Fingerprinting an natürlichen und angepflanzten Schilf-Beständen (Phragmites australis) Nordwestdeutschlands

In Folge der Erweiterung des Bremer Flughafens mußte der Flußlauf der Ochtum (Alte Ochtum) verlegt werden (Neue Ochtum). Im Mittelpunkt des Projektes stehen natürliche und artifizielle Schilfbestände der Alten und Neuen Ochtum westlich von Bremen. Mit Hilfe der RAPD-Fingerprinting Methode wurden 13 Phragmites australis Bestände Nordwestdeutschlands untersucht. Die angepflanzten jungen Bestände der Neuen Ochtum unterscheiden sich nicht wesentlich von den spontan angesiedelten Populationen. Die neuen Bestände (Neue Ochtum) sind genetisch variabler als die älteren natürlichen Bestände (Alte Ochtum, sowie zum Vergleich Dümmer, Rubbenbruchsee). Einzelne Stichproben aus den angepflanzten Beständen können eindeutig Ancestorpopulationen (Alte Ochtum) zugeordnet werden. In manchen Beständen der Neuen Ochtum kann ein bedeutender Prozentsatz (bis zu 13%) an Merkmalen identifiziert werden, die in den Beständen der Alten Ochtum nicht vertreten sind. Es muß zu einem Neueintrag von außerhalb gekommen sein, der durch Anschwemmung von Saatgut erfolgt sein könnte. Möglicherweise erfolgte die artifizielle Bepflanzung mit Material, das nicht, wie angegeben, aus autochthonen Beständen der Alten Ochtum stammte. Innerhalb der Populationen sind Stichproben terrestrischer Bereiche von denen überfluteter Bereiche zu unterscheiden. Die Dümmerpopulationen sowie die Rubbenbruchpopulation sind deutlich verschieden von den Ochtum Populationen. Die Bestände der Neuen Ochtum und der Alten Ochtum bilden keine getrennten Cluster.Subsequent to the airport extension near Bremen the course of the river Ochtum (Alte Ochtum) has been moved to another place (Neue Ochtum). Our task was to compare the artificial and natural new stands (Neue Ochtum) with the natural old stands (Alte Ochtum) at the river Ochtum west of Bremen. With RAPD fingerprinting we studied the relationships within and between 13 reed stands of north-west Germany. The planted new stands do not differ essentially from the spontaneous new stands. The new stands (Neue Ochtum) are generally more variable than the old stands (Alte Ochtum, in comparison with Dümmer, Rubbenbruchsee). Single probes from the planted stands have nearly the same RAPD pattern as old stands (Alte Ochtum, ancestral genotypes). Some stands of the Neue Ochtum developed new RAPD markers (up to 13%) which do not occur in the Alte Ochtum populations. This is explained by an input of new genotypes from outside by washed up seeds or air borne pollen. The artificially planted material of the Neue Ochtum is possibly not an outcome of autochthonous stands of the Alte Ochtum as stated in the literature. Within some populations terrestrial and flooded genotypes can be determined. Populations from the Dümmer and the Rubbenbruchsee are clearly distinct from Ochtum populations. Neue Ochtum and Alte Ochtum stands do not create distinct clusters

Schutz und Erhalt pflanzengenetischer Vielfalt : In situ- und Ex situ-Maßnahmen

Die ökologische, ökonomische und kulturelle Bedeutung von Wildpflanzenarten und deren Potential an genetischen Ressourcen werden immer offensichtlicher. Aber unsere Biosphäre verändert sich zunehmend drastischer, wodurch die natürliche Artenvielfalt stark bedroht ist. Die „Convention on Biological Diversity“ (CBD) hat sich ein Aufhalten des Biodiversitätsverlustes zum Ziel gesetzt. In situ- Maßnahmen wird dabei eine hohe Priorität zugesprochen, aber Ex situ-Maßnahmen werden immer dringender und dies insbesondere hinsichtlich des Erhalts genetischer Variabilität auf Populationsebene. Botanische Gärten sind durch ihre traditionell großen Sammlungen und Ausstellungen als Standardinstitutionen für eine Ex situ-Erhaltung prädestiniert. Aber der Wert und die Bedeutung dieser Sammlungen für den Erhalt der natürlichen genetischen Variabilität bleibt de facto beschränkt. Wir plädieren daher mit Nachdruck für Saatgutgenbanken für Wildpflanzen. Diese Vorgehensweise wird in mehreren Ländern bereits herangezogen - in Deutschland aber nicht. Saatgutgenbanken sind die einfachste und preisgünstigste Ex situ-Strategie zum Erhalt der pflanzengenetischen Vielfalt. Saatgutgenbanken für Wildpflanzen haben das Ziel, natürliche pflanzengenetische Ressourcen zu schützen und zu erhalten. In Kombination mit In situ-Maßnahmen haben sie große Bedeutung für den Naturschutz, z.B. im Rahmen von Wiederbesiedlungsmaßnahmen.The world is facing a dramatic change of the biosphere. Habitat loss, climate change, pollution, and biological invasions are regarded as greatest threat for biodiversity. To stop the current loss of biodiversity is a matter of worldwide concern, and is the goal of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD, 1992). Priority is given to in situ measures against species decline, however should be supported by ex situ conservation, and in the light of the ever increasing loss of biodiversity, ex situ measures are becoming more and more urgent, especially when protecting genetic variation at the population level. There is growing awareness of the ecological, economic and cultural significance of wild plant species and their potential as genetic resources. Botanic gardens are the standard institutions for ex situ conservation. With their huge collections on display botanical gardens are the most effective multipliers for increasing public awareness of the value of biodiversity and conservation needs. However, there are limitations which reduce the value of the collections of the botanical gardens for conservation of genetic variability. We therefore strongly argue for seed gene banks of wild plants, a strategy which has been already adopted in several countries but not in Germany. Seed gene banks are the easiest and least expensive way for preserving plant genetic variability. The aim of seed gene banks for indigenous wild plants are protection and conservation of natural plant genetic resources and promoting integrated ex situ and in situ conservation efforts e.g. for reintroduction strategies

Loki Schmidt-Genbank für Wildpflanzen am Botanischen Garten der Universität Osnabrück

Zur Erhaltung genetischer Ressourcen, wissenschaftlicher Forschung und im Rahmen zentraler Informationsdatenbanken sind Ex situ-Sammlungen in Form von Genbanken notwendig. Die Botanischen Gärten sollten Saatgutgenbanken von Wildpflanzen zukünftig aufbauen bzw. etablieren, um die Erhaltungsmaßnahmen und den Schutz der natürlichen pflanzengenetischen Ressourcen weiter voranzubringen. Am Botanischen Garten der Universität Osnabrück ist eine Genbank für Wildpflanzen eingerichtet worden, die insbesondere Saatgut gefährdeter Gefäßpflanzenarten Nordwestdeutschlands beherbergt und unter trockenen Bedingungen bei minus 20°C in speziellen Alu-Polyethylenfolien aufbewahrt. Gegenwärtig befinden sich 1800 Saatgutproben von 620 Wildpflanzenarten aus 65 Pflanzenfamilien in der Genbank. In einer Access basierten Datenbank ist jeder Beleg auch online abrufbar (www.wildpflanzen-genbank.de) und im Herbarium “OSBU“ der AG Botanik als Belegexemplar hinterlegt. Wir planen die Integration der Loki Schmidt-Genbank und das dezentrale Netzwerk von regionalen Saatgut-Genbanken für Wildpflanzen in die Organisation „Nationales Inventar Pflanzengenetischer Ressourcen Deutschlands“ (PGRDEU) und hier in das untergeordnete Netzwerk „Deutsche Genbank für Crop Wild Relatives” (CWR), dessen Koordination dem Botanischen Garten Osnabrück obliegen würde. Botanische Gärten können als Institutionen die Nachhaltigkeit der Einrichtung solcher Systeme gewährleisten und sind deshalb die richtigen Ansprechpartner für diese Kooperation.There is a growing awareness for the significance of seed gene banks as an ex situ-strategy for the maintenance of plant genetic resources. At the Botanical Garden of the University of Osnabrueck we established a seed gene bank for wild plants of Northwest Germany. We have already collected material of 1800 accessions from 620 species and 65 families. The seeds are dried and stored in special plastic bags in minus 20°C. Information about each accession is listed in an access database which is online available (www.wildpflanzen-genbank.de). Voucher material is documented in the herbarium OSBU of the AG Botany at the University of Osnabrueck. We plan to integrate the Loki Schmidt Gene Bank and the decentralised network of seed gene banks for wild plants into the organisation “National Inventory of Plant Genetic Resources Germany” (PGRDEU) and here in the subordinated network “German Gene Bank for Crop Wild Relatives” which shall be coordinated in the Botanical Garden in Osnabrueck. Institutions like Botanical Gardens are able to guarantee for the sustainability of such systems and are the most probable partners in the cooperation

Variación ecotípica y alozímica de Capsella bursapastoris y C. rubella (Brassicaceae) a lo largo de gradientes latitudinales y altitudinales en la Península Ibérica

Life-history traits (onset of flowering, leaf number, rosette diameter, plant height, branching number, fruit dimensions, seed number) of Capsella species from the Iberian Península associated with colotúzing ability were compared in a random block field experiment. Data were evaluated by a principal component analysis. Allozymes (AAT, LAP, GDH) and leaf types were recorded. C. bursa-pastoris plants originating from low and high elevations of the summer dry Mediterranean climatic zone (Sierra Nevada) were early flowering, whereas those originating from the Pyrenees with an alpine climate were late. In C. bursa-pastoris the "rhomboidea" leaf type was very frequent, whereas in C. rubella it was the "heteris" leaf type. There was a change of leaf type frequencies along geographical clines which is explained by adaptive components of the leaf shape. The allozymes displayed a geographical distribuüon pattem and in C. bursa-pastoris a certain multilocus genotype appeared to be a molecular marker for an early flowering ecotype(inicio de la floración, número de hojas, diámetro de la roseta, altura de la planta, número de ramas, dimensiones del fruto y número de semillas) de plantas de Capsella procedentes de la Península Ibérica mediante un experimento de bloques aleatorios en el campo. Los datos se evaluaron con un análisis de componentes principales. También se registraron el tipo de hojas y el perfil aloenzimático de las plantas. Las plantas de Capsella bursa-pastoris procedentes de altitudes altas y bajas de la zona climática Mediterránea de verano seco (Sierra Nevada) mostraron ser de floración temprana, mientras que las plantas de los Pirineos, con un clima alpino, presentaron una floración tardía. En C. bursa-pastoris el tipo de hoja "rhomboidea" resultó ser el más frecuente, en tanto que en C. rubella lo fue el tipo "heteris". Se observó un cambio en las frecuencias de los tipos de hojas a lo largo de una clina geográfica, lo que se explicaría por los componentes adaptativos que posee la forma de la hoja. Las aloenzimas presentaron un patrón de distribución geográfico y en C. bursa-pastoris un determinado genotipo multilocus podría ser un marcador molecular para el ecotipo de floración temprana

Long-term balancing selection drives evolution of immunity genes in Capsella.

Genetic drift is expected to remove polymorphism from populations over long periods of time, with the rate of polymorphism loss being accelerated when species experience strong reductions in population size. Adaptive forces that maintain genetic variation in populations, or balancing selection, might counteract this process. To understand the extent to which natural selection can drive the retention of genetic diversity, we document genomic variability after two parallel species-wide bottlenecks in the genus Capsella. We find that ancestral variation preferentially persists at immunity related loci, and that the same collection of alleles has been maintained in different lineages that have been separated for several million years. By reconstructing the evolution of the disease-related locus MLO2b, we find that divergence between ancient haplotypes can be obscured by referenced based re-sequencing methods, and that trans-specific alleles can encode substantially diverged protein sequences. Our data point to long-term balancing selection as an important factor shaping the genetics of immune systems in plants and as the predominant driver of genomic variability after a population bottleneck

Physiological and anatomical differentiation of two sympatric weed populations

Neuffer B, Schorsch M, Hameister S, Knuesting J, Selinski J, Scheibe R. Physiological and anatomical differentiation of two sympatric weed populations. PEERJ. 2020;8: e9226.In the vineyards of Rhineland-Palatinate (Germany), two different types of Shepherd's Purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris) coexist: (1) the common type called 'wild type', and (2) the decandric type called Capsella apetala or 'Spe' with four stamens in place of the four petals. In this study, we compare the anatomical and physiological characters of rosette leaves of the respective types. Progeny of individual plants was cultivated in growth chambers under low- and high-light conditions. Under low-light conditions, the stomata densities of the adaxial and abaxial epidermis did not differ between the two types. When grown under high-light conditions, wild type and Spe, both exhibited increased stomata densities compared to low-light conditions, but Spe to a lesser extent than the wild type. The maximal photosynthetic capacity of Spe was lower in both, low-light and high-light conditions compared to wild-type plants. Under all CO2 concentrations, Spe seemed to be less productive. The less effective CO2 assimilation of the Spe mutant C. apetala was accompanied by later flowering. This fact prolonged the vegetative phase of Spe by about two weeks and was sufficient for the maintenance of both populations stably over years

Pan-European study of genotypes and phenotypes in the Arabidopsis relative Cardamine hirsuta reveals how adaptation, demography, and development shape diversity patterns

We study natural DNA polymorphisms and associated phenotypes in the Arabidopsis relative Cardamine hirsuta. We observed strong genetic differentiation among several ancestry groups and broader distribution of Iberian relict strains in European C. hirsuta compared to Arabidopsis. We found synchronization between vegetative and reproductive development and a pervasive role for heterochronic pathways in shaping C. hirsuta natural variation. A single, fast-cycling ChFRIGIDA allele evolved adaptively allowing range expansion from glacial refugia, unlike Arabidopsis where multiple FRIGIDA haplotypes were involved. The Azores islands, where Arabidopsis is scarce, are a hotspot for C. hirsuta diversity. We identified a quantitative trait locus (QTL) in the heterochronic SPL9 transcription factor as a determinant of an Azorean morphotype. This QTL shows evidence for positive selection, and its distribution mirrors a climate gradient that broadly shaped the Azorean flora. Overall, we establish a framework to explore how the interplay of adaptation, demography, and development shaped diversity patterns of 2 related plant species

Nutrients

The gut microbiome is involved in nutrient metabolism and produces metabolites that, via the gut-brain axis, signal to the brain and influence cognition. Human studies have so far had limited success in identifying early metabolic alterations linked to cognitive aging, likely due to limitations in metabolite coverage or follow-ups. Older persons from the Three-City population-based cohort who had not been diagnosed with dementia at the time of blood sampling were included, and repeated measures of cognition over 12 subsequent years were collected. Using a targeted metabolomics platform, we identified 72 circulating gut-derived metabolites in a case-control study on cognitive decline, nested within the cohort (discovery n = 418; validation n = 420). Higher serum levels of propionic acid, a short-chain fatty acid, were associated with increased odds of cognitive decline (OR for 1 SD = 1.40 (95% CI 1.11, 1.75) for discovery and 1.26 (1.02, 1.55) for validation). Additional analyses suggested mediation by hypercholesterolemia and diabetes. Propionic acid strongly correlated with blood glucose (r = 0.79) and with intakes of meat and cheese (r > 0.15), but not fiber (r = 0.04), suggesting a minor role of prebiotic foods per se, but a possible link to processed foods, in which propionic acid is a common preservative. The adverse impact of propionic acid on metabolism and cognition deserves further investigation.COGINUT : Cognition, anti-oxydants, acides gras: approche interdisciplinaire du rôle de la nutrition dans le vieillissement du cerveauHistoire naturelle du déclin cognitif et du besoin de soins chez le sujet âg

Towards a muon collider

A muon collider would enable the big jump ahead in energy reach that is needed for a fruitful exploration of fundamental interactions. The challenges of producing muon collisions at high luminosity and 10 TeV centre of mass energy are being investigated by the recently-formed International Muon Collider Collaboration. This Review summarises the status and the recent advances on muon colliders design, physics and detector studies. The aim is to provide a global perspective of the field and to outline directions for future work