13C脉冲标记揭示放牧对高寒草甸同化碳分配的影响

放牧是人类对草地进行利用的重要方式之一, 放牧影响草地生态系统的结构和功能, 改变植物光合碳(C)分配, 进而改变土壤有机碳的储存。青藏高原的高寒草甸是世界上海拔最高的草地生态系统, 寒冷季节长等独特的环境特点使其具有高的土壤有机碳含量。为了揭示长期轻度放牧对植物光合碳分配及植物光合碳在各库之间运移的影响, 基于在青藏高原矮嵩草草甸开展的长期冬季轻度放牧和围栏封育实验, 利用 ¹³C示踪方法揭示了放牧对光合碳在植物地上、地下组织的分配以及光合碳在植物、土壤各碳库中的运移和滞留。研究结果发现, 在 ¹³C标记之后第30天, 冬季轻度放牧样地的植物地上部分内 ¹³C约占开始时 ¹³C含量的32%, 根和土壤中的 ¹³C约占22%, 植物地上部分呼吸中的 ¹³C量约占30%。在放牧和围封这两个不同处理中, 土壤中光合碳的滞留以及光合碳随土壤呼吸释放的速率存在显著差异。长期冬季轻度放牧促使植物将更多的光合碳输入到根和土壤碳库中。与围栏封育处理相比较, 放牧处理下的 ¹³C从植物地上部分输入到地下的速率较快, 通过土壤呼吸释放的速率也快, 而植物地上部分和植物地上部分呼吸中 ¹³C的量较低。另外, 高寒矮嵩草草甸土壤C储量在冬季轻度放牧和围栏封育处理下没有显著差异。我们的研究表明, 尽管冬季轻度放牧改变了植物光合碳分配在地上和地下碳库中的分配, 但是没有显著影响土壤碳库储量。     

The intramolecular ¹³C-distribution in ethanol reveals the influence of the CO₂ -fixation pathway and environmental conditions on the site-specific ¹³C variation in glucose

Efforts to understand the cause of ¹²C versus ¹³C isotope fractionation in plants during photosynthesis and post‐photosynthetic metabolism are frustrated by the lack of data on the intramolecular ¹³C‐distribution in metabolites and its variation with environmental conditions. We have exploited isotopic carbon‐13 nuclear magnetic resonance (¹³C NMR) spectrometry to measure the positional isotope composition (δ¹³C_i, ‰) in ethanol samples from different origins: European wines, liquors and sugars from C₃, C₄ and crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) plants. In C₃‐ethanol samples, the methylene group was always ¹³C‐enriched (～2‰) relative to the methyl group. In wines, this pattern was correlated with both air temperature and δ¹⁸O of wine water, indicating that water vapour deficit may be a critical defining factor. Furthermore, in C₄‐ethanol, the reverse relationship was observed (methylene‐C relatively ¹³C‐depleted), supporting the concept that photorespiration is the key metabolic process leading to the ¹³C distribution in C₃‐ethanol. By contrast, in CAM‐ethanol, the isotopic pattern was similar to but stronger than C₃‐ethanol, with a relative ¹³C‐enrichment in the methylene‐C of up to 13‰. Plausible causes of this ¹³C‐pattern are briefly discussed. As the intramolecular δ¹³C_i‐values in ethanol reflect that in source glucose, our data point out the crucial impact on the ratio of metabolic pathways sustaining glucose synthesis.     

Variation in bulk‐leaf 13C discrimination,leaf traits and water‐use efficiency–trait relationships along a continental‐scale climate gradient in Australia

Large spatial and temporal gradients in rainfall and temperature occur across Australia. This heterogeneity drives ecological differentiation in vegetation structure and ecophysiology. We examined multiple leaf‐scale traits, including foliar ¹³C isotope discrimination (Δ¹³C), rates of photosynthesis and foliar N concentration and their relationships with multiple climate variables. Fifty‐five species across 27 families were examined across eight sites spanning contrasting biomes. Key questions addressed include: (i) Does Δ¹³C and intrinsic water‐use efficiency (WUE_i) vary with climate at a continental scale? (ii) What are the seasonal and spatial patterns in Δ¹³C/WUE_i across biomes and species? (iii) To what extent does Δ¹³C reflect variation in leaf structural, functional and nutrient traits across climate gradients? and (iv) Does the relative importance of assimilation and stomatal conductance in driving variation in Δ¹³C differ across seasons? We found that MAP, temperature seasonality, isothermality and annual temperature range exerted independent effects on foliar Δ¹³C/WUE_i. Temperature‐related variables exerted larger effects than rainfall‐related variables. The relative importance of photosynthesis and stomatal conductance (g_s) in determining Δ¹³C differed across seasons: Δ¹³C was more strongly regulated by g_s during the dry‐season and by photosynthetic capacity during the wet‐season. Δ¹³C was most strongly correlated, inversely, with leaf mass area ratio among all leaf attributes considered. Leaf N_mass was significantly and positively correlated with MAP during dry‐ and wet‐seasons and with moisture index (MI) during the wet‐season but was not correlated with Δ¹³C. Leaf P_mass showed significant positive relationship with MAP and Δ¹³C only during the dry‐season. For all leaf nutrient‐related traits, the relationships obtained for Δ¹³C with MAP or MI indicated that Δ¹³C at the species level reliably reflects the water status at the site level. Temperature and water availability, not foliar nutrient content, are the principal factors influencing Δ¹³C across Australia.     

Can the progressive increase of C4 bundle sheath leakiness at low PFD be explained by incomplete suppression of photorespiration?

The ability to concentrate CO₂ around Rubisco allows C₄ crops to suppress photorespiration. However, as phosphoenolpyruvate regeneration requires ATP, the energetic efficiency of the C₄ pathway at low photosynthetic flux densities (PFD) becomes a balancing act between primary fixation and concentration of CO₂ in mesophyll (M) cells, and CO₂ reduction in bundle sheath (BS) cells. At low PFD, retro‐diffusion of CO₂ from BS cells, relative to the rate of bicarbonate fixation in M cells (termed leakiness φ), is known to increase. This paper investigates whether this increase in ? could be explained by incomplete inhibition of photorespiration. The PFD response of φ was measured at various O₂ partial pressures in young Zea mays plants grown at 250 (LL) and 750 µmol m^?2 s^?1 PFD (HL). φ increased at low PFD and was positively correlated with O₂ partial pressure. Low PFD during growth caused BS conductance and interveinal distance to be lower in the LL plants, compared to the HL plants, which correlated with lower φ. Model analysis showed that incomplete inhibition of photorespiration, especially in the HL plants, and an increase in the relative contribution of mitochondrial respiration at low PFD could explain the observed increases in φ.     

沙棘属植物叶片碳稳定同位素含量与气候的关系

本试验以131个沙棘属植物种群为研究对象,通过测定其叶片碳稳定同位素(δ¹³C)值,分析了碳稳定同位素特征与环境因子之间的关系。结果表明: 沙棘属植物叶片的δ¹³C值介于-24.65‰～-29.11‰,平均值为-26.97‰,属于C3植物,叶片δ¹³C值变异系数为种内大于种间,表明环境因子是影响沙棘属植物叶片δ¹³C含量变化的主导因素。沙棘属植物叶片的δ¹³C值与经纬度的变化无显著相关,与海拔呈显著负相关。通过建立回归方程: δ¹³C(‰)=0.118VAP-0.007GST-0.000028RDA-20.721(R²=0.212,P<0.0001),说明影响沙棘属叶片δ¹³C值最主要的因素是水蒸气压(VAP)、生长季温度(GST)和太阳辐射(RDA)。研究结果可为沙棘属植物对全球气候变化的响应提供理论依据。     

Natural 13C distribution in oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) and consequences for allocation pattern

Oil palm has now become one of the most important crops, palm oil representing nearly 25% of global plant oil consumption. Many studies have thus addressed oil palm ecophysiology and photosynthesis‐based models of carbon allocation have been used. However, there is a lack of experimental data on carbon fixation and redistribution within palm trees, and important C‐sinks have not been fully characterized yet. Here, we carried out extensive measurement of natural ¹³C‐abundance (δ¹³C) in oil palm tissues, including fruits at different maturation stages. We find a ¹³C‐enrichment in heterotrophic organs compared to mature leaves, with roots being the most ¹³C‐enriched. The δ¹³C in fruits decreased during maturation, reflecting the accumulation in ¹³C‐depleted lipids. We further used observed δ¹³C values to compute plausible carbon fluxes using a steady‐state model of ¹³C‐distribution including metabolic isotope effects (¹²v/¹³v). The results suggest that fruits represent a major respiratory loss (≈39% of total tree respiration) and that sink organs such as fruits are fed by sucrose from leaves. That is, glucose appears to be a quantitatively important compound in palm tissues, but computations indicate that it is involved in dynamic starch metabolism rather that C‐exchange between organs.     

Simple and robust method for estimation of the split between the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway and the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway in microorganisms

The flux through the oxidative pentose phosphate (PP) pathway was estimated in Bacillus clausii, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Penicillium chrysogenum growing in chemostats with [1-(13)C]glucose as the limiting substrate. The flux calculations were based on a simple algebraic expression that is valid irrespective of isotope rearrangements arising from reversibilities of the reactions in the PP pathway and the upper part of the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway. The algebraically calculated fluxes were validated by comparing the results with estimates obtained using a numerical method that includes the entire central carbon metabolism. Setting the glucose uptake rate to 100, the algebraic expression yielded estimates of the PP pathway flux in B. clausii, S. cerevisiae, and P. chrysogenum of 20, 42, and 75, respectively. These results are in accordance with the results from the numerical method. The information on the labeling patterns of glucose and the proteinogenic amino acids were obtained using gas chromatography / mass spectrometry, which is a very sensitive technique, and therefore only a small amount of biomass is needed for the analysis. Furthermore, the method developed in this study is fast and readily accessible, as the calculations are based on a simple algebraic expression.     

Stable Isotope Analysis Reveals Detrital Resource Base Sources of the Tree Hole Mosquito, Aedes triseriatus

1. Detritus that forms the basis for mosquito production in tree hole ecosystems can vary in type and timing of input. We investigated the contributions of plant- and animal-derived detritus to the biomass of Aedes triseriatus (Say) pupae and adults by using stable isotope ((15)N and (13)C) techniques in lab experiments and field collections.2. Lab-reared mosquito isotope values reflected their detrital resource base, providing a clear distinction between mosquitoes reared on plant or animal detritus.3. Isotope values from field-collected pupae were intermediate between what would be expected if a single (either plant or animal) detrital source dominated the resource base. However, mosquito isotope values clustered most closely with plant-derived values, and a mixed feeding model analysis indicated tree floral parts contributed approximately 80% of mosquito biomass. The mixed model also indicated that animal detritus contributed approximately 30% of mosquito tissue nitrogen.4. Pupae collected later in the season generally had isotope values that were consistent with an increased contribution from animal detritus, suggesting this resource became more nutritionally important for mosquitoes as plant inputs declined over the summer.