The Carbon Storage of Reforestation Plantings on Degraded Lands of the Red Soil Region, Jiangxi Province, China

To assess the effects of reforestation on ecosystem carbon storage, a long-term Forest Restoration Experimental Project (FREP) was established in 1991 on southern degraded red soil in Taihe County, Jiangxi Province, China. In this study, we selected five types of plantations: Schima superba plantation (SS), Liquidambar formosana plantation (LF), Pinus massoniana plantation (PM), Pinus elliottii plantation (PE), and P. elliottii and broadleaf mixed plantation (MEB). The unforested land was used as an experimental control check (CK). We aimed to assess the changes in carbon storage in plantations and the factors affecting them. Thirty years after reforestation, the ecosystem carbon storage of the five types of plantations was significantly higher than that of the control site, and there were also significant differences in the ecosystem carbon storage between the different plantation types (p −1, 199.02 Mg ha−1, 160.96 Mg ha−1, 155.01 Mg ha−1, and 142.88 Mg ha−1, respectively. Compared to the CK, these values were increased by 436.8%, 404.6%, 308.1%, 293.1%, and 262.3%, respectively. The ecosystem carbon storage was significantly positively correlated with soil porosity, total nitrogen (TN), and stand density, and was significantly negatively correlated with pH, Pielou’s evenness index (PEI), and the Shannon–Weiner diversity index (SWDI). The soil water content (SWC), bulk density (BD), SWDI, and stand density can be used as indicators of the impact of reforestation plantings on ecosystem carbon storage. The research results has shown that reforestation plantings significantly increase ecosystem carbon storage, and that afforestation should be encouraged on degraded land

Proteomic analysis of protein interactions between Eimeria maxima sporozoites and chicken jejunal epithelial cells by shotgun LC-MS/MS

Abstract Background Eimeria maxima initiates infection by invading the jejunal epithelial cells of chicken. However, the proteins involved in invasion remain unknown. The research of the molecules that participate in the interactions between E. maxima sporozoites and host target cells will fill a gap in our understanding of the invasion system of this parasitic pathogen. Methods In the present study, chicken jejunal epithelial cells were isolated and cultured in vitro. Western blot was employed to analyze the soluble proteins of E. maxima sporozoites that bound to chicken jejunal epithelial cells. Co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP) assay was used to separate the E. maxima proteins that bound to chicken jejunal epithelial cells. Shotgun LC-MS/MS technique was used for proteomics identification and Gene Ontology was employed for the bioinformatics analysis. Results The results of Western blot analysis showed that four proteins bands from jejunal epithelial cells co-cultured with soluble proteins of E. maxima sporozoites were recognized by the positive sera, with molecular weights of 70, 90, 95 and 130 kDa. The co-IP dilutions were analyzed by shotgun LC-MS/MS. A total of 204 proteins were identified in the E. maxima protein database using the MASCOT search engine. Thirty-five proteins including microneme protein 3 and 7 had more than two unique peptide counts and were annotated using Gene Ontology for molecular function, biological process and cellular localization. The results revealed that of the 35 annotated peptides, 22 (62.86%) were associated with binding activity and 15 (42.86%) were involved in catalytic activity. Conclusions Our findings provide an insight into the interaction between E. maxima and the corresponding host cells and it is important for the understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying E. maxima invasion

Seasonal Dynamics and Influencing Factors of Litterfall Production and Carbon Input in Typical Forest Community Types in Lushan Mountain, China

Litterfall is an important part of the process of nutrient circulation and energy flow in forest ecosystems. Mountain forests are strongly eroded by running water in that the surface soil is thinner, and the terrain is complex and diverse. They are more sensitive to climate change, which will affect the ecological processes and carbon sink functions of forest ecosystems. Taking Lushan Mountain as an example, we studied the dynamic characteristics of litterfall components, seasonal changes in carbon input and the influencing factors of typical forest communities in the subtropics. The results showed that the total annual average litterfall components of evergreen broad-leaved forest (EBF) > artificial coniferous forest (ACF) > deciduous broad-leaved forest (DBF) > renew young forest (RYF), and that leaf litterfall is the first productivity in the litterfall components, and the peak of litterfall is mainly concentrated in spring and autumn, showing a single- or double-peaked change pattern. There was a linear relationship between the components of litterfall in the four forest communities and the stand factor, but the correlation degree R2 was small. Overall, the results showed that the total amount of litterfall in the four forest communities was affected by canopy density and stand density. Light, temperature and water at different altitudes had different effects on the amount of litterfall, with excessive temperatures at lower altitudes likely to limit forest growth and development under adequate light and water, and the opposite was true at higher altitudes. The results of Pearson correlation analysis showed that EBF and DBF were negatively correlated with rainfall, that ACF and RYF were negatively correlated with temperature and rainfall, and that wind speed was positively correlated. The average annual carbon input size of the four forest communities was EBF > ACF > RYF > DBF, which may be related to environmental conditions and vegetation types, and the seasonal differences were arranged in order of spring > autumn > summer > winter. It can be seen that, considering performance under future climate change, EBF is more conducive to nutrient input and has good soil fertility maintenance ability

The Preliminary Study on the Mechanism about Piperine Regulating the Knee Osteoarthritis Based on Network Pharmacological Methods

Abstract:Objective: To explore the target of anti-knee osteoarthritis (KOA) in the effective chemical compounds of piper longum L based on network pharmacological methods.Methods: The active chemical compounds of piper longum L were collected employing database retrieval on TCMSP, TCM-PTD, and literature mining. The Swiss Target Prediction service predicts the targets of active chemical compounds, and at the same time, the targets of the drugs treating knee osteoarthritis were collected by retrieving the OMIM and CTD databases. The targets were subjected to an alignment analysis to screen out piperine and we simulated the binding sites in vivo of compounds and proteins via AutoDock. After that, the rat models of knee osteoarthritis were established. The rats in model groups were given piperine treatment. The verification of the anti-KOA target PPARG and MAPK1 was done by Western blot and co-immunoprecipitation.Results: Nine active ingredients were predicted. According to Lipinski\u27s rule, piperine was speculated as a possible active ingredient. According to the possible targets of piperine and the KOA\u27s possible targets, three co-targets of them were confirmed, PPARG and MAPK1 were related to knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Molecular docking results show that piperine can hinder the binding of PPARG protein ARG-212 and GLN-420 amino-acid residues to each other. After 20 weeks of piperine treating, Western blot found that piperine can significantly increase the expression level of PPARG and reduce the expression level of MAPK1 in model rats. The endogenous interaction between PPARG and MAPK1 was verified by co-immunoprecipitation.Conclusion: Piper longum L can regulate the progression of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) by its active ingredient piperine，can affect the expression of PPARG and MAPK1 proteins, and PPARG and MAPK1 proteins have endogenous interactions.</p

A global dataset on species occurrences and functional traits of Schizothoracinae fish

Abstract The Schizothoracinae fish are a natural group of cyprinids widely distributed in rivers and lakes in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) and adjacent regions. These fish parallelly evolved with the QTP uplift and are thus important for uncovering geological history, the paleoclimatic environment, and the mechanisms of functional adaptation to environmental change. However, a dataset including species occurrences and functional traits, which are essential for resolving the above issues and guiding relevant conservation, remains unavailable. To fill this gap, we systematically compiled a comprehensive dataset on species occurrences and functional traits of Schizothoracinae fish from our long-term field samplings and various sources (e.g., publications and online databases). The dataset includes 7,333 occurrence records and 3,204 records of 32 functional traits covering all the genera and species of Schizothoracinae fish (i.e., 12 genera and 125 species or subspecies). Sampling records spanned over 180 years. This dataset will serve as a valuable resource for future research on the evolution, historical biogeography, responses to environmental change, and conservation of the Schizothoracinae fish

Root System Architecture Differences of Maize Cultivars Affect Yield and Nitrogen Accumulation in Southwest China

Root system architecture (RSA) plays a critical role in the acquisition of water and mineral nutrients. In order to understand the root characteristics that contribute to enhanced crop yield and N accumulation high-yielding and N efficient cultivars under N-stressed conditions. Here, grain yield, N accumulation and RSA traits of six dominant maize cultivars (CD30, ZH311, ZHg505, CD189, QY9 and RY1210) grown in the Southwestern part of China were investigated in field experiment under three different N regimes in 2019&ndash;2020; N300 (300 kg N ha&minus;1), N150 (150 kg N ha&minus;1) and N0 (no N supplied). Using Root Estimator for Shovelomics Traits (REST) for the quantitative analysis of maize root image obtained in the field, RSA traits including total root length (RL), root surface area (RA), root angle opening (RO), and root maximal width (RMW) were quantified in this study. The results showed that Yield, N accumulation and RSA were significantly affected by N rates, cultivars and their interactions. Grain yield, N accumulation and root weight showed a similar trend under N300 and N150 conditions compared to N0 conditions. With the input of N fertilizer, the root length, surface area, and angle increase, but root width does not increase. Under the N300 and N150 condition, RL, RA, RO and RMW increased by 17.96%, 17.74%, 18.27%, 9.22%, and 20.39%, 18.58%, 19.92%, 16.79%, respectively, compared to N0 condition. CD30, ZH505 and RY1210 have similar RO and RMW, larger than other cultivars. However, ZH505 and RY1210 have 13.22% and 19.99% longer RL, and 11.41% and 5.17% larger RA than CD30. Additionally, the grain yield of ZH505 and RY1210 is 17.57% and 13.97% higher compared with CD30. The N accumulation of ZH505 and RY1210 also shows 4.55% and 9.60% higher than CD30. Correlation analysis shows that RL, RA, RO and RMW have a significant positive correlation with grain yield while RO and RMW have a significant positive correlation with N accumulation. Linear plus plateau model analysis revealed that when the RO reaches 99.53&deg;, and the RMW reaches 15.18 cm, the N accumulation reaches its maximum value under 0&ndash;300 kg N ha&minus;1 conditions. Therefore, selecting maize cultivars with efficient RSA suitable for different soil N inputs can achieve higher grain yield and N use efficiency

Root System Architecture Differences of Maize Cultivars Affect Yield and Nitrogen Accumulation in Southwest China

Root system architecture (RSA) plays a critical role in the acquisition of water and mineral nutrients. In order to understand the root characteristics that contribute to enhanced crop yield and N accumulation high-yielding and N efficient cultivars under N-stressed conditions. Here, grain yield, N accumulation and RSA traits of six dominant maize cultivars (CD30, ZH311, ZHg505, CD189, QY9 and RY1210) grown in the Southwestern part of China were investigated in field experiment under three different N regimes in 2019–2020; N300 (300 kg N ha−1), N150 (150 kg N ha−1) and N0 (no N supplied). Using Root Estimator for Shovelomics Traits (REST) for the quantitative analysis of maize root image obtained in the field, RSA traits including total root length (RL), root surface area (RA), root angle opening (RO), and root maximal width (RMW) were quantified in this study. The results showed that Yield, N accumulation and RSA were significantly affected by N rates, cultivars and their interactions. Grain yield, N accumulation and root weight showed a similar trend under N300 and N150 conditions compared to N0 conditions. With the input of N fertilizer, the root length, surface area, and angle increase, but root width does not increase. Under the N300 and N150 condition, RL, RA, RO and RMW increased by 17.96%, 17.74%, 18.27%, 9.22%, and 20.39%, 18.58%, 19.92%, 16.79%, respectively, compared to N0 condition. CD30, ZH505 and RY1210 have similar RO and RMW, larger than other cultivars. However, ZH505 and RY1210 have 13.22% and 19.99% longer RL, and 11.41% and 5.17% larger RA than CD30. Additionally, the grain yield of ZH505 and RY1210 is 17.57% and 13.97% higher compared with CD30. The N accumulation of ZH505 and RY1210 also shows 4.55% and 9.60% higher than CD30. Correlation analysis shows that RL, RA, RO and RMW have a significant positive correlation with grain yield while RO and RMW have a significant positive correlation with N accumulation. Linear plus plateau model analysis revealed that when the RO reaches 99.53°, and the RMW reaches 15.18 cm, the N accumulation reaches its maximum value under 0–300 kg N ha−1 conditions. Therefore, selecting maize cultivars with efficient RSA suitable for different soil N inputs can achieve higher grain yield and N use efficiency

Additional file 1: of Proteomic analysis of protein interactions between Eimeria maxima sporozoites and chicken jejunal epithelial cells by shotgun LC-MS/MS

Table S1. LC-MS/MS analysis of E. maxima sporozoite proteins binding to chicken jejunal epithelial cells. This file describes the details of the 204 non-redundant proteins that were identified using shotgun LC-MS/MS. (XLS 187 kb

Additional file 2: of Proteomic analysis of protein interactions between Eimeria maxima sporozoites and chicken jejunal epithelial cells by shotgun LC-MS/MS

Table S2. Eimeria maxima sporozoite soluble proteins binding to chicken jejunal epithelial cells with more than two unique peptide counts. This file describes the details of the 35 proteins binding to chicken jejunal epithelial cells that were identified with more than two unique peptide counts using shotgun LC-MS/MS. (XLS 95 kb