Using tree rings to reconstruct changes in soil P availability – Results from forest fertilization trials

Hitherto, there are only few studies that have analysed the variation of P contents in individual tree rings to reconstruct fluctuations in soil P availability. Therefore, this pilot study aimed to assess the relationship between changes in P content in tree rings and known changes in soil P availability resulting from fertilization of Norway spruce (Picea abies) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) in fertilization trials at two different sites. We compared P contents in single tree rings from fertilized and unfertilized plots formed before and after P fertilization and assessed (1) whether fertilization leads to an immediate increase in P uptake and higher P contents in tree rings formed after fertilization, and (2) whether P is translocated to older tree rings that were formed before fertilization.After application of 70 kg P ha⁻¹, a prompt and extended increase in relative wood P contents could be observed in both Norway spruce and Scots pine. However, only at the Norway Spruce site, this increase could be properly assigned to a P fertilization signal in heartwood rings formed after fertilization. In sapwood rings, however, P fertilization signals were masked by the inherent increase in P content from older towards younger sapwood rings, which was at least one order of magnitude higher than the increase from fertilization. We could not observe a P translocation into older tree rings, which existed as sapwood rings at the time of fertilization.This pilot study underlines the potential of dendrochemistry for reconstructing changes in soil P availability and improves the conceptual basis for further dendrochemical research, not only in fertilized but also in unfertilized forest ecosystems.     

长白山红松阔叶林林冠木竞争生长及林冠空隙动态研究

以长白山红松阔叶林林冠木的年龄资料为基础,分析林木冠重叠与年轮径向生长的关系;通过林冠空隙边缘人隙边缘株的干扰释压分析,揭示林冠空隙集中形成的动态规律。红松林相邻林木间理论树冠重叠率与年轮径向生长呈显著负相关,不同树种间存在不同的竞争和协同关系;红松林中除个别小空隙是经过一个集中形成期形成外,大部分空隙是经过２－３个集中形成期形成的,１９００－１９２０和１９１０－１９３０是大部分空隙的集中形成期。     

黄土丘陵半干旱区密植枣林随树龄变化的根系空间分布特征

该文研究了黄土丘陵半干旱区密植枣( Ziziphus jujuba ‘Lizao’)林群体根系随树龄变化的空间分布特征。对1年生、4年生、8年生和11年生4种树龄的密植枣林采用剖面法, 获得0-1 m土壤剖面上直径>3 mm、1-3 mm及<1 mm的根系数量和空间位置信息。利用方差分析, 评价了山地密植枣林林分根系随树龄变化的水平和垂直分布特征。结果表明: 3种直径的根系数量均随着树龄的增长而增加, 直径< 1 mm的根系增长速度最快; 随着土层加深, 根系数量递减, 1年生枣林的根系主要聚集在0-40 cm土层中, 4年生及以上树龄的根系主要分布在0-60 cm土层中; 0-1 m土层内, 1年生枣林(株距1.2 m)及4年以上树龄(株距2 m), 同树龄枣林中直径<1 mm的根系水平分布无差异; 同一土层中(0-20 cm, 20-40 cm, 40-60 cm), 无论树龄大小及离树干的水平位置如何, 不同直径根系的数量都无差异。研究表明: 在有水肥管理措施的条件下, 枣林根系垂直方向形成浅层型的适应模式; 在密植环境下, 枣林细根形成根网型的适应模式。     

我国一株鹦鹉幼雏病病毒全序列测定与初步分析

采用鸡胚成纤维细胞(CEF)培养增殖首次从湖北省云梦县分离的鹦鹉幼雏病病毒(Budgerigar fledgling dis ease virus,BFDV)分离株(BFDV HBYM02),经 PCR分段扩增法获得全基因组并完成序列测定。HBYM02 株全序列测定结果与GenBank中仅有的六株BFDV全序列进行同源性与进化分析。经BLAST分析,HBYM02株与其他六株BFDV同源性为98%~99%,为同一个基因型。运用Phylip3.5软件构建进化树,分析显示,来源于不同宿主的BFDV与宿主关系紧密,与地理分布没有明显的相关性。     

Hornbeam-broad-leaved-spruce-Korean pine forest in the period from 1926 to 2003 (Ussuriysk Natural Reserve, Southern Primorsky Krai)

Long monitoring (1926–2003) on the permanent test plot laid by B. A. Ivashkevich in the overmature virgin hornbeam-Korean pine forest with spruce shows that the Korean pine is subject to dying-off and has lost its prevailing role in the tree stand. At the same time the tree species dominating the lower layer of tree stand that have completed their life cycle fall off. The dead trees of these species are quickly replaced by young growth, whereas the young generation of Korean pine able to shape a new tree stand has not formed. All this indicates that the cyclicity of the alternation of the Korean pine generations is disturbed. The phase of dominance of deciduous species begins.     

中国绿水螅分子系统发生地位的初步探讨

目的:初步探讨中国绿水螅(Hydra sinensis)分子系统发生地位以及水螅属内部各类群系统发生关系。方法:采用酚-氯仿法提取中国绿水螅总DNA,扩增线粒体COI和16S r RNA基因片段并进行DNA序列测定,再利用Clustal及MEGA等生物信息学分析软件进行系统发生分析。结果:在本研究重建的所有系统发生树中,中国绿水螅始终与绿水螅Hydra viridissima的不同种群一起构成绿水螅单系群。同时,棕色水螅群的单系性被基于COI基因的NJ树以及基于16S r RNA基因的NJ树和ML树支持,唯独基于COI基因的ML树不支持棕色水螅群的单系发生。在基于COI基因的ML树中纤弱水螅族在系统树的基部独立为一支系,而绿水螅群和其他棕色水螅群水螅一起组成另一支系,提示纤弱水螅族水螅的系统发生地位值得进一步探讨。值得注意的是,根据本文的结果,棕色水螅群内3族的划分仍然有一定疑问。基于COI基因的NJ树和ML树支持普通水螅族、寡水螅族和纤弱水螅族各自族内的单系发生,但16S r RNA基因的NJ树和ML树中仅普通水螅族水螅聚为单系群,而寡水螅族和纤弱水螅族水螅各自并非单系发生。结论:把水螅属划分为绿水螅群及棕色水螅群有一定的合理性,但棕色水螅群内寡水螅族、普通水螅族和纤弱水螅族3族的划分还有待商榷。     

The identifiability of tree topology for phylogenetic models, including covarion and mixture models.

For a model of molecular evolution to be useful for phylogenetic inference, the topology of evolutionary trees must be identifiable. That is, from a joint distribution the model predicts, it must be possible to recover the tree parameter. We establish tree identifiability for a number of phylogenetic models, including a covarion model and a variety of mixture models with a limited number of classes. The proof is based on the introduction of a more general model, allowing more states at internal nodes of the tree than at leaves, and the study of the algebraic variety formed by the joint distributions to which it gives rise. Tree identifiability is first established for this general model through the use of certain phylogenetic invariants.     

Formation and closure of canopy gaps in the rain forest at Nouragues, French Guiana

Formation and closure of canopy gaps was monitored for three years in 12 ha of primary rain forest at Nouragues, French Guiana. At the first inventory, in April 1991, 74 openings in the canopy > 4 m² (sensu Brokaw 1982a) were located; 60 of these gaps were formed before January 1990. Between January 1990 and December 1993, 5 to 15 gaps were annually formed, opening 0.64–1.33% of the forest canopy each year. Of all gaps, 41% were created by a falling, snapped tree, 34% by a falling, uprooted tree, 22% by a falling branch, and 3% by a falling dead stem. A refined nearest neighbour analysis showed that gaps formed after January 1990 were clustered: uprooting of trees seemed to be related to shallow soils, and relatively many other trees fell when a tree uprooted, independent of the dbh of the uprooted tree. In 37 gaps, canopy openness in the gap centre (determined by hemispherical photographs) was monitored over three years. In 54% of the gaps, canopy openness increased in two successive years. It is reasoned that edges of especially large gaps may frequently be re-disturbed by falling trees or branches. Results suggest that gaps have closed after around 15 years. More data are needed to verify this.     

鲤科盘鮈属鱼类系统发育及其历史地理分布格局解析

以盘鮈属鱼类作为内群,以巴马拟缨鱼作为外群。通过形态比较共筛选出85个稳定的特征,形成形态特征状态矩阵表。以PAUP4.0b软件,采用均权方式,在无序和有序状态下分别按Heuristic、Branch-and-Bound以及Bootstrap等3种方式计算和构树。每种方法计算均得到唯一的1棵树,最大简约树与严格一致树、Bootstrap值检测树呈现微小差异。但仅最大简约树体现了各种之间先后分化的次序以及各姐妹群之间的关系,所以选择最大简约树作为盘鮈鱼类的系统发育树。其结果显示,盘鮈具小吸盘的种类与具大吸盘的种类分别构成了A、B两支。B支又可分为C、D两支。其中,C支的种类以吻端形成1对明显珠星,甚至形成吻突而区别于同属中具大吸盘的其他种类。运用Component(2.0)软件计算,得到盘鮈属种类分布河流的唯一分支树,其结构基本与水系的地理分布成对应关系。盘鮈属鱼类祖先的形成时期应为第4纪中期之初或更早。古云贵高原是盘鮈属鱼类的起源、分布和分化中心。云贵高原面的抬升与河流的袭夺促成了盘鮈属鱼类的多次分化和扩散,由此形成了该属鱼类的现今分布格局。     

Original humus forms in a semi-deciduous tropical forest in Guadeloupe

Humus profiles underneath the canopy of dominant tree species in two secondary semi-evergreen forest sites in Grande-Terre (Guadeloupe) were analysed with a micromorphological method. In the vertisol of a tree plantation, the humus formed was rather similar under all tree species being an eumull and essentially due to the activity of the endoanecic earthworm Polypheretima elongata. In a natural secondary forest located on a steep slope and associated with a rendzina soil (without endoanecic earthworms), the humus forms were described at lower, mid- and upper slope. In this forest, two particular humus forms were observed. At the middle slope, underneath the canopy of Pisonia subcordata L. that produces nitrogen-rich litter, a calcareous amphimull, characterised by an OH horizon made of millipede faecal pellets, was formed. In the upper slope, underneath the canopy of Bursera simaruba (L.) Sarg. that produces a litter rich in resins and aromatic compounds that are poorly consumed by soil animals, a dysmull with a thick root mat (OFRh horizon) developed. Other humus forms were intermediate. The formation of these humus forms is discussed.     

Pollination systems in a warm temperate evergreen broad-leaved forest on Yaku Island

Animal pollination in a warm temperate evergreen broad-leaved forest was observed on Yaku-shima Island, south of Kyushu, Japan. Three groups of plants were categorized: canopy-flowering tree species, understory-flowering tree species, and climber and epiphyte species. Each of these formed different pollination systems. The canopy-flowering tree species had shallow, dish-shaped flowers and utilized various types of opportunistic pollinators. Most of the climber and epiphyte species had deep, tube-shaped flowers and specialized pollinators, although some climber species which bloomed in the canopy especially in winter, had opportunistic pollinators. The understory-flowering tree species had large dish- or funnel-shaped flowers and endothermic pollinators able to tolerate the dark and cold conditions under the canopy. The individual trees of canopy-flowering tree species produced large numbers of flowers simultaneously (mass-flowering) and had a well synchronized flowering period. Each canopy-flowering tree species segregated its flowering time from those of the anothers. Climber and epiphyte species and most of the understory-flowering tree species produced small numbers of flowers sequentially (extended flowering) and showed a long flowering period.     

Molecular Phylogeny of Section Parrya of Pinus （Pinaceae） Based on Chloroplast matK Gene Sequence Data

The molecular phylogenetics of sect. Parrya Myre of Pinus L. was analyzed based onchloroplast matKgene sequence data. The section was resolved as paraphyletic because members of thesect. Strobus were nested within a clade composed by the Asian members of the section, including theVietnamese P. krempfii Lecomte, which was strongly supported with a bootstrap value of 92%. [n thistopology, the three sampled species of sect. Strobus formed a strongly supported monophyletic group,while their relationships of Asian species of sect. Parrya were not clear. P. krempfii was grouped with P.gerardiana Wall. ex D. Don with low bootstrap support. The relationships among the Asian members of thesect. Parrya, i.e.P, bungeana Zucc. ex Loud., P. gerardiana and the recently described endangered pine, P.squarnata X. W. Li, was not resolved, although the monophyly of the three pines was strongly supported inthe combined analysis of four cpDNA sequences. The topology of the neighbor joining tree revealed anassemblage of the American members of the section, which also appeared in the majority rule tree withweak bootstrap support. However, this assemblage was not resolved in the consensus tree of theparsimonious analysis. The American subsect. Ba/fourianae Engelm. formed a weakly supported groupincluding P. aristata Engelm., while the relationships among and within the other two American subsections,Cembroides Englem. and tTzedowskianae Carv., were not resolved, as the members of them formed apolytomy in the consensus tree of the parsimonious analysis. The biogeographical implications of theresults are also discussed in this paper.     

树木根系衰老研究的意义与现状

树木根系是树木重要的组成部分,具有养分和水分的吸收、传输和储存、树体的固定与支撑等重要的生理功能．在树木根系形成以后,常常遭遇到养分和水分胁迫,因此,其养分和水分的吸收功能尤其重要,在森林土壤中,养分和水分具有很大的时间和空间异质性,随着养分和水分在时间和空间上的变化,树木及时地主动调整其碳在根系中的分配,从而导致部分根系衰老或死亡,在林学上,树木根系衰老与养分和水分吸收关系密切,因而与树木生产力有直接的关系．在生态系统乃至全球尺度上,树木根系衰老影响碳循环和养分循环,因为根系对碳的消耗占树木通过光合作用所固定的碳的比例相当大,且含有丰富的养分．树木根系衰老受许多环境因子的影响,生物因子有真菌、细菌、病毒、土壤小型动物等,非生物因子有水分、温度、土壤养分、重金属等,这些因子对树木根系衰老的影响机制并不相同,尽管在树木根系衰老研究领域取得了长足的进步,提出了许多不同的假设,但仍有许多问题尚未解决,这些假设也需要更多的实验来验证,运用细胞学、生物化学、土壤科学、遗传学等多学科的交叉研究可进一步揭示根系衰老的本质。     

Roystonea regia a monocotyledonous tree, bears rhizobial root nodules

The first instance of a monocotyledonous treeRoystonea regia (royal palm) bearing root nodules is reported. They are formed by a Gram-negative bacterium which was tentatively identified asRhizobium sp. The nodules are formed on younger roots of the tree mostly in the rainy season. Younger plants also become nodulated. Mature nodules are oval to cylindrical in shape, unbranched and loosely attached to the roots which show ability to fix nitrogen.     

The dendrochronological potential of modern yew (Taxus baccata) with special reference to yew from Hampton Court Palace, UK

Modern yew ( Taxus baccata ) is demonstrated to have considerable potential for dendrochronological use. A replicated 303 yr chronology has been formed from Hampton Court Palace yew and cross-matches well with a number of different tree species, including oak. Growth is positively correlated with rainfall but inversely related to late summer temperature. Range limits and present and prehistoric sources of yew are also briefly discussed, highlighting the future potential of yew to become the third major tree species for British dendrochronological study.     

Phylogeny, host-parasite relationship and zoogeography

Phylogeny is the evolutionary history of a group or the lineage of organisms and is reconstructed based on morphological, molecular and other characteristics. The genealogical relationship of a group of taxa is often expressed as a phylogenetic tree. The difficulty in categorizing the phylogeny is mainly due to the existence of frequent homoplasies that deceive observers. At the present time, cladistic analysis is believed to be one of the most effective methods of reconstructing a phylogenetic tree. Excellent computer program software for phylogenetic analysis is available. As an example, cladistic analysis was applied for nematode genera of the family Acuariidae, and the phylogenetic tree formed was compared with the system used currently. Nematodes in the genera Nippostrongylus and Heligmonoides were also analyzed, and the validity of the reconstructed phylogenetic trees was observed from a zoogeographical point of view. Some of the theories of parasite evolution were briefly reviewed as well. Coevolution of parasites and humans was discussed with special reference to the evolutionary relationship between Enterobius and primates.     

Distribution of end-points of a branching network with decaying branch length

The geometry of the human bronchial tree has been described as a network formed by successive dichotomous branching with constant branching angles and geometrically decaying branch lengths. Models having these properties and with randomly distributed branching planes are constructed. The distribution of the end points of the model networks are described by computing the variance of the distributions in the direction of the axis of the network and in the transverse directions. It is found that, for a given decay ratio, there is a branching angle for which the volume filled by the end points is a maximum. The advantages of the network with the decay ratio and branching angle of the human bronchial tree are discussed.     

An index based on silvicultural knowledge for tree stability assessment and improved ecological function in urban ecosystems

Trees in the city not only have an ornamental function but also a role in improving the ecological function in urban ecosystems that has been substantially disturbed by human activities such as environmental pollution. Today the ecological role of urban greenery is clearer than ever and is included in the new scientific field of ecological engineering, which is the design of sustainable ecosystems that integrate human society with its natural environment for the benefit of both. Trees in an urban environment show many difficulties in surviving in it because the ecological conditions that exist in the cities are worse than these of the nature. One of these seems to be the heavy wind loads. But even though rough surfaces slow down the wind speed, tall buildings can cause wind tunnel effects that stress a tree as much or even more than if it was positioned in an exposed, unprotected site. An urban tree must be able to endure all the damages and loads from the wind throughout its life. The ability of a tree to withstand wind loads of gale forces depends on its shape and its dimensions. The objective of this paper is the evaluation of tree stability based on the aboveground silvicultural characteristics in order to create an empirical index which can correlate tree stability with these features. Silvicultural characteristics that play the greatest role on tree stability are crown ratio (CR), crown asymmetry index (CAI), and tree height (H). Consequently, tree stability index (TSI) is formed by them. According to TSI values, tree stability was classified in three categories (classes): high, moderate and crucial stability. The limits of the transition from one class to another, as the classes themselves are depended on the number of variables that represent silvicultural characteristics.     

Evaluation of the diversity of cyclodextrin-producing Paenibacillus graminis strains isolated from roots and rhizospheres of different plants by molecular methods

To address the diversity of cyclodextrin-producing P. graminis strains isolated from wheat roots and rhizospheres of maize and sorghum sown in Australia, Brazil, and France, restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of part of genes encoding RNA polymerase (rpoB-RFLP) and DNA gyrase subunit B (gyrB-RFLP) was used to produce genetic fingerprints. A phylogenetic tree based on rpoB gene sequences was also constructed. The isolates originated from Brazil could be separated from those from Australia and France, when data from the rpoB-based phylogenetic tree or gyrB-RFLP were considered. These analyses also allowed the separation of all P. graminis strains studied here into four clusters; one group formed by the strains GJK201 and RSA19T, second group formed by the strains MC22.02 and MC04.21, third group formed by the strains TOD61, TOD 221, TOD302, and TOD111, and forth group formed by all strains isolated from plants sown in Cerrado soil, Brazil. As this last group was formed by strains isolated from sorghum and maize sown in the same soil (Cerrado) in Brazil, our results suggest that the diversity of these P. graminis strains is more affected by the soil type than the plant from where they have been isolated.     

Rivers as barriers for high elevation amphibians: a phylogeographic analysis of the alpine stream frog of the Hengduan Mountains

At high altitude, rivers may function as barriers for amphibians. We examined 21 populations of Scutiger boulengeri from the Hengduan Mountains with 1038 base pairs of mitochondrial cytochrome b gene sequences. The haplotypes of S. boulengeri formed three clades on the gene tree, and each clade was restricted to one mountain ridge separated by two major river systems, the Yalong River and the Dadu River. The vicariant pattern of the gene tree suggests that these rivers functioned as effective barriers during population differentiation. On the other hand, mountain ridges may have facilitated amphibian movement. Populations within the uninterrupted mountain ranges of clades II and III, revealed little genetic structure. The northern clade I, harboured a substantial amount of genetic variation, which might be the consequence of the rugged terrain and heterogeneous habitat of this area. Furthermore, one outgroup species, Scutiger glandulatus , formed the fourth clade and nested within S. boulengeri , suggesting that S. boulengeri is likely a paraphyletic species or a species complex.