Weathering of scorodite by root exudates: Arsenic dissolution and solid-phase speciation.

Camellia yangii D.Wei Zhao (Theaceae) is a recently reported new tea plant species from Yunnan, China. In this study, we report and characterize the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of C. yangii. The cp genome of C. yangii is 156,566 bp in length, comprising an 86,233 bp large single-copy region, an 18,255 bp small single-copy region, and a pair of 26,039 bp inverted repeat regions. The genome contains 129 genes, including 36 tRNA, eight rRNA, and 85 protein-coding genes. Phylogenetic analysis indicated C. yangii shows closest phylogenetic relationships with C. makuanica, C. kwangsiensis, C. crassicoluma, and C. taliensis.

Calabria is the Italian peninsular region richest in endemic plant species, with Centaurea (Asteraceae) being the most species-rich genus. This study aims to fill key gaps in the integrative taxonomic assessment of seven Calabrian endemics relative to the Apennine-Balkan Centaurea deusta s.str., by providing comparative SEM data on cypselae and pappi and applying explicit niche-overlap tests to these taxa. The highest levels of niche overlap were found among species separated by geographic barriers, while most species selecting similar climatic conditions are allopatric. Overall, the Calabrian endemics occupy suboptimal portions of the C. deusta niche, generally in more thermophilic or more orophilic conditions. Only C. pentadactyli shows a niche that is more divergent from that of C. deusta s.str. than expected by chance. Micromorphological characters of cypselae and pappi proved to be informative and of potential taxonomic relevance. By applying Wettstein’s tesseract approach to make the assignment of taxonomic ranks more objective, we conclude that C. aspromontana, C. calabra, C. ionica, C. poeltiana, C. sarfattiana, and C. scillae are best treated at subspecific rank, and the necessary new combinations under C. deusta are here provided. In contrast, based on currently available evidence, C. pentadactyli meets the criteria for retention as a distinct species.

Mobile applications with automated species identification can assist citizen scientists in undertaking plant and habitat surveys. Whilst a high level of accuracy for these applications has been reported, very little testing has been done with citizen scientists in the field. If such applications are going to be used to support biodiversity research and conservation management, they need to be sufficiently accurate and functional for their intended use. We evaluated the accuracy of the e-Surveyor mobile application, which includes automated identification for plant species and habitat prediction. We compared species lists and derived habitat associations collected by citizen scientists using the application in the field, with data recorded by expert botanists within the same survey plots. We also assessed the user experience via a questionnaire. Thirty-seven citizen scientists attended the e-Surveyor workshops and completed a questionnaire, with 51 individual plant surveys submitted across the three habitat types: calcareous grassland, neutral grassland and improved grassland. On average, experts recorded more plant species per plot compared with citizen scientists. Of the species recorded by citizen scientists on e-Surveyor that were known to be present, 71% were correctly identified to species level, though typically only 45% of all observable species in the plot according to the expert botanists were captured correctly by the citizen scientists. Eighty per cent of surveys identified the correct first broad habitat and 25% identified the correct first phytosociological community suggested by the application. Citizen scientists provided valuable input through the questionnaire, including improvements to e-Surveyor and future use cases. Most citizen scientists were able to accurately identify almost half of the observable plant species present and determine the correct broad habitat using e-Surveyor, regardless of their botanical skill level. This suggests that the application is a useful tool for supporting biological recording, whilst improving confidence, knowledge and engagement with nature.

Establishment of a high-efficiency transient expression system for subcellular localization studies in plants based on vacuum-assisted Agrobacterium infiltration.

Kingdom Bacteria; Phylum Proteobacteria; Class Gammaproteobacteria; Family Pseudomonadaceae; Genus Pseudomonas; Species Pseudomonas syringae species complex, Genomospecies 1, Phylogroup 02b. Gram-negative, aerobic, motile, rod-shaped with polar flagella, oxidase negative, arginine dihydrolase negative, levan production positive, potato rot negative, tobacco hypersensitivity positive. T3SEs, toxins (syringomycin, syringopeptin, syringolin, mangotoxin, tabtoxin). Pseudomonas syringae causes disease symptoms on beet leaves characterised as circular or irregular, dark-edged, white to light brown necrotic spots that merge and spread over the entire leaf surface. Young leaves become completely necrotic within 7 days after the first symptom appears. Reported disease incidence mainly occurs on beets and cucurbits in temperate regions. Greenhouse trials showed an extremely wide host range for the strains isolated from diseased beets, causing disease on plants from nine different families and 16 different plant species. Preventive measures focus primarily on sanitary and cultural practices. Integrated control programmes benefit from the regular application of copper formulations. The susceptibility of sugar beet cultivars to leaf spot disease varies, but no cultivar is completely resistant to the pathogen. Biological control may involve beneficial bacteria that suppress pathogens via metabolites and resource competition or by inducing systemic resistance in beet plants. https://www.pseudosonseed.org/chenopods-diseases/; https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/44993; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/assembly/?term=pseudomonas%20syringae%20pv.%20aptata; https://www.uniprot.org/proteomes?query=pseudomonas%20syringae%20pv.%20aptata; https://pnwhandbooks.org/plantdisease/host-disease/beet-red-beta-vulgaris-bacterial-leaf-spot.

Road salt induced mobilization and accumulation of heavy metals in roadside bioretention in the field: the roles of season, plant uptake, media, and catchment properties.

Sown wildflower patches are key elements of agri-environment schemes, designed to deliver rapid biodiversity and ecosystem service benefits. With longer-term maintenance, they may also be involved in habitat restoration by supporting ecological processes. However, successional trajectories of sown communities remain insufficiently understood, particularly regarding the role of spontaneous colonisation. To assess the succession of sown and spontaneous species, we established native, diverse wildflower patches in an agricultural region of Hungary. Patches were placed in homogeneous or heterogeneous landscapes and arranged as one large or three smaller patches. Plant communities were surveyed in early summer for five years, recording cover, species richness and diversity. Spontaneous colonisation strongly complemented sown assemblages: 240 species emerged from the soil seed bank during the study. The two species groups showed distinct temporal patterns. Spontaneous species dominated cover initially, but sown species surpassed them by the third year. However, spontaneous species’ richness remained higher for five years. Community composition shifted steadily. Sown species formed a more consistent component of the community, whereas spontaneous species showed higher temporal variability. Landscape context and spatial configuration had only weak effects on structural and compositional attributes, indicating that local processes and the soil seed bank primarily shaped early succession. These results demonstrate that, in species-rich novel habitats, spontaneous colonisation and sown species jointly drive early successional dynamics, highlighting the value of integrating natural assembly processes with targeted sowing in agri-environment schemes. • Spontaneous colonisation strongly complemented sown species in wildflower patches. • Spontaneous species remained richer than sown taxa over five years. • Community composition shifted directionally during succession. • Sown plant species formed the structural bone of the established novel community. • Landscape context and spatial configuration had only weak effects.

Chitooligosaccharides, such as chitin, are essential components of fungal cell walls and have thus naturally been selected as microbe-associated molecular patterns detected by plants to initiate defense mechanisms. These molecules are typically recognized by the lysin motif receptor-like kinases (LysM RLKs) at the plasma membrane. While chitin perception is well elucidated in Arabidopsis thaliana and other plant species, the recognition mechanisms of its deacetylated form, chitosan, remain poorly investigated despite its use as a biocontrol strategy to protect crops against pathogens. Here, we investigated the role of the two grapevine orthologs of AtLYK4, which participate in the tripartite complex for chitin perception in A. thaliana. Using a dual approach consisting of the functional complementation of the atlyk4/5 double mutant and CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing in Vitis vinifera, we showed that VvLYK4-2 is involved in both chitosan- and chitin-induced immune responses, encompassing MAPK phosphorylation and defense gene expression. Furthermore, grapevine in vitro plantlets lacking VvLYK4-2 exhibited a significantly reduced response to chitosan while retaining a low-intensity response to chitin, potentially due to the presence of VvLYK5-1. Finally, VvLYK4-2 produced in a heterologous system showed binding to chitosan oligomers and, to a lesser extent, to chitin oligomers. These findings indicate that this pattern recognition receptor plays a crucial role in the perception of chitosan oligomers and has thus potential for selective breeding purposes. This discovery may also help to better understand the partial lack of efficacy of chitosan-based plant defense stimulants used in viticulture.

Antiplasmodial Compounds from Clerodendrum rotundifolium Oliv. and Oral Toxicity Assessment of the Leaf Extracts.

Molecular insights into melatonin-mediated stress tolerance in Dendrobium: Integrating antioxidant defense, hormonal networks, and omics approaches.

Ethnoveterinary medicine (EVM) remains central to livestock health management in Afar region of Ethiopia. However, this Indigenous knowledge is increasingly threatened by environmental degradation and socio-cultural transformation. This study aimed to document medicinal plants used by pastoralists in the Megale district, Afar region, Ethiopia. Ethnobotanical data were collected through semi-structured interviews and field observations involving 13 key informants. Medicinal plant specimens were collected and identified, and their nomenclature was verified using Plants of the World Online following the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification system. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and quantitative ethnobotanical indices, including informant consensus factor (ICF), fidelity level (FL) and relative importance (RI). Twenty-seven medicinal plant species belonging to 14 families were documented. Euphorbiaceae (35.71%) and Fabaceae (28.57%) were the most represented families. Leaves were the most frequently utilized plant part (54.55%), and crushing was the predominant preparation method (61.77%). Dermal and oral routes accounted for over 70% of administrations. Wound management involved the highest number of plant species (20%), whereas musculoskeletal disorders showed the highest informant consensus (ICF=0.67). Balanites rotundifolia (RI=0.88) and Calotropis procera (RI=0.78) were the most culturally important species. Ethnoveterinary medicinal plants remain integral to livestock healthcare in Megale district. High cultural consensus highlights key species priorities for conservation and future pharmacological investigation. The concentration of knowledge among elderly informants underscores the urgency of documentation, conservation and integration into community-based veterinary services.

Host transcriptional and microbiome metatranscriptomic changes in soybean plants carrying the insect-pathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana as an endophyte.

Investigating traditional ethnobotanical knowledge and the use of medicinal plants in rural communities in Assam's Bajali district: An examination of native medical practices and cultural legacy.

Chemometrics-assisted validation of a high-throughput method for quantitative analysis of multiclass phytohormones across plant matrices by UHPLC-QQQ-MS/MS for targeted metabolomics.

The distribution of global biomes has changed during Earth history in response to changes in the climate conditions. We aimed to study how climate change during the Quaternary, a period characterized by periodic transitions between glacials and interglacials and a cooling trend, influenced the expansion of biomes and biome stability. We further studied the hypothesis that biome stability can explain current patterns of plant species richness. We used machine learning and correlative models, current bioclimatic conditions, and an observation-based biome map to model the current global biome distribution. Then, we drove the model with bioclimatic conditions for the last 2.6 million years at a 1000 year temporal resolution to obtain global climate-driven biome suitability maps for this period. Our results indicate that during the study period, biomes were stable in large parts of tropical forests, deserts, boreal and temperate forests, while northern Europe, northern and central America were core areas of biome change. Biome shifts in the far North were caused by regular transitions between boreal vegetation and ice. We analyzed the relation between biome stability and current plant species richness. In tropical rainforests, species richness was positively related to biome stability, but globally the overlap between stable biomes and centers of high species richness was weak. Our modeling framework provides important insights into the stability of biomes during the Quaternary. We suggest that biome stability cannot fully explain species richness, indicating that other factors such as fire or spatial heterogeneity are important. Even though our approach is based on climate only, it is appropriate for further studies due to its general applicability to and spatial and temporal resolution and high computational performance.

Comparative metabolomic profiling and potential bioactive marker discovery of three Clerodendrum species and their different plant parts.

Insights into phytohormonal signaling response to Ralstonia solanacearum-virulence and host resistance perspectives.

Plant and bacterial diversity co-regulate ecosystem multifunctionality in subtropical grasslands of southwestern China.

Evolutionary relationships and diversification of Euphorbia austroanatolica and E. rhytidosperma (Euphorbiaceae), narrow endemics of the Taurus Mountains in the eastern Mediterranean biodiversity hotspot.