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Metabolites Aug 2022Pedunculate oak ( L.) is an economically important forest-forming species in Poland that produces seeds that are sensitive to desiccation; therefore, short-lived seeds...
Deterioration in the Quality of Recalcitrant Seeds during Six Months of Storage at Subzero Temperatures: Ineffective Activation of Prosurvival Mechanisms and Evidence of Freezing Stress from an Untargeted Metabolomic Study.
Pedunculate oak ( L.) is an economically important forest-forming species in Poland that produces seeds that are sensitive to desiccation; therefore, short-lived seeds are classified as recalcitrant. Such seeds display active metabolism throughout storage. Acorns stored under controlled conditions (moisture content of 40%, temperature -3 °C) maintain viability for up to 1.5-2 years. Meanwhile, oaks only produce large numbers of seeds every few years during so-called mast years. This results in a scarcity of good-quality seeds for continuous nursery production and restoration. The recalcitrant storage behavior and the requirements of foresters make it necessary to develop a new protocol for longer acorn storage at lower temperatures. Two storage temperatures were tested: -3 °C (currently used in forest practice) and -7 °C. Our results showed that acorns stored for six months exhibited deterioration and reduced germination capacity, as well as reduced seedling performance, particularly when acorns were stored at -7 °C. To elucidate the decrease in quality during storage, an untargeted metabolomics study was performed for the first time and supported with the analysis of carbohydrates and percentages of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N). Embryonic axes were characterized by a lower C:N ratio and higher hydration. A total of 1985 metabolites were detected, and 303 were successfully identified and quantified, revealing 44 known metabolites that displayed significantly up- or downregulated abundance. We demonstrated for the first time that the significant deterioration of seed germination potential, particularly in seeds stored at -7 °C, was accompanied by an increased abundance of phenolic compounds and carbohydrates but also amino acids and phosphorylated monosaccharides, particularly in the embryonic axes. The increased abundance of defense-related metabolites (1,2,4-Benzenetriol; BTO), products of ascorbic acid degradation (threonic and isothreonic acid), as well as antifreezing compounds (sugar alcohols, predominantly threitol), was reported in seed stored at -7 °C. We hypothesize that seed deterioration was caused by freezing stress experienced during six months of storage at -7 °C, a decline in antioxidative potential and the unsuccessful rerouting of the energy-production pathways. Additionally, our data are a good example of the application of high-throughput metabolomic tools in forest management.
PubMed: 36005628
DOI: 10.3390/metabo12080756 -
Frontiers in Plant Science 2022Plants interact with a multitude of microorganisms and insects, both below- and above ground, which might influence plant metabolism. Despite this, we lack knowledge of...
Plants interact with a multitude of microorganisms and insects, both below- and above ground, which might influence plant metabolism. Despite this, we lack knowledge of the impact of natural soil communities and multiple aboveground attackers on the metabolic responses of plants, and whether plant metabolic responses to single attack can predict responses to dual attack. We used untargeted metabolic fingerprinting (gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, GC-MS) on leaves of the pedunculate oak, , to assess the metabolic response to different soil microbiomes and aboveground single and dual attack by oak powdery mildew () and the common oak aphid (). Distinct soil microbiomes were not associated with differences in the metabolic profile of oak seedling leaves. Single attacks by aphids or mildew had pronounced but different effects on the oak leaf metabolome, but we detected no difference between the metabolomes of healthy seedlings and seedlings attacked by both aphids and powdery mildew. Our findings show that aboveground attackers can have species-specific and non-additive effects on the leaf metabolome of oak. The lack of a metabolic signature detected by GC-MS upon dual attack might suggest the existence of a potential negative feedback, and highlights the importance of considering the impacts of multiple attackers to gain mechanistic insights into the ecology and evolution of species interactions and the structure of plant-associated communities, as well as for the development of sustainable strategies to control agricultural pests and diseases and plant breeding.
PubMed: 35991442
DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.897186 -
Adapting a allometric equation to quantify carbon sequestration rates on the Middle Elbe floodplain.MethodsX 2022Destructively sampling old Pedunculate oak () trees on the active floodplain of the Middle Elbe to create an allometric equation to estimate carbon stocks (CS) and...
Destructively sampling old Pedunculate oak () trees on the active floodplain of the Middle Elbe to create an allometric equation to estimate carbon stocks (CS) and carbon sequestration rates (CSR) would defeat the purpose of protecting increasingly vulnerable and threatened primeval floodplain forests. To nondestructively estimate CS and CSR, we have adapted a two-parameter allometric equation which uses tree height (H) and diameter at breast height (DBH) (Dik 1984, Zianis et al. 2005) into a 1-parameter equation that requires only DBH to quantify stocks and annual changes in carbon stock (carbon sequestration rates) for individual trees. The equations have also been adapted to estimate below- and above-ground carbon stocks of individual trees. The new method has:•Adapted a 2-parameter allometric equation which estimates tree volume to a 1-parameter equation which estimates above and below-ground carbon stock•Removed the requirement of tree height to reconstruct the carbon stock of trees at an annual timestep•An almost perfect linear relationship (Pearson R= 0.998) between carbon sequestration rate and basal area increment (BAI).
PubMed: 35958097
DOI: 10.1016/j.mex.2022.101800 -
Cureus Jun 2022Natal teeth are teeth present at birth and are a rare finding. They most commonly occur in the mandibular incisor region and are thought to occur as an accelerated...
Natal teeth are teeth present at birth and are a rare finding. They most commonly occur in the mandibular incisor region and are thought to occur as an accelerated premature growth of normal primary teeth. They may present in the varying stages of tooth eruption and rarely on a pedunculated stalk of alveolar mucosa as described in this case. Natal teeth may be surgically extracted if difficulty feeding or ventral tongue ulceration develops. This report presents the case of an unusual pedunculated natal tooth in a newborn at a community hospital and describes its surgical management.
PubMed: 35859971
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.25992 -
The New Phytologist Aug 2022Many plant species produce multiple leaf flushes during the growing season, which might have major consequences for within-plant variation in chemistry and species...
Many plant species produce multiple leaf flushes during the growing season, which might have major consequences for within-plant variation in chemistry and species interactions. Yet, we lack a theoretical or empirical framework for how differences among leaf flushes might shape variation in damage by insects and diseases. We assessed the impact of leaf flush identity on leaf chemistry, insect attack and pathogen infection on the pedunculate oak Quercus robur by sampling leaves from each leaf flush in 20 populations across seven European countries during an entire growing season. The first leaf flush had higher levels of primary compounds, and lower levels of secondary compounds, than the second flush, whereas plant chemistry was highly variable in the third flush. Insect attack decreased from the first to the third flush, whereas infection by oak powdery mildew was lowest on leaves from the first flush. The relationship between plant chemistry, insect attack and pathogen infection varied strongly among leaf flushes and seasons. Our findings demonstrate the importance of considering differences among leaf flushes for our understanding of within-tree variation in chemistry, insect attack and disease levels, something particularly relevant given the expected increase in the number of leaf flushes with climate change.
Topics: Animals; Insecta; Plant Leaves; Quercus; Seasons; Trees
PubMed: 35514157
DOI: 10.1111/nph.18209 -
Ecology and Evolution Mar 2022Urbanization is an important driver of the diversity and abundance of tree-associated insect herbivores, but its consequences for insect herbivory are poorly understood....
Urbanization is an important driver of the diversity and abundance of tree-associated insect herbivores, but its consequences for insect herbivory are poorly understood. A likely source of variability among studies is the insufficient consideration of intra-urban variability in forest cover. With the help of citizen scientists, we investigated the independent and interactive effects of local canopy cover and percentage of impervious surface on insect herbivory in the pedunculate oak ( L.) throughout most of its geographic range in Europe. We found that the damage caused by chewing insect herbivores as well as the incidence of leaf-mining and gall-inducing herbivores consistently decreased with increasing impervious surface around focal oaks. Herbivory by chewing herbivores increased with increasing forest cover, regardless of impervious surface. In contrast, an increase in local canopy cover buffered the negative effect of impervious surface on leaf miners and strengthened its effect on gall inducers. These results show that-just like in non-urban areas-plant-herbivore interactions in cities are structured by a complex set of interacting factors. This highlights that local habitat characteristics within cities have the potential to attenuate or modify the effect of impervious surfaces on biotic interactions.
PubMed: 35342614
DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8709 -
Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology Apr 2022This paper intends to apprise the reader regarding the existing knowledge on the neuroanatomical distribution of GnIH-like peptides in in fish and amphibians in both the... (Review)
Review
This paper intends to apprise the reader regarding the existing knowledge on the neuroanatomical distribution of GnIH-like peptides in in fish and amphibians in both the adult stage and during ontogenesis. The neuroanatomical distribution of GnIH-like neuropeptides appears quite different in the studied species, irrespective of the evolutionary closeness. The topology of the olfactory bulbs can affect the distribution of neurons producing the GnIH-like peptides, with a tendency to show a more extended distribution into the brains with pedunculate olfactory bulbs. Therefore, the variability of the GnIH-like system could also reflect specific adaptations rather than evolutionary patterns. The onset of GnIH expression was detected very early during development suggesting its precocious roles, and the neuroanatomical distribution of GnIH-like elements showed a generally increasing trend. This review highlights some critical technical aspects and the need to increase the number of species to be studied to obtain a complete neuroanatomical picture of the GnIH-like system.
Topics: Amphibians; Animals; Brain; Gonadotropins; Hypothalamic Hormones; Neurons; Neuropeptides
PubMed: 35227766
DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2022.100991 -
Endoscopy Nov 2022
Topics: Humans; Esophageal Neoplasms; Endoscopy; Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal; Ligation
PubMed: 35168273
DOI: 10.1055/a-1662-3738 -
Scientific Reports Jan 2022Macrobrachium australiense, is one of Australia's most widespread freshwater invertebrates. Although a significant amount of research has been conducted to understand...
Macrobrachium australiense, is one of Australia's most widespread freshwater invertebrates. Although a significant amount of research has been conducted to understand the diversity of crustacean species in Australia, there has been considerably less effort focused on their Temnocephalidae symbionts. The present study aims to identify Temnocephalidae species found in M. australiense, along with determining their impacts on the fitness of their hosts. A total of 54 M. australiense (common Australian river prawn) were examined for evidence of infection with Temnocephalidae species, of which 96.3% showed at least one sign of infection with Temnocephalidae. Due to damage and immaturity of the worms collected from, they have been referred to as Temnocephalidae sp. based on the presence of tentacles on the anterior margin of the body, and pedunculate sucker located dorsally on the ventral surface. Possible mechanical damage to gill lamellae resulting from either egg deposition or autolysis is evident. In the phylogenetic tree built based on sequences of the 28S rRNA gene, specimens in the present study grouped separately from other Temnocephalidae species reported from Australia.
Topics: Animals; Australia; Fresh Water; Gills; Host-Parasite Interactions; Palaemonidae; Phylogeny; Platyhelminths; RNA, Ribosomal, 28S; Symbiosis
PubMed: 35082314
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-05123-z -
ZooKeys 2022This study provides the first data on the genital anatomy, jaw and radula of (L. Pfeiffer, 1863). The auxiliary copulatory organ of this species is very peculiar,...
This study provides the first data on the genital anatomy, jaw and radula of (L. Pfeiffer, 1863). The auxiliary copulatory organ of this species is very peculiar, similar to that of L. Pfeiffer, 1877, and different from that of other cepolids. It consists of an elongate, pedunculate mucus gland inserted apically on a muscular papilla and an atrial sac, all covered by a sheath. A sheath-like accessory gland is inserted at the base of the atrial sac. Another similarity with is the presence of a fertilization pouch-spermatheca complex with a single exposed spermatheca. Like , has an oxygnath, highly arched jaw with slight striae over the entire surface and a broad, well-developed median projection. The radula has triangular and monocuspid central and lateral teeth (the central teeth are smaller than the rest). The marginal teeth are multicuspid with the mesocone and ectocones smaller than the endocones. The similar structures of the auxiliary copulatory organ (without dart sac) and spermatheca (simple) strongly suggest that and spp. are closely related. As such, it remains to be decided whether Clench & Aguayo, 1951 and should continue to be treated as separate genera.
PubMed: 35068965
DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1080.73194