Interspecific Variations in Interplant Communication and Ecological Characteristics in Trees.

Plants evolve diverse communication systems in adapting to complex and variable environments. Here, we examined the relationship between plant architecture, population density and inter-plant communication within tree species. We tested the hypothesis that trees of species with complex architecture or high population density (high population density: HPD) communicate among conspecifics via volatiles.

Evaluation of genetic consequences of stocking on the southern-margin populations of white-spotted charr.

Coldwater-adapted freshwater fishes, especially their populations along warm-range margins, are most vulnerable to the climate oscillations associated with global warming. Stocking is a major strategy for avoiding the extinction of these species. However, while stocking can reverse the decline of isolated populations, it may also result in a loss of genetic diversity in the native local population due to the introgressive replacement of hatchery genes.

Ovomemolins: Egg-derived peptides that improved cognitive decline after oral administration in mice.

Eggs not only contain all the molecules necessary to nurture new life but are also rich in nutrients such as high-quality protein. For example, epidemiologic studies have shown that egg intake is positively correlated with cognitive function. Thus, we specifically examined the effect of ovalbumin, a major protein present in egg whites, on cognitive function.

α-Tomatine gradient across artificial roots recreates the recruitment of tomato root-associated .

α-Tomatine is a major saponin that accumulates in tomatoes (). We previously reported that α-tomatine secreted from tomato roots modulates root-associated bacterial communities, particularly by enriching the abundance of belonging to the family . To further characterize the α-tomatine-mediated interactions between tomato plants and soil bacterial microbiota, we first cultivated tomato plants in pots containing different microbial inoculants originating from three field soils.

Identification of hybrids between the Japanese giant salamander () and Chinese giant salamander ( cf. ) using deep learning and smartphone images.

Human-mediated hybridization between native and non-native species is causing biodiversity loss worldwide. Hybridization has contributed to the extinction of many species through direct and indirect processes such as loss of reproductive opportunity and genetic introgression. Therefore, it is essential to manage hybrids to conserve biodiversity.

Current status of genome-wide epigenetic profiling of mammalian preimplantation embryos.

Background: Genome-wide information on epigenetic modifications in mammalian preimplantation embryos was an unexplored sanctuary of valuable research insights protected by the difficulty of its analysis. However, that is no longer the case, and many epigenome maps are now available for sightseeing there.

Methods: This review overviews the current status of genome-wide epigenetic profiling in terms of DNA methylome and histone modifications in mammalian preimplantation embryos.

Vertical and horizontal light heterogeneity along gradients of secondary succession in cool- and warm-temperate forests.

Aims: Light availability varies drastically in forests, both vertically and horizontally. Vertical light heterogeneity (i.e.

Effects of improved sodium uptake ability on grain yields of rice plants under low potassium supply.

Sodium uptake is a factor that determines potassium use efficiency in plants as sodium can partially replace potassium in plant cells. Rice () roots usually exclude sodium but actively take it up when the plant is deficient in potassium. In rice roots, a sodium transporter OsHKT2;1 mediates active sodium uptake.

Interspecific differences in the responses of root phosphatase activities and morphology to nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization in Bornean tropical rain forests.

Soil organic phosphorus (P) compounds can be the main P source for plants in P-limited tropical rainforests. Phosphorus occurs in diverse chemical forms, including monoester P, diester P, and phytate, which require enzymatic hydrolysis by phosphatase into inorganic P before assimilation by plants. The interactions between plant interspecific differences in organic P acquisition strategies via phosphatase activities with root morphological traits would lead to P resource partitioning, but they have not been rigorously evaluated.

Time-varying response of fine root growth to soil temperature and soil moisture in cypress and deciduous oak forests.

Fine root phenology is controlled by complex mechanisms associated with aboveground phenological events and environmental conditions, and therefore, elucidating fine root responses to changing environments remains difficult without considering the dynamics within and among years. This study evaluated the response of fine root growth at variable time scales to the surrounding environments of soil temperature and moisture at ecosystem scales. Optical scanners were used to measure fine root production over 4 years in two forests dominated by either cypress or deciduous oak trees.

Effective distance of volatile cues for plant-plant communication in beech.

In response to volatiles emitted from a plant infested by herbivorous arthropods, neighboring undamaged conspecific plants become better defended against herbivores; this is referred to as plant‒plant communication. Although plant‒plant communication occurs in a wide range of plant species, most studies have focused on herbaceous plants. Here, we investigated plant‒plant communication in beech trees in two experimental plantations in 2018 and one plantation in 2019.

Directional seed and pollen dispersal and their separate effects on anisotropy of fine-scale spatial genetic structure among seedlings in a dioecious, wind-pollinated, and wind-dispersed tree species, .

Prevailing directions of seed and pollen dispersal may induce anisotropy of the fine-scale spatial genetic structure (FSGS), particularly in wind-dispersed and wind-pollinated species. To examine the separate effects of directional seed and pollen dispersal on FSGS, we conducted a population genetics study for a dioecious, wind-pollinated, and wind-dispersed tree species, Sieb. et Zucc, based on genotypes at five microsatellite loci of 281 adults of a population distributed over a ca.

Diurnal variations in the thickness of the inner bark of tree trunks in relation to xylem water potential and phloem turgor.

The inner bark plays important roles in tree stems, including radial exchange of water with the xylem and translocation of carbohydrates. Both processes affect the water content and the thickness of the inner bark on a diurnal basis. For the first time, we simultaneously measured the diurnal variations in the inner bark thickness of hinoki cypress () by using point dendrometers and those of local xylem potential by using stem psychrometers located next to the dendrometers to determine how these variations were related to each other, to phloem turgor and carbohydrate transport.

Overexpression of exogenous in rice plants confers tolerance to biuret toxicity.

Biuret, a common impurity in urea fertilizers, is toxic to plants, but little is known about the physiological mechanisms underlying its toxicity. Here, we analyzed biuret toxicity in rice () plants. We carried out uptake experiments using N-labelled biuret and demonstrated that biuret could reach sub millimolar concentrations in rice plants.

The geography of the US's mishandling of COVID-19: A commentary on the politics of science in democracies.

During the pandemic, many prominent global leaders and scholars have called for placing science above politics. This commentary argues that such rhetoric dangerously oversimplifies science and politics as insular from democracy and geographical context. The theory of co-construction from science and technology studies reveals the pandemic's geographic intersection with other threats to democracy, such as rising inequality and authoritarianism.

Direct and indirect effect of cannibalism and intraguild predation in the two sibling ladybird beetles.

In this study, we focused on the direct (i.e., predation) and indirect (i.

17(),18()-epoxyeicosatetraenoic acid generated by cytochrome P450 BM-3 from inhibits the development of contact hypersensitivity via G-protein-coupled receptor 40-mediated neutrophil suppression.

Dietary intake of ω3 polyunsaturated fatty acids such as eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid is beneficial for health control. We recently identified 17,18-epoxyeicosatetraenoic acid (17,18-EpETE) as a lipid metabolite endogenously generated from eicosapentaenoic acid that exhibits potent anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory properties. However, chemically synthesized 17,18-EpETE is enantiomeric due to its epoxy group-17(),18()-EpETE and 17(),18()-EpETE.

Evolutionary relationship of fat body endoreduplication and queen fecundity in termites.

Endoreduplication or nuclear genome replication without cell division is widely observed in the metabolically active tissues of plants and animals. The fat body cells of adult female insects produce abundant yolk proteins and become polyploid, which is assumed to accelerate egg production. Recently, it was reported that in termites, endopolyploidy in the fat body occurs only in queens but not in the other females; however, the relationship between the fecundity and ploidy level in the fat body remains unclear.

Effects of pyruvate and dimethyl-α-ketoglutarate, either alone or in combination, on pre- and post-implantation development of mouse zygotes cultured in vitro.

Purpose: Dimethyl α-ketoglutarate (dm-α-KG) promotes in vitro development to blastocysts of C57BL/6J X C3He F1 mouse zygotes cultured in medium lacking pyruvate. Here, we examined the effects of pyruvate and dm-α-KG on in vitro development to blastocysts of ICR mouse zygotes and their post-implantation developmental ability.

Methods: Zygotes were cultured in medium with pyruvate at 0-0.

Wetland environmental bioreactor system contributes to the decomposition of cellulose.

Recently, numerous species of aquatic invertebrates inhabiting wetlands have been shown to possess endogenous cellulase, following the discovery that termites have cellulase genes encoded in their own genome rather than relying on symbiotic bacteria for decomposing cellulose. Wetlands have been empirically shown to play an important role in the decomposition of land-originating hard-to-degrade polysaccharides such as cellulose. However, the mechanism that connects the cellulase producer and the wetlands remains unknown, which makes it very difficult to evaluate the ecological function of wetlands.

Rice plants have three homologs of glutathione synthetase genes, one of which, , codes for hydroxymethyl-glutathione synthetase.

Glutathione is a ubiquitous thiol tripeptide in land plants, and glutathione-like tripeptides can also be found in some plant species. Rice () plants synthesize hydroxymethyl-glutathione, in which the terminal glycine residue of glutathione is replaced by a serine residue; however, the biosynthetic pathway of hydroxymethyl-glutathione has not been identified. We isolated three rice glutathione synthetase homologs, designated OsGS1, OsGS2, and OsGS3, and found that knockdown of via RNA interference markedly decreased hydroxymethyl-glutathione concentration in rice plants.

Recent advances of in vitro culture systems for spermatogonial stem cells in mammals.

Background: Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) in the mammalian testis are unipotent stem cells for spermatozoa. They show unique cell characteristics as stem cells and germ cells after being isolated from the testis and cultured in vitro. This review introduces recent progress in the development of culture systems for the establishment of SSC lines in mammalian species, including humans.

Generation of germ cells from pluripotent stem cells in mammals.

Background: The germ cell lineage transmits genetic and epigenetic information to the next generation. Primordial germ cells (PGCs), the early embryonic precursors of sperm or eggs, have been studied extensively. Recently, in vitro models of PGC induction have been established in the mouse.

Leaf trait variations associated with habitat affinity of tropical karst tree species.

Karst hills, that is, jagged topography created by dissolution of limestone and other soluble rocks, are distributed extensively in tropical forest regions, including southern parts of China. They are characterized by a sharp mosaic of water and nutrient availability, from exposed hilltops with poor soil development to valleys with occasional flooding, to which trees show species-specific distributions. Here we report the relationship of leaf functional traits to habitat preference of tropical karst trees.