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Shaw's Agave (Agave shawii ssp. shawii) is an endangered maritime succulent growing along the coast of California and northern Baja California. The population inhabiting Point Loma Peninsula has a complicated history of transplantation without documentation. The low effective population size in California prompted agave transplanting from the U.S. Naval Base site (NB) to Cabrillo National Monument (CNM). Since 2008, there are no agave sprouts identified on the CNM site, and concerns have been raised about the genetic diversity of this population. We sequenced two barcoding loci, rbcL and matK, of 27 individual plants from 5 geographically distinct populations, including 12 individuals from California (NB and CNM). Phylogenetic analysis revealed the three US and two Mexican agave populations are closely related and have similar genetic variation at the two barcoding regions, suggesting the Point Loma agave population is not clonal. Agave‐associated soil microbes used significantly more carbon sources in CNM soil samples than in NB soil likely due to higher pH and moisture content; meanwhile, soil type and soil chemistry analysis including phosphorus, nitrate nitrogen, organic matter, and metals revealed significant correlations between microbial diversity and base saturation (p

The cuticle, a hydrophobic layer of cutin and waxes synthesized by plant epidermal cells, is the major barrier to water loss when stomata are closed at night and under water-limited conditions. Elucidating the genetic architecture of natural variation for leaf cuticular conductance (gc) is important for identifying genes relevant to improving crop productivity in drought-prone environments. To this end, we conducted a genome-wide association study ofgcof adult leaves in a maize inbred association panel that was evaluated in four environments (Maricopa, AZ, and San Diego, CA in 2016 and 2017). Five genomic regions significantly associated withgcwere resolved to seven plausible candidate genes (ISTL1, two SEC14 homologs, cyclase-associated protein, a CER7 homolog, GDSL lipase, and β-D-XYLOSIDASE 4). These candidates are potentially involved in cuticle biosynthesis, trafficking and deposition of cuticle lipids, cutin polymerization, and cell wall modification. Laser microdissection RNA sequencing revealed that all these candidate genes, with the exception of the CER7 homolog, were expressed in the zone of the expanding adult maize leaf where cuticle maturation occurs. With direct application to genetic improvement, moderately high average predictive abilities were observed for whole-genome prediction ofgcin locations (0.46 and 0.45) and across all environments (0.52). The findings of this study provide novel insights into the genetic control ofgcand have the potential to help breeders more effectively develop drought-tolerant maize for target environments.Article summaryThe cuticle serves as the major barrier to water loss when stomata are closed at night and under water-limited conditions and potentially relevant to drought tolerance in crops. We performed a genome-wide association study to elucidate the genetic architecture of natural variation for maize leaf cuticular conductance. We identified epidermally expressed candidate genes that are potentially involved in cuticle biosynthesis, trafficking and deposition, cutin polymerization, and cell wall modification. Finally, we observed moderately high predictive abilities for whole-genome prediction of leaf cuticular conductance. Collectively, these findings may help breeders more effectively develop drought-tolerant maize.

Bulliform cells comprise specialized cell types that develop on the adaxial (upper) surface of grass leaves, and are patterned to form linear rows along the proximodistal axis of the adult leaf blade. Bulliform cell patterning affects leaf angle and is presumed to function during leaf rolling, thereby reducing water loss during temperature extremes and drought. In this study, epidermal leaf impressions were collected from a genetically and anatomically diverse population of maize inbred lines. Subsequently, convolutional neural networks were employed to measure microscopic, bulliform cell-patterning phenotypes in high-throughput. A genome-wide association study, combined with RNAseq analyses of the bulliform cell ontogenic zone, identified candidate regulatory genes affecting bulliform cell column number and cell width. This study is the first to combine machine learning approaches, transcriptomics, and genomics to study bulliform cell patterning, and the first to utilize natural variation to investigate the genetic architecture of this microscopic trait. In addition, this study provides insight toward the improvement of macroscopic traits such as drought resistance and plant architecture in an agronomically important crop plant.

Grades influence students' confidence and decisions to complete STEM degrees and pursue relevant careers. What affects students' confidence and performance in college upper-division biology laboratory courses and how relevant are evaluation methods to career success? STEM laboratory courses are an excellent model to address these issues because of the hybrid environment, combining traditional lecture course format and the practical application of knowledge. We surveyed 567 students in two upper-division laboratory molecular biology courses at a major research university to compare course-content self-assessment, students' predicted grades, and actual grades received. By analyzing students' confidence and correlating them to grades assigned by the instructor, we identified biases including student and Instructor Assistant (IA) gender, IA experience, and academic quarter. Considering the systemic effect of identified biases, a correlation (R2 = 0.37, p

The cuticle is a hydrophobic layer on the outer surface plant shoots, which serves as an important interaction interface with the environment. It consists of the lipid polymer cutin, embedded with and covered by waxes, and provides protection against stresses including desiccation, UV radiation, and pathogen attack. Bulliform cells form in longitudinal strips on the adaxial leaf surface, and have been implicated in the leaf rolling response observed in drought stressed grass leaves. In this study, we show that bulliform cells of the adult maize leaf epidermis have a specialized cuticle, and we investigate its function along with that of bulliform cells themselves. Analysis of natural variation was used to relate bulliform strip pattering to leaf rolling rate, providing evidence of a role for bulliform cells in leaf rolling. Bulliform cells displayed increased shrinkage compared to other epidermal cell types during dehydration of the leaf, providing a potential mechanism to facilitate leaf rolling. Comparisons of cuticular conductance between adaxial and abaxial leaf surfaces, and between bulliform-enriched mutants vs. wild type siblings, provided evidence that bulliform cells lose water across the cuticle more rapidly than other epidermal cell types. Bulliform cell cuticles have a distinct ultrastructure, and differences in cutin monomer content and composition, compared to other leaf epidermal cells. We hypothesize that this cell type-specific cuticle is more water permeable than the epidermal pavement cell cuticle, facilitating the function of bulliform cells in stress-induced leaf rolling observed in grasses.One sentence summaryBulliform cells in maize have a specialized cuticle, lose more water than other epidermal cell types as the leaf dehydrates, and facilitate leaf rolling upon dehydration.

Although extensive prior work has characterized cuticle composition, function, ultrastructure and development in many plant species, much remains to be learned about how these features are interrelated. Moreover, very little is known about the adult maize leaf cuticle in spite of its significance for agronomically important traits in this major crop. We analyzed cuticle composition, ultrastructure, and permeability along the developmental gradient of partially expanded adult maize leaves to probe the relationships between these features. The water barrier property is acquired at the cessation of cell expansion. Wax types and chain lengths accumulate asynchronously along the developmental gradient, while overall wax load does not vary. Cutin begins to accumulate prior to establishment of the water barrier and continues thereafter. Ultrastructurally, pavement cell cuticles consist of an epicuticular layer, a thin cuticle proper that acquires an inner, osmiophilic layer during development, and no cuticular layer. Cuticular waxes of the adult maize leaf are dominated by alkanes and wax esters localized mainly in the epicuticular layer. Establishment of the water barrier coincides with a switch from alkanes to esters as the major wax type, and the emergence of an osmiophilic (likely cutin-rich) layer of the cuticle proper.Higlight statementChemical, ultrastructural and functional analysis of cuticle development in partially expanded adult maize leaves revealed important roles for wax esters and an osmiophilic, likely cutin-rich, layer in protection from dehydration.