Browsing by Author "Li Z"
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- ItemObligate mutualism within a host drives the extreme specialization of a fig wasp genome(BioMed Central Ltd, 2013-12-20) Xiao J-H; Yue Z; Jia L-Y; Yang X-H; Niu L-H; Wang Z; Zhang P; Sun B-F; He S-M; Li Z; Xiong T-L; Xin W; Gu H-F; Wang B; Werren JH; Murphy RW; Wheeler D; Niu L-M; Ma G-C; Tang T; Bian S-N; Wang N-X; Yang C-Y; Wang N; Fu Y-G; Li W-Z; Yi SV; Yang X-Y; Zhou Q; Lu C-X; Xu C-Y; He L-J; Yu L-L; Chen M; Zheng Y; Wang S-W; Zhao S; Li Y-H; Yu Y-Y; Qian X-J; Cai Y; Bian L-L; Zhang S; Wang J-Y; Yin Y; Xiao H; Wang G-H; Yu H; Wu W-S; Cook JM; Wang J; Huang D-WBackground: Fig pollinating wasps form obligate symbioses with their fig hosts. This mutualism arose approximately 75 million years ago. Unlike many other intimate symbioses, which involve vertical transmission of symbionts to host offspring, female fig wasps fly great distances to transfer horizontally between hosts. In contrast, male wasps are wingless and cannot disperse. Symbionts that keep intimate contact with their hosts often show genome reduction, but it is not clear if the wide dispersal of female fig wasps will counteract this general tendency. We sequenced the genome of the fig wasp Ceratosolen solmsi to address this question. Results: The genome size of the fig wasp C. solmsi is typical of insects, but has undergone dramatic reductions of gene families involved in environmental sensing and detoxification. The streamlined chemosensory ability reflects the overwhelming importance of females finding trees of their only host species, Ficus hispida, during their fleeting adult lives. Despite long-distance dispersal, little need exists for detoxification or environmental protection because fig wasps spend nearly all of their lives inside a largely benign host. Analyses of transcriptomes in females and males at four key life stages reveal that the extreme anatomical sexual dimorphism of fig wasps may result from a strong bias in sex-differential gene expression. Conclusions: Our comparison of the C. solmsi genome with other insects provides new insights into the evolution of obligate mutualism. The draft genome of the fig wasp, and transcriptomic comparisons between both sexes at four different life stages, provide insights into the molecular basis for the extreme anatomical sexual dimorphism of this species. © 2013 Xiao et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
- ItemSupplying silicon alters microbial community and reduces soil cadmium bioavailability to promote health wheat growth and yield(Elsevier, 2021-06-30) Song A; Li Z; Wang E; Xu D; Wang S; Bi J; Wang H; Jeyakumar P; Li Z; Fan FSoil amendments of black bone (BB), biochar (BC), silicon fertilizer (SI), and leaf fertilizer (LF) play vital roles in decreasing cadmium (Cd) availability, thereby supporting healthy plant growth and food security in agroecosystems. However, the effect of their additions on soil microbial community and the resulting soil Cd bioavailability, plant Cd uptake and health growth are still unknown. Therefore, in this study, BB, BC, SI, and LF were selected to evaluate Cd amelioration in wheat grown in Cd-contaminated soils. The results showed that relative to the control, all amendments significantly decreased both soil Cd bioavailability and its uptake in plant tissues, promoting healthy wheat growth and yield. This induced-decrease effect in seeds was the most obvious, wherein the effect was the highest in SI (52.54%), followed by LF (43.31%), and lowest in BC (35.24%) and BB (31.98%). Moreover, the induced decrease in soil Cd bioavailability was the highest in SI (29.56%), followed by BC (28.85%), lowest in LF (17.55%), and BB (15.30%). The significant effect in SI likely resulted from a significant increase in both the soil bioavailable Si and microbial community (Acidobacteria and Thaumarchaeota), which significantly decreased soil Cd bioavailability towards plant roots. In particular, a co-occurrence network analysis indicated that soil microbes played a substantial role in rice yield under Si amendment. Therefore, supplying Si alters the soil microbial community, positively and significantly interacting with soil bioavailable Si and decreasing Cd bioavailability in soils, thereby sustaining healthy crop development and food quality.