the rhizosphere comparedwith the bulk soil. Less acid-tolerant species, which usuallyprefer nitrate or a mixture of ammonium and nitrate in hydroponicculture, should have a higher potential nitrification in therhizosphere compared to the bulk soil due to a low uptake ofammonium (since ammonium is relatively immobile). Acid-tolerantspecies should have a high uptake of ammonium and thereby loweror equal potential nitrification in the rhizosphere comparedto the bulk soil. The hypothesis was tested in a field investigationof five understorey herb species, Deschampsia flexuosa, Convallariamajalis, Poa nemoralis, Geum urbanum andAegopodium podagrariaperformed in oak forests in southern Sweden. Overall, the twoless acid-tolerant species, Geum urbanum and Aegopodium podagraria,had high potential nitrification in the rhizosphere comparedto the bulk soil (indicating a relatively low uptake of ammonium),whilst the acid tolerant species, Deschampsia flexuosa andConvallariamajalis , had approximately equal potential nitrification inthe rhizosphere compared to the bulk soil (indicating a relativelyhigh uptake of ammonium). In the case of Poa nemoralis, a specieswhich grows in both acid and less acid soils, we found the potentialnitrification in the rhizosphere and in the bulk soil to besimilar at low inorganic nitrogen concentrations, but the difference(rhizosphere > bulk) increased when nitrification in thebulk soil was enhanced (i.e. when the nitrogen availabilityincreased). The potential nitrification in the bulk soil variedbetween 0 and 16 nmol g^-1h^-1and was positively correlated withpH. When species occurred at the same site, the potential nitrificationin the bulk soil tended to be lower for the acid tolerant species.Despite a large variation in potential nitrification, the methodoffers a possibility of measuring the preference of plants forammonium/nitrate in a soil system, under natural conditions.Copyright 2000 Annals of Botany Company Ammonium uptake, nitrate uptake, nitrogen preference, potential nitrification, rhizosphere, Deschampsia flexuosa, Convallaria majalis, Poa nemoralis, Geum urbanum, Aegopodium podagraria