Annals of botany最新文献

{"title":"Standard and non-standard measurements of wood density: how big is the breach?","authors":"Alex Fajardo","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcaf093","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcaf093","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>A crucial functional trait related to plant strategies is wood density. Wood density is determined as the ratio between the wood dry mass and its fresh volume. Standard laboratory methods for wood density determination are the norm, but other non-standard methods can also be used, especially in the field. Presently, we do not know how accurate these non-standard methods are. This research compared standard and non-standard methods for wood density determination while taking into consideration particular plant growth forms that are often neglected in wood density studies (e.g., lianas, short shrubs).</p><p><strong>Scope: </strong>Wood density was estimated and compared using the standard methods (water-displacement for volume and oven-drying at 101 °C for 72 hours for mass) and non-standard methods (geometric for volume and oven-drying at 70 °C for 72 hours for mass) for 153 species with different growth forms and taxonomic orders.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>Across species and growth forms, wood density did not vary as a result of the drying temperature. However, wood density was on average underestimated by 5.36% when the volume determination was done using the geometric instead of the water displacement method. The standard deviation of wood density was also significantly higher when using the geometric method for volume determination. These differences in wood density estimation were not altered by growth form, taxonomic order, or the size of the woody sample.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>It is statistically reliable to estimate wood density following the drying of samples at 70 °C for 72 h. The difference in the amount of water that remains in the wood after drying between 70 and 101 °C for 72 h is negligible. However, the geometric method of wood volume determination is likely to incur a \"positive bias\" of overestimation, which was attributed to error in estimation of wood density.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144075469","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":"Hormonal regulation of root growth under moderately elevated temperatures.","authors":"Tilman Jacob, Orlando Maciel Rodrigues Junior, Marcel Quint","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcaf087","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcaf087","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Roots anchor plants in the ground, providing an interface for interactions with the environment and sensing potential stressors. At the same time, they contribute to the acclimatization to stressful conditions through their growth plasticity. Root growth is a combination of cell division and cell elongation, ultimately shaping root system architecture depending on environmental stimuli. Root thermomorphogenesis refers to the altered root growth response under moderately elevated ambient temperatures, characterized, for example, by an increase in primary root growth during early seedling development. While the molecular regulation of shoot thermomorphogenesis is comparatively well understood, the gene- and hormone-regulatory networks underlying root growth responses to warm temperature have only begun to be uncovered in recent years.</p><p><strong>Scope: </strong>In this article, we review the latest findings of how root growth, comprised of cell division and elongation, is regulated by the phytohormones auxin, cytokinins and brassinosteroids at optimal temperatures. We then summarize our current understanding of root growth responses to warm temperatures during early seedling development and the key role of auxin in this process. Furthermore, we address the contributions of cell division versus cell elongation to root thermomorphogenesis, discuss whether the root is autonomous in sensing and reacting to increased temperatures, and provide an outlook of how root thermomorphogenesis research can be applied to crops.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Root growth is a complex process which is tightly regulated and strongly depends on environmental factors. During early seedling development, elevated ambient temperatures stimulate auxin signalling which leads to an increase in both cell division and elongation, resulting in elongated primary roots. It appears that the root can autonomously sense and react to temperature changes at this stage. Root thermomorphogenesis seems to be conserved among many plants including crops, but its ecophysiological relevance remains open to further research.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143957431","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":"The value of education, training and experience to improve the accuracy of identification: a commentary on 'Inter- and intra-observer variation in phytolith morphometry'.","authors":"Thomas C Hart","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcae194","DOIUrl":"10.1093/aob/mcae194","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":"i-ii"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12064420/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142823850","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"One organ to infect them all: the Cuscuta haustorium.","authors":"Vasili A Balios, Karsten Fischer, Thomas Bawin, Kirsten Krause","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcae208","DOIUrl":"10.1093/aob/mcae208","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Research on the parasitic plant genus Cuscuta has flourished since the genomes of several of its species were published. Most of the research revolves around the iconic infection organ that secures the parasite's sustenance: the haustorium. Interest in understanding the structure-function-regulation relationship of the haustorium is based as much on the wish to find ways to keep the parasite under control as on the opportunities it offers to shed light on various open questions in plant biology.</p><p><strong>Scope: </strong>This review will briefly introduce parasitism among plants, using the genus Cuscuta as the main example, before presenting its haustorium alongside the terminology that is used to describe its architecture. Possible evolutionary origins of this parasitic organ are presented. The haustorium is then followed from its initiation to maturity with regard to the molecular landscape that accompanies the morphological changes and in light of the challenges it must overcome before gaining access to the vascular cells of its hosts. The fact that Cuscuta has an unusually broad host range stresses how efficient its infection strategy is. Therefore, particular consideration will be given in the final section to a comparison with the process of grafting, being the only other type of tissue connection that involves interspecific vascular continuity.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Studies on Cuscuta haustoriogenesis have revealed many molecular details that explain its success. They have also unearthed some mysteries that wait to be solved. With a better understanding of the complexity of the infection with its combination of universal as well as host-specific elements that allow Cuscuta to parasitize on a wide range of host plant species, we may be many steps closer to not only containing the parasite better but also exploiting its tricks where they can serve us in the quest of producing more and better food and fodder.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":"823-840"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12064427/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142823866","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Unveiling the embryo structure in Bromeliaceae Juss. (Poales): morphological diversity, anatomy and character evolution.","authors":"Jordano D T de Carvalho, Elton M C Leme, Ivón M Ramírez-Morillo, Jorge E A Mariath","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcae219","DOIUrl":"10.1093/aob/mcae219","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Recent studies have documented numerous morphoanatomical variations for the seed coat in Bromeliaceae. However, the structural diversity and character evolution of the embryo within this family remain largely unexplored. Given the significance of the embryo in plant diversification, this research aims to investigate the morphology and key anatomical features of Bromeliaceae embryos, providing insights into character evolution, taxonomic applications and reproductive biology.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We analysed samples of 88 species from 50 genera representing the major lineages of Bromeliaceae, using standard plant microtechniques adapted for seeds. To determine ancestral traits, parsimony and maximum likelihood analyses were performed in a consensus supertree combining previous phylogenies.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>We identified 14 informative characters, highlighting significant differences among groups, particularly in embryo morphology, differentiation and anatomical traits. Our analysis revealed that undifferentiated embryos with a vestigial cotyledonary hyperphyll are plesiomorphic in Bromeliaceae. They have evolved multiple times into rudimentary or well-differentiated embryos, the latter exhibiting intermediate or large sizes and diverse cotyledonary hyperphyll morphologies. The cotyledonary hypophyll varies in sheath lobes and slit morphologies and is curved or expanded exclusively in representatives of Bromelioideae. Likewise, several patterns of hypocotyl/radicle constriction are unique to Tillandsioideae and plesiomorphic for this clade. Although rudimentary embryos exhibit simpler and more uniform anatomy, they are distinct from undifferentiated embryos, which lack defined organs and internal tissues. In contrast, well-differentiated embryos possess more complex anatomical structures, including a multi-layered shoot apical meristem and root cap, a broad cotyledonary sheath and often leaf primordia, the last of which have evolved independently several times only in large embryos.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our findings reveal a previously unknown morphological diversity for embryos in Bromeliaceae, enhancing our understanding of the morphological evolution of their major lineages. In addition, our findings introduce new informative characters for the systematics of the family and broaden our understanding of the reproductive biology of Bromeliaceae.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":"1001-1024"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12064433/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142852046","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Phylogenetic diversity sheds light on the evolution of the unique fern flora of Mount Kinabalu, Borneo.","authors":"Hong Qian, Michael Kessler","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcaf013","DOIUrl":"10.1093/aob/mcaf013","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Mount Kinabalu is an isolated, geologically young mountain (Pliocene and early Pleistocene) in northern Borneo harbouring a highly diverse flora with a high level of endemism. It is one of the global centres of fern diversity, but how this diversity has evolved has not been studied to date. We assess patterns of evolutionary legacies in the fern flora of Mount Kinabalu, with an emphasis on testing the tropical niche conservatism hypothesis.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We used several metrics of phylogenetic structure, including phylogenetic diversity (PD), mean nearest taxon distance (MNTD), mean pairwise distance (MPD), and their respective standardized effect sizes (PDses, MNTDses and MPDses), which represent different depths of evolutionary history, to investigate patterns of evolutionary legacies in the fern flora of Mount Kinabalu.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>We found that there was a decrease of PDses with elevation, reflecting a tropical origin of ferns and a gradual evolutionary adaptation to colder environments by fewer successive lineages. However, when separating the evolutionary old non-polypod lineages from the modern polypod radiation, we found a decrease of MNTD with elevation for the former, reflecting an ongoing upslope evolutionary trend, whereas for the modern polypod radiation, the inverse was true. Within the polypods, terrestrial and epiphytic species also showed different patterns, with the former showing a hump-shaped pattern for all phylogenetic diversity metrics, whereas the latter showed a more or less linear decline. Again, this suggests different evolutionary histories for ferns inhabiting the forest floor and canopy, due to the influence of the different habitat conditions. Finally, we found that mean annual temperature had a much stronger effect on phylogenetic diversity metrics than annual precipitation.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>We found that the current fern assemblages on Mount Kinabalu show a strong evolutionary legacy that mirrors that of other mountains, suggesting a global consistency in phylogenetic diversity patterns of ferns along elevational transects, presumably due to a combination of dispersal between mountains and evolutionary convergence.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":"991-1000"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12064423/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143063307","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Inter- and intra-observer variation in phytolith morphometry.","authors":"Welmoed A Out, Rand Evett, Kristýna Hošková, Robert C Power, Javier Ruiz-Pérez, Monica Tromp, Luc Vrydaghs, Kali Wade, Mario Hasler","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcae116","DOIUrl":"10.1093/aob/mcae116","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Archaeobotanists and palaeoecologists use geometric morphometrics extensively to identify plant opal phytoliths. Particularly when applied to assemblages of phytoliths from concentrations retrieved from closed contexts, morphometric data from archaeological phytoliths compared with similar data from reference material can allow taxonomic attribution. Observer variation is one aspect of phytolith morphometry that has received little attention but might be an important source of error and a potential cause of misidentification of plant remains.</p><p><strong>Scope: </strong>To investigate inter- and intra-observer variation in phytolith morphometry, eight researchers (observers) from different laboratories measured 50 samples each from three phytolith morphotypes (Bilobate, Bulliform flabellate and Elongate dendritic) three times, under the auspices of the International Committee for Phytolith Morphometrics (ICPM).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Data for 17 size and shape variables were collected for each phytolith by manually digitizing a phytolith outline (mask) from a photograph, followed by measurement of the mask with open-source morphometric software.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>Inter-observer variation ranged from 0 to 23 % difference from the mean of all observers. Intra-observer variation ranged from 0 to 9 % difference from the mean of individual observers per week. Inter- and intra-observer variation was generally higher among inexperienced researchers.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Scaling errors were a major cause of variation and occurred more with less experienced researchers, which is likely to be related to familiarity with data collection. The results indicate that inter- and intra-observer variation can be reduced substantially by providing clear instructions for and training with the equipment, photograph capturing, software, data collection and data cleaning. In this paper, the ICPM provides recommendations to minimize variation. Advances in automatic data collection might eventually reduce inter- and intra-observer variation, but until this is common practice, the ICPM recommends that phytolith morphometric analyses adhere to standardized guidelines to assure that measured phytolith variables are accurate, consistent and comparable between different researchers and laboratories.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":"851-866"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12064434/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141756724","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The influence of post-glacial migration and hybridization on the gene pool of marginal Quercus pubescens populations in Central Europe.","authors":"Jil Pütz, Simon Jansen, Oliver Reutimann, Christian Rellstab, Sándor Bordács, Charalambos Neophytou","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcae216","DOIUrl":"10.1093/aob/mcae216","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>In Central Europe, the drought-tolerant downy oak (Quercus pubescens) is at the northern edge of its natural distribution range, often growing in small and spatially isolated populations. Here, we elucidate how the population genetic structure of Central European Q. pubescens was shaped by geographical barriers, genetic drift and introgression with the closely related sessile oak (Q. petraea).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In total, 27 Q. pubescens populations from the northern margin of its natural distribution range were sampled. Based on 16 nuclear microsatellite markers (nSSRs), Bayesian clustering and distance-based analyses were performed to determine the intraspecific genetic structure and to identify genetic barriers. To identify drivers of introgression with Q. petraea, generalized linear models were applied to link levels of introgression with environmental conditions. To track post-glacial migration routes, the spatial distribution of haplotypes based on eight chloroplast microsatellite markers (cpSSRs) was investigated.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>Based on nSSRs, the study populations of Q. pubescens were divided into a western and an eastern genetic cluster. Within these clusters, more pronounced genetic substructure was observed in the west, probably due to a rugged topography and limited gene flow. Introgression from Q. petraea was more prevalent at wetter and north-exposed sites and in the west. The identified cpSSR haplotypes followed known migration pathways.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our results suggest two late-glacial refugia in or near the southwestern Alps and the southeastern Alps as potential sources for post-glacial migration. Although some genetic exchange is evident in northern Italy, south of the Alps, the two clusters remain distinct at a large scale. Landscape features and introgression with Q. petraea shaped the genetic substructure at a smaller scale. Our study provides a comprehensive overview of the genetic structure of Q. pubescens in Central Europe, relevant for conservation.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":"867-884"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12064428/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142852043","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Niche comparisons reveal significant divergence despite narrow endemism in Leavenworthia, a genus of rare plants.","authors":"Kyle M Simpson, Daniel Spalink","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcae226","DOIUrl":"10.1093/aob/mcae226","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Quantifying niche similarity among closely related species offers myriad insights into evolutionary history and ecology. In this study, our aim was to explore the interplay of geographical and niche space for rare, endemic plant species and to determine whether endemic habitats were environmentally similar or unique.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We characterized the niche of all Leavenworthia species, a genus of rare plants endemic to rocky glades in the eastern USA, using WorldClim data, surface geology, elevation and slope. We calculated the area of range overlap and estimated niche similarity between pairs of species in their total occupied niche space and the subset of niche space shared by both species. We used linear discriminant analyses to determine which niche dimensions differed the most between species. We used niche dimensions with consistently high discriminatory power to perform a random forest classification analysis and principal component analysis. Using a linear model, we related geographical distance to distance in niche space.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>Most species comparisons concluded that species niches had diverged, with niche similarity increasing linearly with range overlap. Temperature variation, precipitation amount and seasonality, and surface geology were the most divergent niche dimensions among all species comparisons. Geographical distance explained 42 % of the variation in niche space distance. Sites that were closer in niche space than expected were oriented east-west owing to the strong correlation between latitude and scores on the first principal component.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Despite being endemic seemingly to very similar habitat, niche similarity is low among Leavenworthia species. Low niche similarity, combined with low geographical overlap, suggests that this lineage of rare plants potentially diversified in isolation but across a very small geographical area. The correlation between geographical space and niche space has received considerable attention, but our results suggest that geographical distance is a weak predictor of distance in niche space.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":"935-948"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12064430/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142943174","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Correction to: Temperature dependence of pollen germination and tube growth in conifers relates to their distribution along an elevational gradient in Washington State, USA.","authors":"","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcae225","DOIUrl":"10.1093/aob/mcae225","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":"1027-1028"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12064419/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142943173","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}