Annals of botany最新文献

{"title":"Water availability shapes drought-tolerance strategies in forest phytophysiognomies in the Brazilian Savanna.","authors":"Maria Lucia Fontineles da Silva, Paulo Eduardo de Menezes-Silva, Lucas Loram-Lourenço, Emanuelly de Oliveira Mecenas, Roberto Gomes Vital, Letícia Ferreira de Sousa, Jose Manuel Torres-Ruiz, Fabiano G Silva, Reginaldo Augusto Farias de Gusmão, Ariani Silva Marques, Gisele Cristina de Oliveira Menino, Fernanda Dos Santos Farnese","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag055","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag055","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Water availability strongly influences plant survival and distribution in the Cerrado, but many species co-occur in contrasting phytophysiognomies (Gallery vs. Seasonal Semideciduous Forest). This study aimed to assess whether individuals of the same species, growing in environments with contrasting water availability, adopt similar hydraulic strategies and how these strategies influence drought tolerance and growth.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Five co-occurring tree species were sampled in adjacent Cerrado fragments (Gallery and Seasonal Semideciduous Forest). Traits related to growth, water storage, water loss, and drought tolerance were measured, and comparative analyses were conducted to test for convergence or divergence of functional strategies across species and habitats.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>Each phytophysiognomy has a specific and consistent group of physiological characteristics but, within each phytophysiognomy, the characteristics were similar between species. Despite hotter and drier conditions, Seasonal Semideciduous Forest species maintained water potential similar to that of Gallery Forest species due to drought-tolerance mechanisms. In the Seasonal Semideciduous Forest, higher carbon assimilation enabled the development of more drought-tolerant leaves, with changes in total leaf area, residual water leaks, xylem tolerance to embolism, specific leaf area and water potential at the turgor loss point. This plasticity enables the occupation of contrasting habitats, enhancing ecosystem resilience to climate variability. In the Seasonal Semideciduous Forest, hydraulic safety was associated with species ecological dominance.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Habitat was the strongest predictor of trait variation, with microclimatic gradients shaping distinct carbon-use patterns and drought-response strategies in Cerrado plants. Regardless of the strategy adopted, species in both areas operated with a broad hydraulic safety margin, indicating high resilience. This may lead to a homogenization of the Cerrado Domain under climate change, as species with lower plasticity may be unable to compete with those that occur across different phytophysiognomies.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147430391","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":"Late Cretaceous origins for major nightshade lineages from total-evidence timetree analysis.","authors":"Ixchel S González-Ramírez, Rocío Deanna, Stacey D Smith","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag011","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>The timing of the radiation of nightshades (Solanaceae) has been contentious in the literature, with estimates of the crown age ranging from ca. 30 to 70 million years ago (mid-Oligocene to Late Cretaceous). The tempo of diversification of major lineages within the family (e.g. berries, tobaccos) has been equally challenging to resolve, in large part because of the paucity of fossil information. Recently described fossils present an opportunity to revisit the timing of nightshade diversification using more powerful model-based methods. Here, we simultaneously infer divergence times within Solanaceae and the placement of a select set of well-preserved and morphologically diverse fruit and seed fossils.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We assembled a family-wide morphological dataset, including 17 categorical and eight continuous characters, for 134 living and 14 fossil Solanaceae taxa, as well as sequence data for the extant taxa. We implemented a Bayesian total-evidence dating analysis in RevBayes using a time-homogeneous and a time-heterogeneous fossilized birth-death model and models of character evolution for each type of data.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>The origin of Solanaceae was ∼98 million years ago, and the major splits were roughly three-fold older than previously estimated. Although the 14 fossil taxa were phylogenetically placed with different degrees of confidence, we identified a fruit fossil and a seed fossil whose affinities were strongly supported. Moreover, most of the fossils lacking a precise placement were nevertheless confidently inferred to belong to the large berry clade.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our study provides an example of how a sophisticated model used on a carefully assembled dataset can shed light on the timing of the evolution of a group, while accounting for phylogenetic uncertainty. The timetree we present here provides a temporal framework for further research, from comparative genomics and patterns of diversification to trait evolution and biogeography.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147430362","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":"Comparison of genetic structure of multiple Betula species across China reveals ploidy variation, latitudinal diversity patterns and interspecific hybridization and admixture.","authors":"Lu Liu, James S Borrell, Feifei Wang, Katarzyna A Jadwiszczak, Julia López-Delgado, Wenting Wang, Nian Wang","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag052","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag052","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Hybridization and introgression play crucial roles in evolution and adaptation. Although the influence of ploidy differences on interspecific hybridization has been documented, most studies have focused on single pairs of hybridizing species, thereby limiting our understanding of broader patterns of interspecific gene flow. Here, we investigate hybridization among six partially sympatric Betula species to examine patterns of genetic admixture involving diploid, tetraploid and octoploid species occupying diverse microhabitats.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We sampled 148 populations across China, representing three diploid species (B. ashburneri and B. costata from section Costatae, and B. platyphylla from section Betula), two tetraploid species (B. ermanii and B. utilis from section Costatae), and one octoploid species (B. dahurica from section Dahuricae), and genotyped 2,610 individuals at 15 microsatellite loci. We assessed population structure and compared levels of genetic admixture among the six Betula species using pairwise analyses.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>Genetic diversity increased with ploidy level and was positively correlated with latitude. Analyses of population genetic structure revealed genetic admixture among Betula species with different ploidy levels. The proportion of hybrids among species within section Costatae was significantly higher than that among sections, although it was not significantly associated with phylogenetic distances between species.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Higher genetic diversity in northern populations of the six Betula species suggests the existence of glacial refugia at higher latitude. The comprehensive dataset for six Betula species not only enables investigation of patterns of genetic admixture across ploidy levels but also fosters novel hypotheses regarding the origins of polyploid lineages and the factors influencing the dynamics of interspecific hybridization.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147430374","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":"Salinity and drought suppress C4 and induce CAM metabolism in two Portulaca species.","authors":"Emily Patience Bakpa, Kashif Hussain, Ruifang Jiao, Shuai Li, Ning Qiurui, Hui Liu","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag053","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag053","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) is a photosynthetic adaptation that improves plant survival under salinity and drought stress. Portulaca is one of the few genera capable of switching between C4 and CAM photosynthesis, especially in response to drought. However, the physiological and root morphological responses during the C4-CAM transitions under salinity remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated CAM induction in the leaves of P. grandiflora and P. molokiniensis under salinity and drought conditions and evaluated their recovery after stress. In P. grandiflora, CAM photosynthesis was induced within one week under high salinity and severe drought and after one week under moderate salinity and drought, as indicated by nocturnal increases in CO2 uptake, titratable acidity, PEPC activity and malate content. In P. molokiniensis, CAM induction occurred after one week under high salinity and severe drought, but was delayed two weeks under moderate salinity and drought conditions. Both species exhibited reduced CO2 uptake, chlorophyll fluorescence and protein content under stress. P. grandiflora also exhibited pronounced day/night fluctuations in proline and malondialdehyde content, indicating greater oxidative stress, while P. molokiniensis was less affected. Root morphological changes in P. grandiflora were limited to severe drought, whereas P. molokiniensis responded to both high salinity and severe drought. After recovery, P. grandiflora reverted to C4 photosynthesis within one week under drought and two weeks under salinity. P. molokiniensis also returned to C4 metabolism within one week of drought recovery and two weeks of salinity recovery. These results demonstrate the timing, reversibility and species-specific plasticity of C4-CAM transitions in Portulaca and provide insights into their adaptive strategies under abiotic stress and the potential resilience of C4 plants under future climate scenarios.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147430382","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":"Genome-wide association study and transcriptome analysis identify candidate genes associated with low nitrogen-induced root plasticity in Zea mays L.","authors":"Jianxin Yan, Jie Song, Haoding Li, Yuzhuo Hou, Wenqing Zhang, Song Cheng, Lei Liu, Fang Yang, Yin Wang, Hongguang Cai, Zhe Chen","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag054","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag054","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>The maize (Zea mays L.) root system is crucial for nitrogen (N) acquisition, yet the genetic mechanisms underlying its adaptive response to low N remain poorly understood. This study aims to dissect the genetic basis of low-N-responsive root traits during early growth stage and examine their natural variation across maize subpopulations.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We evaluated six root and two shoot traits under normal and low N in 387 maize accessions from four subpopulations. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted using 1.2 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and integrated with transcriptome data derived from lines exhibiting contrasting responses to low N to elucidate the genetic architecture underlying root adaptation to low-N stress.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>Seedling traits showed substantial variation, with broad-sense heritability ranging from 0.27 to 0.46. Under low N, plant height, shoot dry weight, and average root diameter decreased by 12.00%, 13.61%, and 3.62%, respectively, while root length, surface area, and root-to-shoot ratio increased by 14.31%, 10.27%, and 43.46%, respectively. The SS subpopulation exhibited stronger low-N responses in root elongation and diameter reduction compared to the Mixed and NSS groups. GWAS detected 246, 290, and 294 significant SNPs under normal N, low N, and low-N-response datasets, implicating 509, 603, and 855 candidate genes, respectively. Transcriptome profiling of inbred lines with contrasting low-N responses revealed 848 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in high-response lines and 431 DEGs in low-response lines. Integrated GWAS and transcriptome analysis and WGCNA identified 16 co-localized candidate genes, and narrowed to four core candidates. Haplotype analysis of the four core genes revealed significant phenotypic differences. The favorable haplotypes were enriched in the SS subpopulation and exhibited domestication signals.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These results uncover key genomic regions and candidate genes governing root plasticity under low-N stress, offering valuable genetic targets for enhancing N-efficiency through molecular breeding.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147442218","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":"Far-red light in early growth stages boosts lettuce biomass and preserves anthocyanins.","authors":"Christopher P Levine, Keiichiro Tanigawa, Yu Wakabayashi, Wei Guo, Yuchen Qu, Ichiro Terashima, Wataru Yamori","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag031","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag031","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Light plays a dual role in plants, serving as both an energy source and a regulator of development from seedling to senescence. Recently, far-red (FR) radiation has gained attention in the controlled environment agriculture (CEA) science and grower community for its potential to enhance yield through canopy expansion and improved light capture, contributing positively to photosynthesis. This study explores how supplementary FR light promotes lettuce growth and morphology across weekly intervals as well as analysing photosynthetic parameters, pigment accumulation and anthocyanin gene expression.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Red leaf lettuce (Lactuca sativa 'Red Fire') was grown in a commercial plant factory with artificial light for 6 weeks. White (W) light, 5000 K, was maintained at 300 μmol m-2 s-1, and FR, when supplemented, was added at 100 μmol m-2 s-1 in addition to the 300 μmol m-2 s-1 of W light. Four lighting treatments were tested under a 16-h photoperiod: (1) W for all 6 weeks (treatment W), (2) 4 weeks of W followed by 2 weeks of supplementary FR (W to W + FR), (3) 4 weeks of FR supplementation followed by 2 weeks of only W (W + FR to W), and (4) W + FR for all 6 weeks (W + FR).</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>The shoot dry weight after 6 weeks in W + FR, W + FR to W and W to W + FR was greater than that in W. Both W + FR and W + FR to W showed a tendency for greater canopy expansion compared with W as well as W to W + FR. There were no significant differences in stomatal conductance among the treatments. On the other hand, in both W and W + FR to W plants the CO2 assimilation rates were enhanced when FR light was supplemented during measurement, compared with when FR was not provided. Anthocyanin accumulation was greater in both W and W + FR to W, consistent with the expression of key genes involved in the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway, including anthocyanin synthase (ANS), flavanone 3-hydroxylase (F3H) and dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study demonstrates that FR supplementation during the early growth stages of lettuce promotes biomass accumulation by enhancing both canopy expansion and photosynthetic activity, while maintaining high levels of functional compounds such as anthocyanins.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147375952","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":"Three Decades of Grassland Emergence in the Terai-Duar Savanna and Grasslands Ecoregion: Patterns and Drivers.","authors":"Swapnil Bhowal, Subham Banerjee, Robert John","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag051","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag051","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Grasslands in the Terai-Duar Savanna and Grasslands ecoregion, located at the base of the Himalayas, are disturbance-dependent ecosystems where grassland loss due to woody encroachment has been reported in recent decades. However, some of this loss is offset by grassland emergence, but the extent and drivers of grassland expansion remain poorly understood. Here, we aim to study the relationship between grassland emergence, ecosystem characteristics, and disturbance factors.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We analyzed satellite-based land cover classifications (Landsat TM/OLI) from 1988 to 2019 across eight protected areas (four in each of India and Nepal) to quantify grassland emergence starting from non-grassland land cover. We applied a two-tiered Bayesian modelling framework: (1) a landscape-scale mixed-effects binomial model (with protected area as a random effect) to identify environmental drivers, and (2) site-specific spatial regression models with conditional autoregressive priors to capture local patterns while accounting for spatial autocorrelation.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>Over the last three decades, grassland emergence was observed in 9.5% of the non-grassland area, which accounts for ∼37% of the current grassland extent. Grassland emergence was favoured in sites with steep slopes, high soil moisture content (as indicated by the topographic wetness index), and frequent fire, but inhibited at higher elevations and greater distances from human settlements or water bodies. The importance of environmental drivers varied by site, and the effects of fire were strongest in high-rainfall sites, whereas topographic and hydrological factors dominated in the drier sites. Greater grassland formation near human settlements suggests that anthropogenic disturbance (mainly livestock grazing and fires) can mimic natural processes in creating open habitats.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These findings underscore the ecological significance of disturbance regimes (flood, human influence, and fire) in maintaining grasslands and habitat management for conservation.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147368741","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 framework for identifying the polyploid complex in Rorippa (Brassicaceae): combining trait evolution, herbarium records, and machine learning.","authors":"Ting-Shen Han, Jun-Xian Lv, Yao-Wu Xing","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag050","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag050","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Species identification in polyploid plants remains challenging due to morphological continuity and genomic redundancy. Such taxonomic uncertainties obscure evolutionary or ecological inference. A critical solution involves the reassessment of polyploid collections using stable diagnostic traits and integrative approaches. Here, we examined the Rorippa dubia-indica complex (Brassicaceae), a morphologically overlapping tetraploid-hexaploid lineage natively distributed in East Asia.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We developed a framework that integrates experimental phenotyping, herbarium reassessment, and computational modeling for secondary species assessment of polyploid plants. The framework incorporates spatiotemporal data from 3,136 field-collected (2017-2020) and 2,015 herbarium (1893-2021) specimens. Species were circumscribed using experimental assessments of anatomical, cytological, and morphological traits, interpreted within a phylogenetically informed evolutionary context. Stable diagnostic traits were then applied to reidentify specimens for improved species distribution models. Finally, curated trait and species data were used to train machine learning classification models to reconstruct the diagnostic rationale underlying specimen identification.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>Seed arrangement, petal number, and genome size exhibited clear interspecific differentiation. Phylogenomic analyses based on chloroplast genomes further resolved species circumscription consistent with these traits. According to the revision of specimens and classification models defined by machine learning, we found that initial misidentification rates reached 12-50% across virtual or physical specimens, largely due to reliance on plastic traits such as leaf shape. These errors substantially distorted spatial distribution models and future climate projections.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our findings underscore the need for secondary specimen evaluation. The framework demonstrates the importance of integrating morphologic and phylogenetic inference with machine learning tools to resolve taxonomically difficult polyploid complexes. This approach offers direct applications for biodiversity assessment, evolutionary research, and conservation planning.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147353453","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":"Iron-Ferritin accumulation in fruits of two Tristerix epiphytes plants: ecological relevance as nutritional source for frugivores.","authors":"Pía Urbina, Tomás Bernales, Damaris Santibáñez, Marlene Fuenzalida, Matias-Ignacio Baroni, María Victoria Gangas, Felipe A Cancino, Vera Martinez, Pablo A González, Christian Dubos, María Fernanda Pérez, Marcia Gonzalez-Teuber, Hannetz Roschzttardtz","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag049","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag049","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Tristerix corymbosus and Tristerix Aphyllus are keystone mistletoes in southern South American ecosystems, providing critical nutritional resources to frugivores during winter, a period of severe food limitation. However, despite their ecological relevance, how iron is stored in Tristerix fruits and embryos, and the developmental mechanisms underlying this process, remain unknown. Here, we investigated iron accumulation, storage forms, and hormonal sensitivity in the fruits and embryos of two closely related epiphytic mistletoes, Tristerix corymbosus (hemiparasitic) and T. aphyllus (holoparasitic). Using histological analyses, immunodetection, and elemental quantification, we show that iron in both species predominantly accumulates as iron-FERRITIN complexes within the embryo, a storage form of iron associated with high bioavailability for animal consumers. Total iron concentrations in mature fruits indicate that both species represent a nutritionally relevant iron source in the trophic chain. Notably, embryos of both species remain green at maturity, suggesting altered regulation of late embryogenesis. We further demonstrate that T. corymbosus embryos are highly insensitive to abscisic acid (ABA) during germination, in contrast to Arabidopsis thaliana, despite exhibiting elevated endogenous ABA levels. This reduced ABA sensitivity correlates with chlorophyll retention, early xylem differentiation, and strong accumulation of FERRITIN proteins in the embryo, linking hormonal regulation to iron storage strategy. Our findings reveal a previously unrecognized connection between ABA sensitivity, embryo developmental state, and iron storage form in epiphytic mistletoes. These traits likely enhance seedling establishment and increase the nutritional value of fruits for frugivores, underscoring the central ecological role of T. corymbosus and T. aphyllus in winter food webs and nutrient flow in terrestrial ecosystems.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147353486","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":"Protease inhibitor regulation of proteins involved in heat-induced leaf senescence in creeping bentgrass.","authors":"Stephanie Rossi, Patrick Fardella, Bingru Huang","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag045","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag045","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Heat stress accelerates leaf senescence, involving changes in protein metabolism and catabolism. Protease inhibitors may offer a novel strategy for enhancing heat tolerance by reducing heat-induced proteolysis and preserving protein integrity. The objectives were to determine how the serine-class protease inhibitor, aprotinin, regulates protein metabolism and catabolism in perennial grass under heat stress, and to identify the key proteins targeted by aprotinin that help alleviate heat-related damage, as well as the metabolic processes in which these proteins are involved.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera 'Penncross') plants were subjected to elevated (38/33 °C, day/night) or optimal (22/17 °C, day/night) temperature conditions for 56 d in environmental growth chambers and foliar-treated every 7 d with 10 µM aprotinin. Visual turf quality, chlorophyll content, and photochemical parameters were evaluated as physiological indicators of leaf senescence, while proteomic methods were implemented to identify proteins that were responsive to aprotinin treatment under non-stress and heat stress conditions.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>Under heat stress, aprotinin significantly improved turf quality (27.27 and 41.18 % at 42 and 56 d, respectively), chlorophyll content (12.76-18.12 % from 28-56 d), and photosystem II photochemistry (Fv/Fm: 1.57-3.02 % from 28-56 d; ΦPSII: 4.55-11.43 % from 14-56 d; qP: 9.09-19.17 % from 28-56 d) while simultaneously maintaining higher energy dissipation (Rfd: 11.57-17.71 % from 14-56 d; NPQ: 15.0-25.59 % from 42-56 d). Proteomic analysis revealed that aprotinin modulated 40 DEPs under heat stress in several metabolic pathways, including carbohydrate metabolism, nitrogen metabolism, nucleic acid metabolism, energy metabolism, stress response, and proteolysis in plants exposed to heat stress.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The protease inhibitor regulated various proteins that could be involved in mitigating heat-induced leaf senescence. Identification of upstream molecular factors for the specific protease inhibitor-responsive proteins will provide further insight into mechanisms of controlling leaf senescence.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147363786","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}