Brachypodium Sylvaticum Research Articles

Genome-wide identification and characterization of NBLRR genes in finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.) and their expression in response to Magnaporthe grisea infection

BackgroundThe nucleotide binding site leucine rich repeat (NBLRR) genes significantly regulate defences against phytopathogens in plants. The genome-wide identification and analysis of NBLRR genes have been performed in several species. However, the detailed evolution, structure, expression of NBLRRs and functional response to Magnaporthe grisea are unknown in finger millet (Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.).ResultsThe genome-wide scanning of the finger millet genome resulted in 116 NBLRR (EcNBLRRs1-116) encompassing 64 CC-NB-LRR, 47 NB-LRR and 5 CCR-NB-LRR types. The evolutionary studies among the NBLRRs of five Gramineae species, viz., purple false brome (Brachypodium distachyon (L.) P.Beauv.), finger millet (E. coracana), rice (Oryza sativa L.), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. (Moench)) and foxtail millet (Setaria italica (L.) P.Beauv.) showed the evolution of NBLRRs in the ancestral lineage of the target species and subsequent divergence through gene-loss events. The purifying selection (Ka/Ks < 1) shaped the expansions of NBLRRs paralogs in finger millet and orthologs among the target Gramineae species. The promoter sequence analysis showed various stress- and phytohormone-responsive cis-acting elements besides growth and development, indicating their potential role in disease defence and regulatory mechanisms. The expression analysis of 22 EcNBLRRs in the genotypes showing contrasting responses to Magnaporthe grisea infection revealed four and five EcNBLRRs in early and late infection stages, respectively. The six of these nine candidate EcNBLRRs proteins, viz., EcNBLRR21, EcNBLRR26, EcNBLRR30, EcNBLRR45, EcNBLRR55 and EcNBLRR76 showed CC, NB and LRR domains, whereas the EcNBLRR23, EcNBLRR32 and EcNBLRR83 showed NB and LRR somains.ConclusionThe identification and expression analysis of EcNBLRRs showed the role of EcNBLRR genes in assigning blast resistance in finger millet. These results pave the foundation for in-depth and targeted functional analysis of EcNBLRRs through genome editing and transgenic approaches.

Vegetation affinity of Epipactis albensis (Orchidaceae) in central Europe

Epipactis albensis is an obligate autogamous orchid species which is widely distributed in central European countries. However, its phytocoenological affinities are not well known. They were investigated in this study based on 17 phytosociological relev?s from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland obtained from the available literature and database sources, where the species has its centre of occurrence. The cluster analyses revealed three groups of vegetation types belonging to the hardwood floodplain forests of the Fraxino-Quercion roboris alliance, the riparian alder forests of Alnion incanae and the beech forests of Fagion sylvaticae. Brachypodium sylvaticum, Circaea lutetiana, Geum urbanum, and Urtica dioica (frequency 76%), followed by Dactylis glomerata agg. and the alien plant Impatiens parviflora (65%) are the most co-occurring species. This phytosociological study has highlighted the need for further and more detailed research supported by the collection of new vegetation data from across the range of E. albensis.

The reference genome and abiotic stress responses of the model perennial grass Brachypodium sylvaticum.

Perennial grasses are important forage crops and emerging biomass crops and have the potential to be more sustainable grain crops. However, most perennial grass crops are difficult experimental subjects due to their large size, difficult genetics, and/or their recalcitrance to transformation. Thus, a tractable model perennial grass could be used to rapidly make discoveries that can be translated to perennial grass crops. Brachypodium sylvaticum has the potential to serve as such a model because of its small size, rapid generation time, simple genetics, and transformability. Here, we provide a high-quality genome assembly and annotation for B. sylvaticum, an essential resource for a modern model system. In addition, we conducted transcriptomic studies under 4 abiotic stresses (water, heat, salt, and freezing). Our results indicate that crowns are more responsive to freezing than leaves which may help them overwinter. We observed extensive transcriptional responses with varying temporal dynamics to all abiotic stresses, including classic heat-responsive genes. These results can be used to form testable hypotheses about how perennial grasses respond to these stresses. Taken together, these results will allow B. sylvaticum to serve as a truly tractable perennial model system.

Phylogenetics of the Paleartic model grass Brachypodium sylvaticum uncovers two divergent oriental and occidental micro-taxa lineages

Brachypodium sylvaticum has been selected as a model for perennial grasses, and considerable genomic resources have been generated and a reference genome and several resequenced pangenome accessions are available for this species. Despite these genomic advances, the evolution and systematics of diploid B. sylvaticum s. l. is almost unknown. The B. sylvaticum complex is formed by up to seven taxonomically close micro-taxa which differentiate from typical B. sylvaticum s. s. based on a few morphological features. Moreover, some of them show some largely disjunct geographic distributions on both sides of their native Palearctic region. In this study, we used a phylogenomic approach including representative populations from the oriental and occidental distribution range of B. sylvaticum micro-taxa to elucidate their evolutionary relationships and assess the systematic value of the morphological features that separate them. A combined plastome and nuclear phylogenetic tree supports an early split and high divergence of the oriental lineage, showing the close relationship of the Himalayan B. sylvaticum var. breviglume lineages to the Pacific B. miserum / B. kurilense clade, and the contrasting large homogeneity and low divergence of the occidental European, N African and SW and C Asian lineage, with several B. sylvaticum s. s., B. spryginii, and B. glaucovirens samples showing identical or similar sequences. Divergence time estimate analysis suggests that the oriental lineage diverged from the common ancestor in the early Pleistocene (2.0 Ma), followed by subsequent colonization and isolations in the Himalayas (2.0 – 1.7 Ma) and the Far East (0.36 Ma) in more recent times, while the occidental lineage split in the Mid-Late Pleistocene (0.97 Ma), followed by rapid radiation and postglacial spread in the western Paleartic during the last thousand years.

Chromosome numbers in 31 taxa of Asteraceae, Brassicaceae, Poaceae, Hypericaceae, Lamiaceae, Fabaceae and Plantaginaceae from wetlands of Hamadan region in Iran

In this study, we report the somatic chromosome numbers (2n) of 31 taxa belonging to Asteraceae, Brassicaceae, Poaceae, Hypericaceae, Lamiaceae, Fabaceae and Plantaginaceae families from wetlands of Hamadan region in Iran. The chromosome numbers of about half of these species have not been reported in the previous literature. Chromosome number of Ononis spinosa counted chromosomally for the first time at the world level and the chromosome numbers of Erigeron acer, Pulicaria dysenterica, Arctium lappa, Xanthium strumarium, X. spinosum, Barbarea plantaginea, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Polypogon fugax, Prunella vulgaris and Lathyrus chloranthus, are here reported for the first time from Iran. In all taxa 2n was 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 24, 28, 30, 32 and 42, as a diploid, tetraploid and hexaploid levels. These newly available data are further compared with those previously published for the same or related species.

Patterns of pan-genome occupancy and gene coexpression under water-deficit in Brachypodium distachyon.

Natural populations are characterized by abundant genetic diversity driven by a range of different types of mutation. The tractability of sequencing complete genomes has allowed new insights into the variable composition of genomes, summarized as a species pan-genome. These analyses demonstrate that many genes are absent from the first reference genomes, whose analysis dominated the initial years of the genomic era. Our field now turns towards understanding the functional consequence of these highly variable genomes. Here, we analysed weighted gene coexpression networks from leaf transcriptome data for drought response in the purple false brome Brachypodium distachyon and the differential expression of genes putatively involved in adaptation to this stressor. We specifically asked whether genes with variable "occupancy" in the pan-genome - genes which are either present in all studied genotypes or missing in some genotypes - show different distributions among coexpression modules. Coexpression analysis united genes expressed in drought-stressed plants into nine modules covering 72 hub genes (87 hub isoforms), and genes expressed under controlled water conditions into 13 modules, covering 190 hub genes (251 hub isoforms). We find that low occupancy pan-genes are under-represented among several modules, while other modules are over-enriched for low-occupancy pan-genes. We also provide new insight into the regulation of drought response in B.distachyon, specifically identifying one module with an apparent role in primary metabolism that is strongly responsive to drought. Our work shows the power of integrating pan-genomic analysis with transcriptomic data using factorial experiments to understand the functional genomics of environmental response.

The list of ancient-forest plant species revisited – Field verification in the Carpathian ancient and recent forests

Existing lists of ancient-forest species – taken to indicate stands with no record of agricultural use – in general relate to the deciduous and mixed forests of Europe (i.e. the European Hermy’s list and the Polish Dzwonko and Loster’s list). We hypothesised that these lists might in fact be too general to prove useful in assessing and managing the forests in any individual region, and all the more so where the region in question has specific environmental (e.g. mountainous) conditions. Our goal was therefore to develop a list of ancient-forest species for a particular mountain region – the NE Carpathians – and then to assess how that compares with the aforementioned lists of broader (Polish or European) scope already existing. As we also sought insight into the ecological drivers behind the plant composition of recent forests, our further goal was to identify and discuss differences in ecological characteristics between the plant species that are significantly more common in either our ancient or our recent forests. To that end, we collected 294 phytosociological relevés in ancient and recent forests to compare the frequency and cover of each species present. To analyse their ecological characteristics we used environmental data collected in the field, as well as the plant functional traits. We then parametrised multiple regression models to find the most important predictors of differences in species frequency between recent and ancient forests. Ultimately, our results revealed just 15 understory species (out of 215) with significantly higher cover and frequency in ancient forests, along with 9 species with significantly higher cover in recent forests. We also showed that plant life form, leaf persistence and dispersal mode are predictors best explaining differences in frequency between recent and ancient forests. The results of the model showed that understory species in ancient forests were significantly more often geophytes, with green leaves from early spring to early summer and dispersed by ants. In turn, in recent forests, species were significantly more often characterised as therophytes with green leaves during summer. We conclude that the lists of ancient-forest species compiled for Poland and Europe are not entirely representative for the NE Carpathians. Moreover, there are three species (Brachypodium sylvaticum, Impatiens noli-tangere and Circaea lutetiana) shown as no longer warranting a status as ancient-forest species, given that they actually occurred significantly more often in the studied recent forests.

Diet Selection by the Italian Hare (Lepus corsicanus de Winton, 1898) in Two Protected Coastal Areas of Latium.

Simple SummaryIn order to better understand the ecological niche of the Italian hare, we evaluated the diet selection of the species in two protected areas of the Latium coastal environment. The main results emerging from our study were: the wide feeding spectrum of the Italian hare; the high incidence of grasses in dry and in wet season diets; the low number of plant species ingested at relatively high rates; the plastic feeding behaviour of this hare, as diet preferences changed with the variety and abundance of food species. These results highlighted the great adaptability of the species to different niches and the influence of the floristic composition on its feeding habits. In the Italian hare, the assessment of habitat suitability is of strategic importance for its conservation. In particular, feeding preferences of the species may lead to defining some food items as key plant species for identifying its elective habitat and, hence, planning effective re-introduction initiatives.This study was focused on the diet and feeding behaviour of Lepus corsicanus in two protected coastal areas of Latium, Castelporziano Presidential Estate (CPE) and Circeo National Park (CNP). Plant frequency was assessed by the quadrat method, while diet composition was determined by microhistological analysis of faecal samples. Over the year, the Italian hare fed on 185 of the 229 plant species identified in vegetation, with most of them ingested in low percentages (≤1%). During the dry season (DS), in both areas, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Cynodon dactylon, and Avena fatua were among the most consumed species. In the wet season (WS) the most common plant species in diet were B. sylvaticum, Poa trivialis, and Carex distachya in CPE and Dactylis glomerata, Cynosurus echinatus, and Spartium junceum in CNP. In both sites, considering the annual selection of life forms, grasses and leguminous forbs were preferred, while non-leguminous forbs and shrubs were used less than expected according to their availability. ANOSIM analysis showed significant differences between sites in DS and WS diets. Our study evidenced that the Italian hare behaved as generalist, revealing its capability for exploiting several plant species and to adapt its diet preferences to space-time variation of food availability.

Five decades of ground flora changes in a temperate forest: The good, the bad and the ambiguous in biodiversity terms

We explore how the ground flora of a temperate woodland (Wytham Woods, southern England) changed in terms of species-richness, cover and biomass over five decades; what the drivers of change were; and possible future change as a consequence of the decline in Fraxinus excelsior as a canopy dominant. Vascular plants were recorded from 164 permanent, 10x10 m plots, distributed as a 141 m grid, in 1974, 1991, 1999, 2012, and 2018. Species presence and frequency/abundance in each plot were estimated and used to model biomass changes. Changes in species-richness, vegetation composition and structure were analysed. Stands opened out by thinning or which became denser through tree growth gained or lost species respectively, particularly non-woodland species. Deer pressure favoured the spread of Brachypodium sylvaticum and reduced Rubus fruticosus. No obvious impacts of climate change, eutrophication or of invasive species were detected in the plot records although other signs suggest these are starting to affect the flora. Just 12 out of 235 species contributed 47% of all species occurrences, 82% of the vegetation cover and 87% of the modelled biomass. We conclude that the ground flora is highly variable over decadal timescales, but the patterns of change observed differ according to the measures used (species richness, cover, biomass, etc). Site level drivers in the short-term swamped effects of slower acting regional/global drivers. Legacy effects were seen in the greater richness of specialists in the older woodland. While some impacts can be mitigated by management, others are largely beyond control at the site level.

Species stress tolerance and community competitive effects drive differences in species composition between calcareous and siliceous plant communities

Abstract Both chemical and physical properties of soils have been used for two centuries for explaining differences in species composition and diversity between plant communities from calcareous and siliceous soils. Here, we examine the prediction from the ‘physical hypothesis’, which proposes that species from siliceous soils are absent from calcareous soils because of high drought stress, while species from calcareous soils are absent from siliceous soils because of high competition due to higher water availability. This hypothesis therefore predicts a trade‐off between stress tolerance and competitive response that allows calcareous and siliceous species to dominate their respective communities. There has been no attempt to experimentally assess these predictions. We cross‐transplanted with and without neighbours using a removal experiment, two dominant species from calcareous soils (Bromus erectus and Brachypodium sylvaticum) and two species from siliceous soils (Pseudarrhenatherum longifolium and Deschampsia flexuosa) in herbaceous communities from the two soils types. We repeated the experiment 4 years, taking advantage of inter‐annual climatic variability to test the interplay between year quality (dry vs. wet years) and soil types on survival responses with and without neighbours. We quantified species stress tolerances, their competitive responses and the competitive effect of the two community types. In the absence of neighbours, species from siliceous soils had much lower survival than species from calcareous soils during dry years, in particular on calcareous soils. It indicates a lower stress tolerance of siliceous species and a higher level of stress occurring on calcareous soils. Competition strongly reduced the survival of calcareous but not siliceous species, indicating a greater competitive response of the latter and competition was more important on siliceous soils than on calcareous soils during wet years. However, we found that species stress tolerances were more important than competitive effect of neighbours in driving differences in species composition. Synthesis. The contrasting responses found for dominant species from calcareous and siliceous soils support the trade‐off between stress tolerance and competitive response proposed by the physical hypothesis. Our results bring additional evidence that differences in water availability and stress between the two soil types are driving species responses to bedrock types.

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Brachypodium sylvaticum

The first complete chloroplast genome (cpDNA) sequence of Brachypodium sylvaticum was determined from Illumina HiSeq pair-end sequencing data in this study. The cpDNA is 136,392 bp in length, contains a large single-copy region (LSC) of 80,854 bp and a small single-copy region (SSC) of 12,765 bp, which were separated by a pair of inverted repeats (IR) regions of 21,383 bp. The genome contains 130 genes, including 84 protein-coding genes, 8 ribosomal RNA genes, and 38 transfer RNA genes. Further phylogenomic analysis showed that B. sylvaticum and B. distachyon clustered in a unique clade in Brachypodium genus.

Typification of four species names published by William Hudson

Based on Hudson’s collections sent to Linnaeus and currently preserved at LINN, lectotypes are designated for four species names published by Hudson: Alopecurus myosuroides, Festuca sylvatica (currently Brachypodium sylvaticum), Polygonum minus (currently Persicaria minor), and Scutellaria minor.

Mešovita mezofilna brdska bukova šuma (Fagetum submontanum serbicum) na planini Vidlič

On the Vidlič mountain, mixed mesophilic mountain beech forests (Fagetum submontanum serbicum) have been recorded at altitudes of 700 - 1000 m, at the following localities: Crni vrh, Vazganica, Kranjci, Planinarski dom, and Visočka Ržana. Phytocenological research was performed on the mentioned localities by the Braun-Blanquet method (Braun-Blanquet, 1964). It was taken 11 phytocenological plots. Beech (Fagus moesiaca) and turkey oak cer (Quercus cerris) were the main edificators and have the highest degree of presence in the examined phytocenoses on the tree floor. In the floor of shrubs, the following species: Viburnum lantana, Crataegus monogyna, Rosa canina, Daphne mezereum, Clematis vitalba, and Ligustrum vulgare have been noticed with the highest degree of presence. Acer campestre has been dominated with the highest degree from the shoots of trees. In the floor of herbaceous plants, the species: Viola alba, Cruciata glabra, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Euphorbia amygdaloides, Helleborus odorus, Fragaria vesca were with the highest degree of presence.

치주질환 예방 및 개선제로서 숲개밀 추출물의 효능

치주질환 예방 및 개선제로서 숲개밀 추출물의 효능

Interacting effects of land use type, microbes and plant traits on soil aggregate stability

Soil aggregates are critical to soil functionality, but there remain many uncertainties with respect to the role of biotic factors in forming aggregates. Understanding the interacting effects of soil, land use type, vegetation and microbial communities is a major challenge that needs assessment in both field and controlled laboratory conditions, as well as in bulk and rhizosphere soils. To address these effects and their feedbacks, we first examined the influence of soil, root and litter characteristics along a land use gradient (ancient woodland, secondary woodland, grassland, pasture and arable land) on microbial community structure (in both bulk and rhizosphere soil), as well as on aggregate stability. Then, we performed an inoculation experiment where we extracted soil columns from the arable and secondary woodland and used a third unstructured loamy soil as a control. We sterilized these three soils to remove microbial communities, and then inoculated the tops of sterilized soil columns with soil from the secondary woodland or the arable field sites. Control columns of all soil types were not inoculated. In a fully-crossed design, we planted two species possessing distinct root system morphologies: Brachypodium sylvaticum (fibrous system with many thin and fine roots) and Urtica dioica (taproot system with few fine roots). After four months, microbial communities (in bulk and rhizospheric soil) and aggregate stability were measured, along with root traits. In both the field and laboratory experiments, bacterial (16S) and fungal (ITS) diversity was determined using high throughput sequencing. In the field study we found that: i) there were strong relationships between aggregate stability and microbial community composition that were driven by land use, ii) the relationship between aggregate stability along the land use gradient and the trophic nature of bacterial communities was not significant, but certain soil, root and litter parameters shaped bacterial phyla, with oligotrophic bacteria conditioned by the rhizosphere niche, and copiotrophic phyla more dependent on bulk soil conditions, iii) land use gradient (from woodland to arable), reduced the relative abundance of saprotrophic and ectomycorrhizal fungi with an increase in the relative abundance of Ascomycota and a reduction in the relative abundance of Basidiomycota. In the laboratory experiment we found that: i) the inoculation of sterilized soils with soils from the field significantly increased aggregate stability in control soil that was initially poorly structured, ii) the effects of inoculation on aggregate stability were similar when either secondary woodland or arable soils were used as inoculums and iii) these effects were impacted significantly by root length density. Our results show that microbial communities influence soil structure and that bacterial communities are intimately associated to rhizospheric conditions and root traits (of which root length density was the most pertinent).

A Cytoplasmic Receptor-like Kinase Contributes to Salinity Tolerance.

Receptor-like cytoplasmic kinases (RLCKs) are receptor kinases that lack extracellular ligand-binding domains and have emerged as a major class of signaling proteins that regulate plant cellular activities in response to biotic/abiotic stresses and endogenous extracellular signaling molecules. We have identified a rice RLCK (OsRLCK311) that was significantly higher in transgenic pSARK-IPT rice (Oryza sativa) that exhibited enhanced growth under saline conditions. Overexpression of OsRLCK311 full-length protein (RLCK311FL) and the C-terminus of OsRLCK311 (ΔN) in Arabidopsis confirmed its role in salinity tolerance, both in seedlings and mature plants. Protein interaction assays indicated that OsRLCK311 and ΔN interacted in-vivo with the plasma membrane AQP AtPIP2;1. The RLCK311-PIP2;1 binding led to alterations in the stomata response to ABA, which was characterized by more open stomata of transgenic plants. Moreover, OsRLCK311-ΔN effect in mediating enhanced plant growth under saline conditions was also observed in the perennial grass Brachypodium sylvaticum, confirming its role in both dicots and monocots species. Lastly, OsRLCK311 interacted with the rice OsPIP2;1. We suggest that the rice OsRLCK311 play a role in regulating the plant growth response under saline conditions via the regulation of the stomata response to stress. This role seems to be independent of the RLCK311 kinase activity, since the overexpression of the RLCK311 C-terminus (ΔN), which lacks the kinase full domain, has a similar phenotype to RLCK311FL.

On the state of the ground cover of shaded areas in urban landscaping objects

It has been established that in municipal forestry of Stavropol (streets, squares, boulevards, parks) mixed plantations of broad-leaved tree species Tilia cordata Mill., Acer pseudoplatanus L., A. platanoides L., Aesculus hippocastanum L., Fraxinus excelsior L., Quercus robur L., prevail, which increases the shading conditions for lawns arranged under their canopy. With sparse and single-row planting of trees, lawn grass is in conditions of temporary shading and does not significantly suffer (lawns of good and satisfactory quality). In places with multi-row and group placement of tree plantations, the grass of lawns is in conditions of both temporary and permanent shading and is thinned up to 40–60 %, the relative amount of sunlight (RAS) is 2.1–9.2 % (mediocre and poor lawns). In conditions of constant intensive shading with a RAS of 0.6–2.6 %, turf grasses completely fall out, a dead cover forms, which reduces the quality of greening. Usually sparse grass are sown with fast-growing turf grasses annually. The issue of turfing of the shaded areas of parks with local forest grasses Brachypodium sylvaticum (Huds.) P. Beauv., Dactylis polygama Horvat., Festuca gigantea (L.) Vill., Poa nemoralis L. (RAS 2.1–5.8 %) and sedge Carex divulsa Stokes, (RAS 1.0–4.2 %) and the conservation of forest herbaceous cenoses is discussed. In shady parks, the use of ground cover introduced species Vinca minor L., Hedera helix L, and the herbaceous perennial Helleborus caucasicus A. Braun (RAS 1.2–7.4 %) is promising.

Bacterial wetwood of silver birch (Betula pendula roth): symptomology, etiology and pathogenesis

Abstract The article is focused on microbiological and silvicultural properties of bacterial wetwood of silver birch (Betula pendula), also known as European white birch. During the active phase of the disease, bacterial wetwood (i.e. bacterial dropsy, vascular parenchymatous bacteriosis or flux slime) is characterised by crust and periderm bloating, necrotic wet stains and abundance of exudate. The disease is more likely to occur in older (r = 0.56, p &lt; 0.01) and less-dense (r = −0.29, p &lt; 0.01) stands. The statistical model showed that the chance of bacterial wetwood increases with birch age by 0.36% per year. The stands with birch proportion of over 70% demonstrated 15.3% lower infection rate compared to the stands with lower birch presence. The stands with lower stocking demonstrated a higher proportion of infected tree distribution by 7.5% compared to the stands with higher birch representation. The most vulnerable were larger, older B. pendula trees with longitudinally fissured bark that grow on poorer soils and experience frequent water stress. Birch associations with Pteridium aquilinum and Vaccinium myrtillus were more susceptible to infection (31.6% and 44.3%, respectively), whereas associations with Brachypodium sylvaticum, Sphagnum palustre and Calluna vulgaris were at lower risk. Strong ecological and trophic association of bacterial wetwood was present between silver birch and Tremex spp., particularly Tremex fuscicornis. Mycobiota was represented by Rhizopus microsporus, Mucor mucedo, Penicillium aurantiogriseum, Penicillium purpurogenum and Acremonium strictum. Enterobacter, Xanthomonas, Pantoea and Bacillus spp. associated with bacterial wetwood of silver birch were isolated. Enterobacter nimipressuralis was found to be the primary causative agent through means of artificial infection, while other bacteria were found to be either weak pathogens or concomitant. E. nimipressuralis formed the largest number of colony-forming units (CFU) for bark and cambium (164 and 127 CFU, respectively) and was also found in a small amount as a vital obligate in the automicrobiota in healthy birch trees.

Correlation-based network analysis combined with machine learning techniques highlight the role of the GABA shunt in Brachypodium sylvaticum freezing tolerance

Perennial grasses will account for approximately 16 billion gallons of renewable fuels by the year 2022, contributing significantly to carbon and nitrogen sequestration. However, perennial grasses productivity can be limited by severe freezing conditions in some geographical areas, although these risks could decrease with the advance of climate warming, the possibility of unpredictable early cold events cannot be discarded. We conducted a study on the model perennial grass Brachypodium sylvaticum to investigate the molecular mechanisms that contribute to cold and freezing adaption. The study was performed on two different B. sylvaticum accessions, Ain1 and Osl1, typical to warm and cold climates, respectively. Both accessions were grown under controlled conditions with subsequent cold acclimation followed by freezing stress. For each treatment a set of morphological parameters, transcription, metabolite, and lipid profiles were measured. State-of-the-art algorithms were employed to analyze cross-component relationships. Phenotypic analysis revealed higher adaption of Osl1 to freezing stress. Our analysis highlighted the differential regulation of the TCA cycle and the GABA shunt between Ain1 and Osl1. Osl1 adapted to freezing stress by repressing the GABA shunt activity, avoiding the detrimental reduction in fatty acid biosynthesis and the concomitant detrimental effects on membrane integrity.

Požarište bukove šume na lokalitetu Visoka stena druge godine posle požara na planini Vidlič

Second year after the fire broke out on Vidlič Mountain during the summer of 2007, the changes of burnt down beech wood vegtation were recorded. Fitocenological research of the beeech wood habitat at the location of Visoka Stena two years after the fire, was carried out in accordance with Braun-Blanquet method. The results of the terrain research were given in the form of fitocenological table. It was noticed that the most present species were Rubus idaeus, Epilobium angustifolium, Galium mollugo, Doronicum columnae, Lactuca muralis and Securigera varia. Turf grass such as Brachypodium sylvaticum, Poa nemoralis, Poa badensis, Festuca varia, Festuca valesiaca and Agrostis capillaris was also present which is a significant factor in the succession process as grass is a powerful colonist. The conclusion was that revitalization of the beech wood depends on how much the beech trees had been destroyed by the fire.