Zachary Muscavitch joined the Lewis and Goffinet lab to pursue his interests in the lichen symbiosis, with a focus on both symbionts, the green alga and the fungus. By December he designed a project focused on Niebla and Vermilacinia, endemic to Western North America, conducted preliminary fieldwork in California and generated encouraging data to further develop his project. He is planning on sampling populations in Baja California, Mexico. His project is now supported by the American Bryological and Lichenological Society. Congratulations Zach, and let’s hope you can travel to this Niebla and Vermilacinia hotspot.

Olivia Lemieux, who joined the lab last fall to conduct an independent study was awarded a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship from UCONN for her project entitled “Hybridization in the Physcomitrium pyriforme complex: Identifying maternal and paternal progenitors of hybrid species” Congratulations and let’s hope you can pursue this project this summer!

Rensing S.A., B. Goffinet, R. Meyberg, S.-Z. Wu & M. Bezanilla. 2020. The moss Physcomitrium(Physcomitrella) patens: a model organism for non-seed plants. The Plant Cell 32: 1361–1376. pdf

Abstract reads: Since the discovery two decades ago that transgenes are efficiently integrated into the genome of Physcomitrella patens by homologous recombination, this moss has been a premier model system to study evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo) questions, stem cell reprogramming, and the biology of non-vascular plants. P. patens was the first non-seed plant to have its genome sequenced. With this level of genomic information together with increasing molecular genetic tools, a large number of reverse genetic studies have propelled the use of this model system. A number of technological advances have recently opened the door to forward genetics as well as extremely efficient and precise genome editing in P. patens. Additionally, careful phylogenetic studies with increased resolution have suggested that P. patens emerged from within Physcomitrium. Thus, rather than Physcomitrella patens, the species should be named Physcomitrium patens. Here we review these advances and describe the areas where P. patens has had the most impact on plant biology.

Rozzi R., M.T. La Valle, S. Russell, B. Goffinet & F. Massardo. 2020. Ecotourism with a hand-lens: a field environmental philosophy experience from the South of the world. Pages: 222–239. In R. Frodeman & E. Brister (eds.), A Guide to Field Philosophy. Case Studies and Practical Strategies (1st edition). Routledge, a Taylor and Francis Group. Link to book

 

The chapters starts with: Earth is not only a biophysical entity; it is also a word that influences the way we understand and relate to the biophysical reality of the planet. Scientists often forget the gravity of words and focus on the biophysical reality. Conversely, philosophers often focus on examining the language of cultural reality, ignoring the biophysical realm. Biocultural ethics unites biological and cultural realities in one conceptual framework (Rozzi, 2001). In addition, it promotes a contextual and systemic approach that shows consideration for the vast biophysical and cultural diversity found in different regions of the world.

In this chapter, we focus on a transdisciplinary endeavor launched in 1999. This long-term project advocates for a biocultural perspective at the southern end of the American continent, in the Cape Horn County of Chile. A team of philosophers, scientists, artists, members of the Yahgan indigenous community, government authorities, Navy officers, schoolteachers, and members of the local community in the world’s southernmost city, Puerto Williams, created the Omora Ethnobotanical Park.1 This endeavor has resulted in changes in the local sciences, arts, and humanities curricula and educational activities at all levels of formal education, as well as with tourists, members of the public, and policymakers from inside and outside Chile.

The first hornwort genome is now published, filling a major gap in the survey of genomes of major lineages of land  plants. This project was led by collaborators of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.

Zhang J., X.-X. Fu, R.-Q. Li, X. Zhao, Y. Liu, M.-H. Li, A. Zwaenepoel, H. Ma, B. Goffinet, Y.-L. Guan, J.-Y. Xue, Y.-Y. Liao, Q.-F. Wang, Q.-H. Wang,Q.-H. Wang, J.-Y. Wang, G.-Q. Zhang, Z.-W. Wang, Y. Jia, M.-Z. Wang, S.-S. Dong, J.-F. Yang, Y.-N. Jiao, Y.-L. Guo, H.-Z. Kong, A.-M. Lu, S.-Z. Zhang, Y. Van de Peer, Z.-J. Liu & Z.-D. Chen. 2020. The hornwort genome and early land plant evolution. Nature Plants (2020). pdf  or here.

 

Abstract reads: Hornworts, liverworts and mosses are three early diverging clades of land plants, and together comprise the bryophytes. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of the hornwort. Phylogenomic inferences confirm the monophyly of bryophytes, with hornworts sister to liverworts and mosses. The simple morphology of hornworts correlates with low genetic redundancy in plant body plan, while the basic transcriptional regulation toolkit for plant development has already been established in this early land plant lineage. Although the Anthoceros genome is small and characterized by minimal redundancy, expansions are observed in gene families related to RNA editing, UV protection and desiccation tolerance. The genome of A. angustus bears the signatures of horizontally transferred genes from bacteria and fungi, in particular of genes operating in stress-response and metabolic pathways. Our study provides insight into the unique features of hornworts and their molecular adaptations to live on land.

Former EEB undergraduate Nicholas Russo, now a graduate student at UCLA, published his study of birds eating mosses in sub-Antarctic  Chile: Russo N.J., M. Robertson, R. MacKenzie, B. Goffinet & J.E. Jimenez. 2020. Evidence of targeted consumption of mosses by birds in sub-Antarctic South America. Austral Ecology 45: 399–403.pdf

Abstract reads: Bryophyte consumption is uncommon among bird species globally and is often presumed incidental. We sought to determine whether herbivorous bird species of the high Andes, including the white-bellied seedsnipe (Attagis malouinus) and Chloephaga geese (C. picta and C. poliocephala), consume bryophytes, and if so, how frequently. We collected 26 seedsnipe and 22 goose droppings from alpine and sub-alpine habitats of Navarino Island, Chile and examined their contents for bryophyte diaspores. We detected bryophyte fragments in 84.6% and 90.9% of seedsnipe and Chloephaga goose faecal samples, respectively. We also extracted DNA from three bryophyte fragments isolated from goose droppings and sequenced three chloroplast loci for each sample. We inferred through a barcoding analysis that at least one species of Chloephaga goose consumes Polytrichum strictum and Notoligotrichum trichodon. The composition of 11 collected goose droppings was >50% Polytrichaceae bryophyte fragments, suggesting that at least one Chloephaga goose species foraged deliberately on moss species of this family. These new observations suggest that bryophytes are part of the diet of some high Andean birds and that birds might disperse bryophytes internally – via endozoochory – in the sub-Antarctic.

Bernard Goffinet and William R. Buck have updated the on-line classification of extant mosses integrating most generic and supra generic taxa described to 2019. The classification now accommodates 969 genera!

Dong S., C. Zhao, S. Zhang, L. Zhang, H. Wu, R. Zhu, Y. Jia, B. Goffinet & Y. Liu. 2020. Mitochondrial genomes of the early land plant lineage liverworts (Marchantiophyta): conserved genome structure, and ongoing low frequency recombination. BMC Genomics 20: 953. pdf

Abstract reads: Background: In contrast to the highly labile mitochondrial (mt) genomes of vascular plants, the architecture and composition of mt genomes within the main lineages of bryophytes appear stable and invariant. The available mt genomes of 18 liverwort accessions representing nine genera and five orders are syntenous except for Gymnomitrion concinnatum whose genome is characterized by two rearrangements. Here, we expanded the number of assembled liverwort mt genomes to 47, broadening the sampling to 31 genera and 10 orders spanning much of the phylogenetic breadth of liverworts to further test whether the evolution of the liverwort mitogenome is overall static. Results: Liverwort mt genomes range in size from 147 Kb in Jungermanniales (clade B) to 185 Kb in Marchantiopsida, mainly due to the size variation of intergenic spacers and number of introns. All newly assembled liverwort mt genomes hold a conserved set of genes, but vary considerably in their intron content. The loss of introns in liverwort mt genomes might be explained by localized retroprocessing events. Liverwort mt genomes are strictly syntenous in genome structure with no structural variant detected in our newly assembled mt genomes. However, by screening the paired-end reads, we do find rare cases of recombination, which means multiple concurrent genome structures may exist in the vegetative tissues of liverworts. Our phylogenetic analyses of the nuclear encoded double stand break repair protein families revealed liverwort-specific subfamilies expansions. Conclusions: The low repeat recombination level, selection, along with the intensified nuclear surveillance, might together shape the structural evolution of liverwort mt genomes.

Dong S., C. Zhao, S. Zhang, H. Wu, W. Mu, T. Wei, N. Li, H. Liu, J. Cui, R. Zhu, B. Goffinet & Y. Liu. 2020. The amount of RNA editing sites in liverwort organellar genes is correlated with GC content and nuclear PPR protein diversity. Genome Biology and Evolution 11: 3233–3239. pdf

Abstract reads: RNA editing occurs in the organellar mRNAs of all land plants but the marchantioid liverworts, making liverworts a perfect group for studying the evolution of RNA editing. Here, we profiled the RNA editing of 42 exemplars spanning the ordinal phylogenetic diversity of liverworts, and screened for the nuclear-encoded pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins in the transcriptome assemblies of these taxa.We identified 7,428 RNA editing sites in 128 organellar genes from 31 non-marchantioid liverwort species, and characterized 25,059 PPR protein sequences. The abundance of organellar RNA editing sites varies greatly among liverwort lineages, genes, and codon positions, and shows strong positive correlations with the GC content of protein-coding genes, and the diversity of the PLS class of nuclear PPR proteins.

 

The Art of Organisms Living in the Extreme