Annals of botany最新文献

{"title":"Dehiscent fruits in Brassicaceae and Papaveraceae: convergent morpho-anatomical features with divergent underlying genetic mechanisms.","authors":"Cecilia Zumajo-Cardona, Barbara A Ambrose, Yesenia Madrigal, Natalia Pabón-Mora","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcaf079","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcaf079","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Dry dehiscent fruits have independently evolved multiple times during angiosperm diversification. A striking example is the convergent evolution of Brassicaceae siliques and Papaveraceae pods, both formed by two fused carpels forming valves, that meet at a replum or replum-like structure. In both cases, valve separation occurs through a dehiscence zone at the valve margins in contact with the replum. In Arabidopsis, fruit development is regulated by transcription factors: FRUITFULL (FUL) ensures proper valve cell division, REPLUMLESS (RPL) specifies replum identity, and SHATTERPROOF (SHP1/2) genes pattern the dehiscence zone. SHP1/2 also regulate INDEHISCENT (IND) for lignified layer formation and ALCATRAZ (ALC) and SPATULA (SPT) for the non-lignified layer, with the network antagonized by APETALA2 (AP2), which influences replum formation and valve margin growth.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Using previously published and new In situ RNA hybridization expression data, we evaluated how this network applies to basal eudicots.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>In Bocconia frutescens, homolog expression suggests conserved roles for FUL and AP2 in fruit wall proliferation, acting antagonistically to ALC and RPL homologs localized to the dehiscence zone. A role for STK homologs in dehiscence zone formation cannot be excluded, while the role of AG-like genes, the closest homologs of SHP during fruit development is unlikely.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our findings indicate significant rewiring of the fruit developmental network between basal and core eudicots, underscoring the need for functional studies in non-eudicot species to validate this framework.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143961180","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":"Constant distance between leaf initiation sites permits nondestructive analysis of apical meristem activity during cactus shoot growth.","authors":"James D Mauseth","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcaf085","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcaf085","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and scope: </strong>Trunks of saguaro cacti (Carnegiea gigantea) grow for many years, and during this time, the shoot apical meristem (SAM) of each trunk not only grows in diameter, it also initiates new orthostichies (ribs). Several questions were examined: Is a saguaro SAM's diameter correlated with the number of orthostichies/ribs it is producing? Is SAM diameter tightly controlled, or does it vary among individuals of the same age? When saguaro trunks are about 3 m tall, their SAMs stop adding new orthostichies/ribs: do SAMs stop growing only after reaching a critical diameter, or do the SAMs vary in diameter when each stops growing?</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Ribs were counted at various heights (corresponding to various ages) on saguaro plants in habitat. Shoot apical meristem diameter was measured by light microscopy in sectioned material. Shoot apical meristems of Echinocactus grusonii were also studied.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>Shoot apical meristem diameter is strongly correlated with the number of ribs being maintained: the circumferential distance between newly initiated leaf primordia remains constant (145 ± 10.6 µm in C. gigantea; 193 ± 10.7 µm in E. grusonii) even as an SAM grows in diameter. An SAM's diameter and circumference can be estimated by counting the number of ribs it is maintaining. The diameter of each SAM of C. gigantea increases for many years but it eventually stabilizes; the final, stable diameter of each C. gigantea SAM varies from shoot to shoot.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Shoot apical meristem diameter in both species can be estimated nondestructively by simply counting the number of orthostichies/ribs the SAM is producing (or produced in the past). The growth rate of C. gigantea SAMs varies from plant to plant and can change with age. All C. gigantea SAMs stop increasing in diameter at some point, but that diameter varies from plant to plant.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143962738","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":"On the importance of rhizosphere conductance and soil-root contact in drying soils.","authors":"Axelle Koch, Gaochao Cai, Mutez Ali Ahmed, Félicien Meunier, Andrea Carminati, Jan Vanderborght, Mathieu Javaux","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcaf082","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcaf082","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Root water uptake (RWU) is influenced by rhizosphere conductance and soil-root contact, which vary with soil texture and root structure, including root hairs. Current simplified models often fail to capture the spatial complexity of these interactions in drying soils. This study aims to examine how rhizosphere conductance, soil-root contact, and root hairs affect RWU.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We utilized an explicit 3D functional-structural model to investigate how root and rhizosphere hydraulics influence the transpiration rate and leaf water potential (T-LWP) relationship of two maize (Zea mays) genotypes (with and without root hairs) grown in two contrasting soil textures (loam and sand) during soil drying. The model incorporated rhizosphere resistance in series with radial root resistance, with the latter being influenced by maturation (development of apoplastic barriers with age). It considered two critical processes: (1) the decrease in soil water potential between bulk soil and the soil-root interface, and (2) the extent of soil-root contact.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>The simulations revealed that RWU was highly soil texture-specific. In loam, the non-linearity in the T-LWP relationship was primarily due to localized uptake fluxes and high rhizosphere resistance as soil dried. In sand, however, where soil-root contact was less effective, rhizosphere conductance became a significant limiting factor for RWU, even at relatively higher soil water potential compared to loam. Root hairs did not show a significant contribution to rhizosphere conductance, likely due to the dominant effect of soil-root interaction. Additionally, variations in root hydraulic conductance and its change with root tissue age impacted the model's accuracy.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The explicit 3D model provides a more precise representation of RWU dynamics by pinpointing exact uptake locations, primary limiting factors, and quantifying the proportion of root surface actively engaged in RWU. This approach offers notable improvements over conventional models in understanding the spatial dynamics of water uptake in different soil environments.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143965232","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":"Plants originating from more extreme biomes have improved leaf thermoregulation.","authors":"Pieter A Arnold, Monique J White, Alicia M Cook, Andy Leigh, Verónica F Briceño, Adrienne B Nicotra","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcaf080","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcaf080","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Many plants have some capacity for leaf thermoregulation via stomatal conductance (gsw), such that leaf temperature (Tleaf) is rarely coupled with air temperature (Tair). The difference between leaf and air temperature (thermal offset, ΔT) and the slope (thermal coupling strength, β) is mediated by interactions between the plant's immediate environment and its leaf traits. This study aimed to determine whether species originating from biomes with contrasting environmental conditions (alpine, desert, coastal temperate) would differ in their tendency to thermoregulate in a common environment.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Using benign (25°C) and high temperature (38°C) glasshouse treatments, we measured paired canopy Tair and Tleaf for 15 diverse species, five from each biome, in a common garden experiment. Instantaneous stomatal conductance and a suite of leaf traits were measured and calculated to test for associations with leaf thermoregulation.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>We found clear evidence for greater leaf cooling occurring during high temperature exposure, especially in alpine and desert species. The leaves of temperate species were largely warmer than air under both treatments. Thicker leaves with higher water content and high stomatal conductance clearly were more effective at cooling. Species originating from different biomes displayed divergent responses of thermal offset and thermal coupling with leaf traits.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our findings suggest that plants originating from more extreme biomes have innately greater scope for thermoregulation, especially desert plants, which could better counter the risk of reaching excess temperatures at the cost of higher water loss. Leaf thermoregulation is a complex plant-environment interaction, and our work contributes to developing more accurate predictions of leaf temperature during heat exposure across diverse species and biomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143973987","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":"Long-term coordinated morphological and hydrological traits of desert mosses in an arid temperate desert.","authors":"YuChen Wan, YanHong Gao, ZhanJun Wang, Jun Du, PengShan Zhao, YongSheng Wu, RongLiang Jia","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcaf083","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcaf083","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and amis: </strong>The adaptive plasticity of xerophytic vegetation in response to hydrological fluctuations serves as a critical determinant of ecosystem stability in arid regions. However, it is still unclear how mosses respond to long-term changes in water availability.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We investigated Bryum argenteum Hedw., Didymodon vinealis (Brid.) Zander, and Syntrichia caninervis Mitt., which have sequentially colonized an arid revegetated area of the Tengger Desert (Northern China). The study focused on altered aboveground morphological, physiological and hydrological traits at different periods of restoration (35y, 41y and 66y) of artificial sand-fixing vegetation.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>B. argenteum had the smallest shoot size, biomass, Fv/ Fm, NSC content and the highest population density. In contrast, D. vinealis and S. caninervis exhibited larger shoot size, greater biomass, higher Fv/ Fm and NSC content but lower population densities. Moreover, for B. argenteum and D. vinealis, there was a trade-off between water absorption and retention. B. argenteum had the slowest water absorption and lowest dehydration rate, whereas D. vinealis exhibited greater water absorption and a faster dehydration rate. S. caninervis, however, had both high water absorption and a slow dehydration rate, which may have been facilitated by its awns.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our findings revealed that the succession of moss species in a restored desert followed three sequential adaptive trajectory shifts: from species with small shoot sizes, prioritizing high-density colonization and conservative hydrological functions (low water absorption and strong water retention capacities), to those with larger shoot sizes, prioritizing low-density colonization and competitive hydrological functions (high water absorption and rapid dehydration), and finally to species with even larger shoot sizes, featuring morphological innovations (awns) that have excellent water holding capacity (awn-mediated absorption-retention synergy). This study demonstrated that moss species can progressively optimize their adaptive strategies under prolonged ecological restoration.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143964954","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":"Population Genomic Assessment of Dudleya brevifolia for in situ Conservation Management.","authors":"Caroline Iacuaniello, Erik Funk, Stephanie Steele, Joe Davitt, Christa Horn, Joyce Maschinski, Cynthia C Steiner","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcaf081","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcaf081","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>San Diego County, United States, is a botanically biodiverse region with many rare, endangered, and endemic plants found across a wide range of habitats. Dudleya brevifolia is a small deciduous succulent that is endemic to the southwest coastal bluffs of San Diego. It is listed as critically imperiled globally (G1), with only five known occurrences, all located within a ten-kilometer radius.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>To better inform conservation management strategies, we conducted molecular population genetic assessments using double digest restriction site-associated DNA sequencing data. We studied genetic diversity, inbreeding, population differentiation, genetic structure, and demographic history of seven D. brevifolia collection sites.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>Genetic diversity within sites was found to be moderate, while inbreeding was relatively low (HO = 0.22- 0.25; FIS < 0.10), genetic differentiation was moderate to high (FST = 0.05- 0.27), and patterns of genetic structure and admixture supported genetic isolation with limited gene flow between three genetic clusters identified as management units. Demographic analyses suggested historical and contemporary gene flow, as well as recent population decline.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Population-level genetic assessments support the management of D. brevifolia through continued monitoring of sites and active augmentation of small occurrences with either seeds or new individuals collected from wild or nursery-propagated plants that share a similar genetic ancestry.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143959524","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":"Diversity of fungi attached to birds corresponds to the habitat ecologies of their avian dispersal vectors.","authors":"Niko R Johansson, Ulla Kaasalainen, Jouko Rikkinen","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcaf077","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcaf077","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Animal-mediated transport of propagules is an important aspect of dispersal in many organisms, but severely understudied in fungi. Birds appear as natural dispersal vectors for many fungi, as they are often both mobile and migratory, potentially providing directed transport of fungal propagules to suitable sites for establishment. However, information of which fungal taxa are transported by which bird vectors is lacking.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>By using environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding of feather and feet swabs collected from bird species with two contrasting habitat ecologies (European Robin Erithacus rubecula and Goldcrest Regulus regulus), we identify and compare fungal diversity attached to these birds.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>We identified over 600 fungal taxa attached to and potentially transported by the birds. Differences in the fungal assemblages of the two bird species corresponded with species-specific patterns in the natural histories of transported fungi and the bird vector.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our findings show that bird-mediated transport can be important for a variety of fungal taxa, especially at medium to long transport distances. Taxa particularly affected includes plant pathogens, saprobic macrofungi and sorediate macrolichens, especially those with specific habitat requirements.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143966385","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":"Bark investment is key to forest expansion into African savannas by conferring resistance t fire and seasonal drought.","authors":"Julieta A Rosell, Susanne Vetter, Mark E Olson, Michelle Greve","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcaf019","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcaf019","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Forest expansion into savannas is widespread even though fire and seasonal drought provide environmental conditions against encroachment by forest specialists. A distinct suite of species can establish under savanna trees forming bush clumps and facilitating forest establishment. Understanding the functional traits of clump-forming species is crucial for uncovering encroachment mechanisms and devising management strategies. Bark likely plays a key role in enabling clump initiation. Fire tolerance can be achieved by accumulation of outer bark thickness (OBT), height and/or stem diameter (SD), while drought resistance may be enhanced by greater inner bark thickness (IBT), associated with water and carbohydrate storage.</p><p><strong>Methodology: </strong>We selected representative savanna, clump-forming, and closed-canopy species (\"ecological categories\") at two South African sites experiencing forest expansion and differing in rainfall and fire frequency. We compared OBT-SD and IBT-SD allometries across ecological categories and sites and examined whether categories separated along axes reflecting fire/drought resistance (OBT and IBT) and resource allocation strategy (density and water content, leaf size).</p><p><strong>Key findings: </strong>OBT-SD scaling of clump-forming species was more similar to savanna than forest species, and savanna species at the more fire-prone savanna had steeper OBT-SD scaling, consistent with high OBT providing fire protection in early clump formation. Similar IBT-SD slope across groups was consistent with similar metabolic needs, while higher intercepts in savanna and clump-forming species indicated higher water storage. \"Cheap\" low-density tissues in savanna species allow fast accumulation of SD and OBT and resistance to fire topkill. Closed-canopy species had denser tissues and thin stems and bark for a given height, while the clump-forming species were intermediate.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Bark and probably other traits are key in the capacity of some species to form bush clumps. Identifying these traits and the mechanisms underlying clump formation is essential for managing encroached savannas and grasslands.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143969640","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":"'Ruminate' endosperm - why and from where? A commentary on 'The development of the embryo and ruminate endosperm in an early-divergent angiosperm, Asimina triloba (Annonaceae)'.","authors":"Joseph H Williams","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcaf056","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcaf056","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143957433","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":"Does flower size follow the 'island rule'? A commentary on 'Flower size evolution in the Southwest Pacific'.","authors":"Marcos Méndez","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcaf053","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcaf053","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143963497","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}