Alpine regions on the Tibetan Plateau are sensitive to climate change, however, little is known about their long-term hydroclimate variability due to short instrumental records. A research team established a 537-year standard shrub-ring chronology by cross-dating living and dead Wilson juniper shrubs sampled nearby the Nam Co Lake, on the south-central Tibetan Plateau.
Forest conservation areas in oil palm plantations play a vital role in storing carbon and boosting rainforest biodiversity, a new study on palm oil agriculture in Borneo has revealed.
The global COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on the importance of certain previously little-studied scientific areas such as the relationships between ecosystems, their biodiversity and the emergence of new infectious diseases.
In the Eocene, some of the world’s most important mountain ranges emerged and large climate changes took place that affected the future of the planet. In this era, about 50 million years ago, large groups of mammals and other animals also came , as did Daniellia clade, an array of legume plants which carry environmental relevance.
From two seeds grew a thousand plants. Researchers used advanced cloning techniques to give the threatened Hill’s thistle a fighting chance. This cutting-edge propagation method could rejuvenate the population of other threatened and endangered plant species.
New research finds that ash dieback is far less severe in the isolated conditions ash is often found in, such as forests with low ash density or in open canopies like hedges, suggesting the long term impact of the disease on Europe’s ash trees will be more limited than previously thought.
Over the course of forest succession, both components of plant residues and the structure of soil microbial communities play important roles in affecting soil aggregates, and thus the sequestration and stability of soil organic carbon. However, up till now there is still a lack of holistic understanding of the interactions among root turnover, microbial community composition, chemical composition of plant residues and different sized soil aggregates.
The findings, published in Nature Communications, could help to improve revegetation efforts in regions affected by bushfires.
During bushfires, organic compounds called karrikins, named after the Noongar word ‘karrik’, meaning smoke, are produced from burning plant material. Karrikins soak into the soil with the first rain after a fire and stimulate the germination of buried seeds.
The scientists from UWA’s School of Molecular Sciences and the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology examined more than 400 species, and found that some appeared to have developed an enhanced sensitivity to karrikins.
Lead researcher Dr Mark Waters said it was known that plants use a special receptor called KARRIKIN INSENSITIVE 2 (KAI2) to detect karrikins. However, unlike most plants that carry only a single type of KAI2, some species had more receptors.
“We looked at plants we knew responded well to karrikins and found that one of these, an Australian weed commonly called wild turnip (Brassica tournefortii), had three KAI2 receptors,”
Dr Waters said.
“On closer examination we found that mutations in one of these three receptors were responsible for the improved karrikin sensing.”
Dr Waters said the scientists also found that by changing two amino acids in the KAI2 receptor of a plant they could turn it into a karrikin super-sensor.
“This is exciting because we have discovered a way in which KAI2 protein can evolve to change its sensitivity to karrikins,” he said. “It will be interesting to see if this discovery could be used in areas where revegetation efforts are needed.”
Of 400 plant species examined subsequently, the scientists found to their surprise that there were similar KAI2 mutations in nine species of flowering plants.
“One of these species is Hakea drupacea, an Australian native that has become an invasive weed in South Africa, and relies on fire to spread,” he said.
By understanding which native species are karrikin super-sensors the scientists hope their study can guide predictions of which plant species may germinate best when treated with karrikins and apply this knowledge to the revegetation of fire and mining-affected land.
Read the paper: Nature Communications
Article source: ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology
Tropical forest trees are the centerpiece of debates on conservation, climate change and carbon sequestration today. While their ecological importance has never been doubted, what has often been ignored is their ability to store cultural heritage. Using recent advances in scientific methods and a better understanding of the growth of these trees, researchers can now uncover, in detail, the growing conditions, including human management, that have occurred around these ancient giants over their centuries-long life span.
Collectively organising agricultural nature management leads to increased levels of trust between those involved, as well as to a more confidence in the policy.
