Article describing the breeding strategies (i.e., nest dimensions, nest height from the ground, egg laying rhythm, clutch size, length of the developmental periods, breeding phenology, and diversity of nesting substrate) of five passerine birds that inhabit sub-Antarctic ecosystems.

Article studying the effect of MS222 on hemostasis in Zebrafish. The authors performed various assays and find that Hct values, the amount of blood collected, bleeding, and coagulation differ significantly between anesthetized and nonanesthetized fish. These results suggest that blood collected after MS222 anesthesia of zebrafish has altered hemostasis.

This article tests if lignin content can be further reduced by combining genetic mutations in C1 metabolism and the lignin biosynthetic pathway by generating and functionally characterizing fpgs1ccoaomt1 double mutants. The observations demonstrate that additional reduction in lignin content and improved sugar release can be achieved by simultaneous downregulation of a gene in the C1 (FPGS1) and lignin biosynthetic (CCOAOMT) pathways.

This article uses a large-scale mutant screening to identify a dominant activation-tagging mutant, fiberless-d (fls-d), showing defective SCW development in stem fibers, similar to that of the nac secondary wall thickening promoting factor1-1 (nst1-1)nst3-3 double mutant. The results demonstrate auxin is upstream of LBD29 in repressing NAC master regulators, and therefore sheds new light on the regulation of SCW biosynthesis in Arabidopsis.

This article describes a refined method optimized for maize (Zea mays) seedling leaves, which not only provides a simple procedure for obtaining apoplast fluid, but also allows direct calculation of apoplast hydration at the time of harvest for every sample.

Article investigating the effect of embryonic hypoxia on the cardiovascular phenotype of 4-year-old American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis). The findings indicate that embryonic hypoxia in crocodilians alters the cardiovascular phenotype, changing the juvenile response to acute hypoxia and β-adrenergic stimulation.

Article measuring blood parameters in the left aortae and atria of crocodilians. The findings do not support the hypothesis that a R–L shunt serves to deliver CO2 for the gastrointestinal system after feeding in crocodilians.

Article analyzing the lipids in transgenic zebrafish. Separating RFP+ and GFP+ thrombocytes from the GloFli fish developed here led to the analysis of their lipid composition.DiI-labeled liposomes with similar PE and PC concentrations found in RFP+ thrombocytes explained DiI labeling of thrombocytes.

Article using preferential solubility of a polymer in supercritical CO2 to develop a new architecture using biocompatible polymers based on porous core-sheath fiber fabrication technique.

This article is a commentary on the future of legume genetic data resources and summarizes the workshop held in March of 2019 by the Legume Genomic Data Working Group that addressed questions of data resources and priorities for legumes.

Article reporting the three-dimensional crystal structures of the signal-terminating enzyme fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) from Arabidopsis in its apo and ligand-bound forms at 2.1- and 3.2-Å resolutions, respectively.

Article studying the responses of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants to a combination of high light and heat stress (HL+HS) conditions. The study reveals that Jasmonic acid (JA) plays an important role in the acclimation of plants to a combination of HL+HS.

Article comparing the metabolism of embryos from two different maize lines, Alex and LH59, to test the hypothesis that directly changing their carbon metabolism may be the key to increasing oil content in maize kernels without affecting yield.

Article analyzing transposon insertion mutants resulting in independent loss of function of five enzymes of the monolignol pathway, as well as one double mutant, in the model legume Medicago truncatula, to address whether a common mechanism linking lignin modification with perturbations in plant growth and development exists.

This article shows that both Cys-EC and 4β-(S-cysteinyl)-catechin (Cys-C) are present in grapevine. The data from this study advance knowledge of PA building blocks and LAR function and provide targets for grapevine breeding to alter PA composition.

This article is a study using crude oil as an example of an environmental stressor in adult zebrafish. The offspring obtained were then assessed for transgenerational epigenetic transfer of oil-induced phenotypes. The authors conclude that epigenetic transgenerational inheritance can lead to an immediate and simultaneous inheritance of both beneficial and maladaptive traits in a large proportion of the F1 larvae. The adaptive responses may help fish populations survive when facing transient environmental stressors.

This article is a study investigating the blood flow patterns and heart rate in surfacing and during graded, submerged swimming activity in common snapping turtles. The effects of beta-adrenergic and cholinergic receptor blockade on blood flow and heart rate during these activities are also studied.

Article studying water regulation during hypoxia in euryhaline killifish.

This article is a review cataloging and contextualizing all of the plant genes currently known to be required for SNF in two model legume species, Medicago truncatula and Lotus japonicus, and two crop species, Glycine max (soybean) and Phaseolus vulgaris (common bean). The authors also briefly consider the future of SNF genetics in the era of pan-genomics and genome editing.

Article exploring PAD4 functions in plant defense by expressing the N-terminal PAD4 lipase-like domain (PAD4ᴸᴸᴰ) without its C-terminal EDS1-PAD4 (EP) domain. The authors show that transgenic expression of PAD4ᴸᴸᴰ in Arabidopsis is sufficient for limiting GPA infestation but not for conferring basal and effector-triggered pathogen immunity. This suggests that the C-terminal PAD4 EP domain is necessary for EDS1-dependent immune functions but is dispensable for aphid resistance. Moreover, PAD4ᴸᴸᴰ is not sufficient to interact with EDS1, indicating the PAD4-EP domain is required for stable heterodimerization. These data provide molecular evidence that PAD4 has domain-specific functions.

Article describes SERCA activity in the pectoralis muscle and heart ventricle of red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) nestlings, fledglings and adults. Additionally, using a diet manipulation, the authors tested the hypothesis that muscle SERCA activity is affected by dietary fatty acid composition, as has been shown in some previous studies.

In this article, freshwater macroinvertebrate diversity associated with lakes and ponds along the altitudinal gradient of a Magellanic sub-Antarctic watershed are assessed. A monotonic decline in species richness was observed with increasing elevation, with simpler and more even community composition at higher altitude. This pattern differs from the mid-peak trend found in streams of the same watershed. Functional feeding group structure also diminished with increasing elevation.

Article demonstrates bioconversion of methane to muconic acid, a dicarboxylic acid that can be upgraded to an array of platform chemicals, by three gammaproteobacterial methanotrophs.

This article investigates how key organ systems are affected by hypoxia. The results indicated that either modest hypoxia (15% O2) throughout development, or hypoxia at any level during the late stages (d 11 to 18), increased the heart and chorioallantoic membrane weight, which partly compensated for the detrimental effects of hypoxia on embryonic development.