Search Results (8,804)

Plant–pollinator interactions are essential to ecosystem functioning, yet the mechanisms that determine why some plant species become highly connected within interaction networks remain insufficiently understood, particularly in tropical coastal systems. Here, we examine how multiple plant traits predict the interactive role of species within a bee–plant network in a coastal ecosystem in the Gulf of Mexico. Using an existing dataset comprising 35 plant species and 47 bee species, we quantified each plant’s interactive role through species degree, betweenness, and closeness centrality. We then evaluated how six traits (i.e., flower number, flower size, flower color, number of stamens, plant height, and life form) influence these network positions. Our results show that four traits significantly predicted plant interactive roles. Plants surrounded by more open flowers and those with larger flowers interacted with a greater diversity of bee species, indicating that resource detectability and accessibility strongly shape visitation patterns. Herbaceous species also exhibited higher interactive roles than woody plants, likely due to their rapid growth, abundant and synchronous flowering, and predictable resource availability in dynamic coastal environments. Additionally, yellow-flowered species received disproportionately more visits and achieved higher interactive roles, consistent with known sensory biases of bees toward yellow wavelengths. In contrast, plant height and stamen number showed no detectable influence on network position. Overall, our findings demonstrate that a combination of vegetative and floral traits (particularly those signaling abundant, accessible, and visually detectable resources) drives the emergence of key plant species within bee–plant networks. Integrating plant traits with network metrics provides a powerful framework for identifying species that sustain pollinator diversity and for predicting community responses to environmental change. Full article

Background: Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is an increasingly important multidrug-resistant opportunistic pathogen frequently isolated from clinical, environmental, and plant-associated niches. Despite its medical relevance, the global population structure, species-complex boundaries, and genomic determinants of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and ecological adaptation remain poorly resolved, partly due to inconsistent annotations and fragmented genomic datasets. Methods: Approximately 2400 genome assemblies annotated as Stenotrophomonas maltophilia were available in the NCBI Assembly database at the time of query. After pre-download filtering to exclude metagenome-assembled genomes and atypical lineages, 1750 isolate genomes were retrieved and subjected to stringent quality control (completeness ≥90%, contamination ≤5%, ≤500 contigs, N50 ≥ 10 kb, and ≤1% ambiguous bases), yielding a final curated dataset of 1518 high-quality genomes used for downstream analyses. Genomes were assessed using CheckM, annotated with Prokka, and compared using average nucleotide identity (ANI), pan-genome analysis, core-genome phylogenomics, and functional annotation. AMR genes, mobile genetic elements (MGEs), and metadata (source, host, and geographic origin) were integrated to assess lineage-specific genomic features and ecological distributions. Results: ANI-based clustering resolved the S. maltophilia complex into multiple distinct genomospecies and revealed extensive misidentification of publicly deposited genomes. The pan-genome was highly open, reflecting strong genomic plasticity driven by accessory gene acquisition. Core-genome phylogeny resolved well-supported clades associated with clinical, environmental, and plant-related niches. Resistome profiling showed widespread intrinsic MDR determinants, with certain lineages enriched for efflux pumps, β-lactamases, and trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole resistance markers. MGE analysis identified lineage-specific integrative conjugative elements, prophages, and transposases that correlated with source and geographic distribution. Conclusions: This large-scale analysis provides the most comprehensive genomic overview of the S. maltophilia complex to date. Our findings clarify species boundaries, highlight substantial taxonomic misannotation in public databases, and reveal lineage-specific AMR and mobilome patterns linked to ecological and clinical origins. The curated dataset and evolutionary insights generated here establish a foundation for global genomic surveillance, epidemiological tracking, and future studies on the evolution of antimicrobial resistance in S. maltophilia. Full article

Alkane is a predominant wax component, whose production requires the aids of CER1 and CER3. In rice, OsCER1 and OsCER3 are present in multiple copies. Until now, the roles of these genes have been studied individually; however, a systematic comparison of their relative contributions to cuticular wax biosynthesis has not yet been carried out. Phylogenetic tree analysis revealed that CER1s and CER3s from different plants are classified into two subgroups. RT-qPCR analysis showed that these genes display distinct expression patterns, revealing their specific roles in wax production. Promoter prediction analysis showed that cis-elements responding to light, phytohormones and stress are enriched in the promoter region of OsCER1s and OsCER3s. These proteins are all localized in the endoplasmic reticulum. Further study showed that OsCER1s and OsCER3s are inclined to form a complex during the wax synthesis. Finally, the wax analysis of single mutants showed that among the examined genes, OsCER3a mutation greatly reduced the total wax amounts to 19.6% of wild-type plant with a decrease in most of wax components, whereas mutation of other genes including OsCER3b, OsCER3c, OsCER1a and OsCER1c slightly or barely affect wax production, suggesting that OsCER3a plays major roles in rice wax production whereas other proteins redundantly participate in the wax synthesis. Additionally, the wax increasing rates of Arabidopsis expressing OSCER1 are lower than those of overexpressing AtCER1. Taken together, our study identified the predominant genes involved in wax production, which will be useful for genetically engineering rice with enhanced stress tolerance. Full article

As a class of glutathione-dependent oxidoreductases, glutaredoxins (GRXs) play a central role in maintaining cellular redox homeostasis, thereby influencing diverse biological processes including growth, development, and stress adaptation in plants. This study identified 36 GRX genes in Litsea cubeba through whole-genome analysis. Phylogenetic classification placed them into four subfamilies (CC-, CGFS-, CPYC-type, and a species-specific SS branch), consistent with patterns in model plants like Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa, indicating evolutionary conservation of GRX core motifs. Genomic analyses including chromosomal location, collinearity, and gene structure revealed family evolution features. Expression profiling showed 11 LcGRX genes were flower-specific, with marked differential expression during stamen (M2) and pistil (F2) degeneration, supporting their roles in sexual dimorphism. Functional assays confirmed that floral highly expressed LcGRX12 directly interacts with TGA transcription factor LcTGA10, similar to its Arabidopsis homolog ROXY1. This study reveals the GRX-TGA module’s role in floral organ development in L. cubeba, offering insights into redox-mediated sex differentiation in Lauraceae and providing candidate genes for molecular breeding. Full article

The Fantastic Four gene family encodes small, plant-specific regulatory proteins involved in developmental control; however, their roles in wheat remain poorly understood. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive genome-wide analysis of the Fantastic Four gene family in wheat. A total of 42 TaFAF genes were identified and systematically characterized in terms of their chromosomal distribution, phylogenetic relationships, gene structures, conserved motifs, and promoter cis-regulatory elements. Phylogenetic analysis classified TaFAF genes into four distinct clades, which exhibit high structural conservation but show divergent motif compositions. Expression profiling revealed tissue-specific expression patterns and suggested that a subset of TaFAF genes responded transcriptionally to heat stress in a genotype-dependent manner. Subcellular localization assays showed that representative Fantastic Four proteins were localized in the cytoplasm. Protein–protein interaction analyses indicated that TaFAF-1A.1 and TaFAF-5D.5 physically interact with the key flowering regulator TaFT1. Furthermore, haplotype analysis of TaFAF-5D.5 across 145 wheat accessions revealed a significant association with wheat growth habit, with a favorable haplotype preferentially enriched in winter wheat. Together, these results provide insights into the evolutionary diversification and functional relevance of the Fantastic Four genes and identify TaFAF-5D.5 as a candidate gene potentially associated with developmental adaptation and heat stress responses in wheat. Full article

Maintenance and repair play a crucial role in industry. Smart systems for technical diagnostics can help to save money and to prevent the breakdown of machines and plants. These systems and its classifiers benefit from plausible features because they tend toward robust classification. Although concepts for knowledge discovery are well-known in various scientific fields, they are not established in the field of rotating machines. Knowledge discovery from experimental data is a framework that combines valid methods for knowledge discovery with expert knowledge and automated experiments. For the central data mining step, feature selection algorithms based on heuristic or meta-heuristic search are established. The objective is to identify plausible pattern with a limited number of features and the best combination of these features. The results in this work show which strategies align the best with the requirements of knowledge discovery using experimental data to find plausible features. For this study, well-configured search strategies, namely, sequential forward selection and ant colony optimization, were applied on real data. The data represent several fault severity levels for parallel misalignment and cavitation. The plausible feature vectors and features exhibited good behavior when applied to new targets. It is expected that the obtained knowledge will be transferable to new classification tasks with only minimal optimization of the reference data or the classifier. Full article

The basic/helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors are crucial regulators of plant development and stress responses. In this study, we conducted a genome-wide analysis of the bHLH family in Rosa roxburghii, an economically important fruit crop. A total of 89 non-redundant RrbHLHs were identified and unevenly distributed across the seven chromosomes. Phylogenetic analysis classified them into 23 subfamilies and 7 Arabidopsis subfamilies were absent, indicating lineage-specific evolutionary trajectories. Conserved motif and gene structure analyses showed that members within the same subfamily generally shared similar architectures, yet subfamily-specific variations were evident, suggesting potential functional diversification. Notably, key residues involved in DNA-binding and dimerization were highly conserved within the bHLH domain. Promoter analysis identified multiple cis-acting elements related to hormone response, stress adaptation, and tissue-specific regulation, hinting at broad regulatory roles. Expression profiling across fruit developmental stages and in response to GA₃ treatment revealed dynamic expression patterns. Furthermore, 21 duplicated gene pairs (17 segmental and 4 tandem duplicated pairs) were identified, with most evolving under purifying selection. Detailed analysis of these pairs revealed that segmental duplication, coupled with structural variations such as exon indels, dissolution/joining, and exonization/pseudoexonization, substantially contributed to their functional divergence during evolution. Our results provide a basis for understanding the evolution and potential functions of the RrbHLHs. Full article

Gentiana species are widely used in traditional and modern medicine, and Gentiana siphonantha is an important medicinal representative. To evaluate the quality characteristics of cultivated G. siphonantha roots, the accumulation patterns of iridoid glycosides and antioxidant activities across different cultivation ages and harvest months were investigated. Five major iridoid glycosides were quantified, and antioxidant capacity was assessed through DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays. Quality was subsequently multidimensionally evaluated using principal component analysis (PCA), orthogonal partial least squares–discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), membership function analysis, and entropy weight–TOPSIS analysis, and the relationship between iridoid glycoside content and antioxidant activity was analyzed. Results showed that 3-year-old cultivated roots had the highest total iridoid glycoside content (134.60 mg·g⁻¹ DW), indicating the optimal cultivation age. Peak glycoside accumulation occurred in 4-year-old plants harvested in June–July, identifying this period as the optimal harvest time, as supported by multivariate statistical and comprehensive evaluation. Antioxidant activity increased with cultivation age, with samples collected in June or August showing higher capacities, and it was positively correlated with total iridoid glycoside content, particularly with FRAP (p < 0.05). In conclusion, cultivated G. siphonantha exhibits stable quality and favorable antioxidant activity, providing a basis for standardized cultivation, quality evaluation, and rational utilization. Full article

Investigating plant responses to climate change is critical for understanding phylogeography and devising conservation strategies. This study focuses on the Lycoris aurea (L’Hér.) Herb. complex in East Asia, a system characterized by high cytotype diversity (2n = 12–16), to test whether ecological niche differentiation drives its spatio-temporal evolution. We integrated dynamic niche modeling to reconstruct distribution dynamics from the Last Interglacial (LIG) to the future (2100). Results indicate that mainland China populations have expanded northward since the LIG, establishing their current patterns, while island populations (Taiwan, Ryukyu) remained relatively stable due to geographic constraints. Under future warming scenarios, the complex is projected to further expand northward. We identified key migration corridors, with high inter-cytotype connectivity in the Sichuan-Hubei region and intra-cytotype migration in the Yunnan Plateau and Nanling region. Although the two dominant cytotypes currently exhibit niche equivalency, they show distinct climatic sensitivities—Cytotype II is driven by precipitation and Cytotype IV by temperature—and are projected to diverge spatially in the future. These findings elucidate the evolutionary history of L. aurea and provide a reference for the conservation and utilization of Lycoris germplasm. Full article

Stem mustard (Brassica juncea var. tumida Tsen et Lee) is an important economic vegetable in China. Premature bolting induced by temperature fluctuations has become a major cultivation constraint. Photoreceptors (PHRs) serve as critical photosensor proteins that interpret light signals and regulate physiological responses in plants. In this study, five core PHR families, namely F-box-containing flavin binding proteins (ZTL/FKF1/LKP2), phytochrome (PHY), cryptochrome (CRY), phototropin (PHOT) and UV RESISTANCE LOCUS 8 (UVR8) were identified in Brassica species. RNA-seq analysis revealed their expression patterns during organogenesis in B. juncea. Seven candidate PHRs were validated by qRT-PCR in B. juncea early-bolting (‘YA-1’) and late-bolting (‘ZT-1’) cultivars. Agrobacterium-mediated BjuFKF1_1 overexpression (OE) lines resulted in significantly earlier flowering under field conditions. Histochemical GUS staining indicated that BjuFKF1_1 was expressed in seedlings, leaves, flower buds and siliques. Transcript analysis revealed that the expression level of BjuFKF1_1 was up-regulated in all tissues at both the vegetative and reproductive stages, whereas the expression of BjuFKF1_1 interacting protein-encoding genes were down-regulated in flowers. Under blue light, genes encoding interacting proteins (BjuCOL5, BjuSKP1, BjuCOL3, BjuAP2, BjuAP2-1 and BjuLKP2) were up-regulated in flower buds, whereas BjuCOL and BjuPP2C52 were down-regulated in flowers. Developmental stage analysis revealed the up-regulation of five (BjuAP2, BjuCOL3, BjuCOL5, BjuAP2-1 and BjuLKP2) and four (BjuCOL, BjuCOL5, BjuAP2 and BjuLKP2) interaction protein-encoding genes during the reproductive stage under white and blue light, respectively. These findings elucidate the role of BjuFKF1_1 in flowering regulation and provide molecular targets for B. juncea bolting-resistant variety breeding. Full article

Crabronid wasps (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae) are ecologically important predators that provide various ecological services by regulating the arthropod populations, enhancing soil processes through nesting, serving as sensitive indicators of habitat condition, and providing pollen transfer for plants. However, as other invertebrates face biodiversity threats, these wasps might be under threat from environmental changes, and we need to assess the biodiversity patterns of these wasps in Yunnan Province. Unfortunately, no information is currently available about the pattern and factors responsible for the assemblages of these wasps within our study region. This study provides the first province-level assessment of habitat suitability, species richness, assemblage structure, and environmental determinants for Crabronidae in Yunnan by integrating species distribution modeling (SDM), multivariate clustering, and ordination analyses. More than 50 species were studied to assess habitat suitability in Yunnan using MaxEnt. Model performance was robust (AUC > 0.7). Suitability patterns varied distinctly among regions. Species richness peaked in southern Yunnan, particularly in the counties of Jinghong, Mengla, Menghai, and Jiangcheng Hani & Yi. Land use/land cover (LULC) variables were the dominant predictors for 90% of species, whereas precipitation-related variables contributed most strongly to the remaining 10%. Ward’s hierarchical clustering grouped the 125 counties into three community assemblage zones, with Zone III comprising the most significant area. A unique species composition was found within a particular zone, and clear separation among zones based on environmental variation was supported by Principal Component Analysis (PCA), which explained more than 70% variability among zones. Furthermore, Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) indicated that both LULC and climatic factors shaped community structure assemblages, with axes 1 and 2 explaining 70% of variance (p = 0.001). The most relevant key factors in each zone were precipitation variables (bio12, bio14, bio17), which were dominant in Zone I; for Zone II, temperature and vegetation variables were most important; and urban, wetland, and water variables were most important in Zone III. Full article

Monitoring stem sap flow is essential for understanding plant water-use strategies and eco-physiological processes in the ecologically fragile karst region. In the study, we continuously monitored four co-occurring species—Cryptomeria japonica var. sinensis (LS), Liquidambar formosana (FX), Camptotheca acuminata (XS), and Melia azedarach (KL)—using the thermal dissipation probe method in a karst farmland-to-forest restoration area. We analyzed diurnal and nocturnal sap flow variations across different growth periods and their responses to environmental factors at an hourly scale. The results showed (1) A “high daytime, low nighttime” sap flow pattern during the growing season for all species. (2) The proportion of nocturnal sap flow was significantly lower in the growing than in the non-growing season. (3) Daytime sap flow was primarily driven by photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and vapor pressure deficit (VPD) during the growing season. In the non-growing season, daytime drivers were species-specific: relative humidity (RH, 39.39%) for LS; air temperature (Ta, 23.14%) for FX; PAR (33.03%) for XS; and soil moisture at a 10 cm depth (SM1, 25.2%) for KL. Nocturnal flow was governed by VPD and RH during the growing season versus soil moisture (SM1 and SM2) and RH in the non-growing season. These findings reveal interspecific differences in water-use strategies and provide a scientific basis for species selection and afforestation management in the karst ecological restoration of this research area. Full article

Background: The zinc finger-homeodomain (ZF-HD) transcription factor family exerts pivotal regulatory functions in plant development and stress responses, yet a systematic genome-wide survey is lacking for Rosa chinensis. Methods: In this study, we performed a comprehensive genome-wide identification and analysis of RcZF-HD genes in R. chinensis using bioinformatics approaches. Nine RcZF-HD loci were mined from the rose genome and comprehensively profiled for physicochemical parameters, phylogenetic affiliations, chromosomal positions, exon–intron architectures, conserved motifs, and spatiotemporal expression landscapes. Results: The results showed that RcZF-HD genes were unevenly distributed across four chromosomes (Chr2, Chr4, Chr6, and Chr7), with tandem duplication events detected on chromosomes 2 and 7, suggesting their contribution to gene family expansion. Maximum-likelihood phylogeny placed RcZF-HD proteins within nine well-supported sub-clades alongside Arabidopsis orthologs, implying both evolutionary conservation and lineage-specific divergence. All members retain canonical zinc-finger domains, yet acquire unique motif signatures predictive of functional specialization. Gene structure analysis revealed considerable diversity in exon–intron organization. Expression profiling across six different tissues (root, stem, leaf, bud, flower, and fruit) demonstrated remarkable tissue-specific expression patterns. Notably, RchiOBHm_Chr2g0168531 exhibited extremely high expression in stem tissue, while RchiOBHm_Chr7g0181371 showed preferential expression in flower tissue, suggesting specialized roles in stem development and floral organ formation, respectively. The cold-stress challenge of ‘Old Blush’ petals further disclosed pronounced up-regulation of seven RcZF-HD genes, attesting to their critical contribution to low-temperature tolerance. Conclusions: Integrative analyses furnish a multidimensional blueprint of the rose RcZF-HD repertoire, providing molecular landmarks for future functional dissection and ornamental trait engineering. Full article

To investigate the effects of different Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim. varieties on leaf nutrients, soil nutrients, and microbial community composition, this study selected Yuelou No. 3 and Huiji No. 2, two major cultivars from the primary production area of Shishou City. The two varieties were cultivated at different locations under standardized agronomic management practices, and a systematic comparative analysis was carried out over a 10-month sampling period from March to December 2024. The analysis encompassed their leaf nutrients (total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total potassium, and relative chlorophyll content), soil nutrients (organic matter, alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium), and microbial community characteristics. The results revealed significant varietal differences in leaf nutrient content: the average total phosphorus content of Yuelou No. 3 (0.44%) was higher than that of Huiji No. 2 (0.39%), while Huiji No. 2 exhibited higher total nitrogen (3.73%), total potassium (3.86%), and SPAD (44.72). Leaf nutrient content in both varieties followed a pattern of nitrogen > potassium > phosphorus, with peak phosphorus and potassium demand occurring earlier in Yuelou No. 3. Additionally, Yuelou No. 3 contained higher organic matter (12.73 g/kg) and alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen (103.02 mg/kg), while Huiji No. 2 showed enhanced soil pH (7.02), available phosphorus (6.96 mg/kg), and available potassium (180.00 mg/kg). Soil available nutrient dynamics displayed a pattern of slow change during the early stage, a rapid increase during the middle stage, and stabilization in the later stage. Microbial analysis revealed no significant differences in alpha diversity between the two varieties, although Yuelou No. 3 showed marginally higher diversity indices during early to mid-growth stages. In contrast, beta diversity showed significant separation in PCoA space. Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Ascomycota were the dominant microbial phyla. Dominant genera included Kaistobacter, Mortierella, and Neocosmospora, among others, with variety-specific relative abundances. Redundancy analysis further supported the variety-specific influence of soil physicochemical properties on microbial community structure, with available phosphorus, available potassium, and alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen identified as key factors shaping community composition. This study provides a theoretical basis for understanding the impact of different Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim. varieties on soil–plant–microbe interactions and suggests potential directions for future research on fertilization and management strategies tailored to varietal differences. Full article

Small-diameter synthetic grafts often fail from thrombosis, intimal hyperplasia, and compliance mismatch, highlighting the need for alternatives that better support endothelialization and remodeling. Here, we evaluated multilayer plant-based vascular grafts fabricated from decellularized leatherleaf viburnum reinforced with cross-linked gelatin, seeded with vascular smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells, and conditioned in a perfusion bioreactor to mimic physiological shear stress. Pre-implant assays confirmed effective decellularization, low residual detergent, and mechanical integrity suitable for surgical handling. In a rat abdominal aorta interposition model, plant-based grafts remained patent at 1, 4, and 24 weeks and showed higher survival than silicone controls. Ultrasound imaging demonstrated flow patterns and resistance indices similar to native vessels, and plant-based grafts maintained significantly higher endothelial cell coverage than silicone controls, reaching native-like density by 24 weeks. Histology and biochemical assays showed early collagen and elastin coverage comparable to native aorta and increased collagen by 24 weeks. Scanning electron microscopy showed smooth luminal surfaces with minimal thrombus formation, contrasting with the rougher, thrombus-prone surfaces of silicone grafts. These findings indicate that plant-based grafts support endothelialization, maintain long-term patency, and undergo favorable remodeling in vivo, supporting their potential as a biomimetic alternative for small-diameter arterial repair. Full article