农田作物同化碳输入与周转的生物地球化学过程

作物同化碳在“大气-植物-土壤”系统中流通的生物地球化学过程,显著影响全球陆地生态系统碳循环过程。作物同化碳是土壤有机碳的重要来源,与根际环境及作物生长发育有密切联系,但由于其复杂性和多变性,作物生长期内同化碳在土壤中的分配、转化与稳定的机理尚不十分清楚。因此,综述了作物同化碳向土壤碳库输入及其对土壤有机碳库的贡献,在土壤碳库中的分配与转化特征,在土壤中流通的微生物机制以及同化碳在土壤-微生物系统分配、稳定的微观机制。探讨同化碳在地上部-根际-土壤系统中的分配及调节机制,土壤界面同化碳流动过程与土壤微生物多样性形成的关系;提出了在不同生态系统尺度上加强作物同化碳在土壤-作物系统中分配过程的定量研究对于明确陆地生态碳循环过程的重要意义;指出了研究作物同化碳向土壤碳库迁移、分配定量过程与机制的重要性,以及应用显微镜成像技术与同位素示踪技术相结合的纳米二次离子质谱技术、和微生物分子与群落生态相偶联的技术是未来研究作物同化碳生物地球化学特性的有效手段。     

原状土与非原状土对土壤自养微生物碳同化能力的影响

自养微生物在土壤中广泛存在,但原状土与非原状土对其CO2同化能力的影响尚不明确。因此,本研究采用14C连续标记示踪技术,选取亚热带区4种典型土壤进行室内模拟培养,探讨了原状土与非原状土对农田土壤自养微生物碳同化能力及其对土壤碳库活性组分的影响。结果表明:连续标记培养110 d后,原状土与非原状土样均表现出可观的CO2同化能力,根据估算,非原状土、原状土的CO2同化速率分别为0.015~0.148、0.007~0.050 g·m-2·d-1,说明土壤受扰动可能加剧自养微生物的活性,增强土壤自养微生物的CO2同化能力。相关分析表明,土壤自养微生物同化碳(14C-SOC)与其微生物截留碳(14CMBC)呈极显著正相关(R2=0.955)。而且,土壤可溶性有机碳(DOC)、微生物量碳(MBC)和土壤有机碳(SOC)的更新率分别为:0.9%~4.5%、2.2%~9.7%和0.09%~0.43%(原状土);0.26%~1.09%、3.6%~20%和2.9%~5.7%(非原状土)。土壤自养微生物同化碳的输入对土壤活性碳组分的DOC、MBC含量变化影响较大,而对SOC影响较小。本研究丰富和扩大了土壤微生物的基本功能和在土壤碳循环过程中作用的认识。     

定量稳定性同位素探针技术及其在微生物生态学研究中的应用

定量稳定性同位素探针技术(qSIP)是将生态系统中微生物分类性状与代谢功能联系起来的有效工具,能够定量测定特定环境中单个微生物类群暴露于同位素示踪剂后微生物代谢活动或生长速率。qSIP技术采用定量PCR与高通量测序技术并结合稳定同位素探针技术(SIP),通过向环境样品添加标记底物进行培养,提取微生物生物标记物,利用超高速等密度梯度离心将被同位素标记的重链核酸与未被标记的轻链核酸进行分离,并对所有组分微生物类群进行绝对定量和测序分析,基于GC含量和未标记处理DNA密度曲线量化参与吸收转化的DNA同位素丰度。本文重点阐述qSIP的技术原理、数据分析流程及其在微生物生态学研究中的应用进展,并对该技术存在的问题进行了分析和展望。     

基于稳定同位素的SPAC水碳拆分及耦合研究进展

土壤-植被-大气连续体(SPAC)是陆地水文学、生态学和全球变化领域的重要研究对象,其水碳循环过程及耦合机制是前沿性问题.稳定同位素技术示踪、整合和指示的特征有助于评估分析生态系统固碳和耗水情况.本文在简述稳定同位素应用原理和技术的基础上,重点阐释了基于稳定同位素光学技术的SPAC系统水碳交换研究进展,包括:在净碳通量中拆分光合与呼吸量,在蒸散通量中拆分蒸腾与蒸发量,以及在系统尺度上的水碳耦合研究.新兴的技术和方法实现了生态系统尺度上长期高频的同位素观测,但在测量精准度、生态系统呼吸拆分、非稳态模型适应性、尺度转换和水碳耦合机制等方面存在挑战.本文探讨了现有主要研究成果、局限性以及未来研究展望,以期对稳定同位素生态学领域的新研究和技术发展有所帮助.     

土壤微生物碳泵概念体系2.0

土壤微生物在陆地生态系统元素循环中扮演着关键角色,对土壤健康、粮食安全和全球气候变化发挥着重要的调节作用。土壤微生物同化代谢产物对土壤碳储存与有机质维持的贡献不容忽视。近年来,以微生物代谢和死亡残体生成过程为核心提出的土壤微生物碳泵概念体系得到了广泛关注,它主要描述了以土壤异养微生物代谢为驱动的土壤有机碳形成和稳定化过程,是目前陆地生态系统碳固存的重要机制体系与研究热点。本文对该体系的研究进展进行了梳理,并提出了引入自养微生物固碳通道与结合土壤矿物碳泵概念的土壤微生物碳泵概念体系2.0,以期丰富和完善现有的微生物介导的陆地生态系统土壤碳循环与固持机制,为实现我国“双碳”目标提供理论支撑。     

稳定同位素探针技术在有机污染物生物降解中的应用

稳定同位素探针技术(Stable isotope probing,SIP)是稳定同位素标记技术和各种分子生物学手段相结合的一系列技术总称。将其应用于探查污染物降解的功能微生物,实现了不经过分离培养直接把微生物的代谢功能、微生物间相互作用与微生物种群结合起来,从而克服了传统分离培养的缺陷,扩大了微生物资源的利用空间,具有广阔的发展前景。本文介绍了稳定同位素探针技术的基本原理和技术路线,对常规PLFA-SIP、DNA-SIP、RNA-SIP的特点进行了阐述和对比;综述了SIP在有机污染物——苯系物、多环芳烃、多氯联苯生物降解方面的研究进展,提出SIP应用于根际研究是今后该技术在生物降解研究中的一个发展方向。     

环境条件对植物稳定碳同位素组成的影响

植物稳定碳同位素技术是近年兴起的一项快速、可靠的技术。利用稳定碳同位素技术可以揭示碳同化的过程的许多方面的信息。1 3C和1 2 C同位素效应 ,使它们在进行碳循环时发生稳定碳同位素的分馏。植物光合作用过程中CO2 经气孔扩散分差和RUBPCase及PEPCase羧化分馏是造成植物稳定碳同位素比率 (R =1 3C/ 1 2 C)不同于源CO2 中碳同位素比率的主要原因。遗传因素和环境因子同时决定植物碳同位素组成。植物稳定碳同位素技术同时还是古气候重建和预测未来环境变化的理论基础。本文综述了光照、温度、水分、二氧化碳、矿质营养、盐分和大气污染物等环境因素对植物稳定碳同位素组成影响方面的研究进展。     

稳定性同位素技术与Keeling曲线法在陆地生态系统碳/水交换研究中的应用

稳定性同位素技术和Keeling曲线法是现代生态学研究的重要手段和方法之一。稳定性同位素能够整合生态系统复杂的生物学、生态学和生物地球化学过程在时间和空间尺度上对环境变化的响应。Keeling曲线法是以生物过程前后物质平衡理论为基础,将CO₂或H₂O的同位素组成(δD、δ¹³C或δ¹⁸O)与其对应浓度测量结合起来,将生态系统净碳通量区分为光合固定和呼吸释放通量,或将整个生态系统水分蒸散区分为植物蒸腾和土壤蒸发。在全球尺度上,稳定性同位素技术、Keeling曲线法与全球尺度陆地生态系统模型相结合,还可区分陆地生态系统和海洋生态系统对全球碳通量的贡献以及不同植被类型(C₃或C₄)在全球CO₂同化量中所占的比例。然而,生态系统的异质性使得稳定性同位素技术和Keeling曲线法从冠层尺度外推到生态系统、区域或全球尺度时存在有一定程度的不确定性。此外,取样时间、地点的选取也会影响最终的研究结果。尽管如此,随着分析手段的不断精确和研究方法的日趋完善,稳定性同位素技术和Keeling曲线法与其它测量方法(如微气象法)的有机结合将成为未来陆地生态系统碳/水交换研究的重要手段和方法之一。     

碳同位素示踪技术及其在陆地生态系统碳循环研究中的应用与展望

碳同位素示踪技术具有高度的专一性和灵敏度, 经过几十年的发展, 形成了一系列成熟的标记方法, 在陆地生态系统碳循环过程的研究中已得到广泛应用。目前, 自然丰度法、与¹³C贫化示踪技术结合的自由空气中气体浓度增加(FACE)实验、脉冲与连续标记法以及碳同位素高丰度底物富集标记法是研究陆地生态系统碳循环过程常用的碳同位素示踪方法; 通过将长期定位实验和室内模拟实验结合, 量化光合碳在植物-土壤系统的传输与分配特征, 明确植物光合碳对土壤有机质的来源、稳定化过程的影响及其微生物驱动机制; 阐明土壤碳动态变化(迁移与转化)和新碳与老碳对土壤碳库储量的相对贡献, 评估有机碳输入、转化与稳定的生物与非生物微观界面过程机制。然而, 生态系统碳循环受气候、植被、人为活动等多因素影响, 碳同位素技术需要结合质谱、光谱技术实现原位示踪, 结合分子生物学技术阐明其微生物驱动机制, 从而构建灵敏、准确、多尺度、多方位的同位素示踪技术体系。因此, 该文以稳定碳同位素为主, 综述了碳同位素示踪技术的原理、分析方法和在陆地生态系统碳循环过程中的应用进展, 归纳总结了碳同位素示踪技术结合原位检测技术和分子生物学技术的研究进展和应用前景, 并对碳同位素示踪技术存在的问题进行了分析和展望。     

环境条件对植物稳定碳同位素组成的影响

植物稳定碳同位素技术是近年兴起的一项快速、可靠的技术。利用稳定碳同位素技术可以揭示碳同化的过程的许多方面的信息。13C和12C同位素效应,使它们在进行碳循环时发生稳定碳同位素的分馏。植物光合作用过程中CO2经气孔扩散分差和RUBPCase及PEPCase羧化分馏是造成植物稳定碳同位素比率(R=13C/12C)不同于源CO2中碳同位素比率的主要原因。遗传因素和环境因子同时决定植物碳同位素组成。植物稳定碳同位素技术同时还是古气候重建和预测未来环境变化的理论基础。本文综述了光照、温度、水分、二氧化碳、矿质营养、盐分和大气污染物等环境因素对植物稳定碳同位素组成影响方面的研究进展。     

Microbial autotrophy explains large-scale soil CO2 fixation

Microbial communities play critical roles in fixing carbon from the atmosphere and fixing it in the soils. However, the large-scale variations and drivers of these microbial communities remain poorly understood. Here, we conducted a large-scale survey across China and found that soil autotrophic organisms are critical for explaining CO₂ fluxes from the atmosphere to soils. In particular, we showed that large-scale variations in CO₂ fixation rates are highly correlated to those in autotrophic bacteria and phototrophic protists. Paddy soils, supporting a larger proportion of obligate bacterial and protist autotrophs, display four-fold of CO₂ fixation rates over upland and forest soils. Precipitation and pH, together with key ecological clusters of autotrophic microbes, also played important roles in controlling CO₂ fixation. Our work provides a novel quantification on the contribution of terrestrial autotrophic microbes to soil CO₂ fixation processes at a large scale, with implications for global carbon regulation under climate change.     

异养微生物固定CO2的合成生物学研究进展

人类活动造成大气二氧化碳（CO₂）浓度不断升高,使当今世界面临着气候变化的重大危机。微生物CO₂固定为实现地球“碳中和”提供了一条有前景的绿色发展路线。与自养微生物相比,异养微生物具有更快的生长速度和更先进的遗传工具,但是其固定CO₂的能力还很有限。近年来,基于合成生物学技术强化异养微生物CO₂固定受到诸多关注,主要包括优化能量供给、改造羧化途径以及基于异养微生物间接固定CO₂。本综述将围绕上述3个方面重点讨论异养微生物CO₂固定的研究进展,为将来更好地利用微生物CO₂固定技术实现“碳达峰、碳中和”提供参考。     

Le vie fotosintetiche C3, C4 e CAM nel contesto ecologico

Abstract

Ecological aspects of C₃, C₄ and CAM photosynthetic pathways. - Three different photosynthetic CO₂ fixation pathways are known to occur in higher plants. However all three pathways ultimately depend on the Calvin-Benson cycle for carbon reduction. The oxygenase activity of RuBP carboxilase is responsible for photorespiratory CO₂ release. Both C₄ and CAM pathways behave as a CO₂ concentrating mechanism which prevent photorespiration. The CO₂-concentrating mechanism in C₄ plants is based on intracellular symplastic transport of C₄ dicarboxylic acids from mesophyll-cells to the adjacent bundle-sheath cells. On the contrary in CAM plants the CO₂-concentrating mechanism is based on the intracellular transport of malic acid into and out of the vacuole.

The C₄ photosynthetic pathway as compared to the C₃ pathway permits higher rates of CO₂ fixation in high light and high temperature environments at low costs in terms of water loss, given the stability of the photosynthetic apparatus under such conditions.

CAM is interpreted as an adaptation to arid environments because it enables carbon assimilation to take place at very low water costs during the night when the evaporative demand is low. Nevertheless many aquatic species of Isoetes and some relatives are CAM, suggesting the adaptive role of CAM to environments which become depleted in CO₂.

The photosynthetic carbon fixation pathway certainly contributes to the ecological success of plants in different environments. However the distribution of plants may also reflect their biological history. On the other hand plants with different photosynthetic pathways coexist in many communities and tend to share resources in time. In any case some generalizations are possible: C₄ plants enjoy an ecological advantage in hot, moist, high light regions while the majority of species in desert environments are C₃; CAM plants are more frequent in semiarid regions with seasonal rainfall, coastal fog deserts, and in epiphytic habitats in tropical rain forests.     

Metagenomic and 14C tracing evidence for autotrophic microbial CO2 fixation in paddy soils

Autotrophic carbon dioxide (CO₂) fixation by microbes is ubiquitous in the environment and potentially contributes to the soil organic carbon (SOC) pool. However, the multiple autotrophic pathways of microbial carbon assimilation and fixation in paddy soils remain poorly characterized. In this study, we combine metagenomic analysis with ¹⁴C-labelling to investigate all known autotrophic pathways and CO₂ assimilation mechanisms in five typical paddy soils from southern China. Marker genes of six autotrophic pathways are detected in all soil samples, which are dominated by the cbbL genes (67%–82%) coding the ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase large chain in the Calvin cycle. These marker genes are associated with a broad range of phototrophic and chemotrophic genera. Significant amounts of ¹⁴C-CO₂ are assimilated into SOC (74.3–175.8 mg ¹⁴C kg⁻¹) and microbial biomass (5.2–24.1 mg ¹⁴C kg⁻¹) after 45 days incubation, where more than 70% of ¹⁴C-SOC was concentrated in the relatively stable humin fractions. These results show that paddy soil microbes contain the genetic potential for autotrophic carbon fixation spreading over broad taxonomic ranges, and can incorporate atmospheric carbon into organic components, which ultimately contribute to the stable SOC pool.     

The mechanism of carbon isotope fractionation in photosynthesis and carbon dioxide component of the greenhouse effect

The relationship between the global climate warming, which is largely induced by increased CO₂ atmospheric concentration, and the changes in carbon isotope fractionation in plants was explained in terms of the previously proposed oscillatory mechanism of photosynthesis, according to which CO₂ assimilation and photorespiration are two reciprocally coupled oscillating mechanisms controlled by ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase switching. This explanation is confirmed by the changes in carbon isotope fractionation in the annual rings of trees and demonstrates that the light carbon isotope ¹²C enrichment before 1990s resulted from increased photosynthetic assimilation of CO₂. The subsequent sharp ¹³C enrichment of the tree ring carbon until the present time suggests that the compensatory role of photosynthesis in boreal forests has been lost for the global climate.     

岩溶区土壤微生物驱动的自养固碳过程与机制研究进展

自养微生物能够利用无机碳作为碳源合成自身营养物质,具有很强的环境适应能力,在富钙偏碱的岩溶区土壤的碳固定过程中扮演重要角色。本文综述了土壤微生物驱动的自养固碳过程、岩溶区土壤固碳功能微生物、自养固碳的分子机制及其产生的生态环境效应,并提出了亟待解决的关键科学问题。为深入研究和认识岩溶区土壤生态系统自养微生物驱动的固碳过程及其机制、提高岩溶区土壤的固碳潜能、发展岩溶区生态环境的保护与修复策略、应对气候变化及人类活动引起的土壤退化风险提供参考。     

Rapid resonance Raman microspectroscopy to probe carbon dioxide fixation by single cells in microbial communities

Photosynthetic microorganisms play crucial roles in aquatic ecosystems and are the major primary producers in global marine ecosystems. The discovery of new bacteria and microalgae that play key roles in CO₂ fixation is hampered by the lack of methods to identify hitherto-unculturable microorganisms. To overcome this problem we studied single microbial cells using stable-isotope probing (SIP) together with resonance Raman (RR) microspectroscopy of carotenoids, the light-absorbing pigments present in most photosynthetic microorganisms. We show that fixation of ¹³CO₂ into carotenoids produces a red shift in single-cell RR (SCRR) spectra and that this SCRR–SIP technique is sufficiently sensitive to detect as little as 10% of ¹³C incorporation. Mass spectrometry (MS) analysis of labelled cellular proteins verifies that the red shift in carotenoid SCRR spectra acts as a reporter of the ¹³C content of single cells. Millisecond Raman imaging of cells in mixed cultures and natural seawater samples was used to identify cells actively fixing CO₂, demonstrating that the SCRR–SIP is a noninvasive method for the rapid and quantitative detection of CO₂ fixation at the single cell level in a microbial community. The SCRR–SIP technique may provide a direct method for screening environmental samples, and could help to reveal the ecophysiology of hitherto-unculturable microorganisms, linking microbial species to their ecological function in the natural environment.     

Non-phototrophic CO 2 fixation by soil microorganisms

Although soils are generally known to be a net source of CO₂ due to microbial respiration, CO₂ fixation may also be an important process. The non-phototrophic fixation of CO₂ was investigated in a tracer experiment with ¹⁴CO₂ in order to obtain information about the extent and the mechanisms of this process. Soils were incubated for up to 91 days in the dark. In three independent incubation experiments, a significant transfer of radioactivity from ¹⁴CO₂ to soil organic matter was observed. The process was related to microbial activity and could be enhanced by the addition of readily available substrates such as acetate. CO₂ fixation exhibited biphasic kinetics and was linearly related to respiration during the first phase of incubation (about 20–40 days). The fixation amounted to 3–5% of the net respiration. After this phase, the CO₂ fixation decreased to 1–2% of the respiration. The amount of carbon fixed by an agricultural soil corresponded to 0.05% of the organic carbon present in the soil at the beginning of the experiment, and virtually all of the fixed CO₂ was converted to organic compounds. Many autotrophic and heterotrophic biochemical processes result in the fixation of CO₂. However, the enhancement of the fixation by addition of readily available substrates and the linear correlation with respiration suggested that the process is mainly driven by aerobic heterotrophic microorganisms. We conclude that heterotrophic CO₂ fixation represents a significant factor of microbial activity in soils.     

Photosynthetic properties of an orchid community in central Italy

Abstract

Chlorophyllous Mediterranean orchids share a habitat endangered by climate change and land use change. These orchids are characterized by two mechanisms of carbon assimilation, being autotrophic carbon fixation through photosynthesis supplemented by heterotrophic carbon fixation from mycorrhizal fungi. We investigated whether photosynthesis may sustain autotrophy of several species of orchids co-occurring in the same habitat (the understory of a chestnut forest in the Apennines range) along a vegetative season, and how photosynthesis responds to environmental parameters in the different species. Combined analysis of gas-exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence, optical properties, chlorophylls concentration, and Ribulose 1,5 bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) activity were carried out to characterize the photosynthetic apparatus of the orchid species. Both in vivo and in vitro measurements indicated that in all orchids, in natural conditions and over the entire vegetative season (May to July), a detectable amount of carbon, typical of autotrophic shade leaves, is fixed. It is therefore suggested that these orchids are predominantly autotrophic. As an exception, however, Limodorum abortivum, a co-occurring orchid in the examined habitat, is unable to photosynthesize at rates compatible with autotrophy. At the low light intensity experienced in the understory habitat all orchids exhibited a similar quantum yield, but photosynthesis of Dactylorhiza saccifera and Cephalanthera longifolia was stimulated by light intensities higher than ambient, indicating that these species may better use sunflecks reaching the understory vegetation. Photosynthesis of all orchids, including Limodorum, positively responded to increasing CO₂ concentration and temperature. Whether this will lead to a larger photosynthetic carbon fixation because of present and future climate change needs to be assessed with long-term experiments also including the impacts of climate on mychorrizal activity and host plants.