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16 pages, 1812 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Metabolomic Response of Thalassiosira weissflogii to Erythromycin Stress: Detoxification Systems, Steroidal Metabolites, and Energy Metabolism

by Xintong Wu, Yongqi Tong, Tong Li, Jiahua Guo, Wenhua Liu and Jiezhang Mo

Plants 2024, 13(3), 354; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13030354 - 25 Jan 2024

Viewed by 908

Abstract

Erythromycin, a macrolide antibiotic, is a prioritized pollutant that poses a high risk to environmental health. It has been detected in different environmental matrices and can cause undesired effects in aquatic organisms, particularly freshwater algae, which are primary producers. However, the impact of [...] Read more.

Erythromycin, a macrolide antibiotic, is a prioritized pollutant that poses a high risk to environmental health. It has been detected in different environmental matrices and can cause undesired effects in aquatic organisms, particularly freshwater algae, which are primary producers. However, the impact of erythromycin on marine algae remains largely unexplored. Erythromycin has been reported to induce hormetic effects in the marine diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii (T. weissflogii). These effects are associated with the molecular pathways and biological processes of ribosome assembly, protein translation, photosynthesis, and oxidative stress. However, the alterations in the global gene expression have yet to be validated at the metabolic level. The present study used non-targeted metabolomic analysis to reveal the altered metabolic profiles of T. weissflogii under erythromycin stress. The results showed that the increased cell density was possibly attributed to the accumulation of steroidal compounds with potential hormonic action at the metabolic level. Additionally, slight increases in the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and viable cells were observed in the treatment of 0.001 mg/L of erythromycin (an environmentally realistic level). Contrarily, the 0.75 and 2.5 mg/L erythromycin treatments (corresponding to EC₂₀ and EC₅₀, respectively) showed decreases in the MMP, cell density, and viable algal cells, which were associated with modified metabolic pathways involving ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, the metabolism of hydrocarbons and lipids, thiamine metabolism, and the metabolism of porphyrin and chlorophyll. These findings suggest that metabolomic analysis, as a complement to the measurement of apical endpoints, could provide novel insights into the molecular mechanisms of hormesis induced by antibiotic agents in algae. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Environmental Pollution on Plants: Potential Impacts and Survival Strategies)

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25 pages, 5736 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Role of Acetic Acid and Nitric Oxide against Salinity and Lithium Stress in Canola (Brassica napus L.)

by Mona F. A. Dawood, Md. Tahjib-Ul-Arif, Abdullah Al Mamun Sohag and Arafat Abdel Hamed Abdel Latef

Plants 2024, 13(1), 51; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13010051 - 22 Dec 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 793

Abstract

In this study, canola (Brassica napus L.) seedlings were treated with individual and combined salinity and lithium (Li) stress, with and without acetic acid (AA) or nitric acid (NO), to investigate their possible roles against these stresses. Salinity intensified Li-induced damage, and [...] Read more.

In this study, canola (Brassica napus L.) seedlings were treated with individual and combined salinity and lithium (Li) stress, with and without acetic acid (AA) or nitric acid (NO), to investigate their possible roles against these stresses. Salinity intensified Li-induced damage, and the principal component analysis revealed that this was primarily driven by increased oxidative stress, deregulation of sodium and potassium accumulation, and an imbalance in tissue water content. However, pretreatment with AA and NO prompted growth, re-established sodium and potassium homeostasis, and enhanced the defense system against oxidative and nitrosative damage by triggering the antioxidant capacity. Combined stress negatively impacted phenylalanine ammonia lyase activity, affecting flavonoids, carotenoids, and anthocyanin levels, which were then restored in canola plants primed with AA and NO. Additionally, AA and NO helped to maintain osmotic balance by increasing trehalose and proline levels and upregulating signaling molecules such as hydrogen sulfide, γ-aminobutyric acid, and salicylic acid. Both AA and NO improved Li detoxification by increasing phytochelatins and metallothioneins, and reducing glutathione contents. Comparatively, AA exerted more effective protection against the detrimental effects of combined stress than NO. Our findings offer novel perspectives on the impacts of combining salt and Li stress. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Environmental Pollution on Plants: Potential Impacts and Survival Strategies)

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15 pages, 3884 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Ectomycorrhizal Fungi and Soil Bacterial Communities of the Five Typical Tree Species in the Junzifeng National Nature Reserve, Southeast China

by Wenbo Pang, Panpan Zhang, Yuhu Zhang, Xiao Zhang, Yanbin Huang, Taoxiang Zhang and Bao Liu

Plants 2023, 12(22), 3853; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12223853 - 14 Nov 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 830

Abstract

To explore the contribution of microorganisms to forest ecosystem function, we studied the ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal and soil bacterial community of the five typical tree species (Pinus massoniana, PM; Castanopsis carlesii, CC; Castanopsis eyrei, CE; Castanopsis fargesii, CF; [...] Read more.

To explore the contribution of microorganisms to forest ecosystem function, we studied the ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal and soil bacterial community of the five typical tree species (Pinus massoniana, PM; Castanopsis carlesii, CC; Castanopsis eyrei, CE; Castanopsis fargesii, CF; and Keteleeria cyclolepis, KC) at the Junzifeng National Nature Reserve. The results indicated that the ECM fungal and soil bacterial diversity of CC and CF was similar, and the diversity rates of CC and CF were higher than those of PM, CE, and KC. Cenococcum geophilum and unclassified_Cortinariaceae II were the most prevalent occurring ECM fungi species in the five typical tree species, followed by unclassified_Cortinariaceae I and Lactarius atrofuscus. In bacteria, the dominant bacterial genera were Acidothermus, Bradyrhizobium, Acidibacter, Candidatus_Solibacter, Candidatus_Koribacter, Roseiarcus, and Bryobacter. EMF fungi and soil bacteria were correlated with edaphic factors, especially the soil pH, TP, and TK, caused by stand development. The results show that the community characteristics of ECM fungi and bacteria in the typical tree species of the Junzifeng National Nature Reserve reflect the critical role of soil microorganisms in stabilizing forest ecosystems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Environmental Pollution on Plants: Potential Impacts and Survival Strategies)

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16 pages, 3209 KiB

Open AccessArticle

VS-Cambium-Developer: A New Predictive Model of Cambium Functioning under the Influence of Environmental Factors

by Daria A. Belousova, Vladimir V. Shishov, Alberto Arzac, Margarita I. Popkova, Elena A. Babushkina, Jian-Guo Huang, Bao Yang and Eugene A. Vaganov

Plants 2023, 12(20), 3594; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12203594 - 17 Oct 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1116

Abstract

Climate changes influence seasonal tree-ring formation. The result is a specific cell structure dependent on internal processes and external environmental factors. One way to investigate and analyze these relationships is to apply diverse simulation models of tree-ring growth. Here, we have proposed a [...] Read more.

Climate changes influence seasonal tree-ring formation. The result is a specific cell structure dependent on internal processes and external environmental factors. One way to investigate and analyze these relationships is to apply diverse simulation models of tree-ring growth. Here, we have proposed a new version of the VS-Cambium-Developer model (VS-CD model), which simulates the cambial activity process in conifers. The VS-CD model does not require the manual year-to-year calibration of parameters over a long-term cell production reconstruction or forecast. Instead, it estimates cell production and simulates the dynamics of radial cell development within the growing seasons. Thus, a new software based on R programming technology, able to efficiently adapt to the VS model online platform, has been developed. The model was tested on indirect observations of the cambium functioning in Larix sibirica trees from southern Siberia, namely on the measured annual cell production from 1963 to 2011. The VS-CD model proves to simulate cell production accurately. The results highlighted the efficiency of the presented model and contributed to filling the gap in the simulations of cambial activity, which is critical to predicting the potential impacts of changing environmental conditions on tree growth. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Environmental Pollution on Plants: Potential Impacts and Survival Strategies)

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19 pages, 4853 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Increased Tolerance of Massion’s pine to Multiple-Toxic-Metal Stress Mediated by Ectomycorrhizal Fungi

by Taoxiang Zhang, Panpan Zhang, Wenbo Pang, Yuhu Zhang, Hend. A. Alwathnani, Christopher Rensing and Wenhao Yang

Plants 2023, 12(18), 3179; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12183179 - 05 Sep 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1108

Abstract

Pinus massoniana (Massion’s pine), a pioneer tree species, exhibits restoration potential in polluted mining areas. However, the physiological and molecular mechanisms of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi in Massion’s pine adaptability to multiple-toxic-metal stress are still unclear. Hence, Massion’s pine seedlings inoculated with two [...] Read more.

Pinus massoniana (Massion’s pine), a pioneer tree species, exhibits restoration potential in polluted mining areas. However, the physiological and molecular mechanisms of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi in Massion’s pine adaptability to multiple-toxic-metal stress are still unclear. Hence, Massion’s pine seedlings inoculated with two strains of C. geophilum, which were screened and isolated from a polluted mine area, were cultivated in mine soil for 90 days to investigate the roles of EMF in mediating toxic metal tolerance in host plants. The results showed that compared with the non-inoculation control, C. geophilum (CG1 and CG2) significantly promoted the biomass, root morphology, element absorption, photosynthetic characteristics, antioxidant enzyme activities (CAT, POD, and SOD), and proline content of Massion’s pine seedlings in mine soil. C. geophilum increased the concentrations of Cr, Cd, Pb, and Mn in the roots of Massion’s pine seedlings, with CG1 significantly increasing the concentrations of Pb and Mn by 246% and 162% and CG2 significantly increasing the concentrations of Cr and Pb by 102% and 78%. In contrast, C. geophilum reduced the concentrations of Cr, Cd, Pb, and Mn in the shoots by 14%, 33%, 27%, and 14% on average, respectively. In addition, C. geophilum significantly reduced the transfer factor (TF) of Cr, Cd, Pb, and Mn by 32–58%, 17–26%, 68–75%, and 18–64%, respectively, and the bio-concentration factor (BF) of Cd by 39–71%. Comparative transcriptomic analysis demonstrated that the differently expressed genes (DEGs) were mainly encoding functions involved in “transmembrane transport”, “ion transport”, “oxidation reduction process”, “oxidative phosphorylation”, “carbon metabolism”, “glycolysis/gluconeogenesis”, “photosynthesis”, and “biosynthesis of amino acids.” These results indicate that C. geophilum is able to mitigate toxic metals stress by promoting nutrient uptake, photosynthesis, and plant growth, thereby modulating the antioxidant system to reduce oxidative stress and reducing the transport and enrichment of toxic metals from the root to the shoot of Massion’s pine seedlings. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Environmental Pollution on Plants: Potential Impacts and Survival Strategies)

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15 pages, 1502 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Drought Stress on Non-Structural Carbohydrates in Different Organs of Cunninghamia lanceolata

by Xiaoyan Huang, Wenjuan Guo, Li Yang, Zhiguang Zou, Xinyang Zhang, Shalom Daniel Addo-Danso, Lili Zhou and Shubin Li

Plants 2023, 12(13), 2477; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12132477 - 28 Jun 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1520

Abstract

The Chinese fir Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook. is an important timber conifer species in China. Much has been studied about Chinese fir, but the distribution of non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs) among different organs (needles, branch, stem, and roots) under drought stress remains poorly understood. [...] Read more.

The Chinese fir Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook. is an important timber conifer species in China. Much has been studied about Chinese fir, but the distribution of non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs) among different organs (needles, branch, stem, and roots) under drought stress remains poorly understood. In this study, we used one-year-old C. lanceolata plantlets to evaluate the effects of simulated drought under four water regimes, i.e., adequate water or control, light drought, moderate drought, and severe drought stress corresponding to 80%, 60%, 50%, and 40%, respectively of soil field maximum capacity on various NSCs in the needles, branch, stem and roots. The degree and duration of drought stress had significant effects on fructose, glucose, sucrose, soluble sugar, starch, and NSC content in various organs (p < 0.05). Fructose content increased in stem xylem, stem phloem, and leaves. Glucose and sucrose content declined in stem and branch xylem under light drought stress and moderate drought stress, and increased under severe drought stress conditions. Soluble sugars content declined, and starch content increased in leaf and branch phloem, but the latter could not compensate for soluble sugar consumption in the whole plant, and therefore, total NSCs decreased. Correlation analysis showed that a significant positive correlation existed in the soluble sugar content between leaves and roots, and between xylem and phloem in the stems and branches. Chinese fir appears to have different NSCs distribution strategies in response to drought stress, viz., allocating more soluble sugars to fine roots and increasing starch content in the needles, as well as ensuring osmosis to prevent xylem embolism. Our study may broaden the understanding of the various mechanisms that Chinese fir and other plants have to enhance their tolerance to drought stress. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Environmental Pollution on Plants: Potential Impacts and Survival Strategies)

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13 pages, 2201 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mineral Nutrient Uptake, Accumulation, and Distribution in Cunninghamia lanceolata in Response to Drought Stress

by Shubin Li, Li Yang, Xiaoyan Huang, Zhiguang Zou, Maxiao Zhang, Wenjuan Guo, Shalom Daniel Addo-Danso and Lili Zhou

Plants 2023, 12(11), 2140; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12112140 - 29 May 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1533

Abstract

Mineral accumulation in plants under drought stress is essential for drought tolerance. The distribution, survival, and growth of Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook.), an evergreen conifer, can be affected by climate change, particularly seasonal precipitation and drought. Hence, we designed a [...] Read more.

Mineral accumulation in plants under drought stress is essential for drought tolerance. The distribution, survival, and growth of Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook.), an evergreen conifer, can be affected by climate change, particularly seasonal precipitation and drought. Hence, we designed a drought pot experiment, using 1-year-old Chinese fir plantlets, to evaluate drought effects under simulated mild drought, moderate drought, and severe drought, which corresponds to 60%, 50%, and 40% of soil field maximum moisture capacity, respectively. A treatment of 80% of soil field maximum moisture capacity was used as control. Effects of drought stress on mineral uptake, accumulation, and distribution in Chinese fir organs were determined under different drought stress regimes for 0–45 days. Severe drought stress significantly increased phosphorous (P) and potassium (K) uptake at 15, 30 and 45 days, respectively, within fine (diameter < 2 mm), moderate (diameter 2–5 mm), and large (diameter 5–10 mm) roots. Drought stress decreased magnesium (Mg) and manganese (Mn) uptake by fine roots and increased iron (Fe) uptake in fine and moderate roots but decreased Fe uptake in large roots. Severe drought stress increased P, K, calcium (Ca), Fe, sodium (Na), and aluminum (Al) accumulation in leaves after 45 days and increased Mg and Mn accumulation after 15 days. In stems, severe drought stress increased P, K, Ca, Fe, and Al in the phloem, and P, K, Mg, Na, and Al in the xylem. In branches, P, K, Ca, Fe, and Al concentrations increased in the phloem, and P, Mg, and Mn concentrations increased in the xylem under severe drought stress. Taken together, plants develop strategies to alleviate the adverse effects of drought stress, such as promoting the accumulation of P and K in most organs, regulating minerals concentration in the phloem and xylem, to prevent the occurrence of xylem embolism. The important roles of minerals in response to drought stress should be further evaluated. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Environmental Pollution on Plants: Potential Impacts and Survival Strategies)

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Review

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16 pages, 3549 KiB

Open AccessReview

Response of Wheat, Maize, and Rice to Changes in Temperature, Precipitation, CO₂ Concentration, and Uncertainty Based on Crop Simulation Approaches

by Mengting Qin, Ennan Zheng, Dingmu Hou, Xuanchen Meng, Fanxiang Meng, Yu Gao, Peng Chen, Zhijuan Qi and Tianyu Xu

Plants 2023, 12(14), 2709; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12142709 - 20 Jul 2023

Viewed by 1293

Abstract

The influence of global climate change on agricultural productivity is an essential issue of ongoing concern. The growth and development of wheat, maize, and rice are influenced by elevated atmospheric CO₂ concentrations, increased temperatures, and seasonal rainfall patterns. However, due to differences [...] Read more.

The influence of global climate change on agricultural productivity is an essential issue of ongoing concern. The growth and development of wheat, maize, and rice are influenced by elevated atmospheric CO₂ concentrations, increased temperatures, and seasonal rainfall patterns. However, due to differences in research methodologies (e.g., crop models, climate models, and climate scenarios), there is uncertainty in the existing studies regarding the magnitude and direction of future climate change impacts on crop yields. In order to completely assess the possible consequences of climate change and adaptation measures on crop production and to analyze the associated uncertainties, a database of future crop yield changes was developed using 68 published studies (including 1842 samples). A local polynomial approach was used with the full dataset to investigate the response of crop yield changes to variations in maximum and minimum temperatures, mean temperature, precipitation, and CO₂ concentrations. Then, a linear mixed-effects regression model was utilized with the limited dataset to explore the quantitative relationships between them. It was found that maximum temperature, precipitation, adaptation measure, study area, and climate model had significant effects on changes in crop yield. Crop yield will decline by 4.21% for each 1 °C rise in maximum temperature and increase by 0.43% for each 1% rise in precipitation. While higher CO₂ concentrations and suitable management strategies could mitigate the negative effects of warming temperatures, crop yield with adaptation measures increased by 64.09% compared to crop yield without adaptation measures. Moreover, the uncertainty of simulations can be decreased by using numerous climate models. The results may be utilized to guide policy regarding the influence of climate change and to promote the creation of adaptation plans that will increase crop systems’ resilience in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Environmental Pollution on Plants: Potential Impacts and Survival Strategies)

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