Nitrogen addition promotes terrestrial plants to allocate more biomass to aboveground organs: A global meta-analysis

A significant increase in reactive nitrogen (N) added to terrestrial ecosystems through agricultural fertilization or atmospheric deposition is considered to be one of the most widespread drivers of global change. Modifying biomass allocation is one primary strategy for maximizing plant growth rate, survival, and adaptability to various biotic and abiotic stresses. However, there is much uncertainty as to whether and how plant biomass allocation strategies change in response to increased N inputs in terrestrial ecosystems. Here, we synthesized 3516 paired observations of plant biomass and their components related to N additions across terrestrial ecosystems worldwide. Our meta-analysis reveals that N addition (ranging from 1.08 to 113.81 g m⁻² year⁻¹) increased terrestrial plant biomass by 55.6% on average. N addition has increased plant stem mass fraction, shoot mass fraction, and leaf mass fraction by 13.8%, 12.9%, and 13.4%, respectively, but with an associated decrease in plant reproductive mass (including flower and fruit biomass) fraction by 3.4%. We further documented a reduction in plant root-shoot ratio and root mass fraction by 27% (21.8%–32.1%) and 14.7% (11.6%–17.8%), respectively, in response to N addition. Meta-regression results showed that N addition effects on plant biomass were positively correlated with mean annual temperature, soil available phosphorus, soil total potassium, specific leaf area, and leaf area per plant. Nevertheless, they were negatively correlated with soil total N, leaf carbon/N ratio, leaf carbon and N content per leaf area, as well as the amount and duration of N addition. In summary, our meta-analysis suggests that N addition may alter terrestrial plant biomass allocation strategies, leading to more biomass being allocated to aboveground organs than belowground organs and growth versus reproductive trade-offs. At the global scale, leaf functional traits may dictate how plant species change their biomass allocation pattern in response to N addition.     

Extinction risk of Chinese angiosperms varies between woody and herbaceous species

Aim

Understanding how species' traits and environmental contexts relate to extinction risk is a critical priority for ecology and conservation biology. This study aims to identify and explore factors related to extinction risk between herbaceous and woody angiosperms to facilitate more effective conservation and management strategies and understand the interactions between environmental threats and species' traits.

Location

China.

Taxon

Angiosperms.

Methods

We obtained a large dataset including five traits, six extrinsic variables, and 796,118 occurrence records for 14,888 Chinese angiosperms. We assessed the phylogenetic signal and used phylogenetic generalized least squares regressions to explore relationships between extinction risk, plant traits, and extrinsic variables in woody and herbaceous angiosperms. We also used phylogenetic path analysis to evaluate causal relationships among traits, climate variables, and extinction risk of different growth forms.

Results

The phylogenetic signal of extinction risk differed among woody and herbaceous species. Angiosperm extinction risk was mainly affected by growth form, altitude, mean annual temperature, normalized difference vegetation index, and precipitation change from 1901 to 2020. Woody species' extinction risk was strongly affected by height and precipitation, whereas extinction risk for herbaceous species was mainly affected by mean annual temperature rather than plant traits.

Main conclusions

Woody species were more likely to have higher extinction risks than herbaceous species under climate change and extinction threat levels varied with both plant traits and extrinsic variables. The relationships we uncovered may help identify and protect threatened plant species and the ecosystems that rely on them.     

Ribosomal protein L22-like1 promotes prostate cancer progression by activating PI3K/Akt/mTOR signalling pathway

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most common malignancies in men. Ribosomal protein L22-like1 (RPL22L1), a component of the ribosomal 60 S subunit, is associated with cancer progression, but the role and potential mechanism of RPL22L1 in PCa remain unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of RPL22L1 in PCa progression and the mechanisms involved. Bioinformatics and immunohistochemistry analysis showed that the expression of RPL22L1 was significantly higher in PCa tissues than in normal prostate tissues. The cell function analysis revealed that RPL22L1 significantly promoted the proliferation, migration and invasion of PCa cells. The data of xenograft tumour assay suggested that the low expression of RPL22L1 inhibited the growth and invasion of PCa cells in vivo. Mechanistically, the results of Western blot proved that RPL22L1 activated PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway in PCa cells. Additionally, LY294002, an inhibitor of PI3K/Akt pathway, was used to block this pathway. The results showed that LY294002 remarkably abrogated the oncogenic effect of RPL22L1 on PCa cell proliferation and invasion. Taken together, our study demonstrated that RPL22L1 is a key gene in PCa progression and promotes PCa cell proliferation and invasion via PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway, thus potentially providing a new target for PCa therapy.     

Development of haploid asparagus embryos from liquid cultures of anther-derived calli is enhanced by ancymidol

Summary The effect of ancymidol concentration on the development of haploid asparagus embryos was determined. Liquid cultures from anther-derived calli were grown for three weeks in MS medium plus 1.0 mg l^–1 2,4-D, 0.1 mg l^–1 NAA, 0.2 mg l^–1 kinetin, 800 mg l^–1 glutamine, 500 mg l^–1 casein hydrolysate, 2% sucrose and 0.0–1.0 mg l^–1 ancymidol. Cell clumps (224–500 m) were plated on solid embryo maturation medium (MS medium plus 3% sucrose, 0.1 mg l^–1 NAA, 0.5 mg l^–1 kinetin and 0.0–1.0 mg l^–1 ancymidol) and grown for eight weeks. Ancymidol enhanced embryo maturation and germination and was more critical in the solid than liquid medium. Total embryo number did not vary among most treatments. The best response was observed when ancymidol concentrations were 0.1 and 0.5 mg l^–1 in the liquid and solid media, respectively; two-thirds of the embryos produced were bipolar and 35% of bipolar embryos germinated. Seven to 82% of plants recovered from different ancymidol treatments were haploid; the others were diploid, triploid or chimeric for ploidy level.Abbreviations NAA naphthaleneacetic acid - 2,4-D 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - GA₃ gibberellic acid - MS Murashige and Skoog (1962)     

Investigation of <i>GhFAT</i> Genes Related to Seed Oil Content and Fatty Acid Composition in <i>Gossypium hirsutum</i> L.

Fatty Acyl-ACP thioesterase (FAT) is a key enzyme controlling oil biosynthesis in plant seeds. FATs can be divided into two subfamilies, FATA and FATB according to their amino acid sequences and substrate specificity. The Upland cotton genome contains 20 GhFAT genes, amongst which 6 genes were of the GhFATA subfamily and 14 of the GhFATB subfamily. The 20 GhFAT genes are unevenly distributed on 14 chromosomes. The GhFATA genes have 5 or 7 exons and the GhFATB genes have 6 or 7 exons. All GhFAT proteins have the conserved Acyl-ACP_TE domain and PLN02370 super family, the typical characteristics of plant thioesterases. Analyses of the expression level of GhFATs and the compositions of fatty acid in 5–60 days-post-anthesis seeds showed that the ratio of saturated fatty acids to unsaturated fatty acids was consistent with the expression profile of GhFATB12, GhFATB3, and GhFATB10; the ratio of monounsaturated fatty acid to polyunsaturated fatty acids was consistent with the expression profile of GhFATA3. The oil contents of mature cottonseeds were positively correlated with the contents of palmitic acid and linolenic acid as well as seed vigor. These results provide essential information for further exploring the role(s) of the specific GhFATs in determining oil biosynthesis and cottonseed compositions.     

Terpenoids and Their Possible Role in Defense Against a Fungal Pathogen Alternaria tenuissima in Chrysanthemum morifolium Cultivars

Journal of Plant Growth Regulation - Terpenoids are a class of structurally diverse natural products involved in various plant biological processes. Their primary function is believed to provide...     

盐磷胁迫对木麻黄和台湾相思种子萌发及幼苗生长的影响

恶劣环境下,人工海防林因面临养分胁迫而经营困难。为探讨盐、磷胁迫对主要海防林树种木麻黄和台湾相思种子萌发及生长的影响,该研究分别用不同浓度的NaCl(盐)和KH₂PO₄(磷)溶液处理种子和浇灌幼苗,测定种子萌发和幼苗生长指标。结果表明：(1)高盐胁迫显著抑制种子萌发,对幼苗生长有一定影响,但两种植物影响程度不同;台湾相思种子萌发耐盐性高于木麻黄,前者相对盐害率最大值为23.03%,后者为89.15%;随着盐浓度增加,木麻黄和台湾相思种子的发芽率、发芽势、发芽指数和活力指数均降低,对应最大值分别为38.70%、34.67%、18.70、0.055和76.67%、62.22%、48.46、6.11。(2)两种植物的株高和根长随盐浓度增加而降低,木麻黄和台湾相思株高分别为12.29～6.01 mm和48.27～17.33 mm,根长分别为8.57～1.45 mm和33.41～5.88 mm;台湾相思根、茎、叶生物量及根冠比均随盐浓度的增加逐渐减小,木麻黄各处理差异较小。(3)台湾相思的种子和幼苗较木麻黄更耐低磷环境,二者最适磷浓度存在差异;木麻黄种...     

日本大萝卜引种栽培研究

本文报道日本大萝卜引种栽培的试验结果,并为推广这一蔬菜新品种提供了有效的栽培技术措施。     

巨噬细胞激活及钙作用的初步研究

经TG诱发的小鼠腹腔渗出液的巨噬细胞及人的巨噬细胞样细胞株U937受PAF(100ng ml).Zymosan A(0.25mg ml).Can A(50μg ml)LPS(1μg ml)等作用后.能引起胞内游离Ca~(2-)浓度的增加,巨噬细胞内酸性磷酸酶增多,细胞骨架更为舒展、丰满.胞内游离Ca~(2-)的增加是由于胞内钙库的释放与胞外钙的内流.上述困子作用后,可使巨噬细胞产生呼吸爆发.其中.Zymosan A的作用尤为强烈.同时还出现胞膜流动性的降低、当胞外环境中有Ca~(2-)时.可增强巨噬细胞的呼吸爆发.以上提示:在巨噬细胞的激活中Ca~(2-)具有重要的作用.     

脑部磁刺激场的理论模型

作为脑部磁刺激研究的一项基础工作,建立了刺激磁场中的球形头模型、对方形线圈在其内产生的时变磁场和感应电场进行了理论研究.导出(?).(?).(?)的解析表达式,分析了场的特性和刺激强度的分布规律.为进一步探索时变磁场对人脑的最佳刺激方式和作用机理提供了初步的理论基础.