Shading and water addition are essential management measures to improve seed germination and early seedling survival; however, little is known about their effects on leaf stoichiometry and nutrient status. We established 90 plant communities with shading and water addition gradients on a rocky hill; leaves of their dominant woody plant species were collected to measure elemental concentrations, and then, stoichiometric variation and nutrient status were analysed. The results showed that the overall effects of shading and water addition significantly altered the concentrations and ratios of nutrient elements; shading largely affected leaf K and P, while water addition mainly affected leaf N and P.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBamboo plants are an essential component of tropical ecosystems, yet their vulnerability to climate extremes, such as drought, is poorly understood due to limited knowledge of their hydraulic properties. , a commonly used tropical bamboo species, exhibited a substantially higher mortality rate than other co-occurring bamboos during a severe drought event in 2019, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study investigated the leaf and stem hydraulic traits related to drought responses, including leaf-stem embolism resistance (P; P) estimated using optical and X-ray microtomography methods, leaf pressure-volume and water-releasing curves.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhytoremediation that depends on excellent plant resources and effective enhancing measures is important for remediating heavy metal-contaminated soils. This study investigated the cadmium (Cd) tolerance and accumulation characteristics of Cav. to evaluate its Cd phytoremediation potential.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe green soil chelator polyaspartic acid (PASP) can enhance heavy metal phytoextraction efficiency, but the potential mechanisms are not clearly understood from the whole soil-plant system. In this study, we explored the effects and potential mechanisms of PASP addition in soils on plant growth and cadmium (Cd) uptake in the Cd hyperaccumulator Bidens pilosa by analysing variations in chemical elements, rhizospheric microbial community, and plant metabolomics. The results showed that PASP significantly promoted the biomass yield and Cd concentration in B.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFScreening or breeding exceptional plant species for heavy metal phytoremediation is as important as adopting feasible measures to enhance phytoremediation efficiency, which are largely based on clarifying the mechanisms of heavy metal tolerance and accumulation by plants. In this study, cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) tolerance and accumulation characteristics of Rheum officinale, R. palmatum, and R.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis review examines several molecular mechanisms underpinning oxidative stress in ruminants and their effects on blood and milk oxidative traits. We also investigate strategies to alleviate or repair oxidative damages by improving animal immune functions using novel feed additives. Microbial pathogenic cells, feeding management, and body condition score were some of the studied factors, inducing oxidative stress in ruminants.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn mountainous areas, rock fragments (RFs) are a common feature on the soil surface and in topsoil. Few studies, however, have investigated the spatial distribution of RFs and the relevant mechanisms underpinning their distribution on steep hillslopes, especially in karst regions. We have collected and measured the RF cover, size, and content at the soil surface and within the topsoil of secondary forest, man-made forest, and non-forest land hillslopes in a karst region in Yunnan Province, southwest China.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFYing Yong Sheng Tai Xue Bao
December 2014
This study explored the capsule formation and fiber development process of kapok which is a tree in Yuanjiang dry-hot valleys (DHV) using the methods of paraffin section and scanning electron microscopy. The result showed that formation process of kapok capsule can be divided into four stages: the capsule formation within 5 days after anthesis (DAA), the capsule mass period from 5 to 35 DAA, the capsule dehydration period from 35 to 50 DAA, and the capsule bursting period after 50 DAA. The kapok fiber was developed via endocarp cells differentiation (0-2 DAA), swelling (2-5 DAA), bulging (5-10 DAA), fiber elongating (10-40 DAA), and divorcing from pericarp (40-50 DAA).
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