Annals of Botany 2009 103(6):i; doi:10.1093/aob/mcp060
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ContentSnapshots
What is the role of NAD biosynthesis in plants? (Botanical Briefing)
Pyridine nucleotides
are essential for electron transport and serve as co-factors
in multiple metabolic processes in a variety of organisms.
Hashida et al. (pp. 819–824) review progress in the developmental and stress-related roles
of genes associated with NAD biosynthesis in plants. Special
attention is given to assessments of cellular impacts through
the modulation of NAD and NADP biosynthesis.
Population genetic structure of two Medicago species
Life form, mating
system and seed dispersal are important adaptive traits of plants.
Yan et al. (pp. 825–834) describe how these traits influence
the population genetic structure of
M. ruthenica and
M. lupulina,
and emphasize their main effect on shaping genetic structure.
Low reproductive success in Linnaea borealis
Isolation from pollen
exchange between fragmented patches of
L. borealis and the lack
of compatible mates within them compromise reproductive success
and prospects for recovery of this rare, clonal, self-incompatible
plant.
Scobie and Wilcock (pp. 835–846) show that the
principal pollinators are small flies and pollen dispersal is
limited, and that compatible mates must be situated in close
proximity for successful seed production.
A tropical model for thigmomorphogenesis
Porter et al. (pp. 847–858) reveal that
Carica papaya's response to touch includes petiole
cork outgrowths and decreased anthocyanin levels. However, only
a few touch-regulated gene homologues were identified. The novel
phenotypes and potentially fewer touch-regulated genes suggest
that this tropical fruit tree, the fifth angiosperm to be sequenced,
may serve as a complementary model for thigmomorphogenesis.
(
Featured article in ContentSelect on p. v.)
Starch storage in the stem of wheat plants
The major form of
carbon storage in the stems of wheat is water-soluble carbohydrates
(WSC; principally fructan and sucrose), which are later remobilized
for grain filling.
Scofield et al. (pp. 859–868) show
that some starch also accumulates in stem parenchyma cells around
anthesis, but decreases a few days later. The starch storage
precedes the WSC, suggesting that it fulfils a different role.
Female gametophyte development in Piper
More than six patterns
of tetrasporic female gametophyte development have been described
in angiosperms; however, the developmental basis for transitions
among each of these ontogenies has never been explored within
a phylogenetic context.
Madrid and Friedman (pp. 869–884) examine female gametophyte development in
Piper peltatum, and
use these data to reconstruct the specific developmental processes
responsible for female gametophyte structural diversification
in the Piperaceae.
Altitude and the genetic structure of Poa
Using microsatellite
markers,
Byars et al. (pp. 885–899) examine the genetic
structure of populations of
Poa hiemata across altitudinal gradients
in an alpine zone. The patterns of genetic variation suggest
higher rates of gene flow among sites at similar altitudes than
along vertical transects, a process that could assist adaptation
to altitude: levels of gene flow along transects appear insufficient
to prevent adaptive changes in morphological traits.
Ptilotus: a phosphorus-accumulating herb
A nutrient addition
experiment conducted by
Ryan et al. (pp. 901–911) reveals
that
Ptilotus polystachyus, a perennial herb native to Australia,
grows extremely well under low phosphorus conditions. When high
levels of phosphorus are applied,
P. polystachyus appears unable
to down-regulate phosphorus uptake and concentrations of phosphorus
in shoots approach 4 % of dry weight; however, no symptoms of
phosphorus toxicity are apparent.
Biodiversity effects in a forage ecosystem
A study of an agronomically
relevant forage system by
Frankow-Lindberg et al. (pp. 913–921) reveals that species diversity produces a strong positive yield
effect, as well as reducing invasion by unsown species. Introducing
a wide genetic diversity of two of the species involved had
little impact on these ecosystem properties.
Cu-responsive proteins in rice seeds
Excess copper is
toxic to most plants and can cause a wide range of deleterious
effects.
Zhang et al. (pp. 923–930) use a proteomic approach
to analyse Cu-stress-induced changes in the expression of low-molecular-weight
proteins in germinating rice seed embryos. Thirteen of the proteins
identified, including a metallothionein-like protein, a membrane-associated
protein-like protein and a resistance protein, were upregulated
by Cu stress. (
Featured article in ContentSelect on p. v.)
Foliar Mn accumulation in eastern Australian flora
Manganese hyperaccumulation
is manifested in a small group of angiosperms that occur mainly
in the Western Pacific region.
Fernando et al. (pp. 931–939) screen selected eastern Australian species by analysing herbarium
leaf-tissue samples. The resultant data reveal at least five
new Mn hyperaccumulators, and support the hypothesis that foliar
Mn levels may potentially be useful in resolving certain taxa.
(
Featured article in ContentSelect on p. vi.)
Heritability for pollen-tube growth rate in Collinsia
Only a few studies
have investigated heritability in pollen performance and they
have shown conflicting results. Using experimental crosses,
Lankinen et al. (pp. 941–950) find that heritability and
evolvability for pollen-tube growth rate are relatively high
in a population of
Collinsia heterophylla.
Flower architecture and the evolution of selfing
How does flower
morphology change during the evolution of self-fertilization?
Vallejo-Marín and Barrett (pp. 951–962) investigate
flower morphology in tristylous
Eichhornia paniculata and demonstrate
that the transition to selfing is initiated through a reduction
in the distance between sex organs. Plants display developmental
instability in the production of ‘selfing flowers’
and this plasticity enables dynamic control of mating in uncertain
environments. (
Featured article in ContentSelect on p. vi.)
Cytotype distribution in Knautia arvensis
Polyploidy has
long been recognized as an important force in plant evolution.
Kolá
et al. (pp. 963–974) investigate cytotype
distribution in a taxonomically challenging diploid–polyploid
complex,
Knautia arvensis, in Central Europe. They find both
primary and secondary contact zones and ploidy-specific reproductive
barriers. The results indicate that the species provides a unique
model system for studying evolutionary dynamics and cytotype
interactions under natural conditions.
Molecular evolution of RPB2 gene in the genus Hordeum
RPB2 gene evolution
in the genus
Hordeum is characterized by
Sun et al. (pp. 975–983),
and the sequences are used to reconstruct the phylogeny of the
genus. They reveal that miniature inverted-repeat terminal elements
and large indels have shaped the
RPB2 loci between the Xu and
H, I and Xa genomes. Maximum-parsimony analysis demonstrates
that the four genomes can be subdivided into two groups.
Evolution and biogeography of Acrocentron (Asteraceae)
The history of
the expansion of
Acrocentron, one of the largest sections of
Centaurea, through the Mediterranean is investigated by
Font et al. (pp. 985–997) who find that radiation followed two waves. Firstly in the late-Miocene,
from Turkey to the Iberian Peninsula by the south, landmarked
by relictic taxa in Sicily and North Africa, and secondly in
the Holocene from the north Balkans along Eurasia, from Central
Iberia to Kazakhstan.
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