-
International Journal of Molecular... Nov 2023Ensuring food security for the global population is a ceaseless and critical issue. However, high-salinity and high-alkalinity levels can harm agricultural yields... (Review)
Review
Ensuring food security for the global population is a ceaseless and critical issue. However, high-salinity and high-alkalinity levels can harm agricultural yields throughout large areas, even in largely agricultural countries, such as China. Various physical and chemical treatments have been employed in different locations to mitigate high salinity and alkalinity but their effects have been minimal. Numerous researchers have recently focused on developing effective and environmentally friendly biological treatments. Endophytes, which are naturally occurring and abundant in plants, retain many of the same characteristics of plants owing to their simultaneous evolution. Therefore, extraction of endophytes from salt-tolerant plants for managing plant growth in saline-alkali soils has become an important research topic. This extraction indicates that the soil environment can be fundamentally improved, and the signaling pathways of plants can be altered to increase their defense capacity, and can even be inherited to ensure lasting efficacy. This study discusses the direct and indirect means by which plant endophytes mitigate the effects of plant salinity stress that have been observed in recent years.
Topics: Endophytes; Salinity; Alkalies; Salt Tolerance; Salt-Tolerant Plants
PubMed: 38069239
DOI: 10.3390/ijms242316917 -
Nature Communications Feb 2024Animals must sense and acclimatize to environmental temperatures for survival, yet their thermosensing mechanisms other than transient receptor potential (TRP) channels...
Animals must sense and acclimatize to environmental temperatures for survival, yet their thermosensing mechanisms other than transient receptor potential (TRP) channels remain poorly understood. We identify a trimeric G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), SRH-40, which confers thermosensitivity in sensory neurons regulating temperature acclimatization in Caenorhabditis elegans. Systematic knockdown of 1000 GPCRs by RNAi reveals GPCRs involved in temperature acclimatization, among which srh-40 is highly expressed in the ADL sensory neuron, a temperature-responsive chemosensory neuron, where TRP channels act as accessorial thermoreceptors. In vivo Ca imaging demonstrates that an srh-40 mutation reduced the temperature sensitivity of ADL, resulting in supranormal temperature acclimatization. Ectopically expressing SRH-40 in a non-warmth-sensing gustatory neuron confers temperature responses. Moreover, temperature-dependent SRH-40 activation is reconstituted in Drosophila S2R+ cells. Overall, SRH-40 may be involved in thermosensory signaling underlying temperature acclimatization. We propose a dual thermosensing machinery through a GPCR and TRP channels in a single sensory neuron.
Topics: Animals; Caenorhabditis elegans; Temperature; Sensory Receptor Cells; Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; Acclimatization; Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled
PubMed: 38396085
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46042-z -
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Aug 2023Continuing the centuries-long exchange between economics and biology, our model of reproductive skew is an adaptation of the principal-agent relationship between an...
Continuing the centuries-long exchange between economics and biology, our model of reproductive skew is an adaptation of the principal-agent relationship between an employer and an employee. Inspired by the case of purple martins () and lazuli buntings (), we model a dominant male whose fitness can be advanced not only by coercing a subordinate male but, where coercion is impossible or not cost-effective, also by providing positive fitness incentives for the subordinate that induce him to behave in ways that contribute to the dominant's fitness. We model a situation in which a dominant and subordinate contest over a variable amount of joint total fitness, both the level and division of which result from the strategies adopted by both. Thus there is not some given amount of potential fitness (or 'pie') that is to be divided between the two (or wasted in costly contests). The fitness incentives that in evolutionary equilibrium are conceded to the subordinate by the dominant maximize the dominant's own fitness. The reason is that the larger pie resulting from the subordinate's increased helping more than compensates for the dominant's reduced fitness share. But the conflict over fitness shares nonetheless limits the size of the pie. This article is part of the theme issue 'Evolutionary ecology of inequality'.
Topics: Male; Humans; Acclimatization; Biological Evolution; Coercion; Ecology; Employment
PubMed: 37381848
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0289 -
Plant, Cell & Environment Nov 2023Climate change is causing alterations in annual temperature regimes worldwide. Important aspects of this include the reduction of winter chilling temperatures as well as... (Review)
Review
Climate change is causing alterations in annual temperature regimes worldwide. Important aspects of this include the reduction of winter chilling temperatures as well as the occurrence of unpredicted frosts, both significantly affecting plant growth and yields. Recent studies advanced the knowledge of the mechanisms underlying cold responses and tolerance in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. However, how these cold-responsive pathways will readjust to ongoing seasonal temperature variation caused by global warming remains an open question. In this review, we highlight the plant developmental programmes that depend on cold temperature. We focus on the molecular mechanisms that plants have evolved to adjust their development and stress responses upon exposure to cold. Covering both genetic and epigenetic aspects, we present the latest insights into how alternative splicing, noncoding RNAs and the formation of biomolecular condensates play key roles in the regulation of cold responses. We conclude by commenting on attractive targets to accelerate the breeding of increased cold tolerance, bringing up biotechnological tools that might assist in overcoming current limitations. Our aim is to guide the reflection on the current agricultural challenges imposed by a changing climate and to provide useful information for improving plant resilience to unpredictable cold regimes.
Topics: Cold Temperature; Seasons; Temperature; Plants; Arabidopsis; Climate Change; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Acclimatization
PubMed: 37438895
DOI: 10.1111/pce.14669 -
Anais Da Academia Brasileira de Ciencias 2023Diatomaceous earth is an organic naturally occurring material rich in silicon. This silicon source can be used in organic agriculture, it also has a great potential of...
Diatomaceous earth is an organic naturally occurring material rich in silicon. This silicon source can be used in organic agriculture, it also has a great potential of use in the acclimatization of crops. However, there are no reports of the effects of diatomaceous earth supplementation on the micropropagation of sweet potato. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different concentrations of diatomaceous earth applied in vitro on the growth, physiology and anatomy of sweet potato cv. 'Brazlândia Branca' after acclimatization. Four concentrations of diatomaceous earth. After 30 days of in vitro growth, the plants were transferred to a greenhouse for acclimatization. After 45 days, leaf number, shoot and root length, fresh and dry shoot and root mass, gas exchange, chlorophyll content, root and leaf anatomy. The experimental design was completely randomized. The supplementation of diatomaceous earth in the in vitro cultivation had beneficial effects, increasing the accumulation of mass, improving the photosynthetic apparatus and promoting favorable anatomical characteristics during the acclimatization of the sweet potato plants. In addition, the use of diatomaceous earth achieved adequate seedling development, with higher seedling quality and resistance to biotic and abiotic effects than attained with control treatment.
Topics: Diatomaceous Earth; Solanum tuberosum; Ipomoea batatas; Silicon; Acclimatization
PubMed: 37585889
DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765202320200021 -
Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton,... 2024Temporary immersion systems (TIS) have been used for orchid micropropagation. The main advantage of TIS use for micropropagation is that the explant is periodically... (Review)
Review
Temporary immersion systems (TIS) have been used for orchid micropropagation. The main advantage of TIS use for micropropagation is that the explant is periodically immersed in nutrient media, and then, the nutrient solution is drained, which allows the explant tissue to stay in air. The current review resumes the application of TIS in orchid propagation. Fifty-three papers are discussed considering: explant, culture media, TIS bioreactor type, frequency and immersion time, and the TIS effects in acclimatization phase.
Topics: Immersion; Acclimatization; Bioreactors; Culture Media; Nutrients
PubMed: 38285154
DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3654-1_21 -
Physiological Reports Sep 2023The expressed goal of limiting workplace heat stress exposures to a core temperature (T ) of 38°C traces back to a 1969 World Health Organization Technical Report (WHO...
The expressed goal of limiting workplace heat stress exposures to a core temperature (T ) of 38°C traces back to a 1969 World Health Organization Technical Report (WHO Series 412). The actual goal was to limit exposures to the upper limit of the prescriptive zone (ULPZ). To explore the physiological strain at the ULPZ, progressive heat stress protocol data from Penn State University (PSU) and University of South Florida (USF) below and at the ULPZ were used to articulate the relation of T and heart rate (HR) to metabolic rate (MR) with consideration of acclimatization state, clothing, exposure condition (PreULPZ vs. ULPZ), and sex. Regression models demonstrated the association of MR and sex with T and HR. At the ULPZ, women had systematically higher values of T and HR than men at the same MR likely due to higher relative demands. There was no effect for acclimatization state and clothing. As expected for individuals, T was practically constant below the ULPZ and HR exhibited increasing values approaching the ULPZ. At 490 W, the high MR cited in the WHO document, the mean T for men was near the 38°C limit with systematically lower T at lower MRs.
Topics: Male; Animals; Humans; Female; Heart Rate; Temperature; Acclimatization; Estrus
PubMed: 37688426
DOI: 10.14814/phy2.15812 -
Plant Signaling & Behavior Dec 2024Plants, as sessile organisms, are subjected to diverse abiotic stresses, including salinity, desiccation, metal toxicity, thermal fluctuations, and hypoxia at different... (Review)
Review
Plants, as sessile organisms, are subjected to diverse abiotic stresses, including salinity, desiccation, metal toxicity, thermal fluctuations, and hypoxia at different phases of plant growth. Plants can activate messenger molecules to initiate a signaling cascade of response toward environmental stresses that results in either cell death or plant acclimation. Nitric oxide (NO) is a small gaseous redox-active molecule that exhibits a plethora of physiological functions in growth, development, flowering, senescence, stomata closure and responses to environmental stresses. It can also facilitate alteration in protein function and reprogram the gene profiling by direct or indirect interaction with different target molecules. The bioactivity of NO can be manifested through different redox-based protein modifications including -nitrosylation, protein nitration, and metal nitrosylation in plants. Although there has been considerable progress in the role of NO in regulating stress signaling, still the physiological mechanisms regarding the abiotic stress tolerance in plants remain unclear. This review summarizes recent advances in understanding the emerging knowledge regarding NO function in plant tolerance against abiotic stresses. The manuscript also highlighted the importance of NO as an abiotic stress modulator and developed a rational design for crop cultivation under a stress environment.
Topics: Nitric Oxide; Signal Transduction; Acclimatization; Cell Death; Stress, Physiological
PubMed: 38190763
DOI: 10.1080/15592324.2023.2298053 -
The American Naturalist Aug 2023AbstractWith diverse mechanical and sensory functions, the vertebrate cranium is a complex anatomical structure whose shifts between modularity and integration,...
AbstractWith diverse mechanical and sensory functions, the vertebrate cranium is a complex anatomical structure whose shifts between modularity and integration, especially in mechanical function, have been implicated in adaptive diversification. Yet how mechanical and sensory systems and their functions coevolve, as well as how their interrelationship contributes to phenotypic disparity, remain largely unexplored. To examine the modularity, integration, and evolutionary rates of sensory and mechanical structures within the head, we analyzed hard and soft tissue scans from ecologically diverse bats in the superfamily Noctilionoidea, a clade that ranges from insectivores and carnivores to frugivores and nectarivores. We identified eight regions that evolved in a coordinated fashion, thus recognizable as evolutionary modules: five associated with bite force and three linked to olfactory, visual, and auditory systems. Interrelationships among these modules differ between Neotropical leaf-nosed bats (family Phyllostomidae) and other noctilionoids. Consistent with the hypothesis that dietary transitions begin with changes in the capacity to detect novel food items followed by adaptations to process them, peak rates of sensory module evolution predate those of some mechanical modules. We propose that the coevolution of structures influencing bite force, olfaction, vision, and hearing constituted a structural opportunity that allowed the phyllostomid ancestor to take advantage of existing ecological opportunities and contributed to the clade's remarkable radiation.
Topics: Animals; Chiroptera; Skull; Adaptation, Physiological; Diet; Acclimatization; Phylogeny; Biological Evolution
PubMed: 37531274
DOI: 10.1086/725368 -
American Journal of Biological... Aug 2023Differences in talar articular morphology relative to locomotion have recently been found within Pan and Gorilla. Whole-bone talar morphology within, and shared...
OBJECTIVES
Differences in talar articular morphology relative to locomotion have recently been found within Pan and Gorilla. Whole-bone talar morphology within, and shared variation among, Pan and Gorilla (sub)species, however, has yet to be investigated. Here we separately analyze talar external shape within Pan (P. t. troglodytes, P. t. schweinfurthii, P. t. verus, P. paniscus) and Gorilla (G. g. gorilla, G. b. beringei, G. b. graueri) relative to degree of arboreality and body size. Pan and Gorilla are additionally analyzed together to determine if consistent shape differences exist within the genera.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Talar external shape was quantified using a weighted spherical harmonic analysis. Shape variation both within and among Pan and Gorilla was described using principal component analyses. Root mean square distances were calculated between taxon averages, and resampling statistics conducted to test for pairwise differences.
RESULTS
P. t. verus (most arboreal Pan) talar shape significantly differs from other Pan taxa (p < 0.05 for pairwise comparisons) driven by more asymmetrical trochlear rims and a medially-set talar head. P. t. troglodytes, P. t. schweinfurthii, and P. paniscus do not significantly differ (p > 0.05 for pairwise comparisons). All gorilla taxa exhibit significantly different talar morphologies (p < 0.007 for pairwise comparisons). The more terrestrial subspecies of G. beringei and P. troglodytes exhibit a superoinferiorly taller talar head/neck complex.
DISCUSSION
P. t. verus exhibits talar morphologies that have been previously related to more frequent arboreality. The adaptations in the more terrestrial G. beringei and P. troglodytes subspecies may serve to facilitate load transmission.
Topics: Animals; Acclimatization; Adaptation, Physiological; Gorilla gorilla; Hominidae; Trees
PubMed: 37300336
DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24796