The feeding rates ofPleurobrachia (ctenophora) andSagitta (chaetognatha), with notes on the potential seasonal role of planktonic predators in the dynamics of north sea zooplankton communities

The zooplankton off the north-east coast of England has been the subject of a number of studies focusing on its productivity. It has also been shown to be representative of the zooplankton of much of the western North Sea. The community contains a number of predatory species, three of which are widely described as ‘voracious’, the ctenophorePleurobrachia pileus, the chaetognathSagitta elegans and the hyperiid amphipodThemisto compressa (≡ Parathemisto gaudichaudi). This study investigates the role of these planktonic predators in this community, with special reference to the seasonal changes in predation pressure. The functional response ofPleurobrachia pileus feeding onAcartia was determined from laboratory experiments. It was found to be linear at prey densities typical of UK coastal waters, although the linear relationship appeared to break down at low and high prey densities. Feeding rate data forSagitta elegans were obtained from gut content analysis and published laboratory derived estimates of digestion time. Of the 1,789 individuals examined 198 (11.1%) had food remains in the gut. A linear relationship betweenSagitta length and prey size was established and the daily feeding rate ofSagitta elegans was estimated to be 0.4 prey items d⁻¹ ind⁻¹. For comparative purposes, the proportion of the copepod standing stock removed bySagitta elegans, Pleurobrachia pileus andThemisto gaudichaudi was estimated for each month of the year. From this model it was shown thatThemisto applied the most predation pressure, andSagitta elegans applied the least predation pressure of the three planktonic predators considered. The impact ofPleurobrachia will be to a large extent offset due to its peak of seasonal abundance coinciding with the zooplankton peak in the summer.     

Environmental DNA reveals a mismatch between diversity facets of Amazonian fishes in response to contrasting geographical,environmental and anthropogenic effects

Freshwater ecosystems are among the most endangered ecosystem in the world. Understanding how human activities affect these ecosystems requires disentangling and quantifying the contribution of the factors driving community assembly. While it has been largely studied in temperate freshwaters, tropical ecosystems remain challenging to study due to the high species richness and the lack of knowledge on species distribution. Here, the use of eDNA-based fish inventories combined to a community-level modelling approach allowed depicting of assembly rules and quantifying the relative contribution of geographic, environmental and anthropic factors to fish assembly. We then used the model predictions to map spatial biodiversity and assess the representativity of sites surveyed in French Guiana within the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) and highlighted areas that should host unique freshwater fish assemblages. We demonstrated a mismatch between the taxonomic and functional diversity. Taxonomic assemblages between but also within basins were mainly the results of dispersal limitation resulting from basin isolation and natural river barriers. Contrastingly, functional assemblages were ruled by environmental and anthropic factors. The regional mapping of fish diversity indicated that the sites surveyed within the EU WFD had a better representativity of the regional functional diversity than taxonomic diversity. Importantly, we also showed that the assemblages expected to be the most altered by anthropic factors were the most poorly represented in terms of functional diversity in the surveyed sites. The predictions of unique functional and taxonomic assemblages could, therefore, guide the establishment of new survey sites to increase fish diversity representativity and improve this monitoring program.     

了哥王叶功能性状特征及其对土壤因子的响应

为探究了哥王Wikstroemiaindica的叶功能性状特征及其影响因素,在海岛植被调查的基础上对了哥王叶片进行取样并测定其功能性状指标,利用变异系数法和Pearson相关性分析探讨叶功能性状之间的差异与联系,运用冗余分析研究了哥王叶功能性状对土壤因子的响应。结果表明,了哥王的叶功能性状变异系数介于9.76%～23.73%,其中叶体积变异幅度最大(23.73%),叶干物质含量变异幅度最小(9.76%),整体上了哥王叶功能性状保持相对稳定。了哥王各项叶功能性状之间具有一定的相关性,联系较密切。了哥王叶功能性状主要受土壤中有机质、全氮、碱解氮的影响,土壤中有机质、全氮、碱解氮的含量与比叶面积呈正比,与叶厚度、叶体积成反比。了哥王的叶片可以通过一定的性状变异和组合来适应外部环境的变化,以较好地适应海岛恶劣的环境。该研究结果可为了哥王野生种质资源的保护、利用以及人工栽培提供参考。     

Early response of herbaceous vegetation to Rhododendron ponticum subsp. baeticum invasion in European Atlantic forests

Questions

Rhododendron ponticum subsp. baeticum is an invasive shrub of growing concern in continental Europe, but little is known about its impact on native plant communities. Here we ask: do environmental conditions differ between forest stands invaded by it and uninvaded stands? Do these differences correlate with R. ponticum's cover? Are these differences associated with differences in taxonomic and functional diversity of vascular plant species of the herb layer? Can these vegetation changes be explained by the sorting of certain life-history traits by R. ponticum-induced environmental changes?

Location

Several forests invaded by R. ponticum in the French Atlantic domain.

Methods

We recorded vegetation composition and a number of environmental variables in 400-m² plots that were established in 64 paired forest stands (32 invaded vs 32 uninvaded). We compiled traits from existing databases. We computed several metrics of taxonomic and functional diversity. We compared environmental variables and diversity metrics between invaded and uninvaded stands. We used correlation and regression analyses to relate them with R. ponticum's cover. We ran RLQ and fourth-corner analyses to explore the relationships between R. ponticum invasion, environmental variables, species traits, and vegetation composition.

Results

Independent of its abundance, R. ponticum invasion was associated with lower light arrival at the forest floor and increased litter thickness. Concomitantly, species richness and diversity and trait diversity were reduced. The major driver of species assemblages was soil pH, which strongly interacted with the invasion gradient. R. ponticum did not sort species according to traits associated with shade tolerance and thick-litter tolerance. However, tree and shrub saplings were more abundant in invaded than uninvaded stands, at the expense of graminoid and fern species.

Conclusions

As R. ponticum becomes the dominant shrub, it exerts new selection forces on life-history traits of extant species, mostly via reduced light availability, increased litter thickness, and physical competition, thereby reducing taxonomic and functional diversity of the herb layer, without impeding tree and shrub self-regeneration, at least in the short term.     

A trait-based approach to assess niche overlap and functional distinctiveness between non-indigenous and native species

Our understanding of the community assembly processes acting on non-indigenous species (NIS), as well as the relationship with native species is limited, especially in marine ecosystems. To overcome this knowledge gap we here develop a trait-based approach based on the functional distinctiveness metric to assess niche overlap between NIS and native species, using high-resolution data on benthic invertebrate communities in the Baltic Sea. Our results show that NIS retain a certain degree of similarity with native species, but display one or a few singular unique traits (e.g., bioturbation ability). Furthermore, we demonstrate that community assembly processes, including both environmental filtering and limiting similarity affect NIS establishment, but that their effects may be highly context dependent, as illustrated by pronounced spatial patterns in distinctiveness. Finally, our trait-based approach provides a generic framework applicable to other areas and organisms, to better understand and address biological invasions.     

绿色木霉组蛋白去乙酰化酶编码基因TvRpd3在木霉生物防治作用中的功能分析

【目的】本文借助基因编辑技术在具有生物防治潜力的绿色木霉(Trichoderma viride)中敲除组蛋白去乙酰化酶编码基因TvRpd3,来研究TvRpd3基因及其编码蛋白在提高木霉病原菌拮抗能力中的作用。【方法】利用融合PCR和同源重组策略构建了TvRpd3基因缺失的突变菌株,通过对峙培养、表型观察、免疫组化检测、代谢组学分析等系统比较TvRpd3基因敲除前后菌株的组蛋白乙酰化修饰水平、次级代谢产物合成、病原菌拮抗能力以及田间防治效果等。【结果】与野生型菌株相比,缺失TvRpd3基因的木霉工程菌(?TvRpd3)对多种病原菌表现出了更强的对峙抑制效果,其所产的发酵液对小麦白粉病、烟草黑胫病和番茄枯萎病的防治效果分别提高了62.27%、57.45%和70.71%。同时,敲除TvRpd3基因也显著改变了木霉工程菌所产次级代谢产物的种类和产量,抗生性物质的产量大幅提高。【结论】绿色木霉TvRpd3基因及其介导的组蛋白乙酰化修饰在提高绿色木霉生物防治中起着重要作用。     

Trade-offs and synergies between ecosystem productivity and stability in temperate grasslands

Aim

It is crucial to monitor how the productivity of grasslands varies with its temporal stability for management of these ecosystems. However, identifying the direction of the productivity–stability relationship remains challenging because ecological stability has multiple components that can display neutral, positive or negative covariations. Furthermore, evidence suggests that the direction of the productivity–stability relationship depends on the biotic interactions and abiotic conditions that underlie ecosystem productivity and stability. We decipher the relationships between grassland productivity and two components of its stability in four habitat types with contrasting environments and flora.

Location

France.

Time period

2000–2020.

Major taxa

Grassland plant species.

Methods

We used c. 20,000 vegetation plots spread across French permanent grasslands and remotely sensed vegetation indices to quantify grassland productivity and temporal stability. We decomposed stability into constancy (i.e., temporal invariability) and resistance (i.e., maximum deviation from average) and deciphered the direct and indirect effects of abiotic (namely growing season length and nitrogen input) and biotic (namely plant taxonomic diversity, trait diversity and community-weighted mean traits) factors on productivity–stability relationships using structural equation models.

Results

We found a positive relationship between productivity and constancy and a negative relationship between productivity and resistance in all habitats. Abiotic factors had stronger effects on productivity and stability compared with biotic factors. A longer growing season enhanced grassland productivity and constancy. Nitrogen input had positive and negative effects on grassland productivity and resistance, respectively. Trait values affected the constancy and resistance of grassland more than taxonomic and trait diversity, with effects varying from one habitat to another. Productivity was not related to any biotic factor.

Main conclusions

Our findings reveal how vital it is to consider both the multiple components of stability and the interaction between environment and biodiversity to gain an understanding of the relationships between productivity and stability in real-world ecosystems, which is a crucial step for sustainable grassland management.     

Selective incorporation of 5-hydroxytryptophan blocks long range electron transfer in oxalate decarboxylase

Oxalate decarboxylase from Bacillus subtilis is a binuclear Mn-dependent acid stress response enzyme that converts the mono-anion of oxalic acid into formate and carbon dioxide in a redox neutral unimolecular disproportionation reaction. A π-stacked tryptophan dimer, W96 and W274, at the interface between two monomer subunits facilitates long-range electron transfer between the two Mn ions and plays an important role in the catalytic mechanism. Substitution of W96 with the unnatural amino acid 5-hydroxytryptophan leads to a persistent EPR signal which can be traced back to the neutral radical of 5-hydroxytryptophan with its hydroxyl proton removed. 5-Hydroxytryptophan acts as a hole sink preventing the formation of Mn(III) at the N-terminal active site and strongly suppresses enzymatic activity. The lower boundary of the standard reduction potential for the active site Mn(II)/Mn(III) couple can therefore be estimated as 740 mV against the normal hydrogen electrode at pH 4, the pH of maximum catalytic efficiency. Our results support the catalytic importance of long-range electron transfer in oxalate decarboxylase while at the same time highlighting the utility of unnatural amino acid incorporation and specifically the use of 5-hydroxytryptophan as an energetic sink for hole hopping to probe electron transfer in redox proteins.