393 results match your criteria: "Viikki Plant Science Centre[Affiliation]"

A vast variety of inflorescence architectures have evolved in angiosperms. Here, we analyze the diversity and development of the woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca) inflorescence. Contrary to historical classifications, we show that it is a closed thyrse: a compound inflorescence with determinate primary monopodial axis and lateral sympodial branches, thus combining features of racemes and cymes.

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Phylogenetic Analysis of Allotetraploid Species Using Polarized Genomic Sequences.

Syst Biol

June 2023

Plant Ecology and Evolution, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, 75236 Uppsala, Sweden.

Phylogenetic analysis of polyploid hybrid species has long posed a formidable challenge as it requires the ability to distinguish between alleles of different ancestral origins in order to disentangle their individual evolutionary history. This problem has been previously addressed by conceiving phylogenies as reticulate networks, using a two-step phasing strategy that first identifies and segregates homoeologous loci and then, during a second phasing step, assigns each gene copy to one of the subgenomes of an allopolyploid species. Here, we propose an alternative approach, one that preserves the core idea behind phasing-to produce separate nucleotide sequences that capture the reticulate evolutionary history of a polyploid-while vastly simplifying its implementation by reducing a complex multistage procedure to a single phasing step.

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Increasing the proportion of locally produced plant protein in currently meat-rich diets could substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions and loss of biodiversity. However, plant protein production is hampered by the lack of a cool-season legume equivalent to soybean in agronomic value. Faba bean (Vicia faba L.

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Plant-soil feedback (PSF) and competition influence plant performance, community structure and functions. However, how nutrient availability affects the interaction of PSF, sexual competition and coexistence in dioecious plants is poorly understood. In this study, the strengths of PSF and sexual competition, and their responses to nutrient availability were assessed in dioecious Populus cathayana using a garden experiment.

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Epidermal injury-induced derepression of key regulator ATML1 in newly exposed cells elicits epidermis regeneration.

Nat Commun

February 2023

Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, 1-1 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka, 560-0043, Japan.

Plant cell fate determination depends on the relative positions of the cells in developing organisms. The shoot epidermis, the outermost cell layer of the above-ground organs in land plants, protects plants from environmental stresses. How the shoot epidermis is formed only from the outermost cells has remained unknown.

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Fields of a thousand shimmers: canopy architecture determines high-frequency light fluctuations.

New Phytol

June 2023

Organismal and Evolutionary Biology (OEB), Viikki Plant Science Centre (ViPS), Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00014, Finland.

Wind-induced movement in the canopy produces rapid fluctuations in irradiance, called 'windflecks'. They create a dynamic environment for photosynthesis that bears little resemblance to the stable controlled conditions under which plants are typically measured. We recorded time series of irradiance to assess the diversity of windfleck properties (intensity, duration, frequency, clustering, and spectral composition) in canopies of four crops and five tree species.

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Selenium (Se) acquirement from daily diet can help reduce the risk of many diseases. The edible parts of crop plants are the main source of dietary Se, while the Se content in crops is determined by Se bioavailability in soil. We summarize recent research on the biogeochemical cycle of Se driven by specific microorganisms and emphasize the oxidizing process in the Se cycle.

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A dataset of global variations in directional solar radiation exposure for ocular research using the libRadtran radiative transfer model.

Data Brief

April 2023

School of GeoSciences, The University of Edinburgh, Crew Building, The King's Buildings, Alexander Crum Brown Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, United Kingdom.

The libRadtran radiative transfer model was used to calculate examples of the amount of spectral radiation (250-2500 nm) incident on the eye. Simulations were run for every hour of four individual days (representing spring, summer, autumn and winter) and at three latitudes (from southern Spain to central Finland), in order to demonstrate diurnal and seasonal variations in directional photon flux density due to solar angle. The dataset also includes outputs under strong and weak aerosol optical density, three bidirectional reflectance distribution functions (corresponding to a forested, urban and snowy ground surfaces), eight cardinal directions, and two tilt angles (either looking towards the horizon or 15° downward).

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PlantACT! - how to tackle the climate crisis.

Trends Plant Sci

May 2023

Center for Desert Agriculture (CDA), Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.

Article Synopsis
  • - Greenhouse gas emissions are causing a climate crisis that needs urgent action to reduce their harmful impacts on life on Earth.
  • - Agriculture and land use account for about 25% of total GHG emissions, making it crucial for plant scientists to lead efforts in sustainable practices.
  • - The PlantACT! initiative outlines a strategic plan for plant scientists to develop solutions in various time frames and identifies necessary changes in personal behavior, institutions, and funding to support these efforts.
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Article Synopsis
  • Mixed virus infections in crops, specifically potato virus A (PVA) and potato virus X (PVX), lead to increased severity of symptoms and impaired plant growth due to viral synergism, which is more severe than individual infections.
  • Research combining image-based phenotyping and metabolite analysis revealed that co-infected plants experienced stress, shown by increased leaf temperature and decreased photosynthesis, while single infections maintained better photosynthetic activity.
  • Over 200 metabolites were affected during mixed infections, particularly those related to defense and metabolic processes, indicating a significant increase in oxidative stress and a decline in the plant's ability to cope with this stress compared to single infections.
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Background And Aims: Limiting maximum transpiration rate (TR) under high vapour pressure deficit (VPD) works as a water conservation strategy. While some breeding programmes have incorporated this trait into some crops to boost yields in water-limited environments, its underlying physiological mechanisms and genetic regulation remain unknown for faba bean (Vicia faba). Thus, we aimed to identify genetic variation in the TR response to VPD in a population of faba bean recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from two parental lines with contrasting water use (Mélodie/2 and ILB 938/2).

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Epigenetics rules cambial growth.

Nat Plants

January 2023

Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Viikki Plant Science Centre, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.

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The roles of species' relatedness and climate of origin in determining optical leaf traits over a large set of taxa growing at high elevation and high latitude.

Front Plant Sci

December 2022

Canopy Spectral Ecology and Ecophysiology Group (CanSEE), Organismal and Evolutionary Biology (OEB), Viikki Plant Science Centre (ViPS), Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.

Climate change is driving many mountain plant species to higher elevations and northern plant species to higher latitudes. However, various biotic or abiotic constraints may restrict any range shift, and one relevant factor for migration to higher elevations could be species' ability to tolerate high UV-doses. Flavonoids are engaged in photoprotection, but also serve multiple ecological roles.

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The R2R3-MYB transcription factor FveMYB10 is a major regulator of anthocyanin pigmentation in the red fruits of strawberry. fvemyb10 loss-of-function mutants form yellow fruits but still accumulate purple-colored anthocyanins in the petioles, suggesting that anthocyanin biosynthesis is under distinct regulation in fruits and petioles. From chemical mutagenesis in the diploid wild strawberry Fragaria vesca, we identified a green petioles (gp)-1 mutant that lacks anthocyanins in petioles.

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The continuing rise in the atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO) concentration causes stomatal closing, thus critically affecting transpirational water loss, photosynthesis, and plant growth. However, the primary CO sensor remains unknown. Here, we show that elevated CO triggers interaction of the MAP kinases MPK4/MPK12 with the HT1 protein kinase, thus inhibiting HT1 kinase activity.

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Plasma membrane aquaporins of the PIP1 and PIP2 subfamilies facilitate hydrogen peroxide diffusion into plant roots.

BMC Plant Biol

December 2022

Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, 438 Earth Sciences Building, 11223 Saskatchewan Drive NW, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E3, Canada.

Background: The permeability of plasma membrane aquaporins (PIPs) to small solutes other than water greatly diversifies their potential functions in plant development and metabolic processes. One such process is stress signalling in which hydrogen peroxide (HO) plays a major role. Based on transport assays carried out in yeast, there are differences in the degree to which PIPs of Arabidopsis thaliana, are permeable to HO and thus they may differentially facilitate transmembrane diffusion.

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Organisms can rapidly mitigate the effects of environmental changes by changing their phenotypes, known as phenotypic plasticity. Yet, little is known about the temperature-mediated plasticity of traits that are directly linked to plant fitness such as flower size. We discovered substantial genetic variation in flower size plasticity to temperature both among selfing and outcrossing .

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Ozone and nitrogen dioxide regulate similar gene expression responses in Arabidopsis but natural variation in the extent of cell death is likely controlled by different genetic loci.

Front Plant Sci

October 2022

Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Viikki Plant Science Centre, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.

Article Synopsis
  • High doses of ozone (O) and nitrogen dioxide (NO) can damage plants and lead to cell death, prompting research into their molecular responses and genetic control.
  • Transcriptome analysis showed that while O and NO trigger similar gene expression related to pathogen resistance and cell death, plants can differentiate between the two gases and activate unique signaling pathways.
  • A genome-wide association study (GWAS) revealed that plant sensitivity to O and NO is controlled by independent genetic factors, identifying key regulators that could aid in understanding programmed cell death caused by these pollutants.
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Background: Dioecious plants have coevolved with diverse plant microbiomes, which are crucial for the fitness and productivity of their host. Sexual dimorphism in morphology, physiology, or gene expression may relate to different microbial compositions that affect male and female fitness in different environments. However, sex-specific impacts on ecological processes that control the microbiome assembly are not well known.

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Blackberries (Rubus spp.) are the fourth most economically important berry crop worldwide. Genome assemblies and annotations have been developed for Rubus species in subgenus Idaeobatus, including black raspberry (R.

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Plant respiratory burst oxidase homologs (RBOHs) are plasma membrane-localized NADPH oxidases that generate superoxide anion radicals, which then dismutate to HO, into the apoplast using cytoplasmic NADPH as an electron donor. is the most highly expressed gene in developing xylem as well as in a lignin-forming cell culture of Norway spruce ( L. Karst.

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Cannabis is one of the oldest cultivated plants, but plant breeding and cultivation are restricted by country-specific regulations. The plant has gained interest due to its medically important secondary metabolites, cannabinoids and terpenes. Besides biotic and abiotic stress factors, secondary metabolism can be manipulated by changing light quality and intensity.

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Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum L.) is a notorious weed containing the potent alkaloid coniine. Only some of the enzymes in the coniine biosynthesis have so far been characterized.

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The immunity priming effect of the phyllosphere resident yeast strain C29.

Front Microbiol

September 2022

Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Program, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, and Viikki Plant Science Centre, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.

The phyllosphere is a complex habitat for diverse microbial communities. Under natural conditions, multiple interactions occur between host plants and phyllosphere resident microbes, such as bacteria, oomycetes, and fungi. Our understanding of plant associated yeasts and yeast-like fungi lags behind other classes of plant-associated microbes, largely due to a lack of yeasts associated with the model plant which could be used in experimental model systems.

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Cellular heterogeneity is a hallmark of multicellular organisms. During shoot regeneration from undifferentiated callus, only a select few cells, called progenitors, develop into shoot. How these cells are selected and what governs their subsequent progression to a patterned organ system is unknown.

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