Role of vegetation in determining carbon sequestration along ecological succession in the southeastern United States

Vegetation plays a central role in controlling terrestrial carbon (C) exchange, but quantifying its impacts on C cycling on time scales of ecological succession is hindered by a lack of long‐term observations. The net ecosystem exchange of carbon (NEE) was measured for several years in adjacent ecosystems that represent distinct phases of ecological succession in the southeastern USA. The experiment was designed to isolate the role of vegetation – apart from climate and soils – in controlling biosphere–atmosphere fluxes of CO₂ and water vapor. NEE was near zero over 5 years at an early successional old‐field ecosystem (OF). However, mean annual NEE was nearly equal, approximately ?450 g C m^?2 yr^?1, at an early successional planted pine forest (PP) and a late successional hardwood forest (HW) due to the sensitivity of the former to drought and ice storm damage. We hypothesize that these observations can be explained by the relationships between gross ecosystem productivity (GEP), ecosystem respiration (RE) and canopy conductance, and long‐term shifts in ecosystem physiology in response to climate to maintain near‐constant ecosystem‐level water‐use efficiency (EWUE). Data support our hypotheses, but future research should examine if GEP and RE are causally related or merely controlled by similar drivers. At successional time scales, GEP and RE observations generally followed predictions from E. P. Odum's ‘Strategy of Ecosystem Development’, with the surprising exception that the relationship between GEP and RE resulted in large NEE at the late successional HW. A practical consequence of this research suggests that plantation forestry may confer no net benefit over the conservation of mature forests for C sequestration.     

On the difference in the net ecosystem exchange of CO2 between deciduous and evergreen forests in the southeastern United States

The southeastern United States is experiencing a rapid regional increase in the ratio of pine to deciduous forest ecosystems at the same time it is experiencing changes in climate. This study is focused on exploring how these shifts will affect the carbon sink capacity of southeastern US forests, which we show here are among the strongest carbon sinks in the continental United States. Using eight‐year‐long eddy covariance records collected above a hardwood deciduous forest (HW) and a pine plantation (PP) co‐located in North Carolina, USA, we show that the net ecosystem exchange of CO₂ (NEE) was more variable in PP, contributing to variability in the difference in NEE between the two sites (ΔNEE) at a range of timescales, including the interannual timescale. Because the variability in evapotranspiration (ET) was nearly identical across the two sites over a range of timescales, the factors that determined the variability in ΔNEE were dominated by those that tend to decouple NEE from ET. One such factor was water use efficiency, which changed dramatically in response to drought and also tended to increase monotonically in nondrought years (P < 0.001 in PP). Factors that vary over seasonal timescales were strong determinants of the NEE in the HW site; however, seasonality was less important in the PP site, where significant amounts of carbon were assimilated outside of the active season, representing an important advantage of evergreen trees in warm, temperate climates. Additional variability in the fluxes at long‐time scales may be attributable to slowly evolving factors, including canopy structure and increases in dormant season air temperature. Taken together, study results suggest that the carbon sink in the southeastern United States may become more variable in the future, owing to a predicted increase in drought frequency and an increase in the fractional cover of southern pines.     

Terrestrial carbon balance in a drier world: the effects of water availability in southwestern North America

Global modeling efforts indicate semiarid regions dominate the increasing trend and interannual variation of net CO₂ exchange with the atmosphere, mainly driven by water availability. Many semiarid regions are expected to undergo climatic drying, but the impacts on net CO₂ exchange are poorly understood due to limited semiarid flux observations. Here we evaluated 121 site‐years of annual eddy covariance measurements of net and gross CO₂ exchange (photosynthesis and respiration), precipitation, and evapotranspiration (ET) in 21 semiarid North American ecosystems with an observed range of 100 – 1000 mm in annual precipitation and records of 4–9 years each. In addition to evaluating spatial relationships among CO₂ and water fluxes across sites, we separately quantified site‐level temporal relationships, representing sensitivity to interannual variation. Across the climatic and ecological gradient, photosynthesis showed a saturating spatial relationship to precipitation, whereas the photosynthesis–ET relationship was linear, suggesting ET was a better proxy for water available to drive CO₂ exchanges after hydrologic losses. Both photosynthesis and respiration showed similar site‐level sensitivity to interannual changes in ET among the 21 ecosystems. Furthermore, these temporal relationships were not different from the spatial relationships of long‐term mean CO₂ exchanges with climatic ET. Consequently, a hypothetical 100‐mm change in ET, whether short term or long term, was predicted to alter net ecosystem production (NEP) by 64 gCm^?2 yr^?1. Most of the unexplained NEP variability was related to persistent, site‐specific function, suggesting prioritization of research on slow‐changing controls. Common temporal and spatial sensitivity to water availability increases our confidence that site‐level responses to interannual weather can be extrapolated for prediction of CO₂ exchanges over decadal and longer timescales relevant to societal response to climate change.     

Contrasting responses to drought of forest floor CO2 efflux in a Loblolly pine plantation and a nearby Oak-Hickory forest

Forest floor CO₂ efflux (F_ff) depends on vegetation type, climate, and soil physical properties. We assessed the effects of biological factors on F_ff by comparing a maturing pine plantation (PP) and a nearby mature Oak‐Hickory‐type hardwood forest (HW). F_ff was measured continuously with soil chambers connected to an IRGA during 2001–2002. At both sites, F_ff depended on soil temperature at 5 cm (T₅) when soil was moist (soil moisture, θ>0.20 m³ m^?3), and on both T₅ and θ when soil was drier. A model (F_ff (T₅, θ)) explained 92% of the variation in the daily mean F_ff at both sites. Higher radiation reaching the ground during the leafless period, and a thinner litter layer because of faster decomposition, probably caused higher soil temperature at HW compared with PP. The annual F_ff was estimated at 1330 and 1464 g C m^?2 yr^?1 for a year with mild drought (2001) at PP and HW, respectively, and 1231 and 1557 g C m^?2 yr^?1 for a year with severe drought (2002). In the wetter year, higher soil temperature and moisture at HW compared with PP compensated for the negative effect on F_ff of the response to these variables resulting in similar annual F_ff at both stands. In the drier year, however, the response to soil temperature and moisture was more similar at the two stands causing the difference in the state variables to impel a higher F_ff at HW. A simple mass balance indicated that in the wetter year, C in the litter–soil system was at steady state at HW, and was accruing at PP. However, HW was probably losing C from the mineral soil during the severe drought year of 2002, while PP was accumulating C at a lower rate because of a loss of C from the litter layer. Such contrasting behavior of two forest types in close proximity might frustrate attempts to estimate regional carbon (C) fluxes and net C exchange.     

Effect of endothelin-1 on lipolysis in rat adipocytes

Objective : To explore the role of endothelin‐1 (ET‐1) on lipid metabolism, we examined the effect of ET‐1 on lipolysis in rat adipocytes. Research Methods and Procedure : Adipocytes isolated from male Sprague‐Dawley rats, weighing 400 to 450 grams, were incubated in Krebs‐Ringer buffer with or without 10^?7 M ET‐1 for various times or with various concentrations of ET‐1 for 4 hours; then glycerol release into the incubation medium was measured. In addition, selective ET_AR and ET_BR blockers were used to identify the ET receptor subtype involved. We also explored the involvement of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) in ET‐1‐stimulated lipolysis using an adenylyl cyclase inhibitor and by measuring changes in intracellular cAMP levels in response to ET‐1 treatment. To further explore the underlying mechanism of ET‐1 action, we examined the involvement of the extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK)‐mediated pathways. Results : Our results showed that ET‐1 caused lipolysis in rat adipocytes in a time‐ and dose‐dependent manner. BQ610, a selective ET_AR blocker, blocked this effect. The adenylyl cyclase inhibitor, 2′, 5′‐dideoxyadenosine, had no effect on ET‐1‐stimulated lipolysis. ET‐1 did not induce an increase in intracellular cAMP levels. In addition, ET‐1‐induced lipolysis was blocked by inhibition of ERK activation using PD98059. Coincubation of cells with ET‐1 and insulin suppressed ET‐1‐stimulated lipolysis. Discussion : These findings show that ET‐1 stimulates lipolysis in rat adipocytes through the ET_AR and activation of the ERK pathway. The underlying mechanism is cAMP‐independent. However, this non‐conventional lipolytic effect of ET‐1 is inhibited by the anti‐lipolytic effect of insulin.     

Interannual variability in carbon dioxide fluxes and flux–climate relationships on grazed and ungrazed northern mixed-grass prairie

The annual carbon (C) budget of grasslands is highly dynamic, dependent on grazing history and on effects of interannual variability (IAV) in climate on carbon dioxide (CO₂) fluxes. Variability in climatic drivers may directly affect fluxes, but also may indirectly affect fluxes by altering the response of the biota to the environment, an effect termed ‘functional change’. We measured net ecosystem exchange of CO₂ (NEE) and its diurnal components, daytime ecosystem CO₂ exchange (P_D) and night‐time respiration (R_E), on grazed and ungrazed mixed‐grass prairie in North Dakota, USA, for five growing seasons. Our primary objective was to determine how climatic anomalies influence variability in CO₂ exchange. We used regression analysis to distinguish direct effects of IAV in climate on fluxes from functional change. Functional change was quantified as the improvement in regression on fitting a model in which slopes of flux–climate relationships vary among years rather than remain invariant. Functional change and direct effects of climatic variation together explained about 20% of variance in weekly means of NEE, P_D, and R_E. Functional change accounted for more than twice the variance in fluxes of direct effects of climatic variability. Grazing did not consistently influence the contribution of functional change to flux variability, but altered which environmental variable best explained year‐to‐year differences in flux–climate slopes, reduced IAV in seasonal means of fluxes, lessened the strength of flux–climate correlations, and increased NEE by reducing R_E relatively more than P_D. Most of these trends are consistent with the interpretation that grazing reduced the influence of plants on ecosystem fluxes. Because relationships between weekly values of fluxes and climatic regulators changed annually, year‐to‐year differences in the C balance of these ecosystems cannot be predicted from knowledge of IAV in climate alone.     

Eco-hydrological controls on summertime convective rainfall triggers

Triggers of summertime convective rainfall depend on numerous interactions and feedbacks, often compounded by spatial variability in soil moisture and its impacts on vegetation function, vegetation composition, terrain, and all the complex turbulent entrainment processes near the capping inversion. To progress even within the most restricted and idealized framework, many of the governing processes must be simplified and parameterized. In this work, a zeroth‐order representation of the dynamical processes that control convective rainfall triggers – namely land surface fluxes of heat and moisture – is proposed and used to develop a semianalytical model to explore how differential sensitivities of various ecosystems to soil moisture states modify convective rainfall triggers. The model is then applied to 4 years (2001–2004) of half‐hourly precipitation, soil moisture, environmental, and eddy‐covariance surface heat flux data collected at a mixed hardwood forest (HW), a maturing planted loblolly pine forest (PP), and an abandoned old field (OF) experiencing the same climatic and edaphic conditions. We found that the sensitivity of PP to soil moisture deficit enhances the trigger of convective rainfall relative to HW and OF, with enhancements of about 25% and 30% for dry moisture states, and 5% and 15% for moist soil moisture states, respectively. We discuss the broader implications of these findings on potential modulations of convective rainfall triggers induced by projected large‐scale changes in timberland composition within the Southeastern United States.     

The Endothelin/Sarafotoxin‐Induced Increase of the Proliferation of Undifferentiated and DMSO‐Differentiated GEM‐81 Goldfish Erythrophoroma Cells is Mediated by ETB Receptors

Endothelins (ETs) and sarafotoxins (SRTXs) have been reported to exert ET_B‐mediated effects on vertebrate pigment cells. GEM‐81 cell line, a red pigment cell‐derived cutaneous tumor of the teleost Carassius auratus, expresses ET_B receptors and can be differentiated with 1.5% DMSO treatment, thus constituting an useful model to investigate ET and SRTX effects on cultured fish pigment cells. Our aim was to characterize the pharmacology and biological effects mediated by ET receptors in DMSO‐differentiated and undifferentiated cells. ET subtype receptors and their respective Ki values in both cell types were determined by competitive binding assays using ¹²⁵I ET‐1 and BQ‐485 (an ET_A antagonist) or BQ‐788 (an ET_B antagonist). BQ‐788, but not BQ‐485, significantly reduced ¹²⁵I‐ET‐1 binding in both cell types, with similar low (Ki > nM) affinities. To determine the proliferation effects of ETs/SRTXs, cells were treated for 72 h with the hormones, and counted in a hemocytometer. The proliferation assays were repeated for SRTX S6c in the presence or absence of BQ‐788. The results demonstrated that, with the exception of ET‐1 (biphasic effect) and ET‐3 (no significant effect) in undifferentiated GEM‐81 cells, all the tested hormones induced increases in the proliferation of both types of cells. The hormones were equipotent in DMSO‐differentiated cells, which exhibited increased sensitivity to ETs, but not to SRTXs, as compared with undifferentiated cells. The BQ‐788 antagonistic effect was also exerted on the proliferation responses to SRTX S6c. These results corroborate the long and important evolutionary history of the ET/SRTX receptor system in vertebrate pigment cells.     

Evaluation of Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. evapotranspiration in Northern and Southern Italy

The design, operation, pollutant removal as well as hydraulic modeling of wetland systems for wastewater treatment can be improved by better understanding and simulating the evapotranspiration process. To this purpose, two experiments were carried out in Northern (Veneto region) and Southern (Sicily region) Italy to measure evapotranspiration (ET) and determine the crop coefficient of Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. using the FAO 56 approach. The experimental set-up consisted of a combination of vegetated and unvegetated plastic tanks (Veneto) or pilot sub-surface flow beds (Sicily). The ET values were obtained by measuring the amount of water needed to restore the initial volume in the tanks and in the beds after a certain period. All the needed climatic variables were measured and taken into account in the ET measurements. In the two experimental sites cumulative reference evapotranspiration (ET₀) was similar to the cumulative ET measured in the control tanks and beds (without vegetation, ET_con), while ET measured for P. australis (ET_phr) was significantly higher, underlining the strong effect of vegetation. From June 2009 to September 2009 the cumulative ET₀, ET_con and ET_phr in Veneto were 455, 424 and 3048 mm, in Sicily 653, 556 and 3899 mm, respectively. The plant coefficient trend of P. australis (K_p) estimated in Veneto was similar to that in Sicily, suggesting that the role of the plant in dispersing water is similar under different environmental conditions. Additional measurements made in the Veneto plant showed that K_p assumes different patterns and values in relation to plant age and growth stage. These results highlight the importance of the plants in regulating water losses from a wetland system, above all from small-scale constructed wetlands where the effect of the advection in ET rates is evident.     

Consequences of wildfire on ecosystem CO2 and water vapour fluxes in the Great Basin

Increased fire frequency in the Great Basin of North America's intermountain West has led to large‐scale conversion of native sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt.) communities to postfire successional communities dominated by native and non‐native annual species during the last century. The consequences of this conversion for basic ecosystem functions, however, are poorly understood. We measured net ecosystem CO₂ exchange (NEE) and evapotranspiration (ET) during the first two dry years after wildfire using a 4‐m diameter (16.4 m³) translucent static chamber (dome), and found that both NEE and ET were higher in a postfire successional ecosystem (?0.9–2.6 µ mol CO₂ m^?2 s^?1 and 0.0–1.0 mmol H₂O m^?2 s^?2, respectively) than in an adjacent intact sagebrush ecosystem (?1.2–2.3 µ mol CO₂ m^?2 s^?1 and ?0.1–0.8 mmol H₂O m^?2 s^?2, respectively) during relatively moist periods. Higher NEE in the postfire ecosystem appears to be due to lower rates of above‐ground plant respiration while higher ET appears to be caused by higher surface soil temperatures and increased soil water recharge after rains. These patterns disappeared or were reversed, however, when the conditions were drier. Daily net ecosystem productivity (NEP; g C m^?2 d^?1), derived from multiple linear regressions of measured fluxes with continuously measured climate variables, was very small (close to zero) throughout most of the year. The wintertime was an exception in the intact sagebrush ecosystem with C losses exceeding C gains leading to negative NEP while C balance of the postfire ecosystem remained near zero. Taken together, our results indicate that wildfire‐induced conversion of native sagebrush steppe to ecosystems dominated by herbaceous annual species may have little effect on C balance during relatively dry years (except in winter months) but may stimulate water loss immediately following fires.     

Long‐term successional forest dynamics: species and community responses to climatic variability

Question: Are trees sensitive to climatic variability, and do tree species differ in their responses to climatic variability? Does sensitivity of forest communities to climatic variability depend on stand composition? Location: Mixed young forest at Walker Branch Watershed near Oak Ridge, East Tennessee, USA. Methods: Using a long‐term dataset (1967–2006), we analyzed temporal forest dynamics at the tree and species level, and community dynamics for forest stands that differed in initial species composition (i.e., chestnut oak, oak–hickory, pine, and yellow poplar stands). Using summer drought and growing season temperature as defined climate drivers, we evaluated relationships between forest dynamics and climate across levels of organization. Results: Over the four‐decade study period, forest communities underwent successional change and substantially increased in biomass. Variation in summer drought and growing season temperature contributed to temporal biomass dynamics for some tree species, but not for others. Stand‐level responses to climatic variability were related to the responses of component species, except in pine stands. Pinus echinata, the dominant species in pine stands, decreased over time due to periodic outbreaks of pine bark beetle (Dendroctonus frontalis). These outbreaks at Walker Branch could not be directly related to climatic conditions. Conclusions: The results indicate that sensitivity of developing forests to climatic variability is stand type‐dependent, and hence is a function of species composition. However, in the long term, direct effects of climatic variability on forest dynamics may be small relative to autogenic successional processes or climate‐related insect outbreaks. Empirical studies testing for interactions between forest succession and climatic variability are needed.     

Evapotranspiration and water yield of a pine‐broadleaf forest are not altered by long‐term atmospheric [CO2] enrichment under native or enhanced soil fertility

Changes in evapotranspiration (ET) from terrestrial ecosystems affect their water yield (WY), with considerable ecological and economic consequences. Increases in surface runoff observed over the past century have been attributed to increasing atmospheric CO₂ concentrations resulting in reduced ET by terrestrial ecosystems. Here, we evaluate the water balance of a Pinus taeda (L.) forest with a broadleaf component that was exposed to atmospheric [CO₂] enrichment (ECO₂; +200 ppm) for over 17 years and fertilization for 6 years, monitored with hundreds of environmental and sap flux sensors on a half‐hourly basis. These measurements were synthesized using a one‐dimensional Richard's equation model to evaluate treatment differences in transpiration (T), evaporation (E), ET, and WY. We found that ECO₂ did not create significant differences in stand T, ET, or WY under either native or enhanced soil fertility, despite a 20% and 13% increase in leaf area index, respectively. While T, ET, and WY responded to fertilization, this response was weak (<3% of mean annual precipitation). Likewise, while E responded to ECO₂ in the first 7 years of the study, this effect was of negligible magnitude (<1% mean annual precipitation). Given the global range of conifers similar to P. taeda, our results imply that recent observations of increased global streamflow cannot be attributed to decreases in ET across all ecosystems, demonstrating a great need for model–data synthesis activities to incorporate our current understanding of terrestrial vegetation in global water cycle models.     

基于Biome-BGC模型的北方杨树人工林碳水通量对气候变化的响应研究

研究中国北方杨树人工林碳水通量对气候变化的响应,对于制定合理的经营管理措施以应对区域的气候变化具有重要意义。基于对杨树人工林碳水通量的连续监测数据和对Biome-BGC模型参数的校准,模拟分析杨树人工林碳水通量及水分利用效率(WUE)对气候变化(气温上升、降水变化和大气CO_2浓度上升)的响应规律。结果表明,Biome-BGC模型校准后显著提升了其对杨树人工林碳水通量的模拟精度,对GPP、ET模拟结果的Nash-Sutcliffe效率系数(NS)分别为0.69和0.63,各自提高了64.3%和80%,均方根误差(RMSE)则分别降低至1.94 g C m~(-2) d~(-1)和0.88 mm/d,分别下降了26.5%和25.4%。在未来气候变化情景中,单独的气温上升、降水增加和大气CO_2浓度上升分别造成GPP的降低、升高和升高,其中GPP对大气CO_2浓度上升的响应程度(28%—44%)远高于对气温上升(1%—5%)和降水变化(3%—10%)的,ET则主要受降水的影响,响应程度在5%—14%之间。GPP和ET对气候变化的响应则受不同水平的气温上升、降水变化和大气CO_2浓度上升三者综合作用的影响。基于GPP和ET对气候变化的响应,WUE随气温上升、降水增加表现为降低趋势,随降水减少和大气CO_2浓度升高则呈升高趋势;其对未来气候中大气CO_2浓度升高的响应程度为27.7%—43.6%,远高于对气温上升(1.2%—5.8%)和降水变化(1.2%—3.5%)的,说明未来气候变化中大气CO_2浓度上升是促进杨树生长的主要因素;其中相对于当前WUE(2.8 g C/kg H_2O),C2T2P1和C0T3P0情景下WUE的升高和降低幅度最大,分别为45.4%和5.8%。     

毛乌素沙地参考作物蒸散量变化特征与成因分析

根据毛乌素沙地典型站点近60年(1955—2014年)逐日气象数据,利用Penman-Monteith公式计算毛乌素沙地各气象站点参考作物蒸散量(reference crop evapotranspiration,ET_0)及研究区域内整体ET_0。Mann-Kendall趋势检验法和Arc GIS的协同克里格插值法用于分析ET_0时空变化特征,同时,利用敏感性分析方法对ET_0的变化成因进行分析。结果表明:(1)近60年毛乌素沙地ET_0多年平均值为1048.81mm,年际变化呈现缓慢上升趋势。年内变化夏季最高,冬季最低。区域内ET_0空间分布整体呈现自西向东递减趋势。(2)ET_0年变化对风速的敏感程度最大,日照时数和气温次之,相对湿度最小。春、秋两季ET_0变化对日照时数最为敏感;夏、冬两季ET_0变化对相对湿度最为敏感。空间分布上,毛乌素沙地东南部地区为气温敏感系数高值区,西北部地区为相对湿度和日照时数敏感系数高值区,南部为风速敏感系数高值区。(3)通过计算气象因子对ET_0变化的贡献量得出,气温是影响毛乌素沙地ET_0年变化的主导因子。夏季ET_0变化的主导因子是风速;春、秋、冬三季主导因子是气温。空间分布上,毛乌素沙地西南部地区ET_0变化的主导因子为风速,东部地区主导因子为气温。     

Effect of precipitation variability on net primary production and soil respiration in a Chihuahuan Desert grassland

Precipitation regimes are predicted to become more variable with more extreme rainfall events punctuated by longer intervening dry periods. Water‐limited ecosystems are likely to be highly responsive to altered precipitation regimes. The bucket model predicts that increased precipitation variability will reduce soil moisture stress and increase primary productivity and soil respiration in aridland ecosystems. To test this hypothesis, we experimentally altered the size and frequency of precipitation events during the summer monsoon (July through September) in 2007 and 2008 in a northern Chihuahuan Desert grassland in central New Mexico, USA. Treatments included (1) ambient rain, (2) ambient rain plus one 20 mm rain event each month, and (3) ambient rain plus four 5 mm rain events each month. Throughout two monsoon seasons, we measured soil temperature, soil moisture content (θ), soil respiration (R_s), along with leaf‐level photosynthesis (A_net), predawn leaf water potential (Ψ_pd), and seasonal aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) of the dominant C₄ grass, Bouteloua eriopoda. Treatment plots receiving a single large rainfall event each month maintained significantly higher seasonal soil θ which corresponded with a significant increase in R_s and ANPP of B. eriopoda when compared with plots receiving multiple small events. Because the strength of these patterns differed between years, we propose a modification of the bucket model in which both the mean and variance of soil water change as a consequence of interannual variability from 1 year to the next. Our results demonstrate that aridland ecosystems are highly sensitive to increased precipitation variability, and that more extreme precipitation events will likely have a positive impact on some aridland ecosystem processes important for the carbon cycle.     

1971-2010年中国大陆潜在蒸散变化的年代际转折及其成因

潜在蒸散时间演变的年代际转折研究有助于全面认识潜在蒸散对气候变化的响应。基于修正的FAO56 Penman-Monteith公式和中国580个台站逐日气象观测资料,利用气候变化趋势转折判别模型分析了1971—2010年中国潜在蒸散变化的年代际转折特征,并探讨转折前、后的变化趋势及其主导因素。结果表明:1971—2010年中国年平均潜在蒸散在20世纪90年代初期由显著下降(-2.46 mm/a)转变为显著上升(1.57 mm/a),这与影响潜在蒸散变化的4个气象因子趋势的年代际转折密切相关。90年代之前,全国风速和日照时数普遍下降引起的负贡献超过气温上升引起的正贡献,导致潜在蒸散显著下降;90年代之后,全国大部分地区的增暖加剧和干旱化使得气温和相对湿度的正贡献明显增大,超过由于风速和日照时数下降趋势减缓甚至转折而减小的负贡献,导致潜在蒸散显著上升。潜在蒸散趋势转折现象在全国80%以上的站点普遍存在,且转折前、后主导因子的空间分布格局存在差异。90年代之前,风速和日照时数分别是北方和南方多数站点的主导因子;90年代之后,以气温和相对湿度为主导因子的站点明显增多,尤其是在西北地区、青藏高原和东南沿海部分地区。     

Endothelin receptor in microvessels isolated from human meningiomas: Quantification with radioluminography

Summary 1. We characterized specific¹²⁵I-endothelin-1 (¹²⁵I-ET-1) binding sites in microvessels isolated from human meningiomas, using anin vitro quantitative receptor autoradiographic technique coupled to a radioluminographic imaging plate system.2. This newly developed and highly sensitive method revealed high-affinity ET receptors present in pellet sections of the microvessels from all the meningiomas studied, regardless of histological subtypes (dissociation constant, 1.2 ± 0.3 nM; maximum binding capacity, 185 ± 56 fmol/mg; means ± SE for nine tumors).3. In five cases of meningiomas, ET-3 competed for¹²⁵I-ET-1 binding to microvessels from those tumors with a low affinity [50% inhibiting concentration (IC₅₀) of 1.6 ± 0.4 × 10^–6 M], and a selective ET_B receptor agonist, sarafotoxin S6c, up to 10^–6 M, did not displace ET binding from the sections.4. In the sections of microvessels from four other tumors, biphasic competition curves were obtained in the case of incubation in the presence of increasing concentrations of ET-3, with an IC₅₀ of 1.1 ± 0.2 × 10^–9 M for the high-affinity component and 1.6 ± 0.3 × 10^–6 M for the low-affinity component, respectively. In addition, S6c competed for ET binding to those sections (IC₅₀=2.3 ± 0.2 × 10^–10 M) and 10^–6 M S6c displaced 30% of the control, corresponding to the high-affinity component of competition curves obtained in the presence of ET-3.5. Our results suggest that (a) capillaries in human meningiomas express a large number of high-affinity ET_A (non-ET_B) receptors with a small proportion of ET_B receptors, and (b) ET may have a role in neovascularization, tumor blood flow, and/or function of the blood-tumor barrier in meningioma tissues by interacting with specific receptors present on the surface of the endothelium.