scholarly journals Oomycetes during 120,000 years of temperate rainforest ecosystem development

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian A. Dickie ◽  
Angela M. Wakelin ◽  
Laura Martinez-Garcia ◽  
Sarah J. Richardson ◽  
Andreas Makiola ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Pathogens ◽  
Plant Roots ◽  
Ecosystem Development ◽  
Compositional Change ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Successional Change ◽  
Host Relationships ◽  
Early Succession

AbstractThe occurrence of plant-associated oomycetes in natural ecosystems and particularly during long-term ecosystem development is largely unknown, despite the importance of many oomycetes as plant pathogens. Using DNA sequencing from roots, we investigated the frequency and host relationships of plant-associated oomycete communities along a 120 000 year glacial chronosequence, comprising site ages with rapid compositional change (“early succession”; 5, 15, and 70 years old soil); relatively stable higher-diversity sites (“mature”, 280, 500, 1000, 5000, 12000 years); and ancient, nutrient-limited soils with declining plant diversity and stature (“retrogression”, 60 000, 120 000 years). Plant-associated oomycetes were frequent in all three early successional sites, occurring in 38 – 65% of plant roots, but rare (average 3%) in all older ecosystems. Oomycetes were highly host specific, and more frequent on those plant species that declined most strongly in abundance between ecosystem ages. The results support the particular importance of plant-associated oomycetes in early succession (up to 70 years). High host specificity and correlations of abundance of oomycete inside roots with declining plant species are consistent with oomycete-driven successional change.

scholarly journals An aphid RNA transcript migrates systemically within plants and is a virulence factor

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (23) ◽  
pp. 12763-12771 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yazhou Chen ◽  
Archana Singh ◽  
Gemy G. Kaithakottil ◽  
Thomas C. Mathers ◽  
Matteo Gravino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Family ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Virulence Factors ◽  
Plant Pathogens ◽  
Tandem Repeats ◽  
Vascular Tissue ◽  
Green Peach Aphid ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Sap Feeding

Aphids are sap-feeding insects that colonize a broad range of plant species and often cause feeding damage and transmit plant pathogens, including bacteria, viruses, and viroids. These insects feed from the plant vascular tissue, predominantly the phloem. However, it remains largely unknown how aphids, and other sap-feeding insects, establish intimate long-term interactions with plants. To identify aphid virulence factors, we took advantage of the ability of the green peach aphidMyzus persicaeto colonize divergent plant species. We found that aM. persicaeclone of near-identical females established stable colonies on nine plant species of five representative plant eudicot and monocot families that span the angiosperm phylogeny. Members of the novel aphid gene familyYaare differentially expressed in aphids on the nine plant species and are coregulated and organized as tandem repeats in aphid genomes. Aphids translocateYatranscripts into plants, and some transcripts migrate to distal leaves within several plant species. RNAi-mediated knockdown ofYagenes reducesM. persicaefecundity, andM. persicaeproduces more progeny on transgenic plants that heterologously produce one of the systemically migratingYatranscripts as a long noncoding (lnc) RNA. Taken together, our findings show that beyond a range of pathogens,M. persicaeaphids translocate their own transcripts into plants, including aYalncRNA that migrates to distal locations within plants, promotes aphid fecundity, and is a member of a previously undescribed host-responsive aphid gene family that operate as virulence factors.

scholarly journals A generalizable framework for spatially explicit exploration of soil carbon sequestration on global marginal land

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ariane Albers ◽  
Angel Avadí ◽  
Lorie Hamelin
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Soil Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Ecological Zones ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon Stocks ◽  
Global Mapping

Abstract Designing land-based climate stabilisation strategies demands changes in land use management or new areas to grow biomass sustainably, without reducing food supply or damaging natural ecosystems. Here we integrated, into a generalizable framework, the mapping of a set of biophysical (climatic and edaphic) and land conservation constraints to identify the pairing of target areas with suitable plant species, and quantify their contributions to long-term soil carbon sequestration, including losses from rain-driven erosion. The proposed framework represents a refinement to previous global mapping exercises, which seldom consider pedo-climatic constraints, plant species tolerances and world protected areas. We demonstrated the applicability of the framework through a global case study by mapping target areas featuring low soil organic carbon stocks (≤50 t SOC ha-1) and producing quantifiable soil carbon sequestration potentials of best matches. Preliminary target areas were mapped at a 30 arc-sec resolution, and then consolidated per geographical and environmental boundaries (geopolitical world regions x global ecological zones).

Using Long-Term Population Monitoring Data to Prioritize Conservation Action among Rare Plant Species

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Holly L. Bernardo ◽  
Pati Vitt ◽  
Rachel Goad ◽  
Susanne Masi ◽  
Tiffany M. Knight
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Population Monitoring ◽  
Monitoring Data ◽  
Rare Plant ◽  
Conservation Action ◽  
Rare Plant Species

scholarly journals Minor Treatments Can Play a Significant Role in Preserving Natural Habitats and Protected Species on the Shore of a Central European Lake

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1540
Author(s):  
Bence Fülöp ◽  
Bálint Pacsai ◽  
Judit Bódis
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Active Management ◽  
Lake Balaton ◽  
Protected Species ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Management Interventions ◽  
Natural Grasslands ◽  
Tourism Potential

Semi-natural grasslands were previously established through traditional land use and maintained by active management, but their extension nowadays is declining rapidly, particularly in areas that also have tourism potential. In parallel, the conservation value of the remaining areas is increasing. The shore of Lake Balaton is a particularly good example, as Lake Balaton is an area highly affected by tourism, yet there have been valuable habitats able to survive and provide refuge for many vulnerable, protected species. Fortunately, we have reliable information about the vegetation of the area from two decades ago. Comparing these data with our recent surveys we investigated the changes in habitats and the distribution of protected plant species in connection with the active conservation treatments such as grazing or cutting. Our results show that in areas where treatments are still ongoing, protected plant species are more likely to survive, or even other species can appear, which is in clear contrast with conditions experienced in abandoned areas, where at least seven protected species have disappeared. According to our results, minor, but appropriately chosen and well-executed management interventions, can help in the long-term maintenance of species-rich habitats and improving the conservation status of threatened species.

Landscape-scale disturbances and regeneration in semi-arid woodlands of southwestern Australia

1994 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin J. Yates ◽  
Richard J. Hobbs ◽  
Richard W. Bell
Keyword(s):  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Landscape Scale ◽  
Eucalyptus Species ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Fragmented Landscapes ◽  
The Past ◽  
Adult Tree ◽  
Western Australian ◽  
Semi Arid

Woodlands dominated by Eucalyptus salmonophloia occur both in the fragmented landscapes of the Western Australian wheatbelt and in the adjacent unfragmented goldfields area. We examined the responses of the unfragmented woodlands to landscape-scale disturbances caused by fire, floods, windstorms and drought. Sites known to have experienced disturbances of these types over the past 50 years all had cohorts of sapling-stage E. salmonophloia and other dominant Eucalyptus species. Sites disturbed either by fire, flood or storm during 1991-92 displayed adult tree mortality and extensive seedling establishment, although rates of establishment and survival varied between sites. No regeneration was observed at equivalent undisturbed sites. These results indicate that landscape-scale disturbances of several types are important drivers of the dynamics of these semi-arid woodlands. Lack of regeneration of fragmented woodlands in the wheatbelt is likely to be due to changed disturbance regimes coupled with altered physical and biotic conditions within remnants. We argue that it may be difficult to identify processes which are important for the long-term persistence of natural ecosystems in fragmented landscapes without reference to equivalent unfragmented areas.

Sustainable use of wild plant species: A research bibliography

Social Change ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 33 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 204-221
Author(s):  
Ghazala Shahabuddin
Keyword(s):  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Wild Plant ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Nature Protection ◽  
Plant Resources ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Field Methods

During the last few decades, there has been a growing realisation that biodiversity conservation cannot be successful without the active involvement of the people living close to and dependent on natural ecosystems for their survival and livelihoods. Consequently, there has been a gradual broadening of the global conservation agenda from strict nature protection to include the sustainable use of natural resources, which is now reflected in governmental policy the world over. However, as conservationists strive today towards the harmonisation of people's needs with biodiversity conservation, one of the most elusive, yet critical, goals for them has been the sustainable extraction of plant resources from the wild. Hundreds of plant species continue to be extracted from natural habitats for use as food, medicine, fuel and fodder in households and for commercial sale, both legally and illegally. As a consequence of unmonitored extraction and over-exploitation, many plant species populations are reported to be declining in the wild. In the face of increasing pressure on forest resources, it has become more important than ever before to devise quantitative management policies for sustainable plant use so that both forests and the livelihoods of millions of rural people who are dependent on them, can be sustained. One of the major stumbling blocks for conservationists in developing countries, who are attempting to design and implement sustainable forest management systems, is the lack of information on the state-of-the-art in this field, especially that relating to field methods, data analysis, data recording and monitoring systems. In order to fill this lacuna, a comprehensive bibliography of studies undertaken so far in the science of sustainable use from terrestrial ecosystems is presented here. The scope of this bibliography includes sustainable

Responses of net ecosystem CO2 exchange in managed grassland to long-term CO2 enrichment, N fertilization and plant species

2005 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 823-833 ◽  
Author(s):  
URS AESCHLIMANN ◽  
JOSEF NOSBERGER ◽  
PETER J. EDWARDS ◽  
MANUEL K. SCHNEIDER ◽  
MICHAEL RICHTER ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Co2 Enrichment ◽  
N Fertilization ◽  
Co2 Exchange ◽  
Net Ecosystem Co2 Exchange

scholarly journals The intersection of basic research and conservation: a 30-year study of the Critically Endangered Schiedea adamantis (Caryophyllaceae) on Lē‘ahi (Diamond Head Crater), Hawai‘i

Oryx ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 479-488 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann K. Sakai ◽  
Stephen G. Weller ◽  
Weigang Yang ◽  
Susan Ching Harbin ◽  
Talia Portner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Basic Research ◽  
Breeding Systems ◽  
Critically Endangered ◽  
Supplemental Irrigation ◽  
Long Term Study ◽  
And Storage ◽  
Species Being

AbstractWe report on how a long-term study of the reproductive biology of the Critically Endangered Schiedea adamantis (Caryophyllaceae), one of Hawai‘i's rarest plant species, was leveraged for conservation purposes. Our major goals were to provide seeds with the greatest genetic variation possible for reintroduction and to ensure that both female and hermaphroditic plants of this wind-pollinated species were reintroduced in a manner that maximized both outcrossing and seed production. Schiedea adamantis was one of the first Hawaiian plant species listed under the Endangered Species Act (USA). The species has been studied intensively to test hypotheses addressing the evolution of breeding systems. Information on outcrossing levels and the extent of inbreeding depression was integrated into ongoing reintroduction efforts. Population size peaked in 1994, when 267 flowering individuals were found on Lē‘ahi (Diamond Head Crater). By 2016 only 17 flowering individuals were present, with drought and invasive species being possible causes of this decline. Reintroduction attempts in 1998 using genetically diverse seeds were unsuccessful because of drought and a lack of sufficient supplemental irrigation. Additional reintroduction attempts in 2012 and 2014 were more successful because of increased supplemental irrigation. Plants used in reintroductions represent genotypes long since absent in the natural population, and may contain the genetic variability essential for evolutionary responses to climate change and the spread of invasive species. The destruction of many plants reintroduced in 2015 and 2016 by a fire in March 2016 highlights the need for additional restoration areas at Lē‘ahi and elsewhere, and storage of seeds for future use.

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