Allelopathy and its coevolutionary implications between native and non‐native neighbors of invasive Cynara cardunculus L.

Invasive plants apply new selection pressures on neighbor plant species by different means including allelopathy. Recent evidence shows allelopathy functions as remarkably influential mediator for invaders to be successful in their invaded range. However, few studies have determined whether native and non‐native species co‐occurring with invaders have evolved tolerance to allelopathy. In this study, we conducted germination and growth experiments to evaluate whether co‐occurring native Juncus pallidus and non‐native Lolium rigidum species may evolve tolerance to the allelochemicals induced by Cyanara cardunculus in Australian agricultural fields. The test species were germinated and grown in pots filled with collected invaded and uninvaded rhizosphere soil of C. cardunculus with and without activated carbon (AC). Additionally, a separate experiment was done to differentiate the direct effects of AC on the test species. The soil properties showed invaded rhizosphere soils had higher total phenolic and lower pH compared with uninvaded soils. We found significant reduction of germination percentage and seedling growth in terms of above‐ and belowground biomass, and maximum plant height and root length of native in the invaded rhizosphere soil of C. cardunculus, but little effect on non‐native grass species. Even soil manipulated with AC showed no significant differences in the measured parameters of non‐native except aboveground biomass. Taken together, the results indicate allelochemicals induced by C. cardunculus exert more suppressive effects on native than non‐native linking the coevolved tolerance of those.     

4种植物水浸提液对乌丹蒿的化感作用研究

分布于科尔沁沙地西部的固沙先锋植物乌丹蒿近些年呈现出衰退趋势。本研究选取了该地区3种主要飞播植物白沙蒿、柠条、羊柴以及乌丹蒿自身进行了化感作用的研究,结果表明：3种飞播植物及乌丹蒿自身的水浸提液对乌丹蒿的生长均有不同程度的化感作用,并且不同部位（根、叶、果皮或总苞片）中存在的化感物质的作用不同。主要表现为：乌丹蒿种子的萌发率在各供体的根浸提液中均下降,除羊柴外均达到显著,白沙蒿总苞片和羊柴果皮浸提液也有着同样的结果,而乌丹蒿叶浸提液则有一定的促进作用;4种植物不同部位的水浸提液对乌丹蒿种子发芽速度及幼根的生长均有显著的抑制作用。从综合效应来看,4种植物对乌丹蒿均有抑制作用,抑制作用由强到弱的顺序为：白沙蒿>柠条>乌丹蒿>羊柴。     

入侵植物香丝草水浸提液对蚕豆和玉米根尖染色体行为的影响

以采自农田中自然生长的植物群落中的香丝草为供体,以典型的双子叶植物蚕豆和典型的单子叶植物玉米的幼苗为受体,运用根尖微核试验和染色体畸变试验,研究了香丝草的根、茎、叶和幼果4种器官水浸提液对受体的遗传毒性。结果表明:(1)在香丝草不同器官水浸提液作用下,蚕豆和玉米根尖细胞的有丝分裂各时期均受到明显影响,细胞中出现了微核、染色体桥、染色体断片、染色体环、染色体粘连及染色体滞后等多种染色体畸变。(2)香丝草各器官水浸提液对蚕豆幼苗根尖细胞分裂的抑制作用明显大于玉米。(3)香丝草各器官水浸提液对蚕豆和玉米幼苗根尖的染色体畸变诱导存在显著的浓度效应,即水浸提液浓度越高,受体的微核率和畸变率越高,相应的有丝分裂指数越低,水浸提液的诱导作用与浓度呈正相关关系,但不是简单的加和作用。(4)香丝草各器官水浸提液均具有较强的遗传毒性,但整体化感效应表现为叶＞幼果＞茎＞根,即叶片产生的化感作用最强。因此,香丝草分泌的化感物质可能通过对受体植物生长点的细胞有丝分裂和细胞形态产生影响,造成受体植物染色体的多种畸变和不可逆的遗传损伤,从而成功入侵新的栖息地。     

Caffeine fostering of mycoparasitic fungi against phytopathogens

Caffeine (1,3,7-trimethixanthine) is a typical purine alkaloid produced in more than 80 plant species. Its biological role is considered to strengthen plant''s defense capabilities, directly as a toxicant to biotic attackers (allelopathy) and indirectly as an activator of defense system (priming). Caffeine is actively secreted into rhizosphere through primary root, and possibly affects the structure of microbe community nearby. The fungal community in coffee plant rhizosphere is enriched with particular species, including Trichoderma family, a mycoparasite that attacks and kills phytopathogens by coiling and destroying their hyphae. In the present study, the caffeine response of 8 filamentous fungi, 4 mycoparasitic Trichoderma, and 4 prey phytopathogens, was examined. Results showed that allelopathic effect of caffeine on fungal growth and development was differential, being stronger on pathogens than on Trichoderma species. Upon confronting, the prey immediately ceased the growth, whereas the predator continued to grow, indicating active mycoparasitism to have occurred. Caffeine enhanced mycoparasitism up to 1.7-fold. Caffeine thus functions in a double-track manner against fungal pathogens: first by direct suppression of growth and development, and second by assisting their natural enemy. These observations suggest that caffeine is a powerful weapon in the arms race between plants and pathogens by fostering enemy''s enemy, and we propose the idea of "caffeine fostering" as the third role of caffeine.     

Allelopathic effects of volatile organic compounds released from Pinus halepensis needles and roots

The Mediterranean region is recognized as a global biodiversity hotspot. However, over the last decades, the cessation of traditional farming in the north part of the Mediterranean basin has given way to strong afforestation leading to occurrence of abandoned agricultural lands colonized by pioneer expansionist species like Pinus halepensis. This pine species is known to synthesize a wide range of secondary metabolites, and previous studies have demonstrated strong allelopathic potentialities of its needle and root leachates. Pinus halepensis is also recognized to release significant amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOC) with potential allelopathic effects that have never been investigated. In this context, the objectives of the present study were to improve our knowledge about the VOC released from P. halepensis needles and roots, determine if these VOC affect the seed germination and root growth of two herbaceous target species (Lactuca sativa and Linum strictum), and evaluate if soil microorganisms modulate the potential allelopathic effects of these VOC. Thirty terpenes were detected from both, needle and root emissions with β‐caryophyllene as the major volatile. Numerous terpenes, such as β‐caryophyllene, δ‐terpinene, or α‐pinene, showed higher headspace concentrations according to the gradient green needles < senescent needles < needle litter. Seed germination and root growth of the two target species were mainly reduced in presence of P. halepensis VOC. In strong contrast with the trend reported with needle leachates in literature, we observed an increasing inhibitory effect of P. halepensis VOC with the progress of needle physiological stages (i.e., green needle < senescent needle < needle litter). Surprisingly, several inhibitory effects observed on filter paper were also found or even amplified when natural soil was used as a substrate, highlighting that soil microorganisms do not necessarily limit the negative effects of VOC released by P. halepensis on herbaceous target species.     

Impact of allelopathic rice seedlings on rhizospheric microbial populations and their functional diversity

Field performance of rice allelopathic potential is indirectly regulated by the microflora in the rhizosphere. The present study aimed to investigate the dynamics of microbial populations and their functional diversities in the seedling rhizospheres of rice cultivars with varied allelopathic activities by employing agar plate bioassay, fumigation and BIOLOG analysis. Rice cultivars significantly affected the microbial carbon content in their associated rhizospheric soil. The microbial carbon contents were ranked in a decreasing order as Iguape Cateto (441.0 mg·kg^–1) > IAC47 (389.7 mg·kg^–1) > PI312777 (333.2 mg·kg^–1) > Lemont (283.8 mg·kg^–1) with the nil-rice control soil of 129.3 mg·kg^–1. Similarly, the respiration rate of the soils was 1.404, 1.019, 0.671 and 0.488 μgC·g^–1· h^–1 for PI312777, Iguape Cateto, IAC47 and Lemont, respectively. The respiration rate was only 0.304 μ gC·g^–1·h^–1 for the control soil. The microbial flora in the rhizospheric soil of different rice cultivars was dominated by bacteria (58.4%–65.6%), followed by actinomycete (32.2%–39.4%) and fungi (2.2%–2.8%). BIOLOG analysis showed that the value of Average Well Color Development (AWCD) differed significantly among rice cultivars. It was always the highest in the rhizospheric soil of the strongly allelopathic rice cv. PI312777, and the lowest in the rhizospheric soil of the poorly allelopathic rice cv. Lemont. The AWCD value reached the maximum in all the sampled soils after 144 hours of incubation. The AWCD values from the rhizospheric soils of PI312777, IAC47, Iguape Cateto and Lemont were 1.89, 1.79, 1.60 and 1.43 times higher than that of the control soil. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) identified 3 principal component factors (PCF) in relation to carbon sources, accounting for 70.1%, 11.3% and 7.0% of the variation, respectively. 19 categories of carbon sources were significantly positively correlated to the 3 principal components. Phenolic acids, carbohydrates, amino acids and amides were significantly correlated to the principal component 1, phenolic acids, carbohydrates and fatty acids to the principal component 2, and carbohydrates and hydroxylic acids to the principal component 3. Amino acids and amides were the two main carbon sources separating the 3 principal component factors. In addition, the total microbial population in the rhizospheric soil was significantly positively correlated with AWCD, microbial biomass carbon, microbial respiration and Shannon index. There was a significantly positive correlation between the total microbial population and the inhibition rate (IR) on the root length of lettuce owing to the different allelopathic activities of the rice cultivars. These results suggest that changes in microbial population, activity and functional diversity in the rhizospheres are highly cultivar-dependent. These changes might play an important role in governing the rice allelopathic activity in the field.     

水杉凋落物水浸提液对其种子萌发和生长的化感作用

为探究水杉凋落物的化感作用是否是影响其天然更新的障碍因素,该文设置了8种水杉新鲜凋落物和自然凋落物水浸提液浓度200、100、50、20、10、5、2、1 g·L^-1和CK,分析不同类型不同浓度凋落物水浸提液对水杉种子萌发和生长的化感作用的影响。结果表明：(1)水杉新鲜凋落物水浸提液对水杉种子发芽率和发芽势影响不显著(P>0.05),对发芽指数有显著影响(P<0.05),1、100、200 g·L^-1显著抑制种子发芽;水杉自然凋落物水浸提液对水杉种子萌发3个指标影响均不显著(P>0.05),而浓度为5、10、50、200 g·L^-1时则有抑制效应。(2)水杉种子芽长、胚轴和主根长度均在不同浓度的新鲜和自然水杉凋落物水浸提液间差异显著(P<0.05),并随着水浸提液浓度的增加(≥10 g·L^-1)而逐渐降低,尤其是50～200 g·L^-1范围内抑制作用显著增强。(3)新鲜和自然水杉凋落物水浸提液对自身种子萌发后生长的抑制作用相较于对种子萌发强,并且新鲜凋落...