Impact of Acacia-derived biochar to mitigate salinity stress in Zea mays L. by morpho-physiological and biochemical indices.

Climate change has caused many challenges to soil ecosystems, including soil salinity. Consequently, many strategies are advised to mitigate this issue. In this context, biochar is acknowledged as a useful addition that can alleviate the detrimental impacts of salt stress on plants.

Strontium isoscape of sub-Saharan Africa allows tracing origins of victims of the transatlantic slave trade.

Strontium isotope (Sr/Sr) analysis with reference to strontium isotope landscapes (Sr isoscapes) allows reconstructing mobility and migration in archaeology, ecology, and forensics. However, despite the vast potential of research involving Sr/Sr analysis particularly in Africa, Sr isoscapes remain unavailable for the largest parts of the continent. Here, we measure the Sr/Sr ratios in 778 environmental samples from 24 African countries and combine this data with published data to model a bioavailable Sr isoscape for sub-Saharan Africa using random forest regression.

Plant Species Richness and the Root Economics Space Drive Soil Fungal Communities.

Trait-based approaches have been increasingly used to relate plants to soil microbial communities. Using the recently described root economics space as an approach to explain the structure of soil-borne fungal communities, our study in a grassland diversity experiment reveals distinct root trait strategies at the plant community level. In addition to significant effects of plant species richness, we show that the collaboration and conservation gradient are strong drivers of the composition of the different guilds of soil fungi.

Elucidation of intragenomic variation of ribosomal DNA sequences in the enigmatic fungal genus Ceraceosorus, including a newly described species Ceraceosorus americanus.

Multicopy nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) genes have been used as markers for fungal identification for three decades. The rDNA sequences in a genome are thought to be homogeneous due to concerted evolution. However, intragenomic variation of rDNA sequences has recently been observed in many fungi, which may make fungal identification and species abundance estimation based on these loci problematic.

Biological Mechanisms Contradict AI Consciousness: The Spaces Between the Notes.

The presumption that experiential consciousness requires a nervous system and brain has been central to the debate on the possibility of developing a conscious form of artificial intelligence (AI). The likelihood of future AI consciousness or devising tools to assess its presence has focused on how AI might mimic brain-centered activities. Currently, dual general assumptions prevail: AI consciousness is primarily an issue of functional information density and integration, and no substantive technical barriers exist to prevent its achievement.

Conservation of the dehiscence zone gene regulatory network in dicots and the role of the SEEDSTICK ortholog of California poppy (Eschscholzia californica) in fruit development.

Background: Fruits, with their diverse shapes, colors, and flavors, represent a fascinating aspect of plant evolution and have played a significant role in human history and nutrition. Understanding the origins and evolutionary pathways of fruits offers valuable insights into plant diversity, ecological relationships, and the development of agricultural systems. Arabidopsis thaliana (Brassicaceae, core eudicot) and Eschscholzia californica (California poppy, Papaveraceae, sister group to core eudicots) both develop dry dehiscent fruits, with two valves separating explosively from the replum-like region upon maturation.

Legacy effects of an invasive legume more strongly impact bacterial than plant communities in a Mediterranean-type ecosystem.

The impacts of invasive plants on ecosystem processes and functions may persist as "legacy effects" after their removal. Understanding these effects on native plant-soil interactions is critical for guiding ecological restoration efforts. This study examines the legacy effects of the invasive legume Acacia saligna (Labill.

Key concepts and a world-wide look at plant recruitment networks.

Plant-plant interactions are major determinants of the dynamics of terrestrial ecosystems. There is a long tradition in the study of these interactions, their mechanisms and their consequences using experimental, observational and theoretical approaches. Empirical studies overwhelmingly focus at the level of species pairs or small sets of species.

Phylogeny, evolution and a re-classification of the .

The is an independent lichenized lineage within the comprising . 390 species and 50 genera. Very few studies have dealt with family and genus classification using molecular data and many groups are in need of thorough revision.

Two New α-Glucosidase Inhibitors from Haplophyllum tuberculatum: Inhibition Kinetics and Mechanistic Insights Through in Vitro and in Silico Approaches.

Diabetes is a multifactorial global health disorder marked by unusually high plasma glucose levels, which can lead to serious consequences including diabetic neuropathy, kidney damage, retinopathy, and cardiovascular disease. One effective therapy approach for reducing hyperglycemia associated with type 2 diabetes is to target α-glucosidase, enzymes that catalyze starch breakdown in the intestine. In the current study, two new (1, 2) and nine known (3-11) compounds were isolated from the rutaceous plant Haplophyllum tuberculatum and characterized by extensive nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic techniques and high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

Feels Like Home: A Biobased and Biodegradable Plastic Offers a Novel Habitat for Diverse Plant Pathogenic Fungi in Temperate Forest Ecosystems.

Poly(butylene succinate-co-adipate) (PBSA), a biodegradable plastic, is significantly colonized and degraded by soil microbes under natural field conditions, especially by fungal plant pathogens, raising concerns about potential economic losses. This study hypothesizes that the degradation of biodegradable plastics may increase the presence and abundance of plant pathogens by serving as an additional carbon source, ultimately posing a risk to forest ecosystems. We investigated (i) fungal plant pathogens during the exposure of PBSA in European broadleaved and coniferous forests (two forest types), with a specific focus on potential risk to tree health, and (ii) the response of such fungi to environmental factors, including tree species, soil pH, nutrient availability, moisture content, and the physicochemical properties of leaf litter layer.

Insights into the divergence of the photosynthetic LH1 complex obtained from structural analysis of the unusual photocomplexes of Roseospirillum parvum.

Purple phototrophic bacteria produce two kinds of light-harvesting complexes that function to capture and transmit solar energy: the core antenna (LH1) and the peripheral antenna (LH2). The apoproteins of these antennas, encoded respectively by the genes pufBA and pucBA within and outside the photosynthetic gene cluster, respectively, exhibit conserved amino acid sequences and structural topologies suggesting they were derived from a shared ancestor. Here we present the structures of two photosynthetic complexes from Roseospirillum (Rss.

A cellulose synthase-like protein governs the biosynthesis of alkaloids.

Decades of research on the infamous antinutritional steroidal glycoalkaloids (SGAs) in Solanaceae plants have provided deep insights into their metabolism and roles. However, engineering SGAs in heterologous hosts has remained a challenge. We discovered that a protein evolved from the machinery involved in building plant cell walls is the crucial link in the biosynthesis of SGAs.

Can triad forestry reconcile Europe's biodiversity and forestry strategies? A critical evaluation of forest zoning.

Balancing increasing demand for wood products while also maintaining forest biodiversity is a paramount challenge. Europe's Biodiversity and Forest Strategies for 2030 attempt to address this challenge. Together, they call for strict protection of 10% of land area, including all primary and old growth forests, increasing use of ecological forestry, and less reliance on monocultural plantations.

The influence of post-glacial migration and hybridization on the gene pool of marginal Quercus pubescens populations in Central Europe.

Background And Aims: In Central Europe, the drought-tolerant downy oak (Quercus pubescens) is at the northern edge of its natural distribution range, often growing in small and spatially isolated populations. Here, we elucidate how the population genetic structure of Central European Q. pubescens was shaped by geographic barriers, genetic drift and introgression with the closely related sessile oak (Q.

A data-integrative modeling approach accurately characterizes the effects of mutations on Arabidopsis lipid metabolism.

Collections of insertional mutants have been instrumental for characterizing the functional relevance of genes in different model organisms, including Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). However, mutations may often result in subtle phenotypes, rendering it difficult to pinpoint the function of a knocked-out gene. Here, we present a data-integrative modeling approach that enables predicting the effects of mutations on metabolic traits and plant growth.

Decay experiments and microbial community analysis of water lily leaf biofilms: Sediment effects on leaf preservation potential.

Understanding the intricate dynamics of sediment-mediated microbial interactions and their impact on plant tissue preservation is crucial for unraveling the complexities of leaf decay and preservation processes. To elucidate the earliest stages of leaf preservation, a series of decay experiments was carried out for three months on Nymphaea water lily leaves in aquariums with pond water and one of three distinctly different, sterilized, fine-grained substrates-commercially purchased kaolinite clay or fine sand, or natural pond mud. One aquarium contained only pond water as a control.

Tree drought physiology: critical research questions and strategies for mitigating climate change effects on forests.

Droughts of increasing severity and frequency are a primary cause of forest mortality associated with climate change. Yet, fundamental knowledge gaps regarding the complex physiology of trees limit the development of more effective management strategies to mitigate drought effects on forests. Here, we highlight some of the basic research needed to better understand tree drought physiology and how new technologies and interdisciplinary approaches can be used to address them.

Salinity Stress Responses and Adaptation Mechanisms of : A Comprehensive Study on Growth, Water Relations, Ion Balance, Photosynthesis, and Antioxidant Defense.

(Decne.) is a leaf succulent C perennial found in arid saline areas of southern Pakistan and neighboring countries, where it is utilized as herbal medicine. This study investigated how growth, water relations, ion content, chlorophyll fluorescence, and antioxidant system of change as salinity levels increase (0, 150, 300, 600, and 900 mM NaCl).

Habitats, Plant Diversity, and Molecular Phylogeny of Endemic Relic Species (Bignoniaceae).

(B. Fedtsch.) Grierson is listed in the Red Data Book of Kazakhstan as a rare relic, narrowly endemic species of the Shu-Ile low mountains (Kazakhstan).

Run-off impacts on Arctic kelp holobionts have strong implications on ecosystem functioning and bioeconomy.

Kelps (Laminariales, Phaeophyceae) are foundation species along Arctic rocky shores, providing the basis for complex ecosystems and supporting a high secondary production. Due to ongoing climate change glacial and terrestrial run-off are currently accelerating, drastically changing physical and chemical water column parameters, e.g.

CEP signaling coordinates plant immunity with nitrogen status.

Plant endogenous signaling peptides shape growth, development and adaptations to biotic and abiotic stress. Here, we identify C-TERMINALLY ENCODED PEPTIDEs (CEPs) as immune-modulatory phytocytokines in Arabidopsis thaliana. Our data reveals that CEPs induce immune outputs and are required to mount resistance against the leaf-infecting bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv.

Population-aware permutation-based significance thresholds for genome-wide association studies.

Motivation: Permutation-based significance thresholds have been shown to be a robust alternative to classical Bonferroni significance thresholds in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for skewed phenotype distributions. The recently published method permGWAS introduced a batch-wise approach to efficiently compute permutation-based GWAS. However, running multiple univariate tests in parallel leads to many repetitive computations and increased computational resources.

sp. nov., a member of the isolated from badland surfaces in the Red Desert, Wyoming, USA.

A novel Gram-stain-positive, black-pigmented bacterium, designated as WL48A , was isolated from the surface of badland sedimentary rock in the Red Desert of Wyoming and characterized using a polyphasic taxonomic approach. Good growth occurred at 28-32 °C, pH 7-9, and NaCl less than 1% (w/v). Colonies, growing well on International Streptomyces Project media (ISP) 3 and ISP 7, were black and adhering to the agar.