Annals of botany最新文献

{"title":"Grass silica short cell phytoliths in Pyrenean subalpine grasslands: taxonomy and palaeoecological relevance.","authors":"Javier Lara-Recuero, Juan José García-Granero, Graciela Gil-Romera, Daniel Gómez, Irene Julián-Posada, Penélope González-Sampériz","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag319","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag319","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Subalpine grasslands of the Central Pyrenees (1600-2300 m a.s.l.) are semi-natural ecosystems shaped by millennia of pastoral land use. Reconstructing their long-term dynamics requires proxies with higher taxonomic resolution than Poaceae pollen. Grass silica short cell phytoliths (GSSCPs) offer this potential. We aim to build a taxonomically broad, ecologically grounded reference collection and assess the diagnostic value of GSSCP assemblages across grass lineages and habitats.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We inventoried 251 grass species and selected 66 native taxa to maximize phylogenetic breadth (five subfamilies, 14 tribes, 49 genera) and capture pastoral relevance. Leaf phytoliths were extracted from multiple individuals per species, classified under ICPN 2.0, and counted to ≥300 GSSCPs per sample, yielding 29 sub-morphotypes. Multivariate ordinations explored taxonomic and ecological structure.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>Phytolith assemblages revealed strong taxonomic signals and clear ecological patterns. In Pooideae, specific sub-morphotypes were identified in mesic subalpine pastures dominated by Avenula pratensis and Bromus spp., in open, stress-prone grasslands characterized by Stipa spp. and Achnatherum calamagrostis, and on xerophilous calcareous slopes characterized by Koeleria vallesiana. PACMAD grasses also showed strong diagnostic value: Setaria viridis in low-elevation, warm, nutrient-rich, disturbed habitats; Danthonia decumbens in acidophilous uplands; Eragrostis minor in disturbed dry soils; and Molinia caerulea in hydromorphic meadows. These taxa occur mainly in habitats warmer, drier or more disturbed than the core humid subalpine grasslands, which show more conservative profiles. Ordination analyses confirmed that morphotype-habitat associations structure assemblages along elevational gradients.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This first GSSC phytolithotheque for the Central Pyrenees provides an ICPN-compliant framework that enhances the taxonomic and ecological resolution of phytolith-based palaeoecology, improving reconstructions of past vegetation and pastoral dynamics in mountain landscapes.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149190859","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Contrasting effects of native soil microbiomes on direct and indirect herbivore resistance in a dominant shrub species.","authors":"Ignacio Vicente-Díez, Kailen A Mooney, Carla Vázquez-González","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag334","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag334","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>The soil microbiome is known to modulate plant resistance to insect herbivores. Research on this topic has traditionally focused on bottom-up effects of plants on insects (direct resistance). However, how soil microbiomes affect plant resistance via top-down control of insects by natural enemies (indirect resistance) remains understudied. We conducted a greenhouse experiment using Baccharis salicifolia as a model to test the effects of native soil microbiomes on (i) direct resistance against the generalist aphid Aphis gossypii and (ii) indirect resistance by natural enemies.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We grew B. salicifolia plants in a common sterilized substrate that was either inoculated with 10% native field soil or left uninoculated as a sterile control and performed a bioassay with A. gossypii to assess direct resistance by measuring aphid performance (age at first reproduction and reproductive rate). Then, we assessed indirect resistance by excluding natural enemies and estimating effects on aphid colony size in plants growing in inoculated vs. uninoculated soil.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>Plants in inoculated soil exhibited a 15% increase in growth, while aphid reproduction was reduced by 18% compared to uninoculated soil. Moreover, soil inoculation significantly altered the strength of top-down control by natural enemies. Access to natural enemies reduced aphid colony size by 23% in uninoculated soils but only by 11% in inoculated soils, indicating weaker indirect resistance under soil inoculation.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>We show that native microbial communities regulate plant-insect-natural enemy interactions via contrasting effects on direct and indirect resistance, underscoring the need to consider both pathways to understand microbial impacts on plant resistance.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149190808","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Chloroplast Genome Evolution, Heteroplasmy, and Inverted Repeat Dynamics in the Elymus Complex (Triticeae, Poaceae): Insights from Single-Molecule Sequencing of Elymus ciliaris and Comparative Analysis of St-Genome Lineages.","authors":"Negar Karimi, Yangmeng Zhang, Hojjatollah Saeidi, Trude Schwarzacher, Qing Liu, J S Pat Heslop-Harrison","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag333","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag333","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background/objectives: </strong>Elymus sensu lato (Poaceae) is arguably the largest and most complex genus in the tribe Triticeae. It includes hybrids and polyploids based on x=7 chromosomes, all including the St genome, forming a valuable genepool for forage grass and cereal breeding. Analysis of chloroplast genome diversity and structural dynamics is critical for resolving maternal lineages, reticulate evolution and biodiversity across this agronomically important complex, refining their taxonomy, conservation and exploitation.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We sequenced the complete chloroplast genome (plastome) of Elymus ciliaris (4x=2n=28; StStYY) using ultra-long Oxford Nanopore single-molecule reads and compared it to 77 additional chloroplast genomes representing major St-genome lineages in Elymus s.l. (Pseudoroegneria  St; Elymus s.s.  StH, StY; Thinopyrum  StJ/E; Campeiostachys  StYH; Kengyilia  StYP). We analyzed structure, nucleotide diversity, inverted repeat (IR) dynamics, and phylogenetic signal.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The E. ciliaris chloroplast genome was 135,008 bp long (38.3% GC) with a canonical quadripartite structure. Single-molecule reads (n=81) revealed heteroplasmy: two Small-Single-Copy (SSC) orientations at 30%:70% frequency, indicating an inversion polymorphism. Across the Elymus group, comparative analysis of chloroplast assemblies showed high structural conservation but lineage-specific IR-boundary shifts. Kengyilia exhibits exceptional IR expansion. Nucleotide diversity hotspots localize to the large single-copy region, especially in StY lineages. Phylogenies recover a monophyletic St-containing clade but do not delineate genera, reflecting reticulate evolution.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Single-molecule sequencing uncovered heteroplasmy with an inversion polymorphism in a single plant of Elymus ciliaris, hidden in short read assemblies. There were no other polymorphisms, as expected for chloroplast sequences. Our analyses showed that a Pseudoroegneria-like St chloroplast genome predominates as the maternal donor across Elymus polyploids. Variable regions and IR dynamics offer strong models for chloroplast genome evolution in reticulate lineages and suggest exploiting plastome variation to complement nuclear biodiversity studies.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149178974","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Metabolic and signalling processes in plant cell wall integrity maintenance.","authors":"Sara Morghen, Francesco Saffioti, Thorsten Hamann","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag332","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag332","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Our understanding of plant cell walls has profoundly changed in recent decades. Originally seen as sturdy recalcitrant structures supporting plant growth, development, and interactions with the environment, we now appreciate the dynamic processes and plasticity modulating cell wall homeostasis, enabling cell walls to perform their respective biological functions in a highly adaptive manner. A key component underlying plasticity and responsible for adaptive changes is the plant cell wall integrity maintenance mechanism. It is responsible for monitoring and maintaining the functional integrity of cell walls by initiating adaptive changes in cell wall composition and structure in response to stimuli arising during growth, development and interactions with the environment.</p><p><strong>Scope: </strong>Here we provide an overview of our current knowledge of the processes important for plant cell wall structure and homeostasis in the context of cell wall integrity maintenance, summarizing the main components of the cell wall, the cell surface receptors responsible for monitoring the integrity of cell walls, and the mode of action of the cell wall integrity maintenance mechanism for preserving cell wall functions during physiological processes and stress responses.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This overview shows how the cell wall integrity maintenance mechanism ensures the functional integrity of the cell wall and how this is maintained through integration of different stimuli driving tightly controlled, adaptive changes in cell wall homeostasis by involving different receptors and signalling cascades.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149178968","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A review of the exine structure of extant and fossil gnetophytes and possibly related groups.","authors":"Maria Tekleva","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag335","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag335","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Gnetophytes are a key group, possessing characters of gymnosperms and angiosperms. In spite of numerous studies, their exact relationship with other plant groups is still uncertain. Extant members of the group are isolated remnants of a formerly diverse group. The range of this diversity, however, is quite inconclusive. More fossil gnetophytes as well as revisions and reviews of existing data are needed.</p><p><strong>Scope: </strong>This paper reviews accumulated data on the exine ultrastructure of taxa included and/or related to gnetophytes with different degrees of certainty. Here we have divided possible members into four subgroups: extant gnetalean pollen, fossil gnetalean pollen, putative gnetalean pollen and controversial pollen grains considered members of or close to gnetophytes by some authors. We provide short descriptions of the pollen under consideration, both dispersed and in situ, and some general discussion on each subgroup.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Pollen grains of most gnetophytes and possibly related taxa are small or medium-sized, asaccate, inaperturate or with a sulcus or several sulci, a psilate, scabrate, verrucate, polyplicate or microechinate surface, and a granular infratectum of mostly small or medium-sized granules. Rare saccate pollen grains among the taxa possibly related to gnetophytes can have either an alveolate or granular infratectum with sacci that are expressed externally or inconspicuous. A number of peculiar pollen characters in morphology and ultrastructure occur in a mosaic fashion in genera that are rather distant from each other based on their macromorphology or other pollen characters. Possible transformations from an alveolate and granular infratectum to a columellate one and from saccate to asaccate forms can be inferred based on the diversity of the pollen grains considered. Gnetophytes are an extremely diverse group even in their narrow definition, so we need to search for more fossil gnetophytes to understand the evolution of this group.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149178984","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Temperature-dependent xyloglucan physicochemical changes are associated with XTH-mediated reserve mobilization in Hymenaea courbaril.","authors":"Adriana Grandis, Miguel José Minhoto, Paulo Henrique Netto de Alcântara, Fernanda Mendes de Rezende, Caio Fernandes Ferreira, Marco Aurélio Silva Tiné, Henrique Pessoa Santos, Marcos Silveira Buckeridge","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag329","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag329","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Development of Hymenaea courbaril seedlings requires mobilization of xyloglucan (XyG), mediated by four enzymes whose coordinated action reduces cotyledon biomass. Xyloglucan endotransglycosylase/hydrolase (XTH) can display both xyloglucan endotransglucosylase (XET) and xyloglucan endohydrolase (XEH) activities. In Hymenaea-XTH activity is oligosaccharide-dependent, suggesting XET-like behavior. XyGs react with iodine to form a blue-colored, temperature-sensitive complex. Here, this interaction was used to study the biochemical and biophysical properties of XyGs and the Hymenaea-XTH interaction in vitro and in planta across a range of temperatures.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We reacted XyGs from different sources with iodine and analyzed the resulting complexes across temperature cycles. Hymenaea-XTH was partially purified and assayed with various XyGs. We measured XTH transglycosylation and hydrolysis of XyG oligosaccharides at different temperatures. In planta, Hymenaea seedlings were subjected to four temperature regimes to assess responses in cotyledon reserve depletion and seedling growth.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>XyGs from different sources exhibit varying physicochemical properties at physiological temperatures. Hymenaea-XTH showed maximal XyG-degrading activity near 35 °C, coinciding with the temperature transition associated with changes in XyG interactions, but only when oligosaccharides were added. Modeled potential XEH activity (XDA), estimated from enzyme-polysaccharide properties and leaf surface temperature, suggested that temperature modulates the Hymenaea-XTH and XyG interaction during seedling development. A constant 35 °C accelerated cotyledon reserve depletion, whereas alternating 20/35 °C regimes maintained coupling between reserve mobilization and biomass accumulation.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Temperature-dependent changes in the XyG-iodine interaction were linked to maximal XyG-degrading activity in the Hymenaea-XTH-enriched preparation at 35 °C. These results support a proposed model in which daily warming may favor XyG modification by increasing putative polymer accessibility and enzyme activity. Under temperature treatments, a constant 35 °C accelerated cotyledon reserve depletion, whereas alternating 20/35 °C regimes better preserved the coupling between reserve depletion and biomass accumulation.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149179098","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dispersal ability of seed morphs predicts germination sensitivity to competition cues in a heterocarpic plant.","authors":"Jonathan Lichtman, Oded Cohen, Michal Gruntman","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag328","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag328","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Seed germination is often regulated by cues that indicate future competitive conditions, and such cues have been shown to either accelerate or suspend germination across species. However, much less is known about how these responses might vary within species, particularly in plants that produce seeds with different dispersal abilities. In seed-heteromorphic species, dispersing and non-dispersing seed morphs may differ in their likelihood of encountering kin competition, potentially selecting for contrasting germination strategies.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We studied the effect of light competition cues on the germination percentage and speed of dispersing and non-dispersing achenes (single-seeded fruits) of the heterocarpic plant Heterotheca subaxillaris. In a greenhouse experiment, we experimentally exposed both achene morphs to one of three light environments: full light, neutral shade (reduced irradiance), and simulated vegetative shade (reduced irradiance and red:far-red light ratio).</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>Dispersing, pappus-bearing achene morphs of H. subaxillaris exhibited consistently high germination percentage and speed, which were unaffected by the light treatments. In contrast, germination percentage of the non-dispersing morphs were strongly reduced under simulated vegetative shade and moderately reduced under neutral shade, compared to full light.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The results of this study are consistent with the hypothesis that non-dispersing seed morphs may reduce germination under cues associated with nearby vegetation, potentially contributing to temporal avoidance of competition near the maternal plant. These findings demonstrate that seed heteromorphism is associated not only with variations in dispersal and dormancy, but also with differential plasticity in germination responses to environmental cues.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149163966","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"When sporangia became seeds: The innovation that rewrote land plant evolution.","authors":"Leandro C A Martínez, Marcela Quetglas","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag330","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag330","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>The origin of the seed represents one of the most transformative evolutionary innovations in land plants, underpinning the ecological success of spermatophytes and fundamentally reshaping terrestrial ecosystems. Rather than arising as a discrete novelty, the seed evolved through a long sequence of reproductive transformations that progressively reorganized the plant life cycle. This review aims to synthesize the evolutionary steps leading from free-sporing vascular plants to the seed habit, emphasizing their functional and developmental integration.</p><p><strong>Scope: </strong>We synthesize palaeobotanical, morphological, developmental, and evolutionary evidence concerning the transition from free-sporing vascular plants to spermatophytes. Particular emphasis is placed on the ecological and evolutionary significance of heterospory, gametophyte sexual specialization, reduction to a single functional megaspore, endosporic development, megaspore retention, integument evolution, pollination, and the progressive internalization of fertilization. We argue that these innovations did not evolve independently but were assembled sequentially thus progressively transferring protection, nutrition, developmental regulation, and reproductive control from the free-living gametophyte to the parental sporophyte. This process transformed the ovule into a highly coordinated reproductive system in which dispersal, nourishment, pollination, embryogenesis, and environmental buffering became developmentally integrated.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The seed should be understood not simply as an integumented megasporangium or a novel reproductive organ, but as an integrated modular biological system that fundamentally reorganized the plant life cycle. The coordinated evolution of heterospory, monomegaspory, endospory, megaspore retention, integumentation, and pollination established a new reproductive strategy that increased parental investment, reduced dependence on external water, enhanced reproductive resilience, and enabled the successful colonization of increasingly complex terrestrial environments. This systemic reorganization ultimately laid the evolutionary foundation for the extraordinary diversification, ecological success, and long-term dominance of seed plants.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149164083","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Phylogeographic analyses for Kalloora (Podocarpus drouynianus) conservation management in the Southwest Australian Floristic Region.","authors":"Genevieve R Carey, Rachel M Binks, Wayne 'Wonitji' Webb, Iszaac 'Waalitj' Webb, Alison Lullfitz, Stephen D Hopper","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag313","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag313","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>In southwestern Australia, plants have persisted through significant climate shifts in ancient landscapes, and the evolutionary responses are apparent in their genetic signature. Kalloora (Podocarpus drouynianus) belongs to a genus typically found in wet, montane environments. It is unusual among its relatives in having developed mechanisms to survive in drought- and fire-prone mesic forests characterising the southwest corner of Australia, including post-fire flowering. A phylogeographic analysis of kalloora chloroplast genetic markers was undertaken to determine whether 1) kalloora persisted through historical climatic and geological shifts by contracting to refugial areas, and 2) there is extensive gene flow across its geographic range.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Leaves were sampled from 10 P. drouynianus plants from 22 populations. The chloroplast and nuclear markers were sequenced and analysed. Chloroplast haplotypes were identified, and the resulting haplotype and nucleotide diversity parameters were calculated. A median-joining maximum parsimony network was generated, estimates of population differentiation and neutrality and expansion tests were calculated, and the distribution of haplotypes was mapped to visualise their geographic arrangement.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>Results indicated high haplotype diversity across the species' full distribution, a genetic patterning consistent with large population sizes and long-term persistence in the landscape. With the exception of a distinct haplotype assemblage within some outlier populations, phylogeographic structure was not evident across the species' distribution. These patterns suggest long term, localised persistence in the region. Moreover, extensive gene flow was indicated by the widespread distribution of shared haplotypes across its main range, which is consistent with wind pollination and presumed long-distance seed dispersal primarily by wetj (emus; Dromaius novaehollandiae).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Evolutionary and cultural understandings of landscape connectivity for both kalloora and wetj are important factors to consider in conservation approaches to support the ongoing demographic and evolutionary processes of kalloora to ensure its resilience and persistence into the future drying climate.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149134884","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic structure of Mt. Washington's woody plant communities (New Hampshire, USA).","authors":"Nathan G Kiel, Michael S Peyton, Sam W Anderson, Katherine T Charton, Brandon D Corder, Patricia W Chan, Jordon C Tourville, Lena N Berry, Linden A Taylor, Tyler H Wintermute, Thomas J Givnish","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag324","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag324","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Environmental gradients structure plant communities at fine to coarse scales. Along elevational gradients, abiotic conditions influence community assembly by filtering species based on their functional strategies, which themselves may be phylogenetically structured. However, it remains challenging to identify which abiotic factors and functional traits are most relevant for gradient-wide assembly, particularly when potential drivers covary.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We intensively sampled the composition and leaf traits of woody plant communities across a steep elevational gradient on Mt. Washington (New Hampshire, USA). Topo-edaphic and climatic conditions were measured to mechanistically link environmental with compositional variation. Gradient-wide trait variation was assessed using nonmetric multidimensional scaling while elevational patterns in taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic alpha and beta diversity were quantified. Environmental drivers of trait-mediated community assembly were then identified with Bayesian generalized mixed effects regressions models.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>Three plant community zones were identified with hierarchical clustering: broad-leaved deciduous forest, needle-leaved evergreen forest, and alpine tundra. Plants in alpine communities often had higher leaf nitrogen and δ13C, whereas leaf area and δ15N peaked in broad-leaved deciduous forests. Alpha diversity metrics tended to increase with soil nitrogen (typically at lower elevations) and on exposed topography (typically at higher elevations), while taxonomic and phylogenetic beta diversity peaked in alpine communities. Soil clay content emerged as a driver of community composition across all communities, filtering woody plants based on water-use efficiency (measured with leaf δ13C). Gradient-wide compositional turnover was not phylogenetically structured, and models with topo-edaphic variables outperformed those with elevation alone.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Trait-based assembly processes likely predominate across Mt. Washington's woody plant communities, with local topo-edaphic factors filtering species based on their functional strategies. In particular, functional water availability may structure plant communities based on individual- and species- water use efficiency, while diversity patterns may mirror gradient-wide variation in fine-scale environmental heterogeneity.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149126347","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}