{"title":"Two grasses differ in their absorptive root physiological traits and rooting depth under drought in an alpine steppe.","authors":"Zhi Zheng, Yurui Zhang, Ziyue Li, Feifei Dong, Lijuan Chen","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcae151","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcae151","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Absorptive root traits play important roles in acquisition of water and nutrients from soil by plants. Despite numerous reports on the changes in species dominance under long-term drought in grassland community, few studies have specifically investigated absorptive root traits of these dominant species in grasslands, especially in the alpine grasslands.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Here, two grass species (Leymus secalinus and Stipa purpurea) differing in their responses to drought were selected from an alpine steppe. A series of absorptive root traits were examined under drought in a 3-year glasshouse experiment.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>We found that drought had no effects on root morphological and architectural traits, whereas root physiological traits and rooting depth differed in their responses to drought. Specifically, drought significantly reduced root respiration and enhanced organ carbon (C) exudation rate, carboxylate exudation rate, acid phosphatase activity and rooting depth of L. secalinus. Particularly, L. secalinus released more citrate into the rhizosphere under drought than S. purpurea. In contrast, these root traits of S. purpurea remained relatively unchanged in response to the drought. These differential responses would render L. secalinus more competitive in acquisition of nutrients and water, thus contributing to its dominance in the community under drought. Moreover, root respiration was negatively correlated with organic C exudation rate, carboxylate exudation rate and acid phosphatase activity, indicating a tradeoff between root respiration and root exudates to acquire nutrients and water by optimizing C allocation under drought. Additionally, all root traits exhibited two independent dimensions in root economic space (RES) for both species under drought.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These results indicate that the plant species with great capacity to acquire water and nutrients in soil by optimizing C allocation under drought will be dominant in the community of the alpine grasslands. These findings provide an important insight into species re-ordering under drought on the Tibetan Plateau.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2024-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142124608","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}
Zhixia Sun, Lihua Yang, Hanghui Kong, Ming Kang, Jing Wang
{"title":"Phylogeographic patterns match the floristic subdivisions: The diversification history of a widespread herb in subtropical China.","authors":"Zhixia Sun, Lihua Yang, Hanghui Kong, Ming Kang, Jing Wang","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcae157","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcae157","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Subtropical China is dominated by evergreen broad-leaved forests (EBLFs) and is acknowledged as a critical region for its high floristic richness and endemism. Understanding of evolutionary mechanisms of such global biodiversity hotspots comes almost exclusively from long-lived tree species. Herbaceous plants represent critical biodiversity components in forests, however, the diversification history of understory herbs in subtropical EBLFs remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated the phylogeographic patterns and demographic history of Oreocharis auricula, a widespread perennial herb endemic to the EBLFs of subtropical China.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Both cpDNA sequences and single-copy nuclear genes were used to investigate the genetic variation among 657 individuals from 68 populations. Evidences from molecular dating, demographic history construction, and species distribution modeling were also combined to infer the phylogeography and evolutionary history of O. auricula.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>Strong phylogeographic signals have been congruently observed using nuclear and plastid DNA markers, with the diversification patterns generally consistent with the recognized floristic subdivisions of subtropical China. Notably, we revealed an important phylogeographic barrier along the Nanling mountain range, which is also around a climatic transition at 24-26°N latitude in subtropical China, separating the south monsoon subtropical EBLFs from the mid-subtropical EBLFs. Demographic expansion and significant niche divergence were detected among the extant lineages, which may have diverged during the early Pleistocene.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The inherent characteristics of understory herbs with limited dispersal and short generation time intensify the genetic divergence response of O. auricula to abiotic forces, contributing to the profound phylogeographic imprints of mountains and climate in such herbaceous flora. To further substantiate the generality of the identified patterns, it is paramount to extend phylogeographic investigations to other understory herbaceous taxa in subtropical China. These results have expanded our understanding of the diversification processes of subtropical forests in China.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2024-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142124607","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}
Hanna Makowski, Emily Scott, Keric Lamb, Laura F Galloway
{"title":"Compensating for the corolla? Pollen exposure is not associated with pollen collecting hair length.","authors":"Hanna Makowski, Emily Scott, Keric Lamb, Laura F Galloway","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcae139","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcae139","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Secondary pollen-presentation, the relocation of pollen from the anthers to elsewhere on the flower, has evolved multiple times across many plant families. While hypotheses suggest it evolved to promote outcrossing, a byproduct of relocation may be protection of pollen from loss due to abiotic factors. In Campanulaceae pollen is presented on pollen-collecting hairs along the style and the hairs retract over time and release pollen for transfer. Campanulaceae taxa vary in the degree to which pollen is exposed to environmental factors due to variation in the corolla shape and size. We tested the protective function of pollen-collecting hairs by assessing whether there was a tradeoff between the protection provided by the corolla and the pollen-collecting hairs.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We used phylogenetic comparative methods to test for associations between pollen-collecting hair length, floral shape and size metrics, and pollen exposure traits across 39 species.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We anticipated longer pollen-collecting hairs in taxa with more exposed pollen presentation but found there was no relationship between estimates of pollen exposure and pollen-collecting hair length. However, pollen-collecting hair length scaled allometrically with floral size, and variation in pollen-collecting hairs, as well as most floral traits, was phylogenetically structured.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These results indicate that variation in pollen exposure across species does not structure variation in the pollen-collecting hairs, rather hair length scales allometrically and is phylogenetically constrained, therefore pollen-collecting hairs are unlikely to facilitate protection from environmental pressures.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2024-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142124606","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}
I Gélvez-Zúñiga, M Beirão, S Novais, J C Santiago, G W Fernandes
{"title":"Floral resource availability declines and florivory increases along an elevation gradient in a highly biodiverse community.","authors":"I Gélvez-Zúñiga, M Beirão, S Novais, J C Santiago, G W Fernandes","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcae155","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcae155","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Flower-visitor interactions comprise a continuum of behaviors, from mutualistic partners to antagonistic visitors. Despite being relatively frequent in natural communities, florivory remains unexplored, especially when comprising abiotic factors, spatio-temporal variations and global environmental changes. Here, we addressed the variation of florivory driven by changes in elevation and temporal flower availability. We expect decreased floral resources as elevation increases -due to environmental constraints- which may affect plant-florivore interactions. Yet, if floral resources decrease but florivores remain constant, then we may expect an increase in florivory with increasing elevation in the community.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The flowering phenology of plant individuals was recorded in the Neotropical campo rupestre vegetation, in southeastern Brazil. Damages by florivores were recorded in plots at elevations ranging from 823 to 1411 m using two response variables as a proxy for florivory: the proportion of attacked flowers per plant and the proportion of petal removal on single flowers.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>Flower attack increased with elevation and damages were intensified in species with longer flowering periods. Conversely, longer flowering periods resulted in higher levels of petal removal when decreasing elevation. The temporal availability of flowers affected florivory, with the proportion of attacked flowers being more intense when there are less flowered individuals in the community. Petal removal on single flowers was intensified in plots with a larger number of individuals flowering, and with more species co-flowering.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study brings one of the broadest records of a commonly neglected interaction of insects feeding on floral structures, quantifying the combined effect of floral display and availability along an elevation gradient in a highly biodiverse mountaintop community. These findings contribute to filling in the gap in the understanding of florivory dynamics, focusing on a tropical mountaintop scenario facing imminent environmental changes and excessive natural resource exploitation.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2024-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142118840","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}
Nian Zhou, Ke Miao, Luxiao Hou, Haiyang Liu, Jiahui Chen, Yunheng Ji
{"title":"Phylotranscriptomic analyses reveal the evolutionary complexity of Paris L. (Melanthiaceae), a morphologically distinctive genus with significant pharmaceutical importance.","authors":"Nian Zhou, Ke Miao, Luxiao Hou, Haiyang Liu, Jiahui Chen, Yunheng Ji","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcae156","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcae156","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Previous phylogenetic studies on the pharmaceutically significant genus Paris (Melanthiaceae) have consistently revealed substantial cytonuclear discordance, yet the underlying mechanism responsible for this phenomenon remains elusive. This study aims to reconstruct a robust nuclear backbone phylogeny and elucidate the potential evolutionarily complex events contributing to previously observed cytonuclear discordance within Paris.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Based on a comprehensive set of nuclear low-copy orthologous genes obtained from transcriptomic data, the intrageneric phylogeny of Paris, along with its phylogenetic relationships to allied genera were inferred, using coalescent and concatenated approaches. The analysis of gene tree discordance and reticulate evolution, in conjunction with an incomplete lineage sorting (ILS) simulation, was conducted to explore potential hybridization and ILS events in the evolutionary history of Paris and assess their contribution to the discordance of gene trees.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>The nuclear phylogeny unequivocally confirmed the monophyly of Paris and its sister relationship with Trillium, while widespread incongruences in gene trees were observed at the majority of internal nodes within Paris. The reticulate evolution analysis identified five instances of hybridization events in Paris, indicating that hybridization events might have recurrently occurred throughout the evolutionary history of Paris. In contrast, the ILS simulations revealed that only two internal nodes within sect. Euthyra experienced ILS events.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our data suggest that the previously observed cytonuclear discordance in the phylogeny of Paris can primarily be attributed to recurrent hybridization events, with secondary contributions from infrequent ILS events. The recurrent hybridization events in the evolutionary history of Paris not only drove lineage diversification and speciation but also facilitated morphological innovation, and enhanced ecological adaptability. Therefore, artificial hybridization has great potential for breeding medicinal Paris species. These findings significantly contribute to our comprehensive understanding of the evolutionary complexity of this pharmaceutically significant plant lineage, thereby facilitating effective exploration and conservation efforts.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2024-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142103742","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}
Xu Liu, J Theo M Elzenga, Jan Henk Venema, Kira J Tiedge
{"title":"Thriving in a salty future: morpho-anatomical, physiological, and molecular adaptations to salt stress in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and other crops.","authors":"Xu Liu, J Theo M Elzenga, Jan Henk Venema, Kira J Tiedge","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcae152","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcae152","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>With soil salinity levels rising at an alarming rate, accelerated by climate change and human interventions, there is a growing need for crop varieties that can grow on saline soils. Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is a cool-season perennial leguminous crop, commonly grown as forage, biofuel feedstock, and soil conditioner. It demonstrates significant potential for agricultural circularity and sustainability, for example by fixing nitrogen, sequestering carbon, and improving soil structures. Although alfalfa is traditionally regarded as moderately salt-tolerant species, modern alfalfa varieties display specific salt-tolerance mechanisms, which could be used to pave alfalfa's role as a leading crop able to grow on saline soils.</p><p><strong>Scope: </strong>Alfalfa's salt tolerance underlies a large variety of cascading biochemical and physiological mechanisms. These are partly enabled by alfalfa's complex genome structure and out-crossing nature, which on the other hand entail impediments for molecular and genetic studies. This review first summarizes the general effects of salinity on plants and the broad-ranging mechanisms for dealing with salt-induced osmotic stress, ion toxicity, and secondary stress. Secondly, we address defensive and adaptive strategies that have been described for alfalfa, such as the plasticity of alfalfa's root system, hormonal crosstalk for maintaining ion homeostasis, spatiotemporal specialized metabolite profiles, and the protection of alfalfa-rhizobia associations. Finally, bottlenecks for research of the physiological and molecular salt-stress responses as well as biotechnology-driven improvements of salt tolerance are identified and discussed.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Understanding morpho-anatomical, physiological, and molecular responses to salinity is essential for the improvement of alfalfa and other crops in saline land reclamation. This review identifies potential breeding targets for enhancing alfalfa performance stability and general crop robustness for rising salt levels as well as to promote alfalfa applications in saline land management.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142103745","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}
Ana Gálvez-Galván, Manuel A Garrido-Ramos, Pilar Prieto
{"title":"The highly dynamic satellitomes of cultivated wheat species.","authors":"Ana Gálvez-Galván, Manuel A Garrido-Ramos, Pilar Prieto","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcae132","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcae132","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Durum wheat, Triticum turgidum, and bread wheat, Triticum aestivum, are two allopolyploid species of very recent origin that have been subjected to intense selection programs during the thousands of years they have been cultivated. In this paper, we study the durum wheat satellitome and establish a comparative analysis with the previously published bread wheat satellitome.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We revealed the durum wheat satellitome using the satMiner protocol which is based on consecutive rounds of clustering of Illumina reads by RepeatExplorer2, and estimated abundance and variation for each identified satDNA with RepeatMasker v4.0.5. We have also performed a deep satDNA families characterization including chromosomal location by Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) in durum wheat and its comparison with FISH patterns in bread wheat. Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST®) was used for trailing each satDNA in the assembly of durum wheat genome through NCBI's Genome Data Viewer (GDW) and the genome assemblies of both species were compared. Sequence divergence and consensus turnover rate (CTR) between homologous satDNA families of durum and bread wheat were estimated using MEGA11.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>This study reveals that in an exceedingly short period, significant qualitative and quantitative changes have occurred in the set of satellite DNAs (satDNAs) of both species, with expansions/contractions of the number of repeats and the loci per satellite, different in each species, and a high rate of sequence change for most of these satellites, in addition to the emergence/loss of satDNAs not shared between the two species analysed. These evolutionary changes in satDNA are common between species but what is truly remarkable and novel about this study is that these processes have taken place in less than the last ~8000 years separating the two species, indicating an accelerated evolution of their satDNAs.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These results, together with the relationship of many of these satellites with transposable elements and the polymorphisms they generate at the level of centromeres and subtelomeric regions of their chromosomes, are analysed and discussed in the context of the evolutionary origin of these species and the selection pressure exerted by man throughout the history of their cultivation.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142103744","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":"Bimodal pattern of allometric scaling along grapevine shoots.","authors":"Alaa Haj-Yahya, Yonatan Sorek, Uri Hochberg, Noa Ohana-Levi, Yotam Zait, Ilana Shtein","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcae146","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcae146","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Each branch internode, and the organs growing on it, can be seen as a single morphological phytomer subunit, made of structurally and functionally interrelated components. However, allometric relationships between anatomy and morphology of these subunits remain unclear, particularly in the axial context. This study aims to address this knowledge gap, by measuring morpho-anatomical parameters and their allometric relationships along grapevine shoots.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>To facilitate comparison, shoot length was normalized and a relative position index was calculated for each internode, ranging from 0 at the base to 1 at the apex. Scaling relationships between morpho-anatomical parameters along the axis were developed and validated by statistical modeling.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>Most morpho-anatomical parameters displayed an axial behaviour of increasing then decreasing in size from base to apex, with the exception of shoot diameter and shoot vessel density. Relative position index of 0.2 acted as the data turning point for most variables analysed. During the first phase (relative position index below 0.2), the phytomer organs traits are uncoupled and show weak allometric correlation, and during the second phase the traits are strongly allometrically related.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our findings suggest that allometric relationships along grapevine shoots are not constant- they exhibit a bimodal pattern, possibly influenced by seasonal temperatures. This work could aid managing productivity shifts in agricultural and natural systems under global climate change and add to basic knowledge of differentiation and development of growth units in plants.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142103739","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}
Chetana Tamadaddi, Juseok Choi, Masoud Ghasemi, Seong H Kim, Enrique D Gomez, Esther W Gomez, Charles T Anderson
{"title":"NST3 induces ectopic transdifferentiation, forming secondary walls with diverse patterns and composition in Arabidopsis thaliana.","authors":"Chetana Tamadaddi, Juseok Choi, Masoud Ghasemi, Seong H Kim, Enrique D Gomez, Esther W Gomez, Charles T Anderson","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcae153","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcae153","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>The master transcription factor NAC SECONDARY WALL THICKENING PROMOTING FACTOR3 (NST3), also known as SND1, plays a pivotal role in regulating secondary cell wall (SCW) development in interfascicular and xylary fibers in Arabidopsis thaliana. Despite progress in understanding SCW assembly in xylem vessel-like cells, the mechanisms behind its assembly across different cell types remain unclear. Overexpressing NST3 or its homolog NST1 leads to reduced fertility, posing challenges for studying their impact on secondary wall formation. This study aimed at developing a tightly regulated dexamethasone (DEX)-inducible expression system for NST3 and NST1 to elucidate the structure and assembly of diverse SCWs.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Using the DEX-inducible system, we characterized ectopically formed SCWs for their diverse patterns, mesoscale organization, cellulose microfibril orientation, and molecular composition using spinning disk confocal microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), vibrational sum-frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy and, histochemical staining and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), respectively.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>Upon DEX treatment, NST3 and NST1 transgenic hypocotyls underwent time-dependent transdifferentiation, progressing from protoxylem-like to metaxylem-like cells. NST3-induced plants exhibited normal growth but had rough secondary wall surfaces with delaminating S2 and S3 layers. Mesoscale examination of induced SCWs in epidermal cells revealed that macrofibril thickness and orientation were comparable to xylem vessels, while wall thickness resembled that of interfascicular fibers. Additionally, induced epidermal cells formed SCWs with altered cellulose and lignin contents.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These findings suggest NST3 and/or NST1 induce SCWs with shared characteristics of both xylem and fiber-like cells forming loosely arranged cell wall layers and cellulose organized at multiple angles relative to the cell growth axis and with varied cellulose and lignin abundance. This inducible system opens avenues to explore ectopic SCWs for bioenergy and bioproducts, offering valuable insights into SCW patterning across diverse cell types and developmental stages.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142103740","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}
Maja Edlund, Benjamin M Anderson, Huei-Jiun Su, Tanner Robison, Marcos A Caraballo-Ortiz, Joshua P Der, Daniel L Nickrent, Gitte Petersen
{"title":"Plastome evolution in Santalales involves relaxed selection prior to loss of ndh genes and major boundary shifts of the inverted repeat.","authors":"Maja Edlund, Benjamin M Anderson, Huei-Jiun Su, Tanner Robison, Marcos A Caraballo-Ortiz, Joshua P Der, Daniel L Nickrent, Gitte Petersen","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcae145","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcae145","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Biological aspects of haustorial parasitism have significant effects on the configuration of the plastid genome. Approximately half the diversity of haustorial parasites belongs to the order Santalales, where a clearer picture of plastome evolution in relation to parasitism is starting to emerge. However, in previous studies of plastome evolution there is still a notable under-representation of members from non-parasitic and deep-branching hemiparasitic lineages, limiting evolutionary inference around the time of transition to a parasitic lifestyle. To expand taxon sampling relevant to this transition we therefore targeted three families of non-parasites (Erythropalaceae, Strombosiaceae, and Coulaceae), two families of root-feeding hemiparasites (Ximeniaceae and Olacaceae), and two families of uncertain parasitic status (Aptandraceae and Octoknemaceae). With data from these lineages we aimed to explore plastome evolution in relation to evolution of parasitism.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>From 29 new samples we sequenced and annotated plastomes and the nuclear ribosomal cistron. We examined phylogenetic patterns, plastome evolution, and patterns of relaxed or intensified selection in plastid genes. Available transcriptome data were analyzed to investigate potential transfer of infA to the nuclear genome.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Phylogenetic relationships indicate a single functional loss of all plastid ndh genes (ndhA-K) in a clade formed by confirmed parasites and Aptandraceae, and the loss coincides with major size and boundary shifts of the inverted repeat (IR) region. Depending on an autotrophic or heterotrophic lifestyle in Aptandraceae, plastome changes are either correlated with or predate evolution of parasitism. Phylogenetic patterns also indicate repeated loss of infA from the plastome, and based on presence of transcribed sequences with presequences corresponding to thylakoid luminal transit peptides, we infer that the genes were transferred to the nuclear genome.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Except for the loss of the ndh complex, relatively few genes have been lost from the plastome in deep-branching root parasites in Santalales. Prior to loss of the ndh genes, they show signs of relaxed selection indicative of their dispensability. To firmly establish a potential correlation between ndh gene loss, plastome instability and evolution of parasitism, it is pertinent to refute or confirm a parasitic lifestyle all Santalales clades.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142103743","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}