Evolutionary arms race: the role of xylan modifications in plant–pathogen interactions
This article is a Commentary on Yu et al . (2024), 244 : 1024–1040.
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This article is a Commentary on Yu et al . (2024), 244 : 1024–1040.
In coevolving species, parasites locally adapt to host populations as hosts locally adapt to resist parasites. Parasites often outpace host local adaptation since they have rapid life cycles, but host diversity, the strength of selection, and external environmental influence can result in complex outcomes. To better understand local adaptation in host–parasite systems, we examined locally adapted switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), and its leaf rust pathogen (Puccinia novopanici) across a latitudinal range in North America. We grew switchgrass genotypes in 10 replicated multiyear common gardens, measuring rust severity from natural infection in a ‘host reciprocal transplant’ framework for testing local adaptation. We conducted genome-wide association mapping to identify genetic loci associated with rust severity. Genetically differentiated rust populations were locally adapted to northern and southern switchgrass, despite host local adaptation to environmental conditions in the same regions. Rust resistance was polygenic, and distinct loci were associated with rust severity in the north and south. We narrowed a previously identified large-effect quantitative trait locus for rust severity to a candidate YELLOW STRIPE-LIKE gene and linked numerous other loci to defense-related genes. Overall, our results suggest that both hosts and parasites can be simultaneously locally adapted, especially when parasites impose less selection than other environmental factors.
Traditionally the methods to increase firearms accuracy, particularly at distance, have concentrated on barrel isolation (free floating) and substantial barrel wall thickening to gain rigidity. This barrel stiffening technique did not completely eliminate barrel movement but the problem was significantly reduced to allow a noticeable accuracy enhancement. This process, although highly successful, came at a very high weight penalty. Obviously the goal would be to lighten the barrel (firearm), yet achieve even greater accuracy. Thus, if lightweight barrels could ultimately be compensated for both their static and dynamic mechanical perturbations, the result would be very accurate, yet significantly lighter weight, weapons. We discuss our development of a barrel reference sensor system that is designed to accomplish this ambitious goal. Our optical fiber-based sensor monitors the barrel muzzle position and autonomously compensates for any induced perturbations. The reticle is electronically adjusted in position to compensate for the induced barrel deviation in real time.
The Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program developed a value added product that could run autonomously to determine planetary boundary height using radiosondes. This product has produced data for 117 unique sites and facilities for more than 10 years. The initial software was released around 2013 and data has been produced since 2001 for some sites.
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Climate models are among humanity’s most ambitious and elaborate creations. They are designed to simulate the interactions of the atmosphere, ocean, land surface, and cryosphere on time scales far beyond the limits of deterministic predictability and including the effects of time-dependent external forcings. The processes involved include radiative transfer, fluid dynamics, microphysics, and some aspects of geochemistry, biology, and ecology. The models explicitly simulate processes on spatial scales ranging from the circumference of Earth down to 100 km or smaller and implicitly include the effects of processes on even smaller scales down to a micron or so. In addition, the atmospheric component of a climate model can be called an atmospheric global circulation model (AGCM).
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Surface momentum, sensible heat, and latent heat fluxes are critical for atmospheric processes such as clouds and precipitation, and are parameterized in a variety of models ranging from cloud-resolving models to large-scale weather and climate models. However, direct evaluation of the parameterization schemes for these surface fluxes is rare due to limited observations. This study takes advantage of the long-term observations of surface fluxes collected at the Southern Great Plains site by the Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program to evaluate the six surface flux parameterization schemes commonly used in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model and three U.S. general circulation models (GCMs). The unprecedented 7-yr-long measurements by the eddy correlation (EC) and energy balance Bowen ratio (EBBR) methods permit statistical evaluation of all six parameterizations under a variety of stability conditions, diurnal cycles, and seasonal variations. The statistical analyses show that the momentum flux parameterization agrees best with the EC observations, followed by latent heat flux, sensible heat flux, and evaporation ratio/Bowen ratio. The overall performance of the parameterizations depends on atmospheric stability, being best under neutral stratification and deteriorating toward both more stable and more unstable conditions. Further diagnostic analysis reveals that in addition to the parameterization schemes themselves, the discrepancies between observed and parameterized sensible and latent heat fluxes may stem from inadequate use of input variables such as surface temperature, moisture availability, and roughness length. The results demonstrate the need for improving the land surface models and measurements of surface properties, which would permit the evaluation of full land surface models.
Type III protein secretion systems (T3SS) deliver effector proteins from the Gram-negative bacterial cytoplasm into a eukaryotic host cell through a syringe-like, multi-protein nanomachine. Cytosolic components of T3SS include a portion of the export apparatus, which traverses the inner membrane and features the opening of the secretion channel, and the sorting complex for substrate recognition and for providing the energetics required for protein secretion. Two components critical for efficient effector export are the export gate protein and the ATPase, which are proposed to be linked by the central stalk protein of the ATPase. We present the structure of the soluble export gate homo-nonamer, CdsV, in complex with the central stalk protein, CdsO, of its cognate ATPase, both derived from Chlamydia pneumoniae. This structure defines the interface between these essential T3S proteins and reveals that CdsO engages the periphery of the export gate that may allow the ATPase to catalyze an opening between export gate subunits to allow cargo to enter the export apparatus. We also demonstrate through structure-based mutagenesis of the homologous export gate in Pseudomonas aeruginosa that mutation of this interface disrupts effector secretion. These results provide novel insights into the molecular mechanisms governing active substrate recognition and translocation through a T3SS.
In this project, we focused on applications of the new warm-rain and ice microphysics schemes to simulate various cloud systems. The overall goal was either to evaluate and improve specific aspects of the schemes (through comparisons with ARM/ASR observations) or to understand the coupling between aerosols, cloud microphysics and cloud dynamics in variety of situations. These studies are relevant to the indirect impact of atmospheric aerosols on climate. Below we report on selected key aspects of the research and then list all peer-reviewed papers that acknowledge support from this grant. Overall, studies partially supported by this grant resulted in 30 peer-reviewed publications (listed below), several dozens of conference presentations (including posters and oral presentations at the ASR Science Team Meetings), and two PhD dissertations. More detailed summaries of our accomplishments are included in yearly reports. Here we summarize only major efforts.
The novel neural network (NN) approach has been formulated and used for development of a NN ensemble stochastic convection parametrization for climate models. This fast parametrization is built based on data from Cloud Resolving Model (CRM) simulations initialized with and forced by TOGA-COARE data. The SAM (System for Atmospheric Modeling), developed by D. Randall, M. Khairoutdinov, and their collaborators, has been used for CRM simulations. The observational data are also used for validation of model simulations. The SAM-simulated data have been averaged and projected onto the GCM space of atmospheric states to implicitly define a stochastic convection parametrization. This parametrization is emulated using an ensemble of NNs. An ensemble of NNs with different NN parameters has been trained and tested. The inherent uncertainty of the stochastic convection parametrization derived in such a way is estimated. Due to these inherent uncertainties, NN ensemble is used to constitute a stochastic NN convection parametrization. The developed NN convection parametrization have been validated in a diagnostic CAM (CAM-NN) run vs. the control CAM run. Actually, CAM inputs have been used, at every time step of the control/original CAM integration, for parallel calculations of the NN convection parametrization (CAM-NN) to produce its outputs as a diagnostic byproduct. Total precipitation (P) and cloudiness (CLD) time series, diurnal cycles, and P and CLD distributions for the large Tropical Pacific Ocean for the parallel CAM-NN and CAM runs show similarity and consistency with the NCEP reanalysis. The P and CLD distributions for the tropical area for the parallel runs have been analyzed first for the TOGA-COARE boreal winter season (November 1992 through February 1993) and then for the winter seasons of the follow-up parallel decadal simulations. The obtained results are encouraging and practically meaningful. They show the validity of the NN approach. This constitutes an important practical conclusion of the study: the obtained results on NN ensembles as a stochastic physics parametrization show a realistic possibility of development of NN convection parametrization for climate (and NWP) models based on learning cloud physics from CRM/SAM simulated data.
Main results are summarized for work in these areas: spectrally-invariant approximation within atmospheric radiative transfer; spectral invariance of single scattering albedo for water droplets and ice crystals at weakly absorbing wavelengths; seasonal changes in leaf area of Amazon forests from leaf flushing and abscission; and Cloud droplet size and liquid water path retrievals from zenith radiance measurements.