Cordgrass performance in different flooding treatments in the common garden experiment.

<p>(A) number of stems and maximum plant height and (B) biomass. Data are means + 1SE (<i>n</i> = 6). <i>P</i>-values from ANOVAs or Wilcoxon tests are indicated.</p

Cordgrass performance in different zones at the estuarine site in 2010.

<p>(A) number of stems (B) maximum plant height (C) number of inflorescences and (D) biomass. Data are means + 1SE. ND indicates no data. Bars sharing a capital letter were not significantly different from one another (nonparametric multiple comparisons, Steel-test). <i>P</i>-values from ANOVAs or Wilcoxon tests investigating the effect of neighbors are indicated above each bar group for low marsh and high marsh transplants.</p

Physical stresses and vegetation cover in different zones at the salt marsh and estuarine sites.

<p>Data are means ± 1SE. Sample sizes are 8 for salinity, moisture, and 15 for vegetation cover. Flooding frequency (shown as a range) was estimated based on previous studies and field observations.</p><p>Statistical analyses were conducted using generalized linear models. Gamma regressions with log link were used for salinity and moisture while a Poisson regression with log link was used for vegetation cover. -, no data. Flooding indicates the percentage of days flooded in a year.</p

Map showing study sites in the Yellow River Delta, northern China.

<p>Cordgrass was artificially planted at Wuhaozhuang in the 1980s, and has invaded the estuarine site. Cordgrass was collected at Wuhaozhuang and transplanted into different zones (along the dotted lines) at the salt marsh and estuarine sites.</p

Appendix B. Summaries of the results of the generalized linear models testing treatment effects in the pot, field herbivory and common garden experiments, respectively.

Summaries of the results of the generalized linear models testing treatment effects in the pot, field herbivory and common garden experiments, respectively

Appendix A. Patterns of Suaeda and Salicornia cover, crab abundance, salinity, and relative elevation across the zonation boundary.

Patterns of Suaeda and Salicornia cover, crab abundance, salinity, and relative elevation across the zonation boundary

Data supporting results in Figures 1-3, main text, and supplementary figures

This data file contains the data supporting the results of the paper: He et al. Natural enemies govern ecosystem resilience in the face of extreme droughts. Ecology Letters. All codes of treatments, sites, years, response measures are consistent with those described in the paper. Please refer to the paper for details of the experimental treatments and methods

Appendix A. Schematic diagram of coastal zones, salinity gradients, and species distributions at the study site.

Schematic diagram of coastal zones, salinity gradients, and species distributions at the study site

Appendix B. Edaphic and microclimate factors in Tamarix chinensis canopy, removal, and open plots.

Edaphic and microclimate factors in Tamarix chinensis canopy, removal, and open plots

Microarray-Based Analysis of Gene Expression in <i>Lycopersicon esculentum</i> Seedling Roots in Response to Cadmium, Chromium, Mercury, and Lead

The effects of heavy metals in agricultural soils have received special attention due to their potential for accumulation in crops, which can affect species at all trophic levels. Therefore, there is a critical need for reliable bioassays for assessing risk levels due to heavy metals in agricultural soil. In the present study, we used microarrays to investigate changes in gene expression of <i>Lycopersicon esculentum</i> in response to Cd-, Cr-, Hg-, or Pb-spiked soil. Exposure to ¹/₁₀ median lethal concentrations (LC₅₀) of Cd, Cr, Hg, or Pb for 7 days resulted in expression changes in 29 Cd-specific, 58 Cr-specific, 192 Hg-specific and 864 Pb-specific genes as determined by microarray analysis, whereas conventional morphological and physiological bioassays did not reveal any toxicant stresses. Hierarchical clustering analysis showed that the characteristic gene expression profiles induced by Cd, Cr, Hg, and Pb were distinct from not only the control but also one another. Furthermore, a total of three genes related to “ion transport” for Cd, 14 genes related to “external encapsulating structure organization”, “reproductive developmental process”, “lipid metabolic process” and “response to stimulus” for Cr, 11 genes related to “cellular metabolic process” and “cellular response to stimulus” for Hg, 78 genes related to 20 biological processes (e.g., DNA metabolic process, monosaccharide catabolic process, cell division) for Pb were identified and selected as their potential biomarkers. These findings demonstrated that microarray-based analysis of <i>Lycopersicon esculentum</i> was a sensitive tool for the early detection of potential toxicity of heavy metals in agricultural soil, as well as an effective tool for identifying the heavy metal-specific genes, which should be useful for assessing risk levels due to heavy metals in agricultural soil