Journal of Plant Research

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Phosphorus (P) is an essential macronutrient for plant life and growth. P is primarily acquired in the form of inorganic phosphate (Pi) from soil. To cope with Pi deficiency, plants have evolved an elaborate system to improve Pi acquisition and utilization through an array of developmental and physiological changes, termed Pi starvation response (PSR). Plants also assemble and manage mutualistic microbes to enhance Pi uptake, through integrating PSR and immunity signaling. A trade-off between plant growth and defense favors the notion that plants lower a cellular state of immunity to accommodate host-beneficial microbes for nutrition and growth at the cost of infection risk...

Plant cells withstand mechanical stress originating from turgor pressure by robustly maintaining the mechanical properties of the cell wall. This applies at the organ scale as well; many plant stems act as pressurized cylinders, where the epidermis is under tension and inner tissues are under compression. The clavata3 de-etiolated3 (clv3-8 det3-1) double mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana displays cracks in its stems because of a conflict between the mechanical properties of the weak epidermis and over-proliferation of inner stem tissues...

Phosphorus is indispensable for plant growth and development, with its status crucial for determining crop productivity. Plants have evolved various biochemical, morphological, and developmental responses to thrive under conditions of low P availability, as inorganic phosphate (Pi), the primary form of P uptake, is often insoluble in soils. Over the past 25 years, extensive research has focused on understanding these responses, collectively forming the Pi starvation response system. This effort has not only expanded our knowledge of strategies to cope with Pi starvation (PS) but also confirmed their adaptive significance...

Eomecon chionantha Hance, an endemic species in China, has a long medical history in Chinese ethnic minority medicine and is known for its anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. However, studies of E. chionantha are lacking. In this study, we investigated the characteristics of the E. chionantha chloroplast genome and determined the taxonomic position of E. chionantha in Papaveraceae via phylogenetic analysis. In addition, we determined molecular markers to identify E. chionantha at the molecular level by comparing the chloroplast genomes of E...

Ecophysiological studies of lichens in tropical Asia are rare, and additional studies can increase the understanding of lichen life in this region. The main aim of this study was to observe the relationships between water availability and photosynthetic parameters, as well as hydration trait parameters, in macrolichens during the rainy and dry seasons in a tropical forest. A total of 11 lichen species growing in a lower montane rainforest in Thailand were collected and studied. The results clearly showed that the specific thallus mass (STM), net photosynthetic rate (Pn), the potential quantum yield of primary photochemistry (Fv/Fm), chlorophyll content, and carotenoid content of almost all lichens were lower in the dry season than in the rainy season...

Chloroplast-actin (cp-actin) filaments are crucial for light-induced chloroplast movement, and appear in the front region of moving chloroplasts when visualized using GFP-mouse Talin. They are short and thick, exist between a chloroplast and the plasma membrane, and move actively and rapidly compared to cytoplasmic long actin filaments that run through a cell. The average period during which a cp-actin filament was observed at the same position was less than 0.5 s. The average lengths of the cp-actin filaments calculated from those at the front region of the moving chloroplast and those around the chloroplast periphery after stopping the movement were almost the same, approximately 0...

Leaf form can vary at different levels, such as inter/intraspecies, and diverse leaf shapes reflect their remarkable ability to adapt to various environmental conditions. Over the past two decades, considerable progress has been made in unraveling the molecular mechanisms underlying leaf form diversity, particularly the regulatory mechanisms of leaf complexity. However, the mechanisms identified thus far are only part of the entire process, and numerous questions remain unanswered. This review aims to provide an overview of the current understanding of the molecular mechanisms driving leaf form diversity while highlighting the existing gaps in our knowledge...

The nurse effect is a positive interaction in which a nurse plant improves the abiotic environment for another species (beneficiary plant) and facilitates its establishment. The evergreen shrub Vaccinium vitis-idaea (a beneficiary plant) grows mainly under the dwarf shrub Pinus pumila (a nurse plant) in the alpine regions of central Japan. However, whether V. vitis-idaea shrubs under various P. pumila shrubs spread through clonal growth and/or seeds remains unclear. We investigated the clonal structure of V...

Pollination in Marantaceae is mediated by an explosive style movement. Before release, style tension is held by the hooded staminode. When a pollinator touches the trigger appendage of the hooded staminode the latter deforms and the style rapidly curls upwards. This movement has been interpreted as a turgor movement by some authors, but recent studies clearly indicate that setup, hold and release of tension are purely mechanical processes. However, in view of the high diversity of hooded staminodes, the question arises what keeps the tension in species with very thin staminodes...

There is mounting evidence that reproductively isolated, but morphologically weakly differentiated species (so-called cryptic species) represent a substantial part of biological diversity, especially in bryophytes. We assessed the evolutionary history and ecological differentiation of a species pair, Dicranum brevifolium and D. septentrionale, which have overlapping ranges in the Holarctic. Despite their morphological similarity, we found similar genetic differentiation as between morphologically well-differentiated Dicranum species...

Adapting to varying phosphate levels in the environment is vital for plant growth. The PHR1 phosphate starvation response transcription factor family, along with SPX inhibitors, plays a pivotal role in plant phosphate responses. However, this regulatory hub intricately links with diverse biotic and abiotic signaling pathways, as outlined in this review. Understanding these intricate networks is crucial, not only on a fundamental level but also for practical applications, such as enhancing sustainable agriculture and optimizing fertilizer efficiency...

The present review explains briefly the importance of phosphorus in the biological activities and states that the most phosphorus of living organisms is absorbed by plants from the soil. Next, previous studies on the mechanisms of phosphate uptake by plants are reviewed as H+ -dependent or Na+ -dependent co-transport systems and the phosphate environment in which plants grow is discussed. The evolution of transporter genes and their regulation mechanisms of expression is discussed in relation to the phosphorus environment...

Shading is an environmental factor that has been little investigated regarding its effects on emergent aquatic plants. Typha domingensis Pers. is an emergent macrophyte that demonstrates some plasticity for self-shading, and as it can shade other species in the same area, the effect of shading on its traits deserves further investigation. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the gas exchange, leaf anatomy, and growth of T. domingensis cultivated under increasing shading intensities. The plants were collected and propagated in a greenhouse, and the clones were subjected to four shading intensities: 0% (unshaded), 35%, 73%, and 83% shading created by black nets...

The intervention of nectar robbers in plant pollination systems will cause some pollinators to modify their foraging behavior to act as secondary robbers, consequently adopting a mixed foraging strategy. The influence of nectar robbing on pollinator behavior may be affected by spatio-temporal difference of robbing intensity, and consequently, may have different effects on the pollination of host plants. However, whether and how the nectar robbing might influence pollinators under different robbing intensity still needs further investigation...

The present study examined the regulatory mechanism of hydrogen sulfide (H2 S) and nitric oxide (NO) in nickel (Ni) stressed cyanobacteria viz., Nostoc muscorum and Anabaena sp. by analyzing growth, photosynthetic pigments, biochemical components (protein and carbohydrate), exopolysaccharides (EPS), inorganic nitrogen content, and activity of enzymes comprised in nitrogen metabolism and Ni accumulation. The 1 µM Ni substantially diminished growth by 18% and 22% in N. muscorum and Anabaena sp. respectively, along with declining the pigment contents (Chl a/Car ratio and phycobiliproteins), and biochemical components...

Plant glutamate receptor-like channels (GLRs) play important roles in plant development, immune response, defense signaling and Nitric oxide (NO) production. However, their involvement in abiotic stress responses, particularly in regulating Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), is not well understood. This study aimed to investigate GLR-mediated NO production on ROS regulation in salt-stressed cells. To achieve this, Arabidopsis thaliana Columbia (Col-0) were treated with NaCl, glutamate antagonists [(DNQX (6,7-dinitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione and AP-5(D-2-amino-5-phosphono pentanoic acid)], and NO scavenger [cPTIO (2-(4-Carboxyphenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide potassium salt)]...

The Chilean Puya species, Puya coerulea var. violacea and P. chilensis bear blue and pale-yellow flowers, respectively, while P. alpestris considered to be their hybrid-derived species has unique turquoise flowers. In this study, the chemical basis underlying the different coloration of the three Puya species was explored. We first isolated and identified three anthocyanins: delphinidin 3,3',5'-tri-O-glucoside, delphinidin 3,3'-di-O-glucoside and delphinidin 3-O-glucoside; seven flavonols: quercetin 3-O-rutinoside-3'-O-glucoside, quercetin 3,3'-di-O-glucoside, quercetin 3-O-rutinoside, isorhamnetin 3-O-rutinoside, myricetin 3,3',5'-tri-O-glucoside, myricetin 3,3'-di-O-glucoside and laricitrin 3,5'-di-O-glucoside; and six flavones: luteolin 4'-O-glucoside, apigenin 4'-O-glucoside, tricetin 4'-O-glucoside, tricetin 3',5'-di-O-glucoside, tricetin 3'-O-glucoside and selagin 5'-O-glucoside, which is a previously undescribed flavone, from their petals...

Rice production is seriously affected by saline-alkaline stress worldwide. To elucidate the saline-alkaline tolerance mechanisms in a novel tolerant rice variety, Shwe Nang Gyi (SNG), we investigated ion accumulation in SNG and Koshihikari (KSH), which is a saline-alkaline sensitive rice variety, and the candidates for saline-alkaline inducible genes in SNG using RNA-seq. SNG had superior ion accumulation capacity, such as K and Zn, compared to KSH. In contrast, SNG accumulated the same level of Na content in its leaf blades as KSH despite the higher dry weight of the SNG leaf blades...

The family Thismiaceae, known as "fairy lanterns" for their urn- or bell-shaped flowers with basally fused tepals, consists of non-photosynthetic flowering monocots mainly in tropical regions, extending into subtropical and temperate areas. Here, we propose a new mycoheterotrophic genus, Relictithismia Suetsugu & Tagane (Thismiaceae), with its monotypic species Relictithismia kimotsukiensis Suetsugu, Yas.Nakam. & Tagane from Kimotsuki Mountains in the Osumi Peninsula, Kagoshima Prefecture, Kyushu Island, southern Japan...