Combination Of Multiple Traits Research Articles

How are physiological responses to drought modulated by water relations and leaf economics’ traits in woody plants?

Species’ drought resistance is determined by a combination of multiple traits and their plastic response. However, a clear understanding of how these traits are coordinated and modulate plant responses to drought is still lacking.Here we used a water exclusion experiment on 20 Mediterranean woody species to evaluate a new framework to study plant drought responses, in which relatively constant functional traits modulate the physiological responses to a given drought exposure. In particular, we assessed how the response of stomatal conductance (Gs), leaf relative water content (RWC) and leaf water potential difference (ΔΨ) to leaf predawn water potential (Ψpd) were modulated by commonly used functional traits. The latter included hydraulic and water relations attributes such as turgor loss point in leaves (Ψtlp), vulnerability to xylem embolism in stems (Ψ50), hydraulic conductivity per unit sapwood (Ks), hydraulic conductivity per unit leaf area (Kl, hydraulic sufficiency) and Huber value (Hv), as well as specific leaf area (SLA) as a proxy for the leaf economics spectrum.Our results show that functional traits are highly coordinated, defining two main axes: the first related to drought tolerance and resource-use strategies and the second characterising the hydraulic sufficiency of leaves. These two axes, as well as many of the underlying functional traits, showed a significant interaction with Ψpd in explaining physiological responses to drought, thus modulating Gs, RWC, and ΔΨ responses. Drought-tolerant species showed a less stringent regulation of water use and leaf water potential but were more effective at regulating leaf RWC. Also, the leaf water potential at turgor loss (Ψtlp) emerged as an important trait orchestrating plant responses to drought.This study highlights that a clear separation between slow-varying traits (Ψtlp, Ψ50, Ks, Kl, Hv, SLA), physiological responses (Gs, RWC, ΔΨ) and tissue-level exposure to drought (Ψpd) improves our understanding of plant drought resistance strategies.

Identification of Metabolic Syndrome-Related miRNA-mRNA Regulatory Networks and Key Genes Based on Bioinformatics Analysis.

Metabolic syndrome, which affects approximately one-quarter of the world's population, is a combination of multiple traits and is associated with high all-cause mortality, increased cancer risk, and other hazards. It has been shown that the epigenetic functions of miRNAs are closely related to metabolic syndrome, but epigenetic studies have not yet fully elucidated the regulatory network and key genes associated with metabolic syndrome. To perform data analysis and screening of potential differentially expressed target miRNAs, mRNAs and genes based on a bioinformatics approach using a metabolic syndrome mRNA and miRNA gene microarray, leading to further analysis and identification of metabolic syndrome-related miRNA-mRNA regulatory networks and key genes. The miRNA gene set (GSE98896) and mRNA gene set (GSE98895) of peripheral blood samples from patients with metabolic syndrome from the GEO database were screened, and set|logFC|> 1 and adjusted P < 0.05 were used to identify the differentially expressed miRNAs and mRNAs. Differentially expressed miRNA transcription factors were predicted using FunRich software and subjected to GO and KEGG enrichment analysis. Next, biological process enrichment analysis of differentially expressed mRNAs was performed with Metascape. Differentially expressed miRNAs and mRNAs were identified and visualized as miRNA-mRNA regulatory networks based on the complementary pairing principle. Data analysis of genome-wide metabolic syndrome-related mRNAs was performed using the gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) database. Finally, further WGCNA of the set of genes most closely associated with metabolic syndrome was performed to validate the findings. A total of 217 differentially expressed mRNAs and 158 differentially expressed miRNAs were identified by screening the metabolic syndrome miRNA and mRNA gene sets, and these molecules mainly included transcription factors, such as SP1, SP4, and EGR1, that function in the IL-17 signalling pathway; cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction; proteoglycan syndecan-mediated signalling events; and the glypican pathway, which is involved in the inflammatory response and glucose and lipid metabolism. miR-34C-5P, which was identified by constructing a miRNA-mRNA regulatory network, could regulate DPYSL4 expression to influence insulin β-cells, the inflammatory response and glucose oxidative catabolism. Based on GSEA, metabolic syndrome is known to be closely related to oxidative phosphorylation, DNA repair, neuronal damage, and glycolysis. Finally, RStudio and DAVID were used to perform WGCNA of the gene sets most closely associated with metabolic syndrome, and the results further validated the conclusions. Metabolic syndrome is a common metabolic disease worldwide, and its mechanism of action is closely related to the inflammatory response, glycolipid metabolism, and impaired mitochondrial function. miR-34C-5P can regulate DPYSL4 expression and can be a potential research target. In addition, UQCRQ and NDUFA8 are core genes of oxidative phosphorylation and have also been identified as potential targets for the future treatment of metabolic syndrome.

New genera and a new species in the “Cryptanthoid Complex” (Bromeliaceae: Bromelioideae) based on the morphology of recently discovered species, seed anatomy, and improvements in molecular phylogeny

The continuous refinement of the morphological, anatomical, and molecular studies on the genera of the “Cryptanthoid complex”, mainly considering the recently discovered outlier species, gave rise to new interpretations of species relationships. It reinforced the monophyly of the groups, and allowed the recognition of the new monotypic genus Siqueiranthus based on a morphologically unique endemic species from northeastern Brazil on the brink of extinction, as well as generic status for Krenakanthus and Orthocryptanthus previously conceived as subgenera of Orthophytum, with readjustments in the positioning of some species. An integrative approach with the combination of multiple traits and the critical assessment of the diagnostic characters proved to be useful for the establishment of the new monophyletic genera. A new unusual species of Orthophytum is also described and illustrated, and its phylogenetic relationships are discussed.

Sexually selected traits and life history traits of larger and smaller males of the horned flour beetle Gnatocerus cornutus

1. Expression of sexual weapons is strongly affected by environmental factors in armed insects, resulting in a remarkable morphological difference between larger and smaller males.2. Morphological differences in weapon between larger and smaller males can promote differences in non‐sexual traits. This is because weapon sizes are often associated with developments of non‐sexual traits such as somatic traits and life history traits. The resulting different subsets of multiple traits may contribute to the reproductive success of larger and smaller males, respectively.3. There were relatively few studies that couple differences in life history and reproductive traits between larger and smaller males. Here we investigated differences in morphology, behaviours, and life history in Gnatocerus cornutus.4. Larger males have relatively larger mandibles and the advantage in male fighting to access females. Also, the developmental period was significantly shorter in the larger males than in the smaller males.5. Smaller males with rudimentary weapons have higher locomotion. This suggests higher performance in the dispersal to new territories. Larger and smaller males showed different suites of multiple traits, and the combinations of multiple traits are probably related to expression of weapons.

Alternative designs and tropical tree seedling growth performance landscapes.

The functional trait values that constitute a whole-plant phenotype interact with the environment to determine demographic rates. Current approaches often fail to explicitly consider trait × trait and trait × environment interactions, which may lead to missed information that is valuable for understanding and predicting the drivers of demographic rates and functional diversity. Here, we consider these interactions by modeling growth performance landscapes that span multidimensional trait spaces along environmental gradients. We utilize individual-level leaf, stem, and root trait data combined with growth data from tree seedlings along soil nutrient and light gradients in a hyper-diverse tropical rainforest. We find that multiple trait combinations in phenotypic space (i.e., alternative designs) lead to multiple growth performance peaks that shift along light and soil axes such that no single or set of interacting traits consistently results in peak growth performance. Evidence from these growth performance peaks also generally indicates frequent independence of above- and belowground resource acquisition strategies. These results help explain how functional diversity is maintained in ecological communities and question the practice of utilizing a single trait or environmental variable, in isolation, to predict the growth performance of individual trees.

Impact of differential DNA methylation on transgene expression in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) events generated by targeted sequence insertion.

SummaryTargeted Genome Optimization (TGO) using site‐specific nucleases to introduce a DNA double‐strand break (DSB) at a specific target locus has broadened the options available to breeders for generation and combination of multiple traits. The use of targeted DNA cleavage in combination with homologous recombination (HR)‐mediated repair, enabled the precise targeted insertion of additional trait genes (2mepsps, hppd, axmi115) at a pre‐existing transgenic locus in cotton. Here we describe the expression and epigenome analyses of cotton Targeted Sequence Insertion (TSI) events over generations. In a subset of events, we observed variability in the level of transgene (hppd, axmi115) expression between independent but genetically identical TSI events. Transgene expression could also be differential within single events and variable over generations. This expression variability and silencing occurred independently of the transgene sequence and could be attributed to DNA methylation that was further linked to different DNA methylation mechanisms. The trigger(s) of transgene DNA methylation remains elusive but we hypothesize that targeted DSB induction and repair could be a potential trigger for DNA methylation.

On the development of a predictive functional trait approach for studying terrestrial arthropods.

The characterization of ecological communities with functional traits allows to consider simultaneously the ability of a species to survive and reproduce in an environment, its interactions with other species and its effects on the ecosystem. Functional traits have been studied mainly by plant ecologists, but are increasingly common in the study of other taxa including arthropods. Arthropods represent a group for which a functional trait approach could be highly profitable because of their high diversity, abundance, ubiquity and role in many important ecological processes. This review synthesizes two decades of functional trait research on terrestrial arthropods. We show that while the approach has gained popularity, particularly in the last decade, the absence of clearly postulated hypotheses is a recurrent problem limiting generalization. Furthermore, studied traits are often poorly related to studied functions. To address these problems, we propose a step-by-step protocol to postulate clear hypotheses prior to trait selection and emphasize the need for a common set of more generalizable traits in future studies. Extending the functional trait approach to arthropods opens the door to improving our understanding of interspecific interactions and potential links between response and effect traits. We present the concept of trait-matching with several examples of arthropod traits known to be effective predictors of consumer-resource interactions. The development of a successful functional trait approach for terrestrial arthropods will necessitate an understanding of relevant traits, standardized measurement protocols and open access databases to share this information. Such progress will provide ecologists with a new set of tools to answer broad questions in several fields including the study of community assembly, ecological networks and multitrophic functionality.

Efficient storage and retrieval of medical records using fusion-based multimodal biometrics

Biometrics helps to uniquely identify a person using their biological features and hence is used to develop systems with a high level of security. Multimodal biometrics further increases the level of security and provides controlled access, using the combination of multiple traits to identify a person. This paper presents an application of multimodal biometrics to efficiently store, access and retrieve medical records of a patient, which is independent of the hospital servers across the country. In case of emergencies, where it is important to know the medical history of a patient, the record can securely be accessed from a cloud server by using their biometric traits. Here we use two traits, face print and fingerprint to simulate the process of uniquely identifying a patient's record which is stored on a cloud server. The records can only be accessed by authorised representatives of the hospitals, which preserve its confidentiality. Feature level fusion technique is used to determine if a record, corresponding to a patient is available in the database. Cryptographic methods like shuffling algorithms are applied for further security of the records.

气孔特征与叶片功能性状之间关联性沿海拔梯度的变化规律：以长白山为例

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 气孔特征与叶片功能性状之间关联性沿海拔梯度的变化规律——以长白山为例 DOI: 10.5846/stxb201411042162 作者: 作者单位: 中国科学院地理科学与资源研究所,中国科学院地理科学与资源研究所,中国科学院地理科学与资源研究所,中国科学院地理科学与资源研究所,中国科学院地理科学与资源研究所,中国科学院地理科学与资源研究所 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 国家自然科学基金重大项目(31290221); 中国科学院地理科学与资源研究所可桢杰出青年学者计划(2013RC102) Altitudinal variation in the covariation of stomatal traits with leaf functional traits in Changbai Mountain Author: Affiliation: Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences,,Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences,,, Fund Project: 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:气孔是陆生植物与外界环境进行水分和气体交换的主要通道,控制着植物的光合作用和蒸腾过程。植物往往通过多种性状的组合来适应变化的环境,叶片功能性状之间的紧密关系已经在不同尺度得到证实。然而,植物气孔特征与叶片其它功能性状是否存在关联性以及这种关联性是否会受到环境变化梯度的影响仍鲜少报道。沿长白山北坡6个海拔梯度,测定了150种植物的气孔特征和叶片功能性状。结果发现,气孔密度(SD)与比叶面积(SLA)负相关,与单位面积的叶氮含量(Narea)正相关;除了SLA和Narea外,气孔长度(SL)与SLA、叶片厚度(LT)和单位质量的叶氮含量(Nmass)均存在显著的相关性(P < 0.05)。然而,气孔特征与叶片功能性状的相关性只在部分海拔梯度存在。此外,发现SD与SL之间存在稳定一致的负相关关系。这些结果表明,植物气孔特征与叶片形态和化学特征对环境变化的适应存在一定的协同变异性,但这种关系不具有普适性,主要与气孔特征和叶片功能性状的选择压力存在差异以及物种分布范围相关。未来仍需要在更多物种和不同区域内来验证气孔特征与植物功能性状之间的关联关系。 Abstract:Stomata, small pores on the surfaces of plant leaves and stalks, act as turgor-operated valves to control gas (e.g. water vapor and carbon dioxide) exchange between plant tissues and the atmosphere. Stomata therefore play a major role in the regulation of water and carbon cycling. Generally, plants adapt to changing environments through the combination of multiple traits. The strong relationships between leaf morphological, chemical, and physiological traits have been documented within and across plant species, biomes, and even globally. Despite the importance of leaf stomata, little is known about interspecific covariation in stomatal traits and their relations with other leaf functional traits on a large scale, partly due to a lack of data on leaf stomata in most studies. In the present study, we measured stomatal and leaf functional traits, including stomatal density (SD), stomatal length (SL), specific leaf area (SLA), leaf area (LA), leaf thickness (LT), and nitrogen content (mass- and area-based, Nmass and Narea) of 150 plant species along an altitudinal gradient (540-2357 m) in Changbai Mountain, China. Our results showed that, for all species, the average values of SD and SL were 155.91 stomata/mm2 and 34.51 μm, respectively; the average values of SLA, LA, and LT were 33.58 m2/kg, 3291.30 mm2, and 0.14 mm, respectively; the mean values of Nmass and Narea were 24.48 g/kg and 1.07 g/m2. There were significant relationships between stomatal traits and other leaf functional traits (P < 0.05). Specifically, SD was negatively correlated with SLA, and positively correlated with Narea (P < 0.05); SL was negatively correlated with LA and Nmass, and positively correlated with LT (all P < 0.05). Additionally, SL was negatively correlated with SD (P < 0.05). Standardized major axis (SMA) analysis showed that these significant relationships between stomatal traits and morphological and chemical traits of leaves differed among different altitudes. However, the strong relationship between SD and SL was observed at all altitudes. Furthermore, although no significant difference (P > 0.05) was found among these slopes of SD-SL relationships, the y-intercepts differed significantly (P < 0.05), in which the maximum occurred at 1286 m, and the minimum at 2357 m, indicating plants with larger stomata (higher SL) at any given SD occurred at 1286 m than those with smaller stomata (lower SL) at 2357 m. These findings suggest that there is a covariation between stomatal traits and leaf morphological and chemical traits. However, this may not be universal for all plants due to different stress responses between stomata and other leaf structures. Moreover, the narrow taxonomic range at each altitude may also restrict the expression of bivariate relationships. Future research needs to verify the relationships between stomatal traits and plant functional traits in more plant species from different areas. Finally, our findings highlight the trade-off between SD and SL, which regulates the short-term (plastic) and long-term (evolutionary) strategies in plant adaptation to the external environment. These data provide a basis for revealing adaptation strategies in plants, and help us predict their responses to future climate changes. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

Adulthood temperament and educational attainment: A population-based cohort study

The aim of the study was to examine the associations of temperament traits and temperament profiles (i.e., the combinations of multiple traits) with adulthood educational attainment. The participants were 837 women and 592 men from a population-based cohort study. Temperament was assessed with the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) based on the Psychobiological Model of Temperament and Character. Analyses were conducted with linear regression analyses and with analysis of variance (ANOVA). In both genders, high harm avoidance was associated with lower educational attainment. High persistence among women and high reward dependence among men were related to higher educational attainment. Novelty seeking was not associated with educational attainment in either gender. Among men explosive and methodical temperament profiles were associated with lower educational attainment while reliable and passionate temperament profiles were associated with higher educational attainment. Temperament may play an important role in lifelong learning and academic performance over different developmental transitions.

A single g factor is not necessary to simulate positive correlations between cognitive tests

In the area of abilities testing, one issue of continued dissent is whether abilities are best conceptualized as manifestations of a single underlying general factor or as reflecting the combination of multiple traits that may be dissociable. The fact that diverse cognitive tests tend to be positively correlated has been taken as evidence for a single general ability or “g” factor. In the present study, simulations of test performance were run to evaluate the hypothesis that multiple independent abilities that affect test performance in a consistent manner will produce a positive manifold. Correlation matrices were simulated from models using either one or eight independent factors. The extent to which these factors operated in a consistent manner across tests (i.e., that a factor that facilitates performance on one test tends to facilitate performance on other tests) was manipulated by varying the mean value of the randomly selected weights. The tendency of both a single factor and eight independent factors to produce positive correlations increased as the randomly selected weights operated in a more consistent fashion. Thus the presence of a positive manifold in the correlations between diverse cognitive tests does not provide differential support for either single factor or multiple factor models of general abilities.

SEXUAL CONFLICT AND THE MAINTENANCE OF MULTIVARIATE GENETIC VARIATION

Mate choice should erode additive genetic variation in sexual displays, yet these traits often harbor substantial genetic variation. Nevertheless, recent developments in quantitative genetics have suggested that multivariate genetic variation in the combinations of traits under selection may still be depleted. Accordingly, the erosion and maintenance of variation may only be detectable by studying whole suites of traits. One potential process favoring the maintenance of genetic variance in multiple trait combinations is the modification of sexual selection via sexually antagonistic interactions between males and females. Here we consider how interlocus sexual conflict can shape the genetic architecture of male sexual traits in the cricket, Teleogryllus commodus. In this species, the ability of each sex to manipulate insemination success significantly alters the selection acting on male courtship call properties. Using a quantitative genetic breeding design we estimated the additive genetic variation in these traits and then predicted the change in variation due to previously documented patterns of sexual selection. Our results indicate that female choice should indeed deplete multivariate genetic variance, but that sexual conflict over insemination success may oppose this loss of variance. We suggest that changes in the direction of selection due to sexually antagonistic interactions will be an important and potentially widespread factor in maintaining multivariate genetic variation.