Effects of Glyphosate Application on Physiologically Integrated Clones of the Invasive Plant Carpobrotus edulis

[Abstract] Management of invasive alien species is a high priority for biodiversity conservation. Here, we studied the effects of glyphosate application, at 0.06 g/m2 concentration, on physiologically integrated basal and apical ramets of the invasive clonal plant Carpobrotus edulis. Physiological integration allows the transport of resources and other substances between connected ramets in clonal plants. We found a significant reduction of growth and photochemical efficiency both in basal and apical ramets of C. edulis after glyphosate application. Interestingly, we also observed a significant growth reduction in untreated basal ramets when they remained connected to apical ramets treated with glyphosate. This result was interpreted as a cost for basal ramets due to supporting severely stressed apical ramets. Therefore, local application of glyphosate to apical ramets of C. edulis can negatively affect not only their own growth, but also the growth of their interconnected, untreated basal ramets. Our results suggest that glyphosate effectiveness can be maintained when applied only to one part of the clone so that the amount of herbicide used in eradication programs can be greatly reduced, which can minimize the negative impact of chemical herbicides on ecosystems

Potential Roles of Soil Microorganisms in Regulating the Effect of Soil Nutrient Heterogeneity on Plant Performance [Review]

This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Plant-Microbe Interactions[Abstract] The spatially heterogeneous distribution of soil nutrients is ubiquitous in terrestrial ecosystems and has been shown to promote the performance of plant communities, influence species coexistence, and alter ecosystem nutrient dynamics. Plants interact with diverse soil microbial communities that lead to an interdependent relationship (e.g., symbioses), driving plant community productivity, belowground biodiversity, and soil functioning. However, the potential role of the soil microbial communities in regulating the effect of soil nutrient heterogeneity on plant growth has been little studied. Here, we highlight the ecological importance of soil nutrient heterogeneity and microorganisms and discuss plant nutrient acquisition mechanisms in heterogeneous soil. We also examine the evolutionary advantages of nutrient acquisition via the soil microorganisms in a heterogeneous environment. Lastly, we highlight a three-way interaction among the plants, soil nutrient heterogeneity, and soil microorganisms and propose areas for future research priorities. By clarifying the role of soil microorganisms in shaping the effect of soil nutrient heterogeneity on plant performance, the present study enhances the current understanding of ecosystem nutrient dynamics in the context of patchily distributed soil nutrients.This study was supported by the NSFC (grants 32071527 and 31870610)National Natural Science Foundation of China; 32071527National Natural Science Foundation of China; 3187061

Editorial: Ecoepigenetics in Clonal and Inbreeding Plants: Transgenerational Adaptation and Environmental Variation, Volume Ii

Research was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32071527) to F-HY, and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31500331) to B-CDChina. National Natural Science Foundation; 32071527China. National Natural Science Foundation; 3150033

Effects of Temporal Heterogeneity in Nutrient Supply on Intra- And Inter-Genet Competition of a Clonal Herb

[Abstract] Nutrients are often released heterogeneously over time (e.g., in pulses) in natural habitats. Different genotypes of the same plant species may vary in their responses to temporal nutrient heterogeneity so that temporal nutrient heterogeneity may influence intraspecific interactions. To test effects of temporal nutrient heterogeneity on intra-genet (competition between ramets of the same genotype) and inter-genet competition (competition between ramets of different genotypes), we conducted a greenhouse experiment with five genotypes of the clonal herb Hydrocotyle vulgaris. We grew one ramet (no competition), two ramets of the same genotype or two ramets of different genotypes in a pot and supplied the pot with the same total amount of nutrients either homogeneously or heterogeneously. Results showed that temporal nutrient heterogeneity affected the growth and biomass allocation of some genotypes, but had no impact on those of other genotypes of H. vulgaris. These suggested that responses to temporal nutrient heterogeneity were different between genotypes of H. vulgaris. Temporal nutrient heterogeneity had little effect on intra-genet competition of H. vulgaris likely because ramets of the same genotype did not differ in their responses to temporal nutrient heterogeneity. However, temporal nutrient heterogeneity increased the competitive ability of the genotype of H. vulgaris with higher plant productivity. We conclude that temporal nutrient heterogeneity can influence intraspecific interactions of the clonal plant H. vulgaris by altering inter-genet competition, and this effect may further change population dynamics of the plant.This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants 31570413 and 32071527) and the Ten Thousand Talent Program of Zhejiang Province (2018R52016)China. National Natural Science Foundation of China; 31570413China. National Natural Science Foundation of China; 32071527China. Ten-Thousand-Talent Program of Zhejiang Province; 2018R5201

An edge grafting theorem on the energy of unicyclic and bipartite graphs

AbstractThe energy of a graph is the sum of the absolute values of the eigenvalues of its adjacency matrix. The edge grafting operation on a graph is certain kind of edge moving between two pendant paths starting from the same vertex. In this paper we show how the graph energy changes under the edge grafting operations on unicyclic and bipartite graphs. We also give some applications of this result on the comparison of graph energies between unicyclic or bipartite graphs

Density alteration in non-physiological cells

In the present study an important phenomenon of cells was discovered: the change of intracellular density in cell's response to drug and environmental factors. For convenience, this phenomenon is named as "density alteration in non-physiological cells" ( DANCE). DANCE was determined by discontinuous sucrose gradient centrifugation (DSGC), in which cells were separated into several bands. The number and position of the bands in DSGC varied with the change of cell culture conditions, drugs, and physical process, indicating that cell's response to these factors was associated with alteration of intracellular density. Our results showed that the bands of cells were molecularly different from each other, such as the expression of some mRNAs. For most cells tested, intracellular density usually decreased when the cells were in bad conditions, in presence of drugs, or undergoing pathological changes. However, unlike other tissue cells, brain cells showed increased intracellular density in 24 hrs after the animal death. In addition, DANCE was found to be related to drug resistance, with higher drug-resistance in cells of lower intracellular density. Further study found that DANCE also occurred in microorganisms including bacteria and fungus, suggesting that DANCE might be a sensitive and general response of cells to drugs and environmental change. The mechanisms for DANCE are not clear. Based on our study the following causes were hypothesized: change of metabolism mode, change of cell membrane function, and pathological change. DANCE could be important in medical and biological sciences. Study of DANCE might be helpful to the understanding of drug resistance, development of new drugs, separation of new subtypes from a cell population, forensic analysis, and importantly, discovery of new physiological or pathological properties of cells