Diversity of plant–animal interactions: Possibilities for a new plant defense indicator value?

The interactions between herbivores and plants are of general interest in ecology. Even though the extensive research carried out during the last decades has culminated in many theories, additional studies are necessary to validate these findings. In particular, the hypotheses dealing with the complex interrelations of plant defense mechanisms and herbivores continue to be debated.In this paper, we develop a new indicator value that quantifies the defense mechanisms of Central European woody plants against large mammalian herbivores. The indicator value is based on three plant-specific traits: chemical defense (toxic compounds, digestion inhibitors), mechanical defense and leaf size. Our validation of the newly established indicator shows that evergreen woody plants have a significantly higher indicator value than deciduous woody plants. Moreover, plant defense is correlated with growth height: woody plants growing in the browsing zone preferred by large mammalian herbivores have significantly higher levels of defense compared with woody plants capable of growth high above the reach of large herbivores.We conclude that the new plant defense indicator value is a valuable tool for the validation of existing hypotheses and habitat calibration on a statistical basis. The quantification of plant mechanisms of defense against large herbivores produces a significantly better understanding of the multifaceted nature of plant–animal interactions and should contribute positively to future studies.     

多年生植物模式物种基因组研究的历史及进展

木本植物有许多不同于一年生草本植物的生物学特性,生物学家提出将木本植物 作为研究多年生植物的模式体系。杨属Populus树种由于研究基础较好且基因组较小,目前已 被广泛地接受作为多年生植物基因组研究的模式物种。随着杨属树种全基因组序列的测定, 杨属树种在多年生植物的功能基因组研究及一些基础科学问题的研究中将发挥重要作用。本 文综述了杨属树种基因组研究的历史、进展及将来的研究热点,旨在为我国多年生植物基因 组研究提供参考和借鉴。本文主要论述了以下几个方面的内容:（1）对杨属树种开展的细胞 遗传学研究;（2）在分子水平上对杨属树种进行的基因组研究,内容包括遗传作图、基因组 测序、物理图谱构建、基因芯片及连锁不平衡分析;（3）杨属树种基因组信息在探讨一些基 础科学问题中的潜在应用。     

四川都江堰亚热带针阔混交林中主要晚生型外生菌根真菌类群的空间分布

晚生型外生菌根真菌通常出现在森林演替的后期,是成熟林中的优势外生菌根真菌类群.对四川都江堰一片亚热带针阔混交林中的菌根真菌地上群落进行调查,并应用二元逻辑回归分析对晚生型外生菌根真菌的主要类群,即鹅膏菌科、牛肝菌科和红菇科,与周围(5 m×5 m样方)树种组成的关系进行研究.还应用次级变量分析方法对主要外生菌根真菌类群的空间格局进行了分析.结果表明,非外生菌根树种及某些外生菌根树种对特定类群菌根真菌子实体的出现有抑制作用,而不同类群外生菌根真菌在克隆生长上的差异并不是子实体空间分布的决定因素.我们认为,当研究自然林中外生菌根子实体的空间分布时,除了宿主植物的分布,也应考虑非宿主植物的分布以及菌根真菌相互作用的影响.     

History and progress of the genomics studies in the model system of perennial plant species

Strong justifications have been developed for why woody plants should be viewed as mod-el systems in plant biology. The genus Populus possesses many characteristics that are conductive to functional genomic studies,and therefore leads to its emergence as a model system in extrapolating findings in perennial plant species that are different from annual herbaceous plants. With the pro-ceeding of the whole genome sequencing,poplars will be act as a wide reference for functional ge-nomics studies in perennial plant species and will also contribute towards answering some fundamen-tal scientific questions. This paper reviewed the history and progress of the poplar genome studies and the potential keen topics in the future. The contents mainly address on: （1）the somatic genet-ics studies in Populus;（2）the genomics studies carried out in Populus,including genetic map-ping,genome sequ encing,physical map construction,microarray analysis and linkage disequilibri-um analysis;（3）the potential application of the genome information of Populus for facilitating our understanding of some basic scientific questions.     

Invasive brown marmorated stink bug <Emphasis Type="Italic">Halyomorpha halys</Emphasis> (Stål) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) in Russia,Abkhazia, and Serbia: history of invasion,range expansion,early stages of establishment,and first records of damage to local crops

Halyomorpha halys is native to Asia, but was recently accidentally introduced to North America and Europe. This species was recorded for the first time in Russia in 2013 (2014) and in both Serbia and Abkhazia in 2015. In 2015–2017, we conducted surveys in Russia, Serbia, and Abkhazia and found that H. halys had not only successfully survived its first winters in new regions, but also started to establish locally, spread, increase populations, and damage local crops. In Sochi (Russia) and Abkhazia, H. halys was recorded to feed on 32 species and cultivars from 16 plants families. In Serbia, it has so far been observed on only four species from four plant families. H. halys is already widely spread in Abkhazia and causes serious damage to many crops: in 2016, the yield of peach, mandarin orange, persimmon and other crops fell down by 13.2–87.4% if compared to the long-term means of yield. The losses are likely to be mostly caused by feeding of H. halys. We conclude that H. halys was accidentally introduced to Russia in 2012–2013 most likely with woody plants imported to Sochi from Italy or Greece for urban landscaping before the 2014 Winter Olympics. The species established in Sochi and quickly moved to Krasnodar (Russia), Abkhazia, and beyond—to Georgia. Populations in Serbia most likely arrived in 2015 traveling on railway cars or in commodities on the Bucharest–Belgrade railway line. We discuss phenology and prospects of further expansion of H. halys in Europe.     

木本植物全基因组测序研究进展

近年来, 植物全基因组测序的结果正如雨后春笋般涌现, 木本植物全基因组测序也在紧锣密鼓地展开。但由于木本植物通常基因组较大, 基因组结构较为复杂, 在测序、测序后的组装、注释、功能分析等均存在较大的困难。在基因组测序分析的经费预算方面也存在着较大的压力。因此, 有必要对这方面的研究进展及其存在问题进行分析比较, 以提高林木全基因组研究方面的效率。文章在比较分析已经发展起来的3代基因测序技术(Sanger测序法、合成测序法和单分子测序法)的基础上, 选择4种已经公布的木本植物(杨树、葡萄、番木瓜、苹果), 从全基因组测序的研究背景、测序结果及应用的研究进展和存在问题等方面进行了述评, 对未来要开展的木本植物全基因组测序前的准备工作(材料选择、遗传图谱和连锁图谱的构建、测序技术的选择), 全基因组测序结果的生物信息学分析和应用进行了讨论。     

木本植物萌枝生态学研究进展

综述了萌枝的生物学特征、个体生活史策略、生物地理学特征,以及对种群和群落特征的影响.已有的研究虽然在干扰与萌枝关系、萌枝生活史策略等领域取得了众多成果,但生态学意义远未揭示清楚,尤其是萌枝对种群、群落结构和动态的影响还需要深入探索.我国在重视萌枝生态理论研究的基础上,应加强理论和植被恢复及生态系统管理实践相结合的研究.     

浙江丽水木本植物区系的研究

丽水市位于浙江西南部,是浙江木本植物最丰富的地区之一,共有木本植物95科338属1128种。通过对科、属、种的统计分析,该地区木本植物区系基本特征为：（1）植物种类丰富;（2）起源古老、单型属和寡种属较多;（3）各类地理成分复杂,与世界各地有着不同程度的联系,以温带成分为主;（4）区系过渡性明显。     

Raissa L. Berg's contributions to the study of phenotypic integration,with a professional biographical sketch

Raissa L. Berg had a remarkable career in many respects and an impact on the study of phenotypic integration that continues to increase over 50 years after the publication of her seminal paper in that area. She was born and lived most of her life in Russia, with most of her research focused on measuring spontaneous mutation rates in Drosophila. She was forced to abandon this work during the height of Lysenko''s power in Russia, so she turned temporarily to the study of correlation patterns in plants; ironically, this work has had a more enduring impact than her main body of research. She showed that floral and vegetative traits become decoupled into separate correlation ‘pleiades’ in plants with specialized pollinators, but floral and vegetative traits remain correlated in plants that have less specialized pollination. Unfortunately, her plant work is often mis-cited as providing evidence for increased correlations among floral traits due to selection by pollinators for functional integration, a point she never made and one that is not supported by her data. Still, many studies of correlation pleiades have been conducted in plants, with the results mostly supporting Berg''s hypothesis, although more studies on species with generalized pollination are needed.     

木本植物全基因组测序研究进展

近年来,植物全基因组测序的结果正如雨后春笋般涌现,木本植物全基因组测序也在紧锣密鼓地展开。但由于木本植物通常基因组较大,基因组结构较为复杂,在测序、测序后的组装、注释、功能分析等均存在较大的困难。在基因组测序分析的经费预算方面也存在着较大的压力。因此,有必要对这方面的研究进展及其存在问题进行分析比较,以提高林木全基因组研究方面的效率。文章在比较分析已经发展起来的3代基因测序技术(Sanger测序法、合成测序法和单分子测序法)的基础上,选择4种已经公布的木本植物(杨树、葡萄、番木瓜、苹果),从全基因组测序的研究背景、测序结果及应用的研究进展和存在问题等方面进行了述评,对未来要开展的木本植物全基因组测序前的准备工作(材料选择、遗传图谱和连锁图谱的构建、测序技术的选择),全基因组测序结果的生物信息学分析和应用进行了讨论。     

Responses to environmental stresses in woody plants: key to survive and longevity

Environmental stresses have adverse effects on plant growth and productivity, and are predicted to become more severe and widespread in decades to come. Especially, prolonged and repeated severe stresses affecting growth and development would bring down long-lasting effects in woody plants as a result of its long-term growth period. To counteract these effects, trees have evolved specific mechanisms for acclimation and tolerance to environmental stresses. Plant growth and development are regulated by the integration of many environmental and endogenous signals including plant hormones. Acclimation of land plants to environmental stresses is controlled by molecular cascades, also involving cross-talk with other stresses and plant hormone signaling mechanisms. This review focuses on recent studies on molecular mechanisms of abiotic stress responses in woody plants, functions of plant hormones in wood formation, and the interconnection of cell wall biosynthesis and the mechanisms shown above. Understanding of these mechanisms in depth should shed light on the factors for improvement of woody plants to overcome severe environmental stress conditions.     

Immediate tasks of introduction of woody plants in Asian Russia

The paper analyzes the studies (beginning with the first works by Laxmann in the early 18th century) of the introduction of woody plants on the territory of Asian Russia. A special attention is given to the main introductory centers of Siberia and Russian Far East. It is shown that the first stage of the tests of the species from various botanical-geographical areas results only in the diversification of the woody species suitable for gardening and landscaping. The further studies require more serious and multidimensional research of the trees and shrubs under the conditions of the primary introduction so as to introduce them into the culture and use for creating artificial landscapes of various functions (forest amelioration, land reclamation, preserving rare and endangered species of the world flora, etc.). The special emphasis is put on the search for botanical-geographical areas as potential donors of introduced species using the method of climate comparison that we have developed. It is recommended to create the introduction centers in Siberia and the Far East.     

四川都江堰亚热带针阔混交林中主要晚生型外生菌根真菌类群的空间分布

晚生型外生菌根真菌通常出现在森林演替的后期,是成熟林中的优势外生菌根真菌类群。对四川都江堰一片亚热带针阔混交林中的菌根真菌地上群落进行调查,并应用二元逻辑回归分析对晚生型外生菌根真菌的主要类群,即鹅膏菌科、牛肝菌科和红菇科,与周围(5m×5m样方)树种组成的关系进行研究。还应用次级变量分析方法对主要外生菌根真菌类群的空间格局进行了分析。结果表明,非外生菌根树种及某些外生菌根树种对特定类群菌根真菌子实体的出现有抑制作用,而不同类群外生菌根真菌在克隆生长上的差异并不是子实体空间分布的决定因素。我们认为,当研究自然林中外生菌根子实体的空间分布时,除了宿主植物的分布,也应考虑非宿主植物的分布以及菌根真菌相互作用的影响。     

Molecular control of cold acclimation in trees

Frost tolerance is an acquired characteristic of plants that is induced in response to environmental cues preceding the onset of freezing temperatures and activation of a cold acclimation program. In addition to transient acclimation to low non-freezing temperatures and enhancing survival to short frost episodes during the growth season, perennial woody plants need additionally to survive the cold winter months. Trees have evolved a complex dynamic process controlling the development of dormancy and freezing tolerance that secures accurate initiation and termination of the overwintering process. Although the phenology of overwintering has been known for decades, only recently has there been progress in elucidating the molecular mechanisms of dormancy and freezing tolerance development in perennial plants. Current molecular and genomic studies indicate that herbaceous annual and woody perennial plants share similar cold acclimation mechanisms. Both the signal processes controlling cold acclimation and the cold-regulated target genes appear to be shared by herbaceous and woody plants. However, the dormancy development during overwintering brings new players in the molecular control of seasonal cold acclimation of woody perennials.     

Ecohydrological impacts of woody-plant encroachment: seasonal patterns of water and carbon dioxide exchange within a semiarid riparian environment

Across many dryland regions, historically grass‐dominated ecosystems have been encroached upon by woody‐plant species. In this paper, we compare ecosystem water and carbon dioxide (CO₂) fluxes over a grassland, a grassland–shrubland mosaic, and a fully developed woodland to evaluate potential consequences of woody‐plant encroachment on important ecosystem processes. All three sites were located in the riparian corridor of a river in the southwest US. As such, plants in these ecosystems may have access to moisture at the capillary fringe of the near‐surface water table. Using fluxes measured by eddy covariance in 2003 we found that ecosystem evapotranspiration (ET) and net ecosystem exchange of carbon dioxide (NEE) increased with increasing woody‐plant dominance. Growing season ET totals were 407, 450, and 639 mm in the grassland, shrubland, and woodland, respectively, and in excess of precipitation by 227, 265, and 473 mm. This excess was derived from groundwater, especially during the extremely dry premonsoon period when this was the only source of moisture available to plants. Access to groundwater by the deep‐rooted woody plants apparently decouples ecosystem ET from gross ecosystem production (GEP) with respect to precipitation. Compared with grasses, the woody plants were better able to use the stable groundwater source and had an increased net CO₂ gain during the dry periods. This enhanced plant activity resulted in substantial accumulation of leaf litter on the soil surface that, during rainy periods, may lead to high microbial respiration rates that offset these photosynthetic fluxes. March–December (primary growing season) totals of NEE were ?63, ?212, and ?233 g C m^?2 in the grassland, shrubland, and woodland, respectively. Thus, there was a greater disparity between ecosystem water use and the strength of the CO₂ sink as woody plants increased across the encroachment gradient. Despite a higher density of woody plants and a greater plant productivity in the woodland than in the shrubland, the woodland produced a larger respiration response to rainfall that largely offset its higher photosynthetic potential. These data suggest that the capacity for woody plants to exploit water resources in riparian areas results in enhanced carbon sequestration at the expense of increased groundwater use under current climate conditions, but the potential does not scale specifically as a function of woody‐plant abundance. These results highlight the important roles of water sources and ecosystem structure on the control of water and carbon balances in dryland areas.     

Why does the unimodal species richness–productivity relationship not apply to woody species: a lack of clonality or a legacy of tropical evolutionary history?

Aim  To study how differences in species richness patterns of woody and herbaceous plants may be influenced by ecological and evolutionary factors. Unimodal species richness–productivity relationships (SRPRs) have been of interest to ecologists since they were first described three decades ago for British herbaceous vegetation by J. P. Grime. The decrease in richness at high productivity may be due to competitive exclusion of subordinate species, or diverse factors related to evolution and dispersal. Unimodal SRPRs are most often reported for plants, but there are exceptions. For example, unimodal SRPRs are common in the temperate zone but not in the tropics. Similarly, woody species and forest communities in the Northern Hemisphere do not tend to show unimodal SRPRs.
Location  Global.
Methods  We used data from the literature to test whether a unimodal SRPR applies to woody species and forest communities on a global scale. We explored whether the shape of SRPRs may be related to the lack of clonality in woody species (which may prevent their being competitively superior), or the legacy of evolutionary history (most temperate woody species originate from tropical lineages, and due to niche conservatism they may still demonstrate 'tropical patterns'). We used case studies that reported the names of the dominant or most abundant species for productive sites.
Results  Woody species were indeed less clonal than herbaceous species. Both clonality and the temperate evolutionary background of dominating species were associated with unimodality in SRPRs, with woodiness modifying the clonality effect.
Main conclusions  The unimodal SRPR has been common in the ecological literature because most such studies originate from temperate herbaceous communities with many clonal species. Consequently, both evolutionary and ecological factors may influence species richness patterns.     

Notes on the key role of stenochoric endemic plants in the floristic regionalization of Yunnan

With the accumulation and accessibility of information about plant species, it is time to re-evaluate and further divide a global biodiversity hotspot region, Yunnan, located in southwestern China. In this study, we combined data on the distribution of 1010 stenochoric endemic seed plants, vegetation constitution, geological history and climate change, and used these to propose a new system of floristic regions. We identified 11 distinct floristic subregions and 84 floristic provinces within Yunnan. Our work confirmed some views emphasized by Wu Zhengyi that the stenochoric endemic species play a key role in defining floristic provinces; that stenochoric endemic plants with long collection and publication histories are more valuable; that greater attention should be paid to woody plants; and that for Yunnan, a border region, some trans-border distributed elements should be treated cautiously.     

木本植物木质部栓塞脆弱性研究新进展

木质部空穴化和栓塞是木本植物在干旱等条件下遭受水分胁迫时产生的木质部输水功能障碍, 在全球气候变化的大背景下, 栓塞脆弱性对干旱响应的研究已成为热点和重要内容。近年来有关木质部栓塞脆弱性与植物输水结构和耐旱性的关系已有大量研究并取得一定成果, 但是, 不同学者在不同地区对不同材料的研究结果存在很大不同。该文就近年来这一研究领域取得的成果及争议问题进行了概括和总结, 主要涉及木质部栓塞脆弱性(P₅₀)及脆弱曲线的建立方法、木质部栓塞脆弱性与木质部结构(导管直径、导管长度、纹孔膜、木质部密度、纤维及纤维管胞)间的关系和木质部栓塞脆弱性与耐旱性的关系, 并对未来工作进行展望, 提出在未来的工作中应对同一树种使用Cochard Cavitron离心机法、Sperry离心机技术与传统方法建立的脆弱曲线进行比较验证、计算P₅₀值、分析植物个体器官水平差异(根、茎、叶)、测定树种生理生态指标, 探索植物栓塞脆弱性与输水结构和耐旱性的关系, 从而评估不同类型植物在未来气候变化下的耐旱能力。     

A review of new research progress on the vulnerability of xylem embolism of woody plants

Xylem cavitation/embolism is the blockage of xylem conduits when woody plants suffer from water stress under drought and other environmental conditions, the study of embolism has become a hot and key topic under global climate change. Recent researches on the relationship between the vulnerability of xylem embolism and hydraulic architecture/drought tolerance have made some progress, however, scholars reached different conclusions based on results from different regions or different materials. This paper reviews the current achievements and controversial viewpoints, which includes indicator of xylem embolism vulnerability (P₅₀), method of vulnerability curve establishment, the relationship between embolism vulnerability and hydraulic architecture (vessel diameter, vessel length, pit area, wood density, fiber and fiber tracheid) and the relationship between embolism vulnerability and drought tolerance of woody plants. Future studies should use Cochard Cavitron centrifuge and Sperry centrifuge coupled with traditional methods to establish vulnerability curves, calculate P₅₀, analyze the difference among different organisms (root, stem, leaf), and measure physiological and ecological indexes. Future studies should be aimed to explore the relationship between the vulnerability of xylem embolism and hydraulic architecture/drought tolerance and to assess drought tolerance ability of different species under future climate change.     

Tolerance to herbivory in woody vs. herbaceous plants

Research on plant tolerance to herbivory has been so far largely focussed on herbaceous plants partly due to the implicit assumption that woody plants are inherently lower in their compensatory potential as compared to herbs. However, tolerance to herbivory should be an important part of resistance of woody plants because their apparency to herbivory is high due to a large size and long life span, and their defence systems cannot completely exclude herbivory. Moreover, the longer life span, more complex modularity and higher sectorality of woody plants as compared to herbs imply that compensatory responses in woody plants may take several years to develop, and that consequences of herbivore damage to individual modules may profoundly differ from whole-plant responses. Therefore, short-term studies using branches or ramets as experimental units are likely to underestimate the tolerance of woody plants to herbivory. In addition, defoliation by insects (the most common type of herbivory experienced by woody plants) is less likely to release apical dominance and trigger biomass compensation than mammalian grazing on herbaceous plants. We conclude, therefore, that the seemingly different recovery potentials exhibited by woody and herbaceous plants are more likely to be the consequences of differences between the two types of plants in modular architecture, longevity and the type of herbivory they commonly experience rather than indications of inherent differences in compensatory ability. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.