Vertical root separation and light interception in a temperate tree-based intercropping system of Eastern Canada

We analysed the spatial distribution of fine roots and light availability in a tree-based intercrop system (TBI) composed of Quercus rubra L. (QUR), hybrid poplar (Populus deltoides × Populus nigra—HYP) and hay (CROP) in southern Québec (Canada) to evaluate interactions between trees and crop. Trees in the 8-year-old TBI system had superficial fine root profiles, which is common in tree species grown in conventional plantations and natural forests. More than 95 % of fine roots were found within the first 25 and 45 cm for QUR and HYP, respectively, and 35 cm for CROP. However, vertical separation between the fine root systems of QUR and CROP was evident, as QUR allocated less fine roots to the top 10 cm of soil, and more to depths between 10 and 30 cm, as opposed to CROP which had a greater proportion of fine roots in the top 10 cm. HYP fine roots showed no adaption when intercropped with hay. High tree fine root length density (FRLD) in the top soil layer was observed near the tree stems while hay FRLD was reduced by 45 %, suggesting strong competition for resources. Hay yield analysis revealed significant reduction near trees, particularly HYP. However, light did seem to be the main driver of intercrop yield, as it not only accounted for the effect of competition by roots (being correlated), but also had a singular effect.     

Regolith migration and sorting on asteroid Itokawa

High-resolution images of the surface of asteroid Itokawa from the Hayabusa mission reveal it to be covered with unconsolidated millimeter-sized and larger gravels. Locations and morphologic characteristics of this gravel indicate that Itokawa has experienced considerable vibrations, which have triggered global-scale granular processes in its dry, vacuum, microgravity environment. These processes likely include granular convection, landslide-like granular migrations, and particle sorting, resulting in the segregation of the fine gravels into areas of potential lows. Granular processes become major resurfacing processes because of Itokawa's small size, implying that they can occur on other small asteroids should those have regolith.     

中国绵羊群体mtDNA D-Loop的遗传多样性分析

为了研究中国家养绵羊的起源和遗传多样性,通过对143只绵羊(9个群体)的线粒体DNA(mtDNA)D-环的部分序列进行PCR扩增,测序获得1个长度为723bp的序列(含5个75bp的重复单元),137个长度为648bp的序列(含4个75bp的重复单元)。5个长度为573bp的序列(含3个75bp的重复单元),因此认为含有4个重复单元是家养绵羊mtDNAD-环的特征,mtDNA序列长度的变异主要是由于重复区重复单元次数的不同造成。对137个含有4个重复单元的序列进行分析,发现157个变异位点,占研究位点的24.22%。A、T、G、C含量分别为35.67%、27.85%、13.84%和22.64%。137个序列共发现96个单倍型,单倍型比例为70.07%,说明中国家养绵羊具有丰富的mtDNAD-环序列多态性。96个单倍型序列的系统发育树呈现出3个明显的分支,网络分析也分为明显的三支,因此认为中国家养绵羊有3个母系起源。从Genebank获得的91个绵羊D-环序列和中国的96个绵羊D-环单倍型序列研究表明,摩佛伦(Mouflon)与单倍型B聚为一类,说明摩佛伦与中国家养绵羊具有很近的亲缘关系。没有发现羱羊(Ovisammonargali)、盘羊(O.vigneibochariensis)和东方盘羊(O.ammonnigrimontana)对中国和蒙古家养绵羊起源有贡献的证据。     

Stress-induced mutagenesis in bacteria

The evolutionary significance of stress-induced mutagenesis was evaluated by studying mutagenesis in aging colonies (MAC) of Escherichia coli natural isolates. A large fraction of isolates exhibited a strong MAC, and the high MAC variability reflected the diversity of selective pressures in ecological niches. MAC depends on starvation, oxygen, and RpoS and adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate regulons; thus it may be a by-product of genetic strategies for improving survival under stress. MAC could also be selected through beneficial mutations that it generates, as shown by computer modeling and the patterns of stress-inducible and constitutive mutagenesis. We suggest that irrespective of the causes of their emergence, stress-induced mutations participate in adaptive evolution.     

Major ecological transitions in wild sunflowers facilitated by hybridization

Hybridization is frequent in many organismal groups, but its role in adaptation is poorly understood. In sunflowers, species found in the most extreme habitats are ancient hybrids, and new gene combinations generated by hybridization are speculated to have contributed to ecological divergence. This possibility was tested through phenotypic and genomic comparisons of ancient and synthetic hybrids. Most trait differences in ancient hybrids could be recreated by complementary gene action in synthetic hybrids and were favored by selection. The same combinations of parental chromosomal segments required to generate extreme phenotypes in synthetic hybrids also occurred in ancient hybrids. Thus, hybridization facilitated ecological divergence in sunflowers.     

The Chlamydomonas genome reveals the evolution of key animal and plant functions

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is a unicellular green alga whose lineage diverged from land plants over 1 billion years ago. It is a model system for studying chloroplast-based photosynthesis, as well as the structure, assembly, and function of eukaryotic flagella (cilia), which were inherited from the common ancestor of plants and animals, but lost in land plants. We sequenced the approximately 120-megabase nuclear genome of Chlamydomonas and performed comparative phylogenomic analyses, identifying genes encoding uncharacterized proteins that are likely associated with the function and biogenesis of chloroplasts or eukaryotic flagella. Analyses of the Chlamydomonas genome advance our understanding of the ancestral eukaryotic cell, reveal previously unknown genes associated with photosynthetic and flagellar functions, and establish links between ciliopathy and the composition and function of flagella.     

Recent Earth oblateness variations: unraveling climate and postglacial rebound effects

Earth's dynamic oblateness (J2) has been decreasing due to postglacial rebound (PGR). However, J2 began to increase in 1997, indicating a pronounced global-scale mass redistribution within Earth's system. We have determined that the observed increases in J2 are caused primarily by a recent surge in subpolar glacial melting and by mass shifts in the Southern, Pacific, and Indian oceans. When these effects are removed, the residual trend in J2 (-2.9 x 10(-11) year-1) becomes consistent with previous estimates of PGR from satellite and eclipse data. The climatic significance of these rapid shifts in glacial and oceanic mass, however, remains to be investigated.