| 1. |
- Axelsson, Petter, et al.
(författare)
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Can leaf litter from genetically modified trees affect aquatic ecosystems?
- 2010
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Ingår i: Ecosystems (New York. Print). - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1432-9840 .- 1435-0629. ; 13:7, s. 1049-1059
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In addition to potential benefits, biotechnology in silviculture may also be associated with environmental considerations, including effects on organisms associated with the living tree and on ecosystems and processes dependent on tree residue. We examined whether genetic modification of lignin characteristics (CAD and COMT) in Populus sp. affected leaf litter quality, the decomposition of leaf litter, and the assemblages of aquatic insects colonizing the litter in three natural streams. The decomposition of leaf litter from one of the genetically modified (GM) lines (CAD) was affected in ways that were comparable over streams and harvest dates. After 84 days in streams, CAD-litter had lost approximately 6.1% less mass than the non-GM litter. Genetic modification also affected the concentration of phenolics and carbon in the litter but this only partially explained the decomposition differences, suggesting that other factors were also involved. Insect community analyses comparing GM and non-GM litter showed no significant differences, and the two GM litters showed differences only in the 84-day litterbags. The total abundance and species richness of insects were also similar on GM and non-GM litter. The results presented here suggest that genetic modifications in trees can influence litter quality and thus have a potential to generate effects that can cross ecosystem boundaries and influence ecosystem processes not directly associated with the tree. Overall, the realized ecological effects of the GM tree varieties used here were nevertheless shown to be relatively small.
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| 2. |
- Axelsson, Petter, et al.
(författare)
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Leaf litter from insect-resistant transgenic trees causes changes in aquatic insect community composition
- 2011
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Ingår i: Journal of Applied Ecology. - Malden : Wiley-Blackwell. - 0021-8901 .- 1365-2664. ; 48:6, s. 1472-1479
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- 1. Recent research has addressed how transgenic residues fromarable crops may influence adjacent waterways, aquatic consumers and important ecosystem processes such as litter breakdown rates. With future applications of transgenic plants in forestry, such concerns may apply to forest stream ecosystems. Before any large-scale release of genetically modified (GM) trees, it is therefore imperative to evaluate the effects of genetic modifications in trees on such ecosystems. 2. We conducted decomposition experiments under natural stream conditions using leaf litter from greenhouse grown GM trees (Populus tremula x Populus tremuloides) that express Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins (cry3Aa; targeting coleopteran leaf-feeding beetles) to examine the hypothesis that GM trees would affect litter decomposition rates and/or the aquatic arthropod community that colonizes and feeds on leaf litter in streams. 3. We show that two independent transformations of isogenic Populus trees to express Bt toxins caused similar changes to the composition of aquatic insects colonizing the leaf litter, ultimately manifested in a 25% and 33% increases in average insect abundance. 4. Measurements of 24 phenolic compounds as well as nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) in the litter did not significantly differ among modified and wild-type trees and were thus not sufficient to explain these differences in the insect assemblage. 5. Decomposition rates were comparable among litter treatments suggesting that the normal suite of leaf traits influencing decomposition was similar among litter treatments and that the shredding functions of the community were maintained despite the changes in insect community composition. 6. Synthesis and applications. We report that leaf litter from GM trees affected the composition of aquatic insect communities that colonized litter under natural stream conditions. This suggests that forest management using GM trees may affect adjacent waterways in unanticipated ways, which should be considered in future commercial applications of GM trees. We also argue that studies at different scales (e.g. species, communities and ecosystems) will be needed for a full understanding of the environmental effects of Bt plants.
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| 3. |
- Axelsson, Petter, et al.
(författare)
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Leaf ontogeny interacts with Bt modification to affect innate resistance in GM aspens
- 2011
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Ingår i: Chemoecology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0937-7409 .- 1423-0445. ; 21:3, s. 161-169
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Bioassays with a non-target slug (Deroceras spp.) and chemical analyses were conducted using leaf tissue from already existing genetically modified insect-resistant aspen trees to examine whether genetic modifications to produce Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins could affect plant phytochemistry, which in turn might influence plant-herbivore interactions. Three major patterns emerged. First, two independent modifications for Bt resistance affected the phytochemical profiles of leaves such that both were different from the isogenic wild-type (Wt) control leaves, but also different from each other. Among the contributors to these differences are substances with a presumed involvement in resistance, such as salicortin and soluble condensed tannins. Second, bioassays with one Bt line suggest that the modification somehow affected innate resistance ("Innate" is used here in opposition to the "acquired" Bt resistance) in ways such that slugs preferred Bt over Wt leaves. Third, the preference test suggests that the innate resistance in Bt relative to Wt plants may not be uniformly expressed throughout the whole plant and that leaf ontogeny interacts with the modification to affect resistance. This was manifested through an ontogenetic determined increase in leaf consumption that was more than four times higher in Bt compared to Wt leaves. Our result are of principal importance, as these indicate that genetic modifications can affect innate resistance and thus non-target herbivores in ways that may have commercial and/or environmental consequences. The finding of a modification-ontogeny interaction effect on innate resistance may be especially important in assessments of GM plants with a long lifespan such as trees.
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| 4. |
- Bandau, Franziska, et al.
(författare)
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Genotypic variability in Populus tremula L. affects how anthropogenic nitrogen enrichment influences litter decomposition
- 2017
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Ingår i: Plant and Soil. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0032-079X .- 1573-5036. ; 410:1-2, s. 467-481
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Boreal forests can receive substantial nitrogen (N) enrichment via atmospheric N deposition and industrial forest fertilization. While it is known that N enrichment can impact ecosystem properties, such as litter decomposition, it remains poorly understood how genetic variability within plant species modifies these impacts. We grew replicates of ten Populus tremula L. genotypes (GTs) under 3 N conditions; ambient, and levels representing atmospheric N deposition and industrial forest fertilization. We measured leaf and litter physical and chemical traits, and conducted a litter decomposition assay. Leaf traits varied due to N treatment, GT, and constitutive tannin levels. Leaf traits were in some cases correlated with litter traits, and decomposition was influenced by single and interactive effects of N and GT. Nitrogen addition unexpectedly decelerated decomposition, potentially due to changes in specific leaf area (SLA). Variation in decomposition rates among the GTs was best explained by their differences in SLA, and lignin:N ratio. Nitrogen addition also caused a shift in which traits most strongly influenced decomposition. Our findings highlight that the considerable diversity present in tree species can have a strong influence on ecosystem processes, such as decomposition, and how these processes respond to environmental change.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Hjältén, Joakim, et al.
(författare)
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Increased Resistance of Bt Aspens to Phratora vitellinae (Coleoptera) Leads to Increased Plant Growth under Experimental Conditions
- 2012
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public library science. - 1932-6203. ; 7:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- One main aim with genetic modification (GM) of trees is to produce plants that are resistant to various types of pests. The effectiveness of GM-introduced toxins against specific pest species on trees has been shown in the laboratory. However, few attempts have been made to determine if the production of these toxins and reduced herbivory will translate into increased tree productivity. We established an experiment with two lines of potted aspens (Populus tremulaxPopulus tremuloides) which express Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) toxins and the isogenic wildtype (Wt) in the lab. The goal was to explore how experimentally controlled levels of a targeted leaf beetle Phratora vitellinae (Coleoptera; Chrysomelidae) influenced leaf damage severity, leaf beetle performance and the growth of aspen. Four patterns emerged. Firstly, we found clear evidence that Bt toxins reduce leaf damage. The damage on the Bt lines was significantly lower than for the Wt line in high and low herbivory treatment, respectively. Secondly, Bt toxins had a significant negative effect on leaf beetle survival. Thirdly, the significant decrease in height of the Wt line with increasing herbivory and the relative increase in height of one of the Bt lines compared with the Wt line in the presence of herbivores suggest that this also might translate into increased biomass production of Bt trees. This realized benefit was context-dependent and is likely to be manifested only if herbivore pressure is sufficiently high. However, these herbivore induced patterns did not translate into significant affect on biomass, instead one Bt line overall produced less biomass than the Wt. Fourthly, compiled results suggest that the growth reduction in one Bt line as indicated here is likely due to events in the transformation process and that a hypothesized cost of producing Bt toxins is of subordinate significance.
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| 7. |
- Hjältén, Joakim, et al.
(författare)
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Innate and Introduced Resistance Traits in Genetically Modified Aspen Trees and Their Effect on Leaf Beetle Feeding
- 2013
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science. - 1932-6203. ; 8:9, s. e73819-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Genetic modifications of trees may provide many benefits, e. g. increase production, and mitigate climate change and herbivore impacts on forests. However, genetic modifications sometimes result in unintended effects on innate traits involved in plant-herbivore interactions. The importance of intentional changes in plant defence relative to unintentional changes and the natural variation among clones used in forestry has not been evaluated. By a combination of biochemical measurements and bioassays we investigated if insect feeding on GM aspens is more affected by intentional (induction Bt toxins) than of unintentional, non-target changes or clonal differences in innate plant defence. We used two hybrid wildtype clones (Populus tremula x P. tremuloides and Populus tremula x P. alba) of aspen that have been genetically modified for 1) insect resistance (two Bt lines) or 2) reduced lignin properties (two lines COMT and CAD), respectively. Our measurements of biochemical properties suggest that unintended changes by GM modifications (occurring due to events in the transformation process) in innate plant defence (phenolic compounds) were generally smaller but fundamentally different than differences seen among different wildtype clones (e. g. quantitative and qualitative, respectively). However, neither clonal differences between the two wildtype clones nor unintended changes in phytochemistry influenced consumption by the leaf beetle (Phratora vitellinae). By contrast, Bt induction had a strong direct intended effect as well as a post experiment effect on leaf beetle consumption. The latter suggested lasting reduction of beetle fitness following Bt exposure that is likely due to intestinal damage suffered by the initial Bt exposure. We conclude that Bt induction clearly have intended effects on a target species. Furthermore, the effect of unintended changes in innate plant defence traits, when they occur, are context dependent and have in comparison to Bt induction probably less pronounced effect on targeted herbivores.
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| 8. |
- Hjältén, Joakim, et al.
(författare)
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Variable responses of natural enemies to Salix triandra phenotypes with different secondary chemistry
- 2007
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Ingår i: Oikos. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 0030-1299 .- 1600-0706. ; 116:5, s. 751-758
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Plant phenotypes often differ in their resistance to natural enemies, but the mechanism for this has seldom been identified. The aim of this study was to determine if the spatial patterns of phenotype use of a highly specialized insect herbivore (the galling sawfly Pontania triandrae) in a natural willow population can be related to phenotypic variation in plant secondary chemistry. Furthermore, we tested if traits that confer resistance to one type of natural enemy, i.e. the galling sawfly, also confer resistance to others, in our case a leaf beetle Gonioctena linnaeana and the rust fungus Melampsora amygdalinae. We identified 18 phenotypes with high and 18 phenotypes with low gall density in our field population and determined gall densities, the degree of leaf damage and rust infection on each phenotype and collected leaves for chemical analyses. The concentration of phenolics was higher in phenotypes with high density of galls suggesting that this galling sawfly may use phenolics as oviposition cues. Rust infection showed the opposite pattern, with lower levels on clones with high concentration of phenolics, while leaf damage by G. linnaeana did not differ between clone types. This indicates that these important natural enemies may assert divergent selection on willow phenotypes and that this might provide a mechanism for maintaining phenotypic variation within willow populations.
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| 9. |
- Moritz, Kim, et al.
(författare)
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Roe deer prefer mixed-sex willow stands over monosexual stands but do not discriminate between male and female plants
- 2018
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Ingår i: Environmental and Experimental Botany. - : PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD. - 0098-8472 .- 1873-7307. ; 146, s. 62-67
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Male and female plants of dioecious species often experience differential herbivory, possibly due to differences in defences such as secondary metabolite composition or nutritional quality. These plant sex effects on herbivory have been extensively studied for plant individuals, but not for stands/populations. For mobile herbivores, such as deer, stands may be a more relevant scale to study than individual plants. We predicted that male Salts viminalis plants should be subject to more extensive roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) browsing than female plants due to weaker defence in male plants. Furthermore, we expected that mixed-sex stands should experience more damage than monosexual stands due to positive effects of diet mixing on browsing by generalists. We tested for differences in roe deer browsing in plots that were either monosexual male or female, or a mix of male and female plants in a replicated field experiment. Roe deer browsing was estimated after one growth season with heavy herbivory. We also measured plant secondary metabolite concentrations and nitrogen content in leaves from all experimental clones to test the assumption that the sexes differed in defence or nutrients. Mixed-sex plots were more extensively browsed than monosexual plots. However, there was no difference in browsing between male and female plant individuals within mixed-sex plots or between monosexual plots. Plant secondary metabolite profiles differed between male and female plants, while nitrogen content did not. Our findings suggest that the diversified plant secondary metabolite contents of mixed-sex plots may have led to more extensive herbivory. Higher browsing of plant sex mixes may impact both natural and commercial S. viminalis stands with different sex ratios.
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| 10. |
- Neugart, Susanne, et al.
(författare)
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A synchronized, large-scale field experiment using Arabidopsis thaliana reveals the significance of the UV-B photoreceptor UVR8 under natural conditions
- 2024
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Ingår i: Plant, Cell and Environment. - : Blackwell Publishing. - 0140-7791 .- 1365-3040.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study determines the functional role of the plant ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B) photoreceptor, UV RESISTANCE LOCUS 8 (UVR8) under natural conditions using a large-scale 'synchronized-genetic-perturbation-field-experiment'. Laboratory experiments have demonstrated a role for UVR8 in UV-B responses but do not reflect the complexity of outdoor conditions where 'genotype × environment' interactions can mask laboratory-observed responses. Arabidopsis thaliana knockout mutant, uvr8-7, and the corresponding Wassilewskija wild type, were sown outdoors on the same date at 21 locations across Europe, ranging from 39°N to 67°N latitude. Growth and climatic data were monitored until bolting. At the onset of bolting, rosette size, dry weight, and phenolics and glucosinolates were quantified. The uvr8-7 mutant developed a larger rosette and contained less kaempferol glycosides, quercetin glycosides and hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives than the wild type across all locations, demonstrating a role for UVR8 under field conditions. UV effects on rosette size and kaempferol glycoside content were UVR8 dependent, but independent of latitude. In contrast, differences between wild type and uvr8-7 in total quercetin glycosides, and the quercetin-to-kaempferol ratio decreased with increasing latitude, that is, a more variable UV response. Thus, the large-scale synchronized approach applied demonstrates a location-dependent functional role of UVR8 under natural conditions.
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