Winner-loser plant trait replacements in human-modified tropical forests.

Anthropogenic landscape modification may lead to the proliferation of a few species and the loss of many. Here we investigate mechanisms and functional consequences of this winner-loser replacement in six human-modified Amazonian and Atlantic Forest regions in Brazil using a causal inference framework. Combining floristic and functional trait data for 1,207 tree species across 271 forest plots, we find that forest loss consistently caused an increased dominance of low-density woods and small seeds dispersed by endozoochory (winner traits) and the loss of distinctive traits, such as extremely dense woods and large seeds dispersed by synzoochory (loser traits).

Increase of histone acetylation by suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid enhances microspore reprogramming and expression of somatic embryogenesis transcription factors in Brassica napus.

In vivo, microspores in the anthers follow the gametophytic development pathway, culminating in the formation of pollen grains. Conversely, in vitro, under stress treatments, microspores can be reprogrammed into totipotent cells, initiating an embryogenic pathway that produces haploid and double-haploid embryos, which are important biotechnological tools in plant breeding. There is growing evidence that epigenetic reprogramming occurs during microspore embryogenesis through DNA methylation, but less is known about the role of histone modifications.

The biogeography of the Amazonian tree flora.

We describe the geographical variation in tree species composition across Amazonian forests and show how environmental conditions are associated with species turnover. Our analyses are based on 2023 forest inventory plots (1 ha) that provide abundance data for a total of 5188 tree species. Within-plot species composition reflected both local environmental conditions (especially soil nutrients and hydrology) and geographical regions.

Small molecule inhibitors of human LRRK2 enhance in vitro embryogenesis and microcallus formation for plant regeneration of crop and model species.

In vitro plant embryogenesis and microcallus formation are systems which are required for plant regeneration, a process during which cell reprogramming and proliferation are critical. These systems offer many advantages in breeding programmes, such as doubled-haploid production, clonal propagation of selected genotypes, and recovery of successfully gene-edited or transformed plants. However, the low proportion of reprogrammed cells in many plant species makes these processes highly inefficient.