scholarly journals Half-leaf width symmetric distribution reveals buffering strategy of Cunninghamia lanceolata

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xi Peng ◽  
Meifang Zhao ◽  
Shuguang Liu ◽  
Wende Yan

Abstract Background Leaf length and width could be a functioning relationship naturally as plant designs. Single-vein leaves have the simplest symmetrical distribution and structural design, which means that fast-growing single-vein species could interpret the scheme more efficiently. The distribution of leaf length and width can be modulated for better adaptation, providing an informative perspective on the various operational strategies in an emergency, while this mechanism is less clear. Here we selected six age groups of Cunninghamia lanceolata pure forests, including saplings, juveniles, mature, and old-growth trees. We pioneered a tapering model to describe half-leaf symmetric distribution with mathematical approximation based on every measured leaf along developmental sequence, and evaluated the ratio of leaf basal part length to total length (called tipping leaf length ratio). Results The tipping leaf length ratio varied among different tree ages. That means the changes of tipping leaf length ratio and leaf shape are a significant but less-noticed reflection of trees tradeoff strategies at different growth stages. For instance, there exhibited relatively low ratio during sapling and juvenile, then increased with increasing age, showing the highest value in their maturity, and finally decreased on mature to old-growth transition. The tipping leaf length ratio serves as a cost-benefit ratio, thus the subtle changes in the leaf symmetrical distribution within individuals reveal buffering strategy, indicating the selection for efficient design of growth and hydraulic in their developmental sequences. Conclusions Our model provides a physical explanation of varied signatures for tree operations in hydraulic buffering through growth stages, and the buffering strategy revealed from leaf distribution morphologically provides evidence on the regulation mechanism of leaf biomechanics, hydraulics and physiologies. Our insight contributes greatly to plant trait modeling, policy and management, and will be of interest to some scientists and policy makers who are involved in climate change, ecology and environment protection, as well as forest ecology and management.

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 432-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seyed Mehdi Talebi ◽  
Reza Rezakhanlou ◽  
A V. Matsyura

<p><em>Salvia multicaulis</em> is a widespread species of Lamiaceae family in Iran. There are many discussions about its infraspecific variations. Although some varieties were definite for this species in various parts of the world, no infraspecific taxon was reported in Iran and all samples of this species were named as S. multicaulis. In this study, morphological characteristics of S. multicaulis populations, naturally growing in Iran, was examined. Twenty-two traits were examined in 94 individuals of this species to<br />identify their phenotypic difference. Most of the investigated features were showing a high degree of variability, but it was highly pronounced for some characteristics such as basal leaf shape, basal leaf width, basal leaf length/ width ratio and basal petiole length. Significant positive/negative correlations were observed between some morphological variables. Furthermore, significant negative correlations were found between the eastern distribution of populations with basal leaf petiole length and basal leaf length/ width ratio. Based on the UPGMA cluster analysis, populations were divided into two main branches. The first branch contained four populations, while the second branch was bigger and clustered in two sub-branches. In one of them,<br />three populations and in another one the rest populations arranged in two groups. CA joined plot confirmed that each of studied populations or group of populations had distinct morphological trait(s), which were useful in identification of them. Our findings supported population no. 13 had unique morphological traits such as the largest bracts and basal leaf petiole, highest flower number of each inflorescence cycle, widest and largest calyx. The conservation of the highly diverse populations of<br />Iranian S. multicaulis is recommended.</p>


2008 ◽  
Vol 133 (3) ◽  
pp. 396-407 ◽  
Author(s):  
John R. Stommel ◽  
Robert J. Griesbach

Considerable diversity exists in Capsicum L. germplasm for fruit and leaf shape, size, and color as well as plant habit. Using F1, F2, and backcross generations developed from diverse parental stocks, this report describes the inheritance patterns and relationships between unique foliar characters and diverse fruit and plant habit attributes. Our results demonstrate that pepper fruit color, shape, and fruit per cluster were simply inherited with modifying gene action. Broad-sense heritability for fruit color and shape and fruit per cluster was high, whereas narrow-sense heritability for these characters was moderate to low. Although fruit clustering was simply inherited, the number of fruit per cluster exhibited a quantitative mode of inheritance. High fruit counts per cluster were linked with red fruit color and anthocyanin pigmented foliage. Fruit shape was linked with immature fruit color and inherited independently of mature fruit color. Leaf color, length, and plant height were quantitatively inherited. Leaf shape did not vary, but leaf length varied and was positively correlated with leaf width. Broad-sense heritability for leaf characters, including leaf length, leaf width, and leaf color, was high. With the exception of leaf width, which exhibited low narrow-sense heritability, high narrow-sense heritability for leaf characters denoted additive gene action. Plant height displayed high broad-sense heritability. Moderate narrow-sense heritability suggested that additive effects also influence plant height. Analysis of segregating populations demonstrated that red and orange fruit color can be combined with all possible leaf colors from green to black. These results provide new data to clarify and extend available information on the inheritance of Capsicum fruit attributes and provide new information on the genetic control of leaf characters and plant habit.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 866 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xue Fu ◽  
Jing Xu ◽  
Mengyu Zhou ◽  
Minmin Chen ◽  
Lan Shen ◽  
...  

In molecular breeding of super rice, it is essential to isolate the best quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and genes of leaf shape and explore yield potential using large germplasm collections and genetic populations. In this study, a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population was used, which was derived from a cross between the following parental lines: hybrid rice Chunyou84, that is, japonica maintainer line Chunjiang16B (CJ16); and indica restorer line Chunhui 84 (C84) with remarkable leaf morphological differences. QTLs mapping of leaf shape traits was analyzed at the heading stage under different environmental conditions in Hainan (HN) and Hangzhou (HZ). A major QTL qLL9 for leaf length was detected and its function was studied using a population derived from a single residual heterozygote (RH), which was identified in the original population. qLL9 was delimitated to a 16.17 kb region flanked by molecular markers C-1640 and C-1642, which contained three open reading frames (ORFs). We found that the candidate gene for qLL9 is allelic to DEP1 using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), sequence comparison, and the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat-associated Cas9 nuclease (CRISPR/Cas9) genome editing techniques. To identify the effect of qLL9 on yield, leaf shape and grain traits were measured in near isogenic lines (NILs) NIL-qLL9CJ16 and NIL-qLL9C84, as well as a chromosome segment substitution line (CSSL) CSSL-qLL9KASA with a Kasalath introgressed segment covering qLL9 in the Wuyunjing (WYJ) 7 backgrounds. Our results showed that the flag leaf lengths of NIL-qLL9C84 and CSSL-qLL9KASA were significantly different from those of NIL-qLL9CJ16 and WYJ 7, respectively. Compared with NIL-qLL9CJ16, the spike length, grain size, and thousand-grain weight of NIL-qLL9C84 were significantly higher, resulting in a significant increase in yield of 15.08%. Exploring and pyramiding beneficial genes resembling qLL9C84 for super rice breeding could increase both the source (e.g., leaf length and leaf area) and the sink (e.g., yield traits). This study provides a foundation for future investigation of the molecular mechanisms underlying the source–sink balance and high-yield potential of rice, benefiting high-yield molecular design breeding for global food security.


Forests ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 714 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peijian Shi ◽  
David Ratkowsky ◽  
Yang Li ◽  
Lifang Zhang ◽  
Shuyan Lin ◽  
...  

Plant leaves exhibit diverse shapes that enable them to utilize a light resource maximally. If there were a general parametric model that could be used to calculate leaf area for different leaf shapes, it would help to elucidate the adaptive evolutional link among plants with the same or similar leaf shapes. We propose a simplified version of the original Gielis equation (SGE), which was developed to describe a variety of object shapes ranging from a droplet to an arbitrary polygon. We used this equation to fit the leaf profiles of 53 species (among which, 48 bamboo plants, 5 woody plants, and 10 geographical populations of a woody plant), totaling 3310 leaves. A third parameter (namely, the floating ratio c in leaf length) was introduced to account for the case when the theoretical leaf length deviates from the observed leaf length. For most datasets, the estimates of c were greater than zero but less than 10%, indicating that the leaf length predicted by the SGE was usually smaller than the actual length. However, the predicted leaf areas approximated their actual values after considering the floating ratios in leaf length. For most datasets, the mean percent errors of leaf areas were lower than 6%, except for a pooled dataset with 42 bamboo species. For the elliptical, lanceolate, linear, obovate, and ovate shapes, although the SGE did not fit the leaf edge perfectly, after adjusting the parameter c, there were small deviations of the predicted leaf areas from the actual values. This illustrates that leaves with different shapes might have similar functional features for photosynthesis, since the leaf areas can be described by the same equation. The anisotropy expressed as a difference in leaf shape for some plants might be an adaptive response to enable them to adapt to different habitats.


1971 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 237
Author(s):  
J Burley ◽  
PJ Wood ◽  
AS Hans

Eight morphological characters of leaves were examined in 2-year-old trees of 25 provenances of Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehn, grown in a replicated trial in Zambia. Provenances differed significantly in leaf length and width, base angle, and oil gland density but significant effects were attributed to trees within provenances. Leaf curvature also varied between provenances, trees, and branches. The tip angle and the number of veins did not vary significantly. Leaf length and oil gland density were related to maximum temperature at seed source rather than to latitude but the reverse occurred for leaf width. Significant amounts of variation were explained by a linear combination of temperature and latitude but not by longitude, altitude, or rainfall. Information on seven traits was combined in principal component analysis in which the first component (a measure of leaf shape) accounted for 36% of total observed variation while the second (weighted largely on leaf length) accounted for 26%. Mapping of both univariate and multivariate results indicated that there are two major ecotypes and gave some evidence of clinal and ecotypic variation within them. The conclusions support those of other workers both in natural populations in Australia and in exotic populations elsewhere.


Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bin Cheng ◽  
Ali Raza ◽  
Li Wang ◽  
Mei Xu ◽  
Junji Lu ◽  
...  

The shading of maize and self-shading are the key factors affecting the stem lignin biosynthesis and lodging resistance of soybean at middle and later growth stages in the strip intercropping system. A study was designed to explore the regulation mechanism of lignin metabolism and different planting densities; PD1, PD2, and PD3 were used having a total number of 17 plants m−2, 20 plants m−2, and 25 plants m−2, respectively, on the lodging resistance of strip intercropped soybean stem. Our results depicted that the lower planting density (PD1) appropriately promoted the leaf photosynthesis activities (Pn), increase the activity of lignin-related enzymes and the accumulation of carbohydrates in stems, and eventually enhanced the lodging resistance of the strip intercropped soybean stem. Correlation analysis also showed that the lodging resistance index of soybean stem was significantly correlated with the available light for soybean canopy and Pn strip intercropped soybean stem characteristics and activities of enzymes related to lignin synthesis among the different planting densities. The findings of our research will be useful in future studies to understand the relationship between different light environment, planting densities, and lodging resistance of intercropped soybean and also guide the optimum planting density in maize–soybean intercropping system.


1996 ◽  
Vol 26 (7) ◽  
pp. 1218-1227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig W. Hedman ◽  
David H. Van Lear ◽  
Wayne T. Swank

Large woody debris (LWD) is an important ecological component of mountain streams. However, the relation of LWD loading and riparian forest composition is poorly understood in the southern Appalachians. In this study, 500-m reaches of 11 riparian forest–stream systems representing a 300-year sere were inventoried and measured to obtain quantitative estimates and descriptions of in-stream LWD. Loading volumes ranged from 7.1 to 31.2 m3/100 m of stream, or between 3.6 and 13.2 kg/m2. LWD loadings were highly variable during midseral stages of plant community succession, primarily because of the wide range in loading of American chestnut (Castaneadentata (Marsh.) Borkh.). Loadings increased linearly in late-successional through old-growth systems over a 165-year interval. Eastern hemlock (Tsugacanadensis (L.) Carrière) and American chestnut were the most dominant carry-over LWD species in midsuccessional stream systems. Loading of eastern hemlock LWD increased from midsuccessional through old-growth stages as the species became dominant in the riparian forest. Without carry-over debris, LWD loadings would be extremely low in midsuccessional stream systems. American chestnut was a major component of LWD in midsuccessional stream systems, despite the fact that it has been unavailable for recruitment for decades.


2001 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 85-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. M. Reed ◽  
G. L. Riedel ◽  
M. R. Pooler

Abstract An interspecific hydrangea breeding project with the goal of producing cold-hardy hydrangeas with brightly colored flowers was initiated in 1997. The objective of the current study was to transfer Hydrangea macrophylla x H. paniculata plants obtained using ovule culture to in vivo conditions and to verify their hybrid nature. Putative hybrids, representing five H. macrophylla x H. paniculata cultivar combinations, were propagated and rooted in vitro. ‘Kardinal’ x ‘Brussels Lace’ putative hybrids were the only plants that produced roots and survived transfer to the greenhouse. RAPD markers were used to verify hybridity in 13 of these plants, only 5 of which survived. Four of the ‘Kardinal’ x ‘Brussels Lace’ hybrids were greatly reduced in size and slow-growing, having an average height of only 6.4 cm (2.5 in) 8 months after being removed from in vitro conditions. Height, internode length, leaf length and leaf width were approximately six times greater in the remaining ‘Kardinal’ x ‘Brussels Lace’ hybrid than in the four small hybrids. All hybrids resembled H. paniculata in leaf shape and pubescence, and appeared to be less susceptible than H. macrophylla to powdery mildew. Intercrosses between hybrids and backcrosses to parental species will be made when the hybrids flower.


2006 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-117
Author(s):  
Siti Zubaidah

Study of ploidy level and reproduction type of the fern species Dryopteris sparsa growing in Hutan Wisata Cangar (HWC) Kotatif Batu Jawa Timur and their relationship to the variation of leaf form and size was carried out. Ploidy level was determined based on somatic chromosome number counts by using standard squash methods. Reproduction type was examined by a spore count methods. The morphological characters that examined were the blade length, ratio of basal pinna length to blade length, ratio of stipe length to leaf length and ratio of basal basiscopic pinnule length to basal pinna length. We found that D. sparsa have two forms of ploidy levelreproduction type, there were sexual diploid (2n = 58) and sexual tetraploid (2n = 164). They could be differentiated by the variation of leaf form and size.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 268-275
Author(s):  
R. Thirunirai Selvan ◽  
K. T. Parthiban ◽  
B. Palanikumaran

Neolamarckia cadamba (Kadam) genetic resources were characterised Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability (DUS) traits based on International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants12 guidelines. Twenty-five clones of kadam were characterised based on the morphological characters of leaf and bark with 12 descriptors. Among these 12 descriptors, 9 were qualitative traits viz., leaf shape, Leaf base shape, apex shape, leaf margin, leaf venation, base symmetry, Waxiness in upper side of leaf, bark colour and bark texture and 3 were quantitative characters viz., leaf length, leaf breath, leaf petiole length. The study exhibited significant variations among the genetic resources investigated for various DUS traits, which could act as reference traits for developing variety to protect the genetic resources through Intellectual Property Rights.


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