Plants being sessile in nature, are exposed to unwarranted threats as a result of constantly changing environmental conditions. These adverse factors can have negative impacts on their growth, development, and yield. Hormones are key signaling molecules enabling cells to respond rapidly to different external and internal stimuli. In plants, melatonin (MT) plays a critical role in the integration of various environmental signals and activation of stress-response networks to develop defense mechanisms and plant resilience. Additionally, melatonin can tackle the stress-induced alteration of cellular redox equilibrium by regulating the expression of redox hemostasis-related genes and proteins. The purpose of this article is to compile and summarize the scientific research pertaining to MT's effects on plants' resilience to biotic and abiotic stresses. Here, we have summarized that MT exerts a synergistic effect with other phytohormones, for instance, ethylene, jasmonic acid, and salicylic acid, and activates plant defense-related genes against phytopathogens. Furthermore, MT interacts with secondary messengers like Ca²⁺, nitric oxide, and reactive oxygen species to regulate the redox network. This interaction triggers different transcription factors to alleviate stress-related responses in plants. Hence, the critical synergic role of MT with diverse plant hormones and secondary messengers demonstrates phytomelatonin's importance in influencing multiple mechanisms to contribute to plant resilience against harsh environmental factors.

Chromium (Cr) is an important environmental constraint effecting crop productivity. Spermine (SPM) is a polyamine compound regulating plant responses to abiotic stresses. However, SPM-mediated tolerance mechanisms against Cr stress are less commonly explored in plants. Thus, current research was conducted to explore the protective mechanisms of SPM (0.01 mM) against Cr (100 µM) toxicity in two rice cultivars, CY927 (sensitive) and YLY689 (tolerant) at the seedling stage. Our results revealed that, alone, Cr exposure significantly reduced seed germination, biomass and photosynthetic related parameters, caused nutrient and hormonal imbalance, desynchronized antioxidant enzymes, and triggered oxidative damage by over-accretion of reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA) and electrolyte leakage in both rice varieties, with greater impairments in CY927 than YLY689. However, seed priming with SPM notably improved or reversed the above-mentioned parameters, especially in YLY689. Besides, SPM stimulated the stress-responsive genes of endogenous phytohormones, especially salicylic acid (SA), as confirmed by the pronounced transcript levels of SA-related genes (OsPR1, OsPR2 and OsNPR1). Our findings specified that SPM enhanced rice tolerance against Cr toxicity via decreasing accumulation of Cr and markers of oxidative damage (H₂O₂, O₂^•− and MDA), improving antioxidant defense enzymes, photosynthetic apparatus, nutrients and phytohormone balance.

Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) serves as an important gaseous signaling molecule that is involved in intra- and intercellular signal transduction in plant–environment interactions. In plants, H₂S is formed in sulfate/cysteine reduction pathways. The activation of endogenous H₂S and its exogenous application has been found to be highly effective in ameliorating a wide variety of stress conditions in plants. The H₂S interferes with the cellular redox regulatory network and prevents the degradation of proteins from oxidative stress via post-translational modifications (PTMs). H₂S-mediated persulfidation allows the rapid response of proteins in signaling networks to environmental stimuli. In addition, regulatory crosstalk of H₂S with other gaseous signals and plant growth regulators enable the activation of multiple signaling cascades that drive cellular adaptation. In this review, we summarize and discuss the current understanding of the molecular mechanisms of H₂S-induced cellular adjustments and the interactions between H₂S and various signaling pathways in plants, emphasizing the recent progress in our understanding of the effects of H₂S on the PTMs of proteins. We also discuss future directions that would advance our understanding of H₂S interactions to ultimately mitigate the impacts of environmental stresses in the plants.

A novel ratiometric fluorescent immunoassay was developed based on silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) for the sensitive determination of dibutyl phthalate (DBP). In the detection system, AgNPs were labeled on the secondary antibody (AgNPs@Ab₂) for signal amplification, which aimed to regulate the H₂O₂ concentrations. When AgNPs-Ab₂ and antigen–primary antibody (Ab₁) were linked by specific recognition, the blue fluorescence of Scopoletin (SC) could be effectively quenched by the H₂O₂ added while the red fluorescence of Amplex Red (AR) was generated. Under the optimized conditions, the calculated detection of limit (LOD, 90% inhibition) reached 0.86 ng/mL with a wide linear range of 2.31–66.84 ng/mL, which was approximately eleven times lower than that by HRP-based traditional ELISA with the same antibody. Meanwhile, it could improve the inherent built-in rectification to the environment by the combination of the dual-output ratiometric fluorescence assays with ELISA, which also enhanced the accuracy and precision (recoveries, 87.20–106.62%; CV, 2.57–6.54%), indicating it can be applied to investigate the concentration of DBP in water samples.

Global climate change and invasive plants significantly impact biodiversity and ecosystem functions. This study focuses on the effects of progressive warming on microbial communities within the Solidago canadensis invasion community, simulated through six stages of invasion progression, from minimal to dominant S. canadensis presence alongside native Artemisia argyi, in bulk soils collected from a natural habitat and cultivated under controlled greenhouse conditions. Utilizing high-throughput sequencing and microbial community analysis on 72 samples collected from the S. canadensis invasion community, the shifts in soil microbiota under varying warming scenarios were investigated (+0 °C, +1.15 °C and +1.86 °C). We observed significant shifts in invasion community soil bacteria in response to warming, with Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, and others showing distinct responses between baseline and warmed conditions, while groups like Chlorobi and Cyanobacteria only differed significantly at higher temperature extremes. The random forests algorithm identified 14 taxa as biomarkers and a model was established to correlate S. canadensis invasion community soil microbiota with progressive warming. Co-occurrence network analysis revealed that moderate warming enhances microbial connectivity and the presence of a super-generalist, ASV 1160. However, further warming disrupts these networks by eliminating key generalists, revealing a potential reduction in network stability and diversity. These findings illuminate the dynamic responses of microbes in S. canadensis invasion community soil to varying temperature regimes, suggesting a model for successional dynamics and offering a deeper comprehension of microbial community shifts amid climatic fluctuations. This study delineates how warming significantly reshapes the soil microbial composition, potentially impacting S. canadensis’s invasion success unfavorably, thereby highlighting the importance of considering microbial dynamics in ecological management.

Consumers’ low-carbon preferences will affect the decision-making behavior of supply chain members; an understanding of the influence mechanism of reciprocal altruistic preferences and reference low-carbon-level effect on carbon emission transfers in a supply chain is of great significance for optimizing transfer and reducing emissions and enhancing the overall emission reduction effect of the supply chain. By constructing a manufacturer-led differential game model, we analyzed the carbon emission transfer strategy of a supply chain under the influence of the reference low-carbon level effect and reciprocal altruistic preferences in scenarios with and without such preferences. The results showed that the reference low-carbon-level effect had a positive influence on the manufacturer’s transfers but not on the supplier’s acceptance of them. Moreover, reciprocal altruistic preferences increased both the transfer and acceptance of emissions while improving the low-carbon level of products. Under the influence of reciprocal preferences, the difference in the degree of altruism will also affect the carbon emission transfer and acceptance behavior of the manufacturer and supplier. When the supplier’s reciprocal altruism coefficient and the consumer’s memory parameter remain within a certain range, the transfers positively affect cooperation in the supply chain.