Abstract
BackgroundNitraria tangutorum is an important desert shrub that shows resistance to drought, salt and wind erosion stresses. It is a central ecological species in its area. Here, we have studied how N. tangutorum has adapted to achieve a successful reproduction strategy.ResultsWe found that N. tangutorum is mainly pollinated by insects of the Hymenoptera, Diptera and Coleoptera orders. Nitraria tangutorum has very small flowers, with the nectary composed of secretive epidermal cells from which nectar is secreted, located within the inner petals. In addition, analyzing the transcriptome of four successive flower developmental stages revealed that mainly differentially expressed genes associated with flower and nectary development, nectar biosynthesis and secretion, flavonoid biosynthesis, plant hormone signal transduction and plant-pathogen interaction show dynamic expression. From the nectar, we could identify seven important proteins, of which the L-ascorbate oxidase protein was first found in plant nectar. Based on the physiological functions of these proteins, we predict that floral nectar proteins of N. tangutorum play an important role in defending against microbial infestation and scavenging active oxygen.ConclusionsThis study revealed that N. tangutorum is an insect-pollinated plant and its nectary is composed of secretive epidermal cells that specialized into secretive trichomes. We identified a large number of differentially expressed genes controlling flower and nectary development, nectar biosynthesis and secretion, flavonoid biosynthesis, plant hormone signal transduction and plant-pathogen interaction. We suggest that proteins present in N. tangutorum nectar may have both an antibacterial and oxygen scavenging effect. These results provide a scientific basis for exploring how the reproductive system of N. tangutorum and other arid-desert plants functions.
Highlights
Nitraria tangutorum is an important desert shrub that shows resistance to drought, salt and wind erosion stresses
Here we comprehensively study its ecological characteristics of reproduction through various surveys and experiments, including studies on pollinator species and their behavior, morphology and development of the nectary, the genes associated with nectary development and nectar secretion, as well as identification of nectar proteins
The flower development and behavioral patterns of floral visitors in Nitraria tangutorum Nitraria tangutorum flowers are small in stature and bisexual with the gynoecium surrounded by the androecium
Summary
Nitraria tangutorum is an important desert shrub that shows resistance to drought, salt and wind erosion stresses. It is a central ecological species in its area. We have studied how N. tangutorum has adapted to achieve a successful reproduction strategy. Pollination success rate is key to plant reproduction and is one of the main focus of plant reproductive ecology and evolutionary biology. The movement of pollen largely determines the gene exchange rates between plants and provides a basis for the study of species evolution [1]. Flower traits, nectary morphology and nectar characteristics are the most important factors, and they play a critical role in the relationship between plants and pollinators [2]
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