PHYTOCHROME-INTERACTING FACTOR5 (PIF5), a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor, interacts specifically with the photoactivated form of phytochrome B (phyB). Here, we report that dark-grown Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings overexpressing PIF5 (PIF5-OX) exhibit exaggerated apical hooks and short hypocotyls, reminiscent of the triple response induced by elevated ethylene levels, whereas pif5 ...

Many trait-based plant investigations have neglected the intraspecific trait variations. A lot of ecologists consider that this is unreasonable, because intraspecific variation significantly affects various ecological dynamics. However, it is not feasible to record the traits of each plant individually at every community site. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine in which circumsta...

Hunting of hornbills by tribal communities is widespread in logged foothill forests of the Indian Eastern Himalaya. We investigated whether the decline of hornbills has affected the dispersal and recruitment of 3 large-seeded tree species. We hypothesized that 2 low-fecundity tree species, Chisocheton paniculatus and Dysoxylum binectariferum (Meliaceae) bearing arillate fruits, are more dispers...

Potassium (K+) is the most abundant inorganic cation in plants, and molecular dissection of K+ deficiency has received considerable interest in order to minimize K+ fertilizer input and develop high quality K+-efficient crops. However, the molecular mechanism of plant responses to K+ deficiency is still poorly understood. In this study, 2-week-old bread wheat seedlings grown hydroponically in H...

Although post-dispersal seed predators are common and often reduce seed density, their influence on plant population abundance remains unclear. On the one hand, increasing evidence suggests that many plant populations are seed limited, implying that seed predators could reduce plant abundance. On the other hand,.it is generally uncertain whether the magnitude of seed limitation imposed by grani...

Eight populations of Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr.) and interior spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss x Picea engelmannii Parry ex. Engelm.) seedlings were sampled from a zone of Sitka-interior spruce introgression in British Columbia, Canada. Restriction fragment length polymorphisms of the nuclear ribosomal RNA genes (rDNA) were used to define species-specific hybridization patte...

Density-dependent seedling mortality could increase with a species relative abundance, thereby promoting species coexistence. Differences among species in light-dependent mortality also could enhance coexistence via resource partitioning. These compatible ideas rarely have been considered simultaneously. We developed models of mortality as functions of irradiance and local conspecific density (...

Rice seedlings were inoculated with Azospirillum sp. B510 and transplanted into a paddy field. Growth in terms of tiller numbers and shoot length was significantly increased by inoculation. Principal-coordinates analysis of rice bacterial communities using the 16S rRNA gene showed no overall change from B510 inoculation. However, the abundance of Veillonellaceae and Aurantimonas significantly i...

A genetic program that in sunflower seeds is activated by Heat Shock transcription Factor A9 (HaHSFA9) has been analyzed in transgenic tobacco seedlings. The ectopic overexpression of the HSFA9 program protected photosynthetic membranes, which resisted extreme dehydration and oxidative stress conditions. In contrast, heat acclimation of seedlings induced thermotolerance but not resistance to th...

Herbaceous plants are a key component of tropical forests. Previous work indicates that herbs contribute substantially to the species richness of tropical plant communities. However, the processes structuring tropical herb diversity, and how they contrast with woody communities, have been underexplored. Within the understory of a 50-ha forest dynamics plot in central Panama, we compared the div...