Characterization and PCR-based Typing of Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria from Peppers and Tomatoes in Serbia

During the last two decades bacterial strains associated with necrotic leaf spots of pepper and tomato fruit spots were collected in Serbia. Twenty-eight strains isolated from pepper and six from tomato were characterized. A study of their physiological and pathological characteristics, and fatty acid composition analysis revealed that all of the strains belong to Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria. Being non-amylolytic and non-pectolytic, pathogenic on pepper but not on tomato, containing lower amounts of fatty acid 15 : 0 ante–iso, the pepper strains were designated as members of the A group of X. campestris pv. vesicatoria. However, the tomato strains hydrolyzed starch and pectate, caused compatible reactions on tomato but not on pepper, had higher percent of 15 : 0 ante–iso fatty acid, and were classified into B phenotypic group and identified as X. vesicatoria. PCR primers were developed which amplified conserved DNA regions related to the hrp genes of different strains of X. campestris pv. vesicatoria associated with pepper and tomato. Restriction analysis of the PCR product resulted in different patterns and enabled grouping of the strains into four groups. When xanthomonads isolated from pepper and tomato in Serbia were analyzed, they clustered into two groups corresponding to the grouping based on their physiological and pathological characteristics. According to the reaction of pepper and tomato differential varieties, the strains from pepper belong to races P7 and P8 and tomato strains belong to the race T2. All strains were sensitive to copper and streptomycin. Advantages and disadvantages of various bacterial spot management practices are discussed.     

草地群落类型对乳白香青种群特征和雌雄株形态及抗性的影响

为探究亚高山雌雄异株草本植物乳白香青对生境的适应方式,通过测定5个草地群落(A-老芒麦改良草地,B-虉草改良草地,C-天然草地,D-天然草甸,E-沙化草地)中乳白香青种群数、种群密度和面积、分布系数、性比组成,以及雌雄株构件性状、生物量配比、水分分配及抗性物质含量等参数,研究群落组成对乳白香青种群特征、雌雄株形态可塑性及抗性的影响。结果表明,5个草地群落的优势种、群落密度、基盖度、物种密度和优势种高度及土壤理化性状的显著差异(P<0.05),使不同群落中乳白香青种群特征显著不同,群落类型对种群特征参数影响顺序为种群面积>种群密度>性比>年龄结构>种群数>分布系数;D群落中乳白香青种群数和分布系数最高,C中乳白香青种群面积和密度最大,E中乳白香青种群数仅分别为D和C中的30.21%和35.11%,分布系数仅为C中的36.04%;群落类型对乳白香青种群年龄结构和性比有显著影响(P<0.05),雌株数为雄株的2.22~7.03倍;叶数和叶面积、株高和茎径、根长、小花数和苞片层数有显著的性别差异(P<0.05),群落类型对雌雄株的叶数和叶面积、株高、根数、花序数和小花数有显著影响,对雄株茎径和苞片层数有显著影响;雄株总生物量和花分配比显著高于雌株,而根分配比显著低于雌株(P<0.05),群落类型对乳白香青生物量配比有显著影响,雌株生物量配比受影响顺序为花>总生物量>叶>根>茎,雄株受影响顺序为花>茎>叶>总生物量>根;雄株茎、叶、花含水量显著高于雌株(P<0.05),根含水量在性别间和群落间差异较小,雌株构件含水量受群落类型影响顺序为花>茎>叶>根,雄株为叶>茎>花>根。雄株中MDA含量高于雌株,雌株中H₂O₂含量及T-AOC活性大于雄株(P<0.05),群落组成对雌、雄株中H₂O₂和MDA含量及T-AOC活性有极显著影响(P<0.01)。A和B中H₂O₂和MDA含量最低,E中H₂O₂和MDA达最大值,而T-AOC活性最低。雌、雄个体均能依据群落生境调整生长策略,通过构件性状、生物量配比、水分分配和抗性生理等适应性变化,使种群具有与生境匹配的种群特征,利于提高种群适合度和生活史完成。     

北川白山羊基因组与表型性状相关的多态性RAPD标记

北川白山羊是在特定生态条件下未经系统繁育而形成的优良地方山羊品种,在生长发育、繁殖和抗逆等性状方面具有突出优势。通过对122只北川白山羊个体基因组的扩增,结果从80条RAPD引物中选出12条多态引物,北川白山羊群体平均遗传相似率和遗传多样性指数分别为0.859 8±0.077 6和0.919 8,表明北川白山羊品种具有一定的遗传分化和较丰富的遗传多样性。在12条多态性引物中,SBS06同时对体质量（P=0.028）、体高（P=0.017）和体长（P=0.037）具有显著影响,SBS02对体质量（P=0.033）和体高（P=0.034）具有显著效应,所以推断影响体质量和体高性状的QTL基因座可能与RAPD标记SBS06和SBS02相连锁,可以应用于北川白山羊体质量和体高性状的标记辅助选择以及相应主效基因的进一步研究。     

Major ascaroside pheromone component asc-C5 influences reproductive plasticity among isolates of the invasive species pinewood nematode

Pheromones are communication chemicals and regulatory signals used by animals and represent unique tools for organisms to mediate behaviors and make “decisions” to maximize their fitness. Phenotypic plasticity refers to the innate capacity of a species to tolerate a greater breadth of environmental conditions across which it adapts to improve its survival, reproduction, and fitness. The pinewood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, an invasive nematode species, was accidentally introduced from North America into Japan, China, and Europe; however, few studies have investigated its pheromones and phenotypic plasticity as a natural model. Here, we demonstrated a novel phenomenon, in which nematodes under the condition of pheromone presence triggered increased reproduction in invasive strains (JP1, JP2, CN1, CN2, EU1, and EU2), while it simultaneously decreased reproduction in native strains (US1 and US2). The bidirectional effect on fecundity, mediated by presence/absence of pheromones, is henceforth termed pheromone-regulative reproductive plasticity (PRRP). We further found that synthetic ascaroside asc-C5 (ascr#9), the major pheromone component, plays a leading role in PRRP and identified 2 candidate receptor genes, Bxydaf-38 and Bxysrd-10, involved in perceiving asc-C5. These results suggest that plasticity of reproductive responses to pheromones in pinewood nematode may increase its fitness in novel environments following introduction. This opens up a new perspective for invasion biology and presents a novel strategy of invasion, suggesting that pheromones, in addition to their traditional roles in chemical signaling, can influence the reproductive phenotype among native and invasive isolates. In addition, this novel mechanism could broadly explain, through comparative studies of native and invasive populations of animals, a potential underlying factor behind of the success of other biological invasions.     

Living on the edge: morphological and behavioral adaptations to a marginal high-elevation habitat in an arboreal mammal

Habitats are characterized by different local environmental conditions that influence both behavior and morphology of species, which can result in habitat-dependent phenotypic differences among animals living in heterogeneous environments. We studied 3 alpine populations of Eurasian red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris), 1 living in a marginal high-elevation habitat at the edge of the species’ altitudinal distribution, and 2 occurring in higher-quality habitats. Here, we investigated whether squirrels living in the marginal area differed in 2 morphological parameters (body size and body mass) and/or in the expression of 4 personality traits estimated with an open field test and a mirror image stimulation test (activity, exploration, activity-exploration, and social tendency). Furthermore, we tested whether within-individual variance of the traits (behavioral plasticity) was higher in the edge habitat. Male squirrels in the edge habitat were smaller and weighed less than in the other study areas, while among females, size–habitat relationships were less marked. These sex-specific patterns were explained by a strong association between body mass and reproductive success in female squirrels. Squirrels in the marginal habitat were more active, explorative, and had a more social personality than in the other habitats. However, in contrast to our predictions, behavioral plasticity was smaller in the marginal habitat, but only for the trait exploration. Our results suggest that animals choose the habitat that best fits their personality, and that habitat-related differences in selective pressures may shape animals’ morphology.     

基于堆叠沙漏网络的单分蘖水稻植株骨架提取

针对水稻栽培和遗传育种研究中单分蘖性状高通量无损提取的实际需求,该研究提出了一种基于沙漏网络模型的单分蘖水稻关键点预测和骨架提取方法。首先,对原始图像进行批量裁剪、gamma校正和锐化卷积等预处理,获取单色背景下的水稻单分蘖图像数据集;设计水稻单分蘖各器官关键点数据标注策略,构建监督数据集。然后,构建堆叠沙漏网络架构实现叶片数固定和不固定的水稻关键点检测,引入沙漏结构整合图像的多尺度特征,结合中间监督机制整合不同沙漏模块信息。叶片数一致的情况,模型预测准确率最高可达96.48%;叶片数不一致的情况,预测准确率达到82.09%。最后,根据预测关键点及其对应的语义信息连接形成植株骨架,选取茎秆长、叶片长、穗长、叶片-茎秆夹角和茎节点位置5个表型参数对生成骨架模型的实际意义进行评估,其均方根误差依次为5.82 cm、3.09 cm、1.71 cm、3.22°和2.04 cm,证明了该方法能较好地识别水稻单分蘖关键点,为水稻骨架提取提供了一种新思路,有助于加快水稻育种速度。     

Phenotypic variations of wheat cultivars from the North China Plain in response to cadmium stress and associated single nucleotide polymorphisms identified by a genome-wide association study

Understanding the genetic mechanisms for cadmium(Cd) uptake and translocation in common wheat(Triticum aestivum) is of significance in food Cd contamination control. In this study, a diverse panel of 132 wheat cultivars was collected from the North China Plain. The cultivars were evaluated in terms of their phenotypic variations in response to Cd stress and subjected to a genome-wide association study(GWAS) to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs) associated with the phenotypic variatio...     

Fertilizer location modifies root zone salinity,root morphology,and water‐stress resistance of tree seedlings according to the watering regime in a dryland reforestation

There is a direct relationship between soil nutrient concentration in localized zones and root proliferation and elongation under well‐watered conditions. However, in field studies under semiarid conditions this relationship can change due to higher salt accumulation and soil dryness that affect root growth, water stress resistance, and seedling survival. We assessed the effect of different locations of fertilizer placement in the soil profile and water availability on root zone salinity, root development and ecophysiological responses of Quillaja saponaria Mol. after outplanting. A single dose (6 g L^?1) of controlled‐release nitrogen fertilizer (CRF_N) was placed at 0 cm (top layer), 15 cm (middle layer), or 30 cm (bottom layer) depth in the containers in a greenhouse, in addition to an unfertilized treatment (control). After 6 months, seedlings were transplanted to the field and subjected to weekly watering regimes (2 L plant^?1 and unwatered). Morphological and ecophysiological parameters were periodically measured on seedlings, as well as soil electrical conductivity (EC). After 1 year, the shoot : root ratio of unwatered seedlings decreased as a function of CRF_N placement depth, which was attributed to lower shoot growth and not to greater root growth. The root morphology of the bottom layer treatment was negatively affected by high EC in unwatered seedlings. Greater total root length and root volume of the middle layer treatment was found only when well‐watered; however, this did not contribute to improve physiological responses against water stress. The lowest EC and the highest photochemical efficiency, net photosynthesis, and stomatal conductance were shown by unfertilized seedlings, independent of water availability. Our findings suggest that varying depth of CRF_N placement does not contribute significantly to improve root growth under water restriction. Water supplements, independently of the CRF_N location in the substrate, contribute to decrease root zone salinity, and consequently, improve root volume growth.