A global map of species at risk of extinction due to natural hazards.

An often-overlooked question of the biodiversity crisis is how natural hazards contribute to species extinction risk. To address this issue, we explored how four natural hazards, earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, and volcanoes, overlapped with the distribution ranges of amphibians, birds, mammals, and reptiles that have either narrow distributions or populations with few mature individuals. To assess which species are at risk from these natural hazards, we combined the frequency and magnitude of each natural hazard to estimate their impact. We considered species at risk if they overlapped with regions where any of the four natural hazards historically occurred (n = 3,722). Those species with at least a quarter of their range subjected to a high relative impact were considered at high risk (n = 2,001) of extinction due to natural hazards. In total, 834 reptiles, 617 amphibians, 302 birds, and 248 mammals were at high risk and they were mainly distributed on islands and in the tropics. Hurricanes (n = 983) and earthquakes (n = 868) affected most species, while tsunamis (n = 272), and volcanoes (n = 171) affected considerably fewer. The region with the highest number of species at high risk was the Pacific Ring of Fire, especially due to volcanoes, earthquakes, and tsunamis, while hurricane-related high-risk species were concentrated in the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and northwestern Pacific Ocean. Our study provides important information regarding the species at risk due to natural hazards and can help guide conservation attention and efforts to safeguard their survival.

Linking physiology, epidemiology, and demography: Understanding how lianas outcompete trees in a changing world.

Extending and safeguarding tropical forest ecosystems is critical for combating climate change and biodiversity loss. One of its constituents, lianas, is spreading and increasing in abundance on a global scale. This is particularly concerning as lianas negatively impact forests' carbon fluxes, dynamics, and overall resilience, potentially exacerbating both crises. While possibly linked to climate-change-induced atmospheric CO2 elevation and drought intensification, the reasons behind their increasing abundance remain elusive. Prior research shows distinct physiological differences between lianas and trees, but it is unclear whether these differences confer a demographic advantage to lianas with climate change. Guided by extensive datasets collected in Panamanian tropical forests, we developed a tractable model integrating physiology, demography, and epidemiology. Our findings suggest that CO2 fertilization, a climate change factor promoting forest productivity, gives lianas a demographic advantage. Conversely, factors such as extreme drought generally cause a decrease in liana prevalence. Such a decline in liana prevalence is expected from a physiological point of view because lianas have drought-sensitive traits. However, our analysis underscores the importance of not exclusively relying on physiological processes, as interactions with demographic mechanisms (i.e., the forest structure) can contrast these expectations, causing an increase in lianas with drought. Similarly, our results emphasize that identical physiological responses between lianas and trees still lead to liana increase. Even if lianas exhibit collinear but weaker responses in their performance compared to trees, a temporary liana prevalence increase might manifest driven by the faster response time of lianas imposed by their distinct life-history strategies than trees.

Exploiting hosts and vectors: viral strategies for facilitating transmission.

Viruses have developed various strategies to ensure their survival and transmission. One intriguing strategy involves manipulating the behavior of infected arthropod vectors and hosts. Through intricate interactions, viruses can modify vector behavior, aiding in crossing barriers and improving transmission to new hosts. This manipulation may include altering vector feeding preferences, thus promoting virus transmission to susceptible individuals. In addition, viruses employ diverse dissemination methods, including cell-to-cell and intercellular transmission via extracellular vesicles. These strategies allow viruses to establish themselves in favorable environments, optimize replication, and increase the likelihood of spreading to other individuals. Understanding these complex viral strategies offers valuable insights into their biology, transmission dynamics, and potential interventions for controlling infections. Unraveling interactions between viruses, hosts, and vectors enables the development of targeted approaches to effectively mitigate viral diseases and prevent transmission.

Recent development and fighting strategies for lincosamide antibiotic resistance.

SUMMARYLincosamides constitute an important class of antibiotics used against a wide range of pathogens, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. However, due to the misuse of lincosamide and co-selection pressure, the resistance to lincosamide has become a serious concern. It is urgently needed to carefully understand the phenomenon and mechanism of lincosamide resistance to effectively prevent and control lincosamide resistance. To date, six mobile lincosamide resistance classes, including lnu, cfr, erm, vga, lsa, and sal, have been identified. These lincosamide resistance genes are frequently found on mobile genetic elements (MGEs), such as plasmids, transposons, integrative and conjugative elements, genomic islands, and prophages. Additionally, MGEs harbor the genes that confer resistance not only to antimicrobial agents of other classes but also to metals and biocides. The ultimate purpose of discovering and summarizing bacterial resistance is to prevent, control, and combat resistance effectively. This review highlights four promising strategies, including chemical modification of antibiotics, the development of antimicrobial peptides, the initiation of bacterial self-destruct program, and antimicrobial stewardship, to fight against resistance and safeguard global health.

Two-metal ion mechanism of DNA cleavage by activated, filamentous SgrAI.

Enzymes that form filamentous assemblies with modulated enzymatic activities have gained increasing attention in recent years. SgrAI is a sequence specific type II restriction endonuclease that forms polymeric filaments with accelerated DNA cleavage activity and expanded DNA sequence specificity. Prior studies have suggested a mechanistic model linking the structural changes accompanying SgrAI filamentation to its accelerated DNA cleavage activity. In this model, the conformational changes that are specific to filamentous SgrAI maximize contacts between different copies of the enzyme within the filament and create a second divalent cation binding site in each subunit, which in turn facilitates the DNA cleavage reaction. However, our understanding of the atomic mechanism of catalysis is incomplete. Herein, we present two new structures of filamentous SgrAI solved using cryo-EM. The first structure, resolved to 3.3 Å, is of filamentous SgrAI containing an active site mutation that is designed to stall the DNA cleavage reaction, which reveals the enzymatic configuration prior to DNA cleavage. The second structure, resolved to 3.1 Å, is of WT filamentous SgrAI containing cleaved substrate DNA, which reveals the enzymatic configuration at the end of the enzymatic cleavage reaction. Both structures contain the phosphate moiety at the cleavage site and the biologically relevant divalent cation cofactor Mg2+ and define how the Mg2+ cation reconfigures during enzymatic catalysis. The data support a model for the activation mechanism that involves binding of a second Mg2+ in the SgrAI active site as a direct result of filamentation induced conformational changes.

The emerging roles of histone demethylases in cancers.

Modulation of histone methylation status is regarded as an important mechanism of epigenetic regulation and has substantial clinical potential for the therapy of diseases, including cancer and other disorders. The present study aimed to provide a comprehensive introduction to the enzymology of histone demethylases, as well as their cancerous roles, molecular mechanisms, therapeutic possibilities, and challenges for targeting them, in order to advance drug design for clinical therapy and highlight new insight into the mechanisms of these enzymes in cancer. A series of clinical trials have been performed to explore potential roles of histone demethylases in several cancer types. Numerous targeted inhibitors associated with immunotherapy, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and targeted therapy have been used to exert anticancer functions. Future studies should evaluate the dynamic transformation of histone demethylases leading to carcinogenesis and explore individual therapy.

Bioactive atropisomers: Unraveling design strategies and synthetic routes for drug discovery.

Atropisomerism, an expression of axial chirality caused by limited bond rotation, is a prominent aspect within the field of medicinal chemistry. It has been shown that atropisomers of a wide range of compounds, including established FDA-approved drugs and experimental molecules, display markedly different biological activities. The time-dependent reversal of chirality in atropisomers poses complexity and obstacles in the process of drug discovery and development. Nonetheless, recent progress in understanding atropisomerism and enhanced characterization methods have greatly assisted medicinal chemists in the effective development of atropisomeric drug molecules. This article provides a comprehensive review of their special design thoughts, synthetic routes, and biological activities, serving as a reference for the synthesis and biological evaluation of bioactive atropisomers in the future.

The plant root economics space in relation to nutrient limitation in Eurasian herbaceous plant communities.

Plant species occupy distinct niches along a nitrogen-to-phosphorus (N:P) gradient, yet there is no general framework for belowground nutrient acquisition traits in relation to N or P limitation. We retrieved several belowground traits from databases, placed them in the "root economics space" framework, and linked these to a dataset of 991 plots in Eurasian herbaceous plant communities, containing plant species composition, aboveground community biomass and tissue N and P concentrations. Our results support that under increasing N:P ratio, belowground nutrient acquisition strategies shift from "fast" to "slow" and from "do-it-yourself" to "outsourcing", with alternative "do-it-yourself" to "outsourcing" strategies at both ends of the spectrum. Species' mycorrhizal capacity patterns conflicted with root economics space predictions based on root diameter, suggesting evolutionary development of alternative strategies under P limitation. Further insight into belowground strategies along nutrient stoichiometry is crucial for understanding the high abundance of threatened plant species under P limitation.

Intraspecific variability of leaf form and function across habitat types.

Trait-based ecology has already revealed main independent axes of trait variation defining trait spaces that summarize plant adaptive strategies, but often ignoring intraspecific trait variability (ITV). By using empirical ITV-level data for two independent dimensions of leaf form and function and 167 species across five habitat types (coastal dunes, forests, grasslands, heathlands, wetlands) in the Italian peninsula, we found that ITV: (i) rotated the axes of trait variation that define the trait space; (ii) increased the variance explained by these axes and (iii) affected the functional structure of the target trait space. However, the magnitude of these effects was rather small and depended on the trait and habitat type. Our results reinforce the idea that ITV is context-dependent, calling for careful extrapolations of ITV patterns across traits and spatial scales. Importantly, our study provides a framework that can be used to start integrating ITV into trait space analyses.

Working memory constraints for visuomotor retrieval strategies.

Recent work has shown the fundamental role that cognitive strategies play in visuomotor adaptation. Although algorithmic strategies, such as mental rotation, are flexible and generalizable, they are computationally demanding. To avoid this computational cost, people can instead rely on memory retrieval of previously successful visuomotor solutions. However, such a strategy is likely subject to stimulus-response associations and rely heavily on working memory. In a series of five experiments, we sought to estimate the constraints in terms of capacity and precision of working memory retrieval for visuomotor adaptation. This was accomplished by leveraging different variations of visuomotor item-recognition and visuomotor rotation tasks where we associated unique rotations with specific targets in the workspace and manipulated the set size (i.e., number of rotation-target associations). Notably, from experiment 1 to 4, we found key signatures of working memory retrieval and not mental rotation. In particular, participants were less accurate and slower for larger set sizes and less recent items. Using a Bayesian latent-mixture model, we found that such decrease in performance was the result of increasing guessing behavior and less precise memories. In addition, we estimated that participants' working memory capacity was limited to two to five items, after which guessing increasingly dominated performance. Finally, in experiment 5, we showed how the constraints observed across experiments 1 to 4 can be overcome when relying on long-term memory retrieval. Our results point to the opportunity of studying other sources of memories where visuomotor solutions can be stored (e.g., episodic memories) to achieve successful adaptation.NEW & NOTEWORTHY We show that humans can adapt to feedback perturbations in different variations of the visuomotor rotation task by retrieving the successful solutions from working memory. In addition, using a Bayesian latent-mixture model, we reveal that guessing and low-precision memories are both responsible for the decrease in participants' performance as the number of solutions to memorize increases. These constraints can be overcome by relying on long-term memory retrieval resulting from extended practice with the visuomotor solutions.

A comparison of wavelet-based action potential detection from the NeuroAmp and the Iowa Bioengineering Nerve Traffic Analysis system.

Microneurographic recordings of muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) reflect postganglionic sympathetic axonal activity directed toward the skeletal muscle vasculature. Recordings are typically evaluated for spontaneous bursts of MSNA; however, the filtering and integration of raw neurograms to obtain multiunit bursts conceals the underlying c-fiber discharge behavior. The continuous wavelet transform with matched mother wavelet has permitted the assessment of action potential discharge patterns, but this approach uses a mother wavelet optimized for an amplifier that is no longer commercially available (University of Iowa Bioengineering Nerve Traffic Analysis System; Iowa NTA). The aim of this project was to determine the morphology and action potential detection performance of mother wavelets created from the commercially available NeuroAmp (ADinstruments), from distinct laboratories, compared with a mother wavelet generated from the Iowa NTA. Four optimized mother wavelets were generated in a two-phase iterative process from independent datasets, collected by separate laboratories (one Iowa NTA, three NeuroAmp). Action potential extraction performance of each mother wavelet was compared for each of the NeuroAmp-based datasets. The total number of detected action potentials was not significantly different across wavelets. However, the predictive value of action potential detection was reduced when the Iowa NTA wavelet was used to detect action potentials in NeuroAmp data, but not different across NeuroAmp wavelets. To standardize approaches, we recommend a NeuroAmp-optimized mother wavelet be used for the evaluation of sympathetic action potential discharge behavior when microneurographic data are collected with this system.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The morphology of custom mother wavelets produced across laboratories using the NeuroAmp was highly similar, but distinct from the University of Iowa Bioengineering Nerve Traffic Analysis System. Although the number of action potentials detected was similar between collection systems and mother wavelets, the predictive value differed. Our data suggest action potential analysis using the continuous wavelet transform requires a mother wavelet optimized for the collection system.

Targeting erythroid progenitor cells for cancer immunotherapy.

Immunotherapy, especially immune checkpoint blockade therapy, represents a major milestone in the history of cancer therapy. However, the current response rate to immunotherapy among cancer patients must be improved; thus, new strategies for sensitizing patients to immunotherapy are urgently needed. Erythroid progenitor cells (EPCs), a population of immature erythroid cells, exert potent immunosuppressive functions. As a newly recognized immunosuppressive population, EPCs have not yet been effectively targeted. In this review, we summarize the immunoregulatory mechanisms of EPCs, especially for CD45+ EPCs. Moreover, in view of the regulatory effects of EPCs on the tumor microenvironment, we propose the concept of EPC-immunity, present existing strategies for targeting EPCs, and discuss the challenges encountered in both basic research and clinical applications. In particular, the impact of existing cancer treatments on EPCs is discussed, laying the foundation for combination therapies. The aim of this review is to provide new avenues for improving the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy by targeting EPCs.

The current therapeutic cancer vaccines landscape in non-small cell lung cancer.

Currently, conventional immunotherapies for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have low response rates and benefit only a minority of patients, particularly those with advanced disease, so novel therapeutic strategies are urgent deeded. Therapeutic cancer vaccines, a form of active immunotherapy, harness potential to activate the adaptive immune system against tumor cells via antigen cross-presentation. Cancer vaccines can establish enduring immune memory and guard against recurrences. Vaccine-induced tumor cell death prompts antigen epitope spreading, activating functional T cells and thereby sustaining a cancer-immunity cycle. The success of vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has rendered cancer vaccines a promising avenue, especially when combined with immunotherapy or chemoradiotherapy for NSCLC. This review delves into the intricate antitumor immune mechanisms underlying therapeutic cancer vaccines, enumerates the tumor antigen spectrum of NSCLC, discusses different cancer vaccines progress and summarizes relevant clinical trials. Additionally, we analyze the combination strategies, current limitations, and future prospects of cancer vaccines in NSCLC treatment, aiming to offer fresh insights for their clinical application in managing NSCLC. Overall, cancer vaccines offer promising potential for NSCLC treatment, particularly combining with chemoradiotherapy or immunotherapy could further improve survival in advanced patients. Exploring inhaled vaccines or prophylactic vaccines represents a crucial research avenue.

Exploring Maternal Diet-Epigenetic-Gut Microbiome Crosstalk as an Intervention Strategy to Counter Early Obesity Programming.

Alterations in a mother's metabolism and endocrine system, due to unbalanced nutrition, may increase the risk of both metabolic and non-metabolic disorders in the offspring's childhood and adulthood. The risk of obesity in the offspring can be determined by the interplay between maternal nutrition and lifestyle, intrauterine environment, epigenetic modifications, and early postnatal factors. Several studies have indicated that the fetal bowel begins to colonize before birth and that, during birth and nursing, the gut microbiota continues to change. The mother's gut microbiota is primarily transferred to the fetus through maternal nutrition and the environment. In this way, it is able to impact the establishment of the early fetal and neonatal microbiome, resulting in epigenetic signatures that can possibly predispose the offspring to the development of obesity in later life. However, antioxidants and exercise in the mother have been shown to improve the offspring's metabolism, with improvements in leptin, triglycerides, adiponectin, and insulin resistance, as well as in the fetal birth weight through epigenetic mechanisms. Therefore, in this extensive literature review, we aimed to investigate the relationship between maternal diet, epigenetics, and gut microbiota in order to expand on current knowledge and identify novel potential preventative strategies for lowering the risk of obesity in children and adults.

Toward a clearer understanding of what works to reduce gun violence: the role of falsification strategies.

Strong epidemiologic evidence from ecological and individual-level studies in the United States supports the claim that access to firearms substantially increases the risk of dying by suicide, homicide, and firearm accidents. Less certain is how well particular interventions work to prevent these deaths and other firearm-related harms. Given the limits of existing data to study firearm violence and the infeasibility of conducting randomized trials of firearm access, it is important to do the best we can with the data we already have. We argue that falsification strategies are a critical-yet underutilized-component of any such analytical approach. The falsification strategies we focus on are versions of "negative controls" analyses in which we expect that an analysis should yield a null causal effect, and thus where not obtaining a null effect estimate raises questions about the assumptions underlying causal interpretation of a study's findings. We illustrate the saliency of this issue today with examples drawn from studies published in leading peer-reviewed journals within the last 5 years. Collecting rich, high-quality data always takes time, urgent as the need may be. On the other hand, doing better with the data we already have can start right now.

Emerging insights into the pathogenesis and therapeutic strategies for vascular endothelial injury-associated diseases: focus on mitochondrial dysfunction.

As a vital component of blood vessels, endothelial cells play a key role in maintaining overall physiological function by residing between circulating blood and semi-solid tissue. Various stress stimuli can induce endothelial injury, leading to the onset of corresponding diseases in the body. In recent years, the importance of mitochondria in vascular endothelial injury has become increasingly apparent. Mitochondria, as the primary site of cellular aerobic respiration and the organelle for "energy information transfer," can detect endothelial cell damage by integrating and receiving various external stress signals. The generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial dysfunction often determine the evolution of endothelial cell injury towards necrosis or apoptosis. Therefore, mitochondria are closely associated with endothelial cell function, helping to determine the progression of clinical diseases. This article comprehensively reviews the interconnection and pathogenesis of mitochondrial-induced vascular endothelial cell injury in cardiovascular diseases, renal diseases, pulmonary-related diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, and microvascular diseases associated with diabetes. Corresponding therapeutic approaches are also provided. Additionally, strategies for using clinical drugs to treat vascular endothelial injury-based diseases are discussed, aiming to offer new insights and treatment options for the clinical diagnosis of related vascular injuries.

Endoplasmic reticulum stress and therapeutic strategies in metabolic, neurodegenerative diseases and cancer.

The accumulation of unfolded or misfolded proteins within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), due to genetic determinants and extrinsic environmental factors, leads to endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER stress). As ER stress ensues, the unfolded protein response (UPR), comprising three signaling pathways-inositol-requiring enzyme 1, protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase, and activating transcription factor 6 promptly activates to enhance the ER's protein-folding capacity and restore ER homeostasis. However, prolonged ER stress levels propels the UPR towards cellular demise and the subsequent inflammatory cascade, contributing to the development of human diseases, including cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and diabetes. Notably, increased expression of all three UPR signaling pathways has been observed in these pathologies, and reduction in signaling molecule expression correlates with decreased proliferation of disease-associated target cells. Consequently, therapeutic strategies targeting ER stress-related interventions have attracted significant research interest. In this review, we elucidate the critical role of ER stress in cancer, metabolic, and neurodegenerative diseases, offering novel therapeutic approaches for these conditions.

Divergence in Reproductive Behaviors Is Associated with the Evolutionary Loss of Parental Care.

AbstractThe mechanisms underlying the divergence of reproductive strategies between closely related species are still poorly understood. Additionally, it is unclear which selective factors drive the evolution of reproductive behavioral variation and how these traits coevolve, particularly during early divergence. To address these questions, we quantified behavioral differences in a recently diverged pair of Nova Scotian three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) populations, which vary in parental care, with one population displaying paternal care and the other lacking this. We compared both populations, and a full reciprocal F1 hybrid cross, across four major reproductive stages: territoriality, nesting, courtship, and parenting. We identified significant divergence in a suite of heritable behaviors. Importantly, F1 hybrids exhibited a mix of behavioral patterns, some of which suggest sex linkage. This system offers fresh insights into the coevolutionary dynamics of reproductive behaviors during early divergence and offers support for the hypothesis that coevolutionary feedback between sexual selection and parental care can drive rapid evolution of reproductive strategies.

Low levels of Al stimulate the aboveground growth of Davidia involucrata saplings.

Davidia involucrata is a woody perennial and the only living species in the Genus Davidia. It is native to southern China where it holds cultural and scientific importance. However, D. involucrata is now an endangered species and its natural range includes low pH soils which are increasingly impacted by acid rain, nitrogen deposition and imbalanced nutrient cycling. The combination of these stresses also poses the additional risk of aluminum (Al) toxicity. Since the responses of D. involucrata to low pH and aluminum toxicity have not been investigated previously, a hydroponic experiment was conducted to examine the growth of one year old D. involucrata saplings after 50 d growth in a range of pH and Al conditions. Plant biomass, morphology, antioxidant enzyme activity, mineral concentrations and plant ecological strategy were compared at pH 5.8 and pH 4.0 without added Al (AlCl3) and in 0.1, 0.2 and 0.5 mM Al at pH 4.0. Our results showed that compared with pH 5.8, pH 4.0 (without added Al) not only inhibited root and shoot growth but also limited accumulation of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in leaves of D. involucrate. However, low Al concentrations (0.1 and 0.2 mM Al) at pH 4.0 partially restored the aboveground growth and leaf N concentrations, suggesting an alleviation of H+ toxicity by low Al concentrations. Compared with low Al concentrations, 0.5 mM Al treatment decreased plant growth and concentrations of N, P, and magnesium (Mg) in the leaves, which demonstrated the toxicity of high Al concentration. The results based on plant ecological strategy showed that D. involucrate decreased the competitiveness and favored its stress tolerance as pH changed from 5.8 to 4.0. Meanwhile, the competitiveness and stress tolerance of D. involucrata increased and decreased at low Al concentrations, respectively, and decreased and increased at high Al concentration, respectively. These trade-offs in ecological strategy were consistent with the responses of growth and antioxidant enzyme activity, reflecting a sensitive adaptation of D. involucrata to acid and Al stresses, which may aid in sustaining population dynamics. These findings are meaningful for understanding the population dynamics of D. involucrata in response to aluminum toxicity in acid soils.

Adaptive strategies based on shrub leaf-stem anatomy and their environmental interpretations in the eastern Qaidam Basin.

BACKGROUND: Water stress seriously affects the survival of plants in natural ecosystems. Plant resistance to water stress relies on adaptive strategies, which are mainly based on plant anatomy with following relevant functions: (1) increase in water uptake and storage; (2) reduction of water loss; and (3) mechanical reinforcement of tissues. We measured 15 leaf-stem anatomical traits of five dominant shrub species from 12 community plots in the eastern Qaidam Basin to explore adaptive strategies based on plant leaf-stem anatomy at species and community levels. and their relationship with environmental stresses were tested. RESULTS: Results showed that the combination of leaf-stem anatomical traits formed three types of adaptive strategies with the drought tolerance of leaf and stem taken as two coordinate axes. Three types of water stress were caused by environmental factors in the eastern Qaidam Basin, and the established adaptive strategy triangle could be well explained by these environmental stresses. The interpretation of the strategic triangle was as follows: (1) exploitative plant strategy, in which leaf and stem adopt the hydraulic efficiency strategy and safety strategy, respectively. This strategy is mostly applied to plants in sandy desert (i.e., Nitraria tangutorum, and Artemisia sphaerocephala) which is mainly influenced by drought stress; (2) stable plant strategy, in which both leaf/assimilation branches and stem adopt hydraulic safety strategy. This strategy is mostly applied to plants in salty desert (i.e., Kalidium foliatum and Haloxylon ammodendron) which aridity has little effect on them; and (3) opportunistic plant strategy, in which leaf and stem adopt hydraulic safety strategy and water transport efficiency strategy. This strategy is mostly applied to plants in multiple habitats (i.e., Sympegma regelii) which is mainly affected by coldness stress. CONCLUSION: The proposed adaptive strategy system could provide a basis for elucidating the ecological adaptation mechanism of desert woody plants and the scientific management of natural vegetation in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.