摘要：
As far as health benefit is concerned, dark tea is one of the best beverages in the world. Theabrownins are the major ingredient contributing to the health benefits of dark tea and known as "the soft gold in dark tea." A growing body of evidence indicated that theabrownins are macromolecular pigments with reddish-brown color and mellow taste, and mainly derived from the oxidative polymerization of tea polyphenols. Theabrownins are the main active ingredients in dark tea which brings multiple health-promoting effects in modulating lipid metabolism, reducing body weight gain, attenuating diabetes, mitigating NAFLD, scavenging ROS, and preventing tumors. More importantly, it's their substantial generation in microbial fermentation that endows dark tea with much stronger hypolipidemic effect compared with other types of tea. This review firstly summarizes the most recent findings on the preparation, structural characteristics, and health-promoting effects of theabrownins, emphasizing the underlying molecular mechanism, especially the different mechanisms behind the effect of theabrownins-mediated gut microbiota on the host's multiple health-promoting benefits. Furthermore, this review points out the main limitations of current research and potential future research directions, hoping to provide updated scientific evidence for their better theoretical research and industrial utilization.
通讯机构：
[Xiaohan Yang] B;Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory , Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831 , USA<&wdkj&>U.S. DOE-Center for Bioenergy Innovation (CBI), Oak Ridge National Laboratory , Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831 , USA
摘要：
Agave REVEILLE1 regulates bud dormancy and bud break in Populus by repressing multiple dormancy-related genes and up-regulating bud break-related genes. Deciduous woody plants like poplar (Populus spp.) have seasonal bud dormancy. It has been challenging to simultaneously delay the onset of bud dormancy in the fall and advance bud break in the spring, as bud dormancy, and bud break were thought to be controlled by different genetic factors. Here, we demonstrate that heterologous expression of the REVEILLE1 gene (named AaRVE1) from Agave (Agave americana) not only delays the onset of bud dormancy but also accelerates bud break in poplar in field trials. AaRVE1 heterologous expression increases poplar biomass yield by 166% in the greenhouse. Furthermore, we reveal that heterologous expression of AaRVE1 increases cytokinin contents, represses multiple dormancy-related genes, and up-regulates bud break-related genes, and that AaRVE1 functions as a transcriptional repressor and regulates the activity of the DORMANCY-ASSOCIATED PROTEIN 1 (DRM1) promoter. Our findings demonstrate that AaRVE1 appears to function as a regulator of bud dormancy and bud break, which has important implications for extending the growing season of deciduous trees in frost-free temperate and subtropical regions to increase crop yield.
通讯机构：
[Shuxian Cai; Zhonghua Liu] A;Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.<&wdkj&>Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Tea Science, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China<&wdkj&>National Research Center of Engineering Technology for Utilization of Botanical Functional Ingredients, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China<&wdkj&>Co-Innovation Center of Education Ministry for Utilization of Botanical Functional Ingredients, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China<&wdkj&>Key Laboratory for Evaluation and Utilization of Gene Resources of Horticultural Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China
摘要：
Aging and metabolic disorders feedback and promote each other and are closely related to the occurrence and development of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, neurodegeneration and other degenerative diseases. Liupao tea is a geographical indication product of Chinese dark tea, with a “red, concentrated, aged and mellow” flavor quality. In this study, the aqueous extract of aged Liupao tea (ALPT) administered by continuous gavage significantly inhibited the increase of visceral fat and damage to the intestinal–liver–microbial axis in high-fat modeling of SAMP8 (P8+HFD) mice. Its potential mechanism is that ALPT significantly inhibited the inflammation and aggregation formation pathway caused by P8+HFD, increased the abundance of short-chain fatty acid producing bacteria Alistipes, Alloprevotella and Bacteroides, and had a calorie restriction effect. The results of the whole target metabolome network pharmacological analysis showed that there were 139 potential active components in the ALPT aqueous extract, and the core targets of their actions were SRC, TP53, AKT1, MAPK3, VEGFA, EP300, EGFR, HSP90AA1, CASP3, etc. These target genes were mainly enriched in cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, glucose and lipid metabolism and other pathways of degenerative changes. Molecular docking further verified the reliability of network pharmacology. The above results indicate that Liupao tea can effectively delay the body’s degenerative changes through various mechanisms and multi-target effects. This study revealed that dark tea such as Liupao tea has significant drinking value in a modern and aging society.
通讯机构：
[Li, XM ] H;Hunan Agr Univ, Coll Landscape Architecture & Art Design, Changsha 410128, Peoples R China.
关键词：
Percent green cover;Spatial heterogeneity;Driving factors;Urban greening
摘要：
Residential greenspace has great intracity variations. Its driving factors have been widely investigated in Western countries (e.g., in Europe and North America), where residential areas are mostly privately owned, but few studies have examined the determinants of residential greenspace in China, where land is owned by the gov-ernment. Taking the subtropical city of Changsha, China, as an example, this study mapped the percent green cover (PGC) in residential quarters with a fine-resolution satellite image. We also investigated its driving factors measured from multisource geospatial data. The results show that (1) the PGC in the residential quarters showed great spatial variation, with an average of 36.6% (0-85.7%) and a standard deviation of 18.3%. (2) Urban form, biophysical context, and socioeconomic factors together explained 49.18% of the variation in the PGC, and they independently explained 22.87%, 11.17%, and 2.31% of the variation, respectively. (3) Residential quarter size, PGC in the surrounding buffer zone, residential quarter age, housing value, and population density significantly and positively impact the PGC, while percent building cover, floor area ratio, and distance to city center had significant negative impacts. The strongest positive and negative impacts came from PGC in the surrounding buffer zone and percent building cover, respectively. Socioeconomic factors, the dominant driving factors in Western countries, show little impact on residential PGC. These findings expand our understanding of the intracity variation in greenspace coverage and the driving factors, which sheds light on the effective planning and management of urban greenspaces in China.
摘要：
The odor-active compounds in Fu-brick tea and their release behaviors during boiling-water were studied. Fifty-one odor-active compounds were identified, and their release behaviors were identified by continuously recovering 16 sections of condensed water combined with sensory, instrumental, and nonlinear curve fitting analysis. The odor intensities of condensed water and the concentrations of odor-active compounds could be significantly fitted (p<0.01) to power-function type curves. Hydrocarbons showed the fastest release rate, while organic acids showed the slowest. The release rates had very little correlation with their concentrations, molecular weights, and boiling points. Most odor-active compounds (≥70%) released need to evaporate more than 24% of the added water during boiling-water extraction. Meanwhile, on the basis of odor activity value (OAV) calculation, the aroma recombination experiments were performed to explore the odor-active compounds that made major contributions to the formation of the aroma profile of each condensed water.
摘要：
In this study, Rhizopus oryzae HC-1, a food-grade fungal isolated from sufu, was utilized for solid-state fermentation (SSF) of soybeans, to investigate its effect on metabolites composition and antioxidant activity. Results revealed that SSF notably enhanced the total phenolics content (TPC), total flavonoids content (TFC), aglycone isoflavones, and antioxidant capacity of soybeans. The increase in aglycone isoflavones was attributed to the action of secreted beta-glucosidase. The fermented soybean (FSB) with strongest antioxidant activity was further investigated by UPLC-MS/MS-based untargeted metabolomics analysis and in vitro human gut microbiota modulation effect by colonic fermentation. A total of 176 and 114 metabolites differed significantly between non-fermented soybean (NSB) and FSB in positive-and negative-ion modes, respectively. FSB and NSB had a beneficial modulation effect on the microbiota community structure. Additionally, colonic fermentation of both FSB and NSB for 24 h resulted in a higher relative abundance of beneficial bacteria Bacteroides compared to the control group, and FSB showed a greater modulation effect. Thus, SSF with R. oryzae HC-1 was found to significantly improve the metabolite profile, antioxidant activity and human intestinal microbiota modulation effect of soybeans, potentially offering novel functional or nutraceutical ingredients for the food and pharmaceutical industry.
通讯机构：
[Liu, F ] H;Hunan Agr Univ, Coll Hort, Engn Res Ctr, Key Lab Vegetable Biol Hunan Prov,Educ Minist,Germ, Changsha 410125, Peoples R China.;Hunan Univ, Longping Branch, Grad Sch, Changsha 410125, Hunan, Peoples R China.
关键词：
Pepper;Transcriptome;Flower development;Period-specific expression;Transcription factor;ABCDE model
摘要：
An analysis of genome-wide gene expression profiles during floral organ development can provide important clues about the molecular basis of gene functions and developmental processes. In this study, we analyzed the transcriptome data of 36 samples obtained during floral organ development from pepper ‘6421’ and detected 30 016 genes that were expressed in at least one sample. K-means clustering analysis was used to classify the data into 16 clusters based on the similarities between the dynamic expression profiles of genes. Of these, 15 clusters exhibited notable up-regulation or down-regulation trends in different developmental stages or tissues of floral organs. We identified transcription factors expressed at the early, medium, and late stages of bud development (F1, F5, F9). Transcription factor families such as AP2-ERF, MADS-box, MYB, bHLH, and NAC showed significant levels of enrichment. In comparison with genes expressed in vegetative tissues at different stages, certain genes were specifically up-regulated during flower development; among these, the number of genes specifically up-regulated during the stamen (Sta10) and bud tetrad development (F4) stages was the highest. Through extensive studies of the ABCDE model of flower development in Arabidopsis, we identified 17 ABCDE model candidate genes in pepper, most of which were up-regulated at specific stages of flower bud development. The expression data provided in this study is the most comprehensive dataset available for pepper to date and will serve as a resource for identifying the functions of many specific genes involved in flower development in pepper and other Solanaceae plants.
摘要：
Flesh color is a significant characteristic of watermelon. Although various flesh-color genes have been identified, the inheritance and molecular basis of the orange flesh trait remain relatively unexplored. In the present study, the genetic analysis of six generations derived from W1-1 (red flesh) and W1-61 (orange flesh) revealed that the orange flesh color trait was regulated by a single recessive gene, Clorf (orange flesh). Bulk segregant analysis (BSA) locked the range to ∼4.66 Mb, and initial mapping situated the Clorf locus within a 688.35-kb region of watermelon chromosome 10. Another 1,026 F(2) plants narrowed the Clorf locus to a 304.62-kb region containing 32 candidate genes. Subsequently, genome sequence variations in this 304.62-kb region were extracted for in silico BSA strategy among 11 resequenced lines (one orange flesh and ten nonorange flesh) and finally narrowed the Clorf locus into an 82.51-kb region containing nine candidate genes. Sequence variation analysis of coding regions and gene expression levels supports Cla97C10G200950 as the most possible candidate for Clorf, which encodes carotenoid isomerase (Crtiso). This study provides a genetic resource for investigating the orange flesh color of watermelon, with Clorf malfunction resulting in low lycopene accumulation and, thus, orange flesh.
摘要：
Theanine is a unique secondary metabolite in tea plants and contributes to the umami taste and health benefits of tea. However, theanine biosynthesis in tea plants is not fully understood, and its mechanism of transcriptional regulation remains poorly reported. Theanine content was significantly correlated with the expression of theanine biosynthesis-related gene CsGS1c and transcription factor CsMYB42 in different leaf positions and picking times, but there was no significant correlation in different tissues of albino tea plant 'Anjibaicha'. This suggests that CsMYB42 may regulate CsGS1c to synthesize theanine in albino tea leaves, and the regulation is tissue specific. CsMYB42 is a nuclear-localized R2R3-MYB transcription factor gene with transcriptional activation activity. Yeast one-hybrid assay and electrophoretic mobility shift assay confirmed the direct binding of CsMYB42 to the promoter of CsGS1c. Luciferase assay showed that CsMYB42 activates the CsGS1c expression. Furthermore, the inhibition of CsMYB42 using an antisense oligonucleotide in tea leaves decreased CsGS1c expression and theanine content. These results indicate that CsMYB42 plays a crucial role in activating the expression of CsGS1c and may be involved in the biosynthesis of theanine in albino tea leaves. This study provides fresh insights into the tissue-specific regulation of theanine biosynthesis, which laid a foundation for breeding high-theanine tea plants.
作者机构：
[Zhang, Donglin; Liu, Yang; Zhang, DL; Huo, Wenwen; Zhang, Yifan; Xu, Lu; Yang, Yujie; Yu, Xiaoying; Li, Yanlin; Xiong, Xingyao; Li, Yang; Xiang, Lili] Hunan Agr Univ, Coll Hort, Changsha 410128, Peoples R China.;[Zhang, Donglin; Liu, Yang; Zhang, DL; Huo, Wenwen; Zhang, Yifan; Xu, Lu; Yang, Yujie; Yu, Xiaoying; Li, Yanlin; Li, Yang; Xiang, Lili] Minist Educ, Engn Res Ctr Hort Crop Germplasm Creat & New Varie, Changsha 410128, Peoples R China.;[Ling, Lin] Hunan Agr Univ, Sch Econ, Changsha 410128, Peoples R China.;[Li, Yanlin; Xiong, Xingyao] Kunpeng Inst Modern Agr, Foshan 528225, Peoples R China.;[Xiong, Xingyao] Chinese Acad Agr Sci, Agr Genom Inst Shenzheng, Shenzhen 518120, Peoples R China.
通讯机构：
[Zhang, DL; Yu, XY; Li, YL ] H;[Zhang, DL ] U;Hunan Agr Univ, Coll Hort, Changsha 410128, Peoples R China.;Minist Educ, Engn Res Ctr Hort Crop Germplasm Creat & New Varie, Changsha 410128, Peoples R China.;Kunpeng Inst Modern Agr, Foshan 528225, Peoples R China.
关键词：
Loropetalum chinense var. rubrum;light quality;leaf color;gene expression;anthocyanin
摘要：
Light quality is a vital environmental signal used to trigger growth and to develop structural differentiation in plants, and it influences morphological, physiological, and biochemical metabolites. In previous studies, different light qualities were found to regulate the synthesis of anthocyanin. However, the mechanism of the synthesis and accumulation of anthocyanins in leaves in response to light quality remains unclear. In this study, the Loropetalum chinense var. rubrum "Xiangnong Fendai" plant was treated with white light (WL), blue light (BL), ultraviolet-A light (UL), and blue light plus ultraviolet-A light (BL + UL), respectively. Under BL, the leaves were described as increasing in redness from "olive green" to "reddish-brown". The chlorophyll, carotenoid, anthocyanin, and total flavonoid content were significantly higher at 7 d than at 0 d. In addition, BL treatment also significantly increased the accumulation of soluble sugar and soluble protein. In contrast to BL, ultraviolet-A light increased the malondialdehyde (MDA) content and the activities of three antioxidant enzymes in the leaves, including catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), and superoxide dismutase (SOD), in varying degrees over time. Moreover, we also found that the CRY-like gene, HY5-like gene, BBX-like gene, MYB-like gene, CHS-like gene, DFR-like gene, ANS-like gene, and UFGT-like gene were significantly upregulated. Furthermore, the SOD-like, POD-like, and CAT-like gene expressions related to antioxidase synthesis were found under ultraviolet-A light conditions. In summary, BL is more conducive to reddening the leaves of "Xiangnong Fendai" and will not lead to excessive photooxidation. This provides an effective ecological strategy for light-induced leaf-color changes, thereby promoting the ornamental and economic value of L. chinense var. rubrum.
摘要：
As a most significant cereal crop, maize provides vital nutritional components to humans and livestock. Drought stress curtails maize growth and yield by impairing several morphological, physiological, and biochemical functions. The rising threats of drought stress significantly affect global food security and increase the ratio of hunger and starvation. The use of molecular breeding techniques has enabled maize researchers to deeply examine the genetic control of drought tolerance and the genetic differences between genotypes to drought stress. Despite the significant progress in molecular genetics, the drought tolerance mechanism is still not fully understood. With the advancements in molecular research, researchers have identified several molecular factors associated with maize tolerance to drought stress. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping and genome-wide association study (GWAS) analysis have led to identifying QTL, and genes linked to drought tolerance in maize that can be further exploited for their possible breeding applications. Transcriptome and transcription factors (TFs) analysis has revealed the documentation of potential genes and protein groups that might be linked to drought tolerance and accelerate the drought breeding program. Genetic engineering has been used to develop transgenic maize cultivars that are resistant to drought stress. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR/Cas9) is a new ray of hope to edit the gene of interest to enhance drought tolerance in maize and save both time and cost in cultivar development. In the current review article, we have tried to present an updated picture of the advancements of drought tolerance in maize and its future prospects. These organized pieces of information can assist future researchers in understanding the basis of drought tolerance to adopt a potential breeding tool for breeding drought-tolerant maize cultivars.
通讯机构：
[Jian Zhao] K;Key Laboratory of Tea Science of Ministry of Education, College of Horticulture, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410011, China<&wdkj&>Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
关键词：
aluminum and fluoride;organic acid;secondary metabolite;tea quality;tea safety
摘要：
Tea plants have adapted to grow in tropical acidic soils containing high concentrations of aluminum (Al) and fluoride (F) (as Al/F hyperaccumulators) and use secret organic acids (OAs) to acidify the rhizosphere for acquiring phosphorous and element nutrients. The self-enhanced rhizosphere acidification under Al/F stress and acid rain also render tea plants prone to accumulate more heavy metals and F, which raises significant food safety and health concerns. However, the mechanism behind this is not fully understood. Here, we report that tea plants responded to Al and F stresses by synthesizing and secreting OAs and altering profiles of amino acids, catechins, and caffeine in their roots. These organic compounds could form tea-plant mechanisms to tolerate lower pH and higher Al and F concentrations. Furthermore, high concentrations of Al and F stresses negatively affected the accumulation of tea secondary metabolites in young leaves, and thereby tea nutrient value. The young leaves of tea seedlings under Al and F stresses also tended to increase Al and F accumulation in young leaves but lower essential tea secondary metabolites, which challenged tea quality and safety. Comparisons of transcriptome data combined with metabolite profiling revealed that the corresponding metabolic gene expression supported and explained the metabolism changes in tea roots and young leaves via stresses from high concentrations of Al and F. The study provides new insight into Al- and F-stressed tea plants with regard to responsive metabolism changes and tolerance strategy establishment in tea plants and the impacts of Al/F stresses on metabolite compositions in young leaves used for making teas, which could influence tea nutritional value and food safety.
期刊：
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE,2023年14:1143022 ISSN：1664-462X
通讯作者：
Benedito, V.A.
作者机构：
[Xia, Enhua; Song, Chuankui; Zhang, Zhaoliang] State Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology and Utilization, School of Tea and Food Science and Technology, Anhui Agriculture University, Anhui, China;[Zhao, Jian] Key Laboratory of Tea Science of Ministry of Education, College of Horticulture, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China;[Wen, Weiwei] Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology (MOE), College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China;[Zeng, Lanting] South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Guangzhou, China;[Benedito, Vagner A.] School of Agriculture and Food, Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
通讯机构：
[Benedito, V.A.] S;School of Agriculture and Food, United States
关键词：
Camellia sinensis;natural products;plant biochemistry;specialized metabolism of plants;tea quality
摘要：
color and flavor of the leaves. The leaves are then dried to halt the oxidation process. Indeed, oolong tea gets its characteristic floral aroma from fatty acid-derived volatiles formed during post-harvest processing. Zhou et al. (2021) investigated changes in alcohol dehydrogenase activity, gene expression, and the fatty acid metabolome in oolong tea leaves during processing. The data showed that oxygen supply during processing coordinates the metabolic flow of C6 aldehydes of the LOX-HPL pathway and that an oxidative micro-environment leads to enzymatic reactions forming distinctive acids and derivative esters of this tea type.Phenylpropanoids encompass a broad family of secondary metabolites found in plants, whose primary precursor is phenylalanine and, to a lesser extent, tyrosine. This class consists of five chemical groups (flavonoids, lignin, phenolic acids, stilbenes, and coumarins), some of which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory features that benefit human health. Tea contains a high concentration of phenylpropanoids, including galloylated catechins and the bioactive flavonoid epigallocatechin gallate. On the other hand, the biosynthesis of galloylated catechins is poorly known. Li et al. ( 2022) investigated 118 R2R3-MYB transcription factor genes in the tea genome. They discovered nine genes whose expression levels were enriched in buds and growing leaves, which contain the most galloylated catechins. Three of these genes were discovered to be connected to...
关键词：
activity zone;landscape features;seasonal and diurnal variations;urban park;visitation density
摘要：
Urban parks are the main place for physical activities, generating numerous benefits to enhance human well-being. Many studies have investigated the impacts of landscape features on park visitation but ignored their seasonal and diurnal variations. Taking the Hunan Martyr Park in China as an example, this study aims to assess the seasonal and diurnal variations in the impacts of landscape features on visitation density. We quantified visitation density for 109 activity zones for both daytime and nighttime in summer and winter and investigated the impacts of landscape features of the activity zone and the surrounding environments on visitation density based on 16 quantitative indicators. The results show that: (1) The impacts of ground condition, connection to water, distance to park entrances, and distance to stores were consistent in different periods. Paved activity zones, zones close to water, zones further away from the park entrances, and zones closer to the stores had significantly higher visitation density. (2) Shading degree, connected pathway, and distance to toilets had contrasting impacts between summer and winter. Zones with a higher shading degree attracted more visitors in summer and deterred visitors in winter. Zones with fewer pathways connected and zones farther away from toilets had higher visitation density in summer but not in winter. (3) Shading degree, number of trees, presence of facilities (e.g., benches, tables, pavilion, and light devices), and connected pathway had contrasting impacts between daytime and nighttime. Zones with a high shading degree, zones with benches and pavilions, and zones without trees had higher visitation density in the daytime. Zones with light devices, zones with more connected pathways, and zones without tables had higher visitation density at nighttime. These findings highlighted the seasonal and diurnal variation of the impacts of landscape features on park visitation and can help to improve urban park design, especially for cities with hot summers and cold winters.
摘要：
Pepper is a horticultural crop that does not tolerate low temperatures. To investigate how the grafted pepper responds to low temperature stress in the short term, transcriptome analysis was performed on grafted seedlings treated with low temperature for 1 h, 4 h, 12 h and 24 h compared with those treated for 0 h. The results showed that genes related to CAM4, MPK8, RbohD and OXI1 might be related to the response of grafted seedlings to low temperature stress in the short term. To investigate how low temperature tolerant rootstocks can improve the low temperature tolerance of grafted peppers, morphological and physiological indices of self-rooted and grafted seedlings were analyzed under low temperature conditions for different days. The results showed that the degree of wilting, REL and MDA content of grafted seedlings were significantly lower than those of self-rooted seedlings, and the antioxidant enzyme activities were significantly higher than those of self-rooted seedlings under low temperature stress. The results indicated that grafted pepper would activate ROS-related genes in a short period of time after low temperature stress and produce a large amount of ROS in response to the low temperature stress. When ROS accumulated to a certain level, the grafted pepper could increase the enzyme activity of antioxidant system to remove the ROS produced in the body, and help the pepper seedlings adapt to low temperature stress through osmoregulation mechanism, so as to resist the damage caused by low temperature. The results of the study provide ideas for growing pepper in low temperature environment.
关键词：
Urban parks;Cool island intensity;Landscape morphology;Thermal environment;Simultaneous equation modeling
摘要：
Urban parks have significant cooling effects that alleviate the urban heat island (UHI). The park cool island intensity (PCII), the temperature difference between outside and inside a park, is a widely used indicator of a park’s cooling ability. Understanding the driving factors of the PCII is crucial for better urban park planning and management. Taking the subtropical city of Changsha, China, as a case study, factors such as the landscape patterns inside and outside a park and the geometric morphology of a park were investigated, based on 153 urban parks. A novel simultaneous equation modeling (SEM) approach was used to account for the mutual interactions between the temperatures of a park and its buffer. The results show that: (1) Park geometric morphology and landscape patterns inside and outside the park all significantly impact the PCII. Specifically, doubling the park size can increase the PCII by 0.8 K. Increasing by ten percent the tree cover and water cover in the park can enhance the PCII by 0.12 K and 0.41 K, respectively. Increasing the mean tree patch size by 1 ha can increase the PCII by 0.43 K. Decreasing by one unit the mean tree patch shape index can increase the PCII by 0.31 K. (2) An elasticity analysis, which measures the PCII percent change resulting from one percent change in a driving factor, indicates the relative importance ranking of these driving factors: percent cover of impervious surface outside the park (0.77), park size (0.72), percent cover of tree within the park (0.51), percent cover of water within the park (0.12), and mean patch size of tree cover within the park (0.086). To enhance the PCII, we recommend building parks in the hot areas of the city, increasing their size, increasing the percentages of tree cover and water cover in the park, and optimizing the spatial configuration of the tree cover in the park (i.e., aggregating trees in a smaller number of large patches and reducing the irregularity of tree patches).
