bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Range expansions across ecoregions: interactions of climate change, physiology and genetic diversity
Authors: Rius Marc , Clusella‐Trullas Susana , McQuaid Christopher D. , Navarro René A. , Griffiths Charles L. , Matthee Conrad A. , von der Heyden Sophie , Turon Xavier 
Published: September 2013

AbstractAimClimate change is expected to drive range shifts among a wide array of organisms. Non‐indigenous species (NIS) provide a unique opportunity to observe the establishment of range boundaries in a way that cannot be directly seen for native species. Recent studies have indicated that climate change facilitates biological invasions at local scales. However, the generality of these effects is unclear, as there is a dearth of comparative studies that assess how rapid environmental change affects species ranges across taxa and biogeographic provinces.LocationThe South African coast and other coastlines across the world.MethodsWe first studied the distribution of shallow‐marine benthic organisms along the South African coastline and analysed the global distribution of NIS. We then obtained DNA sequence data from a suite of co‐occurring NIS from along the studied coastline and compared these data with available genetic information from other regions of the world. Subsequently, we conducted physiological experiments to assess how thermal tolerance was related to species distribution. Finally, we analysed ship‐based seawater temperature records and compared these with past changes in the range size and abundance of NIS. These records were used to estimate shipping intensity and NIS propagule pressure.ResultsWe found that NIS with a variety of thermal tolerances and distributions have expanded their ranges and increased in abundance as seawater temperature regimes have changed. We found little interannual variation in shipping transport intensity. Most haplotypes of the studied NIS in South Africa were shared with other regions.Main conclusionsThis study provides empirical evidence that NIS, regardless of their thermal tolerance, range size and genetic variability, are expanding their ranges and increasing in abundance. This trend is uncorrelated with levels of human‐mediated NIS transport but concurrent with changes in seawater temperature, which suggests that climate change fosters the spread and abundance of NIS across multiple spatial scales.
Multiple waves of colonization by monarch flycatchers (Myiagra, Monarchidae) across the Indo‐Pacific and their implications for coexistence and speciation
Authors: Fabre Pierre‐Henri , Moltensen Maria , Fjeldså Jon , Irestedt Martin , Lessard Jean‐Philippe , Jønsson Knud A. 
Published: September 2013

AbstractAimIslands and archipelagos have played an important role in the development of ecological and evolutionary theories. Using a newly compiled molecular phylogeny we infer the biogeographical history of a monarch flycatcher genus,Myiagra, which is distributed across the Indo‐Pacific. We subsequently integrate biogeographical and ecomorphological data to examine the role of dispersal and trait evolution in the build‐up of avian assemblages.LocationAustralia, the Moluccas, New Guinea and Pacific islands.MethodsWe generated a taxonomically densely sampled mitochondrialDNAdataset that included almost all species and subspecies of the reciprocally monophyletic generaMyiagraandArses. We then used maximum likelihoood and Bayesian inference to infer their phylogenetic relationships. To reconstruct their biogeographical history, we first dated the tree topology and then usedLagrangeto infer ancestral geographical areas. Finally, we combined ancestral area reconstructions with information on ecomorphological traits to infer mechanisms underlying community assembly.ResultsWe provide the first comprehensive molecular phylogenetic reconstruction forMyiagraandArsesmonarch flycatchers. Our phylogenetic reconstruction reveals a relatively recent diversification from the Miocene associated with several major dispersal events. Ancestral area reconstruction reveals several independent colonizations of the Moluccas, Melanesia, Fiji and the Micronesian islands. Ancestral state reconstruction of ecological traits suggests that the diversity of traits in co‐occurring species of monarch flycatchers results from independent colonization events and ecological niche conservatism rather thanin situdiversification.Main conclusionsThree waves of colonization, non‐overlapping in time, led to independent speciation events in the Bismarcks, Fiji and the Moluccas, in addition toin situspeciation events on remote islands of Micronesia, the Solomons, Vanuatu and Samoa. Few of these colonizations have led to the co‐occurrence of congenerics or species with similar ecomorphological profiles on the same island. Thus, we suggest that priority effects might prevent new colonizers from establishing themselves if they share high levels of ecological similarity with resident species. We conclude that historical dispersal to and colonization of new islands, combined with ecologically deterministic priority effects, drove the assembly of insular monarch flycatcher communities across the Indo‐Pacific.
Seed Treatment with Live or Dead Fusarium verticillioides Equivalently Reduces the Severity of Subsequent Stalk Rot
Authors: Martins Vitor F. , Vaughan Martha M. , Huffaker Alisa , Schmelz Eric A. , Christensen Shawn , Sims James , Benda Nicole D. , Swerbilow Jay , Alborn Hans , Teal Peter E. 
Published: September 2013

AbstractFusarium verticillioides is a widely distributed fungus that can associate with maize as a deleterious pathogen and an advantageous endophyte. Here, we show that seed treatment with live F. verticillioides enhances maize resistance to secondary stalk rot infection and further demonstrate that dead F. verticillioides is sufficient to equivalently reduce F. verticillioides biomass. Seed treatment with live or dead F. verticillioides primes maize plants, and upon subsequent stalk infection, terpenoid phytoalexins accumulate faster than control‐treated plants. Seed treatment did not constitutively activate plant defences nor did it impact plant growth. These results suggest that seed treatment with dead F. verticillioides can be used as a ‘vaccination’ method to decrease the severity of stalk rot and potentially pathogen infection throughout the plant.
Trait variability differs between leaf and wood tissues across ecological scales in subtropical forests
Authors: Kang Meng , Chang Scott X. , Yan En‐Rong , Wang Xi‐Hua 
Published: September 2013

AbstractQuestionRevealing how plant traits vary over disparate spatial scales and how ecological processes mediate such variation is important for understanding plant community assembly. However, to what extent does the distribution of trait variation among ecological scales differ between leaf and wood tissues and between physical and chemical traits? What are the consequences of resource competition and/or habitat filtering on the community assembly with respect to differences between leaf and wood traits, and between physical and chemical traits?LocationSubtropical evergreen broad‐leaved forests in five sites in the Ningbo area (29°41–50′ N, 121°36–52′ E) in eastern China.MethodsTraits of 96 woody plant species were sampled and variation of ten physical‐ and chemical‐based leaf and wood traits were partitioned across six ecological scales (site, plot, species, individual plant, twigs and leaf age) using a linear mixed model.ResultsFrom individual plant to site scales, variance partitions were distinct between leaf and wood traits. In leaf tissues, physical and chemical traits showed a consistent pattern, with the majority of variation found among species and individual plants, with little among plots. For wood tissues, the largest variation in physical traits was at the species and individual plant scales, with the largest variation in chemical traits observed at the plot scale. Variance partition was markedly similar within and across species.ConclusionLeaf and wood traits vary differently in relation to ecological scale, suggesting that trait variability is tissue‐specific. The large variability of wood traits at the plot scale suggests a strong habitat filtering process. The large variation in leaf traits within plots may reflect niche differentiation across species and the importance of intra‐specific variation that affects species co‐existence. Our study demonstrated that physical and chemical traits may be independent. These decoupled trait axes may increase the dimensionality of niche space and facilitate species co‐existence in forest communities.
Effect of short‐chain fatty acids and acidification on the phasic and tonic motor activity of the human colon
Authors: Jouët P. , Moussata D. , Duboc H. , Boschetti G. , Attar A. , Gorbatchef C. , Sabaté J.‐M. , Coffin B. , Flourié B. 
Published: September 2013

AbstractBackgroundThe effects of bacterial fermentation on human colonic motor activity could be explained by colonic acidification or short‐chain fatty acid (SCFA) production. We compared in healthy volunteers the colonic motor effects of intracolonic infusion of neutral or acidic saline solutions and then of neutral or acidic solutions containing an SCFA mixture.Methods20 healthy volunteers swallowed a probe (with an infusion catheter, 6 perfused catheters and a balloon connected to a barostat) that migrated into the colon. Colonic motor activity was recorded in fasting basal state (1 h), during (3 h) and after (2 h) intracolonic infusion in a random order on two consecutive days of 750 mL of NaCl at pH 7.0 (neutral saline) or 4.5 (acidic saline) in 10 volunteers (first experiment) and of an SCFA mixture (acetic acid 66%, propionic acid 24% and butyric acid 10%; 100 mM) at pH 7.0 or 4.5 in 10 other volunteers (second experiment). We determined for each hour a global motility index (reflecting phasic activity recorded by all catheters), the mean balloon volume (reflecting tonic activity), and the mean number of high‐amplitude‐propagated contractions (HAPCs).Key ResultsIntracolonic infusion of neutral or acidic solutions containing saline or an SCFA mixture did not change the global motility index, the barostat balloon volume, or the HAPC number compared with basal values.Conclusions & InferencesUnder our experimental conditions, these findings suggest that the stimulation of colonic motor activity induced by carbohydrate fermentation is not explained by the acidification of the colonic contents or the resulting production of SCFAs.
A whole‐genome SNP array (RICE6K) for genomic breeding in rice
Authors: Yu Huihui , Xie Weibo , Li Jing , Zhou Fasong , Zhang Qifa 
Published: September 2013

SummaryThe advances in genotyping technology provide an opportunity to use genomic tools in crop breeding. As compared to field selections performed in conventional breeding programmes, genomics‐based genotype screen can potentially reduce number of breeding cycles and more precisely integrate target genes for particular traits into an ideal genetic background. We developed a whole‐genome single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array, RICE6K, based on Infinium technology, using representative SNPs selected from more than four million SNPs identified from resequencing data of more than 500 rice landraces. RICE6K contains 5102 SNP and insertion–deletion (InDel) markers, about 4500 of which were of high quality in the tested rice lines producing highly repeatable results. Forty‐five functional markers that are located inside 28 characterized genes of important traits can be detected using RICE6K. The SNP markers are evenly distributed on the 12 chromosomes of rice with the average density of 12 SNPs per 1 Mb and can provide information for polymorphisms between indica and japonica subspecies as well as varieties within indica and japonica groups. Application tests of RICE6K showed that the array is suitable for rice germplasm fingerprinting, genotyping bulked segregating pools, seed authenticity check and genetic background selection. These results suggest that RICE6K provides an efficient and reliable genotyping tool for rice genomic breeding.
Microbially influenced formation of Mg‐calcite and Ca‐dolomite in the presence of exopolymeric substances produced by sulphate‐reducing bacteria
Authors: Bontognali Tomaso R. R. , McKenzie Judith A. , Warthmann Rolf J. , Vasconcelos Crisogono 
Published: September 2013

AbstractSome species of sulphate‐reducing bacteria (SRB) are known to mediate the formation of dolomite and Mg‐calcite. However, their exact role in the mineralization process remains elusive. Here, we present the result of a laboratory experiment that was designed to test whether formation of carbonate minerals by SRB can occur in the absence of living cells, through passive mineralization of their exopolymeric substances (EPS). SRB capable of mediating dolomite were cultivated in the laboratory, allowing them to secrete EPS. Microbial activity within the cultures was subsequently inhibited with antibiotics. Only after this step, Ca2+ and Mg2+ were added to the solution and carbonate minerals could form. Mg‐calcite and disordered Ca‐dolomite precipitated in association with EPS. The mol.% of Mg2+ in the crystals increased with longer incubation times. This result demonstrates that organic compounds produced by SRB can mediate the formation of Ca‐Mg carbonates in the absence of an active metabolism.
Vernalization requirement duration in winter wheat is controlled by TaVRN‐A1 at the protein level
Authors: Li Genqiao , Yu Ming , Fang Tilin , Cao Shuanghe , Carver Brett F. , Yan Liuling 
Published: September 2013

SummaryWinter wheat requires a period of low temperatures to accelerate flowering (vernalization). This requirement could make winter wheat more vulnerable to elevated global temperature via insufficient vernalization. All known vernalization genes are cloned according to qualitative variation in vernalization requirement between spring and winter wheat, but the genes controlling quantitative variation for more or less vernalization requirement among winter wheat cultivars remain unknown. We report here that the gene for the vernalization requirement duration in winter wheat was cloned using a BC1F2:3 population that segregated in a 3:1 ratio of early‐flowering plants and late‐flowering plants after vernalization for 3 weeks. The positional cloning of the gene for vernalization requirement duration demonstrated that this trait is controlled by TaVRN‐A1 at the protein level. The Ala180 in vrn‐A1a, encoded by the dominant allele for 3–week vernalization, was mutated to Val180 in vrn‐A1b, encoded by the recessive allele for 6–week vernalization. Further studies with in vitro protein pull‐down assays and immunoprecipitation analyses indicated that the mutated Val180 in vrn‐A1b protein decreased the ability to bind with TaHOX1 (the first homeobox protein in Triticum aestivum). The direct binding of TaVRN‐A1 and TaHOX1 proteins was confirmed in the nucleus of living plant cells by bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) analyses. The TaHOX1 gene was found to be upregulated by low temperatures, and to have a significant genetic effect on heading date, suggesting that TaHOX1 functions in the flowering pathway in winter wheat.
Genetic dissection of a TIR‐NB‐LRR locus from the wild North American grapevine species Muscadinia rotundifolia identifies paralogous genes conferring resistance to major fungal and oomycete pathogens in cultivated grapevine
Authors: Feechan Angela , Anderson Claire , Torregrosa Laurent , Jermakow Angelica , Mestre Pere , Wiedemann‐Merdinoglu Sabine , Merdinoglu Didier , Walker Amanda R. , Cadle‐Davidson Lance , Reisch Bruce , Aubourg Sebastien , Bentahar Nadia , Shrestha Bipna , Bouquet Alain , Adam‐Blondon Anne‐Françoise , Thomas Mark R. , Dry Ian B. 
Published: September 2013

SummaryThe most economically important diseases of grapevine cultivation worldwide are caused by the fungal pathogen powdery mildew (Erysiphe necator syn. Uncinula necator) and the oomycete pathogen downy mildew (Plasmopara viticola). Currently, grapegrowers rely heavily on the use of agrochemicals to minimize the potentially devastating impact of these pathogens on grape yield and quality. The wild North American grapevine species Muscadinia rotundifolia was recognized as early as 1889 to be resistant to both powdery and downy mildew. We have now mapped resistance to these two mildew pathogens in M. rotundifolia to a single locus on chromosome 12 that contains a family of seven TIR‐NB‐LRR genes. We further demonstrate that two highly homologous (86% amino acid identity) members of this gene family confer strong resistance to these unrelated pathogens following genetic transformation into susceptible Vitis vinifera winegrape cultivars. These two genes, designated resistance to Uncinula necator (MrRUN1) and resistance to Plasmopara viticola (MrRPV1) are the first resistance genes to be cloned from a grapevine species. Both MrRUN1 and MrRPV1 were found to confer resistance to multiple powdery and downy mildew isolates from France, North America and Australia; however, a single powdery mildew isolate collected from the south‐eastern region of North America, to which M. rotundifolia is native, was capable of breaking MrRUN1‐mediated resistance. Comparisons of gene organization and coding sequences between M. rotundifolia and the cultivated grapevine V. vinifera at the MrRUN1/MrRPV1 locus revealed a high level of synteny, suggesting that the TIR‐NB‐LRR genes at this locus share a common ancestor.
A rice lectin receptor‐like kinase that is involved in innate immune responses also contributes to seed germination
Authors: Cheng Xiaoyan , Wu Yan , Guo Jianping , Du Bo , Chen Rongzhi , Zhu Lili , He Guangcun 
Published: September 2013

SummarySeed germination and innate immunity both have significant effects on plant life spans because they control the plant's entry into the ecosystem and provide defenses against various external stresses, respectively. Much ecological evidence has shown that seeds with high vigor are generally more tolerant of various environmental stimuli in the field than those with low vigor. However, there is little genetic evidence linking germination and immunity in plants. Here, we show that the rice lectin receptor‐like kinase OslecRK contributes to both seed germination and plant innate immunity. We demonstrate that knocking down the OslecRK gene depresses the expression of α–amylase genes, reducing seed viability and thereby decreasing the rate of seed germination. Moreover, it also inhibits the expression of defense genes, and so reduces the resistance of rice plants to fungal and bacterial pathogens as well as herbivorous insects. Yeast two‐hybrid and co‐immunoprecipitation experiments revealed that OslecRK interacts with an actin‐depolymerizing factor (ADF) in vivo via its kinase domain. Moreover, the rice adf mutant exhibited a reduced seed germination rate due to the suppression of α–amylase gene expression. This mutant also exhibited depressed immune responses and reduced resistance to biotic stresses. Our results thus provide direct genetic evidence for a common physiological pathway connecting germination and immunity in plants. They also partially explain the common observation that high‐vigor seeds often perform well in the field. The dual effects of OslecRK may be indicative of progressive adaptive evolution in rice.
Voluntary muscle and motor cortical activation during progressive exercise and passively induced hyperthermia
Authors: Périard Julien D. , Christian Ryan J. , Knez Wade L. , Racinais Sébastien 
Published: September 2013

New findings
What is the central question of this study?We examined whether passive hyperthermia exacerbates central fatigue due to an increase in peak muscle relaxation rate, and whether exercise‐induced hyperthermia attenuates this response because of a reduction in contractile speed related to peripheral fatigue.
What is the main finding and its importance?Exercise and passive hyperthermia increase muscle relaxation rate. An increase from moderate to severe passive hyperthermia enhances this rate, but without exacerbating force loss or voluntary muscle and cortical activation, relative to exercise. The centrally mediated rate of activation appears sufficient to overcome the increase in peak muscle relaxation.
This study examined whether central fatigue was exacerbated by an increase in muscle contractile speed caused by passive hyperthermia (PaH) and whether exercise‐induced hyperthermia (ExH) combined with related peripheral fatigue influenced this response. The ExH was induced by cycling at 60% of maximal oxygen uptake in 38°C conditions and the PaH by sitting in a 48°C climate chamber. Ten men performed brief (∼5 s) and sustained (30 s) maximal voluntary isometric contractions (MVCs) of the knee extensors at baseline (CON, ∼37.1°C) and during moderate (MOD, ∼38.5°C) and severe (SEV, ∼39.5°C) hyperthermia. Motor nerve and transcranial magnetic stimulation were used to assess voluntary muscle and cortical activation level, along with contractile properties. Brief MVC force decreased to a similar extent during SEV‐ExH (−8%) and SEV‐PaH (−6%; P < 0.05 versus CON). Sustained MVC force also decreased during MOD‐ExH (−10%), SEV‐ExH (−13%) and SEV‐PaH (−7%; P < 0.01 versus CON). Motor nerve and cortical activation were reduced on reaching MOD (∼3%) and SEV (∼5%) ExH and PaH during the brief and sustained MVCs (P < 0.01 versus CON). Peak twitch force decreased on reaching SEV‐ExH and SEV‐PaH (P < 0.05 versus CON). Following transcranial magnetic stimulation, during the brief and sustained MVCs the peak muscle relaxation rate increased in ExH and PaH (P < 0.01 versus CON). The increase was greatest during the sustained contraction in SEV‐PaH (P < 0.01), but this did not exacerbate central fatigue relative to ExH. These results indicate that during fatiguing cycling exercise in the heat, quadriceps peak relaxation rate increases. However, the centrally mediated rate of activation appears sufficient to overcome even the largest increase in muscle relaxation rate, seen during SEV‐PaH.