Metagenomic Analysis Reveals the Effects of Different Land Use Types on Functional Soil Phosphorus Cycling: A Case Study of the Yellow River Alluvial Plain.

Phosphorus (P) is a crucial limiting nutrient in soil ecosystems, significantly influencing soil fertility and plant productivity. Soil microorganisms adapt to phosphorus deficiency and enhance soil phosphorus effectiveness through various mechanisms, which are notably influenced by land use practices. This study examined the impact of different land use types (long-term continuous maize farmland, abandoned evolving grassland, artificial tamarisk forests, artificial ash forests, and wetlands) on soil phosphorus-cycling functional genes within the Tanyang Forest Farm in a typical region of the Yellow River alluvial plain using macro genome sequencing technology.

Multigene manipulation of photosynthetic carbon metabolism enhances the photosynthetic capacity and biomass yield of cucumber under low-CO environment.

Solar greenhouses are important in the vegetable production and widely used for the counter-season production in the world. However, the CO consumed by crops for photosynthesis after sunrise is not supplemented and becomes chronically deficient due to the airtight structure of solar greenhouses. Vegetable crops cannot effectively utilize light resources under low-CO environment, and this incapability results in reduced photosynthetic efficiency and crop yield.

Plasma membrane-localized SlSWEET7a and SlSWEET14 regulate sugar transport and storage in tomato fruits.

Sugars, especially glucose and fructose, contribute to the taste and quality of tomato fruits. These compounds are translocated from the leaves to the fruits and then unloaded into the fruits by various sugar transporters at the plasma membrane. SWEETs, are sugar transporters that regulate sugar efflux independently of energy or pH.

Prediction of chemical reproductive toxicity to aquatic species using a machine learning model: An application in an ecological risk assessment of the Yangtze River, China.

The endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) have been at the forefront of environmental issues for over 20 years and are a principle factor considered in every ecological risk assessment, but this kind of risk assessment faces difficulties. The expense, time cost of in vivo tests, and lack of toxicity data are key limiting factors for the ability to conduct ecological risk assessments of EDCs to aquatic species. In this study, a machine learning model named the support vector machine (SVM) was used to predict the reproductive toxicity of EDCs, and the performance of the models was evaluated.

Impact of various vegetation configurations on traffic fine particle pollutants in a street canyon for different wind regimes.

Vegetation establishment in urban areas is a potential solution to combat elevated particulate matter (PM) pollution, create cleaner environment for residents and enhance the sustainability of cities. However, vegetation effect at the points of interest in street-canyon on traffic pollutant from multiple interconnected factors (e.g.

Mechanism of antimicrobial peptide NP-6 from Sichuan pepper seeds against E. coli and effects of different environmental factors on its activity.

A novel antimicrobial peptide named NP-6 was identified in our previous work. Here, the mechanisms of the peptide against Escherichia coli (E. coli) were further investigated, as well as the peptide's resistance to temperature, pH, salinity, and enzymes.

Dynamics of Soil Respiration in Alpine Wetland Meadows Exposed to Different Levels of Degradation in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China.

The effects of degradation of alpine wetland meadow on soil respiration (Rs) and the sensitivity of Rs to temperature (Q) were measured in the Napa Lake region of Shangri-La on the southeastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Rs was measured for 24 h during each of three different stages of the growing season on four different degraded levels. The results showed: (1) peak Rs occurred at around 5:00 p.

[Ecosystem service and economic valuation in the upper reaches of Xin' an River, Anhui, China for mitigating phosphorus nonpoint source pollution].

A model of phosphorus purification in a watershed was established based on the export coefficient and purification index of phosphorus in different types of land cover. The model was employed to simulate the economic value of the ecosystem service with the expected water quality standard and marginal cost of pollutant purification of the upper reaches of Xin' an River of Anhui, China. The results revealed that from 2000 to 2010, some farmland outside the Tunxi, Jixi, Shexian, Yixian and Xiuning was converted to built-up land.

Genome-wide identification, phylogeny, and expression analysis of the SWEET gene family in tomato.

The SWEET (Sugars Will Eventually Be Exported Transporters) gene family encodes membrane-embedded sugar transporters containing seven transmembrane helices harboring two MtN3 and saliva domain. SWEETs play important roles in diverse biological processes, including plant growth, development, and response to environmental stimuli. Here, we conducted an exhaustive search of the tomato genome, leading to the identification of 29 SWEET genes.

Small RNA and degradome sequencing reveals microRNAs and their targets involved in tomato pedicel abscission.

We constructed small RNA and degradome sequencing libraries to identify miRNAs and targets involved in tomato pedicel abscission, and confirmed their roles via quantitative real-time PCR. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous small RNAs which play crucial negatively regulatory roles at both the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels in plants; however, limited knowledge is available on the expression profiles of miRNAs and their target genes during tomato pedicel abscission. Taking advantage of small RNA (sRNA) and degradome sequencing technology, a total of 56 known and 11 novel candidate miRNAs targeting 223 mRNA genes were confirmed during pedicel abscission.

Temporal variations in soil moisture for three typical vegetation types in inner Mongolia, northern China.

Drought and shortages of soil water are becoming extremely severe due to global climate change. A better understanding of the relationship between vegetation type and soil-moisture conditions is crucial for conserving soil water in forests and for maintaining a favorable hydrological balance in semiarid areas, such as the Saihanwula National Nature Reserve in Inner Mongolia, China. We investigated the temporal dynamics of soil moisture in this reserve to a depth of 40 cm under three types of vegetation during a period of rainwater recharge.

Nanoporous polymer--clay hybrid membranes for gas separation.

Nanohybrid organo-inorgano clay mineral-polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membranes were prepared by the reaction of pure and/or modified natural clay minerals (Sepiolite and montmorillonite) with PDMS in hexane, followed by evaporation of the solvent at 70 degrees C. The membranes were characterized by means of XRD, SEM, ATD-TG and solid state (29)Si magic angle spinning (MAS) and cross-polarization (CP) CP/MAS NMR. The morphology of the membranes depends on the content loading of clay mineral.

Proposed conservation landscape for giant pandas in the Minshan Mountains, China.

The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), is one of the world's most endangered species. Habitat loss and fragmentation have reduced its numbers, shrunk its distribution, and separated the population into isolated subpopulations. Such isolated, small populations are in danger of extinction due to random demographic factors and inbreeding.