The relationship between leaf growth and ABA accumulation in the grass leaf elongation zone

Detached barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) shoots, maintained at different air temperatures and VPDs, were fed ABA via the sub-crown internode in a leaf elongation assay. Analysis of variance of leaf elongation rate (LER) showed significant effects of temperature (T), fed [ABA] and the interaction T × [ABA]. However, the interaction became non-significant when LER was modelled against the [ABA] of the elongation zone, [EZ-ABA] When detached barley shoots were fed sap from droughted maize (Zea mays L.) plants, sap [ABA] could not explain the growth inhibitory activity. Measurement of [EZ-ABA] accounted for this ‘unexplained’ growth inhibition. The detached shoot experiments indicated that [EZ-ABA], and not xylem sap [ABA], was an appropriate explanatory variable to measure in droughted plants. However, ABA accumulation in the elongation zone could not explain a 35% growth reduction in intact droughted plants; thus we considered an interaction of water status and ABA. Using a coleoptile growth assay, we applied mild osmotic stresses (ψ=0 to ?0.06 MPa) and 10^?4 mol m^?3 ABA. Individually, these treatments did not inhibit growth. However, osmotic stress and ABA applied together significantly reduced growth. This interaction may be an important mechanism in explaining leaf growth inhibition of droughted plants.     

Effects of elevated carbon dioxide on green leaf tissue and leaf litter quality in an intact Mojave Desert ecosystem

The effects of elevated carbon dioxide (CO₂) on plant litter are critical determinants of ecosystem feedback to changing atmospheric CO₂ concentrations. We measured concentrations of nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) and calculated C : N ratios of green leaves of two desert perennial shrubs, and the same quality parameters plus lignin and cellulose content of leaf litter from four shrub species exposed to elevated CO₂ (FACE technology; Hendrey & Kimball, 1994 ) for 3 years in an intact Mojave Desert ecosystem. Shrubs tested were Larrea tridentata, Lycium pallidum, Lycium andersonii and Ambrosia dumosa. We calculated resorption efficiency from green tissue and leaf litter N data and measured lignin and cellulose content in litter in the last year study. Green leaves of L. tridentata grown under elevated CO₂ had significantly lower N concentrations and higher C : N ratios than shrubs grown in ambient conditions in 1999 (P < 0.05). Lycium pallidum green leaves grown under elevated CO₂ had significantly lower N concentrations and higher C : N ratios than shrubs grown under ambient conditions in 2000 (P < 0.05). There was no CO₂ effect on C content of either species. We found no effect of CO₂ on N or C content, C : N ratios, or lignin or cellulose concentrations in leaf litter of L. tridentata, L. pallidum, L. andersonii, or A. dumosa. There was no significant effect of CO₂ on estimates of shrub resorption efficiency. There was a seasonal effect on green tissue and litter tissue quality for L. tridentata, with lower tissue N content in summer than in spring or winter months. These data suggest that any productivity increases with elevated CO₂ in desert ecosystems may not be limited by lower leaf litter quality and that resorption efficiency calculations are best performed on an individual leaf basis.     

Evolution of the leaf economics spectrum in herbs: Evidence from environmental divergences in leaf physiology across Helianthus (Asteraceae)

The leaf economics spectrum (LES) describes a major axis of plant functional trait variation worldwide, defining suites of leaf traits aligned with resource‐acquisitive to resource‐conservative ecological strategies. The LES has been interpreted to arise from leaf‐level trade‐offs among ecophysiological traits common to all plants. However, it has been suggested that the defining leaf‐level trade‐offs of the LES may not hold within specific functional groups (e.g., herbs) nor within many groups of closely related species, which challenges the usefulness of the LES paradigm across evolutionary scales. Here, we examine the evolution of the LES across 28 species of the diverse herbaceous genus Helianthus (the sunflowers), which occupies a wide range of habitats and climate variation across North America. Using a phylogenetic comparative approach, we find repeated evolution of more resource‐acquisitive LES strategies in cooler, drier, and more fertile environments. We also find macroevolutionary correlations among LES traits that recapitulate aspects of the global LES, but with one major difference: leaf mass per area is uncorrelated with leaf lifespan. This indicates that whole‐plant processes likely drive variation in leaf lifespan across Helianthus, rather than leaf‐level trade‐offs. These results suggest that LES patterns do not reflect universal physiological trade‐offs at small evolutionary scales.     

Effect of snow removal on leaf water potential,soil moisture,leaf and soil nutrient status and leaf peroxidase activity of sugar maple

Effect of removal of snow cover in winter was investigated in an 80-year-old sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) stand in southern Quebec. We hypothesized that winter soil frost would induce some of the decline symptoms observed in sugar maple stands in southern Quebec in the early 1980's. Snow was continuously removed from around trees for a one week (partial removal) or for a four-month period (complete removal) during the 1990–1991 winter. Foliage and soils were sampled periodically during the summer of 1991. The complete snow removal treated trees showed decreased leaf water potential and increased peroxidase activity over most of the growing season. Foliar Ca was reduced in both snow removal treatments early in the growing season while foliar N was reduced in the complete snow removal trees late in the growing season. Soil NO ₃ ^– and K⁺ were elevated in both snow removal treatments at various times throughout the growing season. Prolonged soil frost in a sugar maple stand can induce lower leaf water potential, higher leaf peroxidase activity and early leaf senescence during the following growing season. Soil frost may have reduced nutrient uptake without affecting significantly the leaf nutrient status.     

Influence of large termitaria on soil characteristics, soil water regime, and tree leaf shedding pattern in a West African savanna

Termitaria are major sites of functional heterogeneity in tropical ecosystems, through their strong influence on soil characteristics, in particular soil physico-chemical properties and water status. These factors have important consequences on nutrient availability for plants, plant spatial distribution, and vegetation dynamics. However, comprehensive information about the influence of termite-rehandled soil on soil water regime is lacking. In a humid shrubby savanna, we characterized the spatial variations in soil texture, soil structure and maximum soil water content available for plants (AWC max) induced by a large termite mound, at three deepths (0–0.10, 0.20–0.30 and 0.50–0.60 m). In addition, during a three month period at the end of the rainy season, soil water potential was surveyed by matrix sensors located on the termite mound and in the surrounding soil at the same depths and for the 80–90 cm layer. Concurrently, the leaf shedding patterns of two coexisting deciduous shrub species exhibiting contrasted soil water uptake patterns were compared for individuals located on termite mounds and in undisturbed control areas. For all the soil layers studied, clay and silt contents were higher for the mound soil. Total soil clods porosity was higher on the mound than in control areas, particularly in the 0.20-0.60 m layer, and mound soil exhibited a high shrinking/swelling capacity. AWC_max of the 0-0.60 m soil layer was substantially higher on the termite mound (112 mm) than in the surroundings (84 mm). Furthermore, during the beginning of the dry season, soil water potential measured in situ for the 0.20-0.90 m soil layer was higher on the mound than in the control soil. In contrast, soil water potential of the 0-0.10 m soil layer was similar on the mound and in the control soil. In the middle of the dry season, the leaf shedding pattern of Crossopteryx febrifuga shrubs (which have limited access to soil layers below 0.60 m) located on mounds was less pronounced than that of individuals located on control soil. In contrast, the leaf shedding pattern of the shrub Cussonia barteri (which has a good access to deep soil layers) was not influenced by the termite mound. We conclude that in this savanna ecosystem, termite mounds appear as peculiar sites which exhibit improved soil water availability for plants in upper soil layers, and significantly influence aspects of plant function. Implications of these results for understanding and modelling savanna function and dynamics, and particularly competitive interactions between plant species, are discussed.     

Earlier leaf senescence dates are constrained by soil moisture

The unprecedented warming that has occurred in recent decades has led to later autumn leaf senescence dates (LSD) throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Yet, great uncertainties still exist regarding the strength of these delaying trends, especially in terms of how soil moisture affects them. Here we show that changes in soil moisture in 1982–2015 had a substantial impact on autumn LSD in one-fifth of the vegetated areas in the Northern Hemisphere (>30° N), and how it contributed more to LSD variability than either temperature, precipitation or radiation. We developed a new model based on soil-moisture-constrained cooling degree days (CDD_SM) to characterize the effects of soil moisture on LSD and compared its performance with the CDD, Delpierre and spring-influenced autumn models. We show that the CDD_SM model with inputs of temperature and soil moisture outperformed the three other models for LSD modelling and had an overall higher correlation coefficient (R), a lower root mean square error and lower Akaike information criterion (AIC) between observations and model predictions. These improvements were particularly evident in arid and semi-arid regions. We studied future LSD using the CDD_SM model under two scenarios (SSP126 and SSP585) and found that predicted LSD was 4.1 ± 1.4 days and 5.8 ± 2.8 days earlier under SSP126 and SSP585, respectively, than other models for the end of this century. Our study therefore reveals the importance of soil moisture in regulating autumn LSD and, in particular, highlights how coupling this effect with LSD models can improve simulations of the response of vegetation phenology to future climate change.     

柳树叶浸提液对蛋白核小球藻的化感作用

通过对蛋白核小球藻进行细胞密度的测定,分析了不同浓度的柳树(Salix babylonica)叶浸提液对蛋白核小球藻(Chlorella pyrenoidosa)生长和细胞形态的影响。结果表明：柳树叶浸提液对蛋白核小球藻具有化感作用,不同浓度的浸提液化感作用强度不同;作用96 h的半效应浓度(EC₅₀,_{96 h}值)为11.82 g·L^-1,较低浓度(10和20 g·L^-1)浸提液对蛋白核小球藻表现出先抑制后促进的作用特性,而较高浓度（30 g·L^-1）浸提液则始终表现出抑制效果;10、20和30 g·L^-1浸提液对蛋白核小球藻的最大抑制率分别为37.5%、39.3%和56.5%;柳树叶浸提液作用下,部分蛋白核小球藻细胞平均颗粒体积增大,颜色变透明,膨胀后溶解;低浓度浸提液处理组少数细胞聚集在一起,高浓度浸提液处理组细胞大量聚集,形成多细胞群体,多数沉于瓶底,沉降性能增强。     

Organic manure additions and the leaf water potential and yield of barley

The effect of adding organic manure to three soils with differing textures on changes in leaf water potential (LWP) and yield of barley (cv. Loyola) was investigated under controlled growth-chamber conditions. Cattle manure was applied to the soils in pots at rates equivalent to 0, 15, 25, 50 and 100 t ha^-1. Plants were subjected to water stress by withholding water at three different stages of grwoth.The results show that the addition of cattle manure significantly increased (p<-0.05) the organic carbon (OC) content of all the soils. LWP remained consistently high during the entire growing period in the control plants. As stress progressed, LWP in the stressed plants decreased. However, treatments with high OC contents had significantly higher LWP compared to those which had less. The former plants experienced less water stress than the latter.Yields were higher in the control than stressed plants. Within the stressed plants however, treatments with high OC content had significantly higher yields. An effect of soil texture was also noted. Generally, the influence of manure application on LWP and yields were more pronounced in sand and loam than clay soils.     

Nitrate assimilation in leaf blades of wheat of different age

A field experiment on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) ev. Shera grown at 120 kg N ha^?1 was conducted. Half of the dose of fertilizer N was applied at the pre-sowing stage and the other half when the seedlings were one month old. The leaf blades were examined for their NO₃^? content and NO₃^? assimilatory activity at various stages of growth and development. Soil nitrate level at 50 cm depth was determined throughout the wheat growing season in terms of cencentration (μg/ml) and total amount (kg ha^?1). The upper leaf blades were examined for their capacity to assimilate NO₃^?. Highly significant correlation between NR (nitrate reductase) activity and NO₃^? content in the leaf blades. NR activity and soil NO₃^?, and between soil NO₃^? and leaf blade NO₃^? was observed. Findings on low soil NO₃^? status during the reproductive phase and the capacity of the upper leaf blades to assimilate additional amounts of NO₃^?, point to the need for developing a programme of soil fertilizer application whereby all the leaf blades can utilize the NO₃^? optimally and thus result in greater N harvest.     

Monitoring leaf nitrogen accumulation in wheat with hyper-spectral remote sensing

The water-retaining capacity, percolation and evaporation of stony soil in Liupan Mountains, China, were measured in order to understand the effect of rock fragments on soil hydrological processes. The results indicated that the effective water-retaining capacity of soil is positively related with the volumetric content of rock fragments, but there is no relation between saturated water-retaining capacity and rock fragment content. For the soil layers within 0–40 cm, the steady infiltration rate increases with increasing volumetric content of rock fragments until it reaches the range of 15%–20%, and then it decreases when the rock fragment content further increases. For the soil layers below 40 cm, the steady infiltration rate always increases with increasing rock fragment content. The soil evaporation rate decreases with increasing volumetric content of rock fragments when it varies in the range of 0–20%, while the soil evaporation rate keeps basically stable when the rock fragment content is higher than 20%. The soil evaporation rate shows a rising tendency with increasing size of rock fragments.     

内蒙古草地叶片磷含量与土壤有效磷的关系

植物体内特别是叶片的P含量特征及其与环境的关系一直是植物生理生态学研究的一个热点。已有研究发现, 与全球植物数据相比, 中国植物叶片的P含量相对较低, 导致N/P高于全球平均水平, 并推测这是由于中国土壤全P含量较低引起的。该研究选取内蒙古草地来验证这一假设, 分析了36个样地57种优势植物叶片的P含量与土壤全P和有效P含量的关系。主要结果如下: 内蒙古草地叶片P含量较低而N/P较高, 与之前的研究结论一致; 在种群、样地和物种3个水平上, 叶片P含量、N/P与土壤P含量都没有显著的相关关系, 尽管土壤有效P含量的解释力高于土壤全P; 另一方面, 内蒙古草地土壤的有效P含量与全国土壤普查的结果接近, 高于美国及澳大利亚的平均值, 但低于世界土壤信息库里报道的全球土壤有效P平均值。鉴于内蒙古草地土壤的全P和有效P含量都不能准确反映叶片P含量, 且土壤的有效P含量也并不明显低于世界其他地区, 因此植物叶片P含量低、N/P高是由于土壤P含量低引起的这一假设在内蒙古草地不成立, 而且叶片P含量也与土壤P的可利用性无关。     

A global study of relationships between leaf traits, climate and soil measures of nutrient fertility

Aim This first global quantification of the relationship between leaf traits and soil nutrient fertility reflects the trade‐off between growth and nutrient conservation. The power of soils versus climate in predicting leaf trait values is assessed in bivariate and multivariate analyses and is compared with the distribution of growth forms (as a discrete classification of vegetation) across gradients of soil fertility and climate. Location All continents except for Antarctica. Methods Data on specific leaf area (SLA), leaf N concentration (LNC), leaf P concentration (LPC) and leaf N:P were collected for 474 species distributed across 99 sites (809 records), together with abiotic information from each study site. Individual and combined effects of soils and climate on leaf traits were quantified using maximum likelihood methods. Differences in occurrence of growth form across soil fertility and climate were determined by one‐way ANOVA. Results There was a consistent increase in SLA, LNC and LPC with increasing soil fertility. SLA was related to proxies of N supply, LNC to both soil total N and P and LPC was only related to proxies of P supply. Soil nutrient measures explained more variance in leaf traits among sites than climate in bivariate analysis. Multivariate analysis showed that climate interacted with soil nutrients for SLA and area‐based LNC. Mass‐based LNC and LPC were determined mostly by soil fertility, but soil P was highly correlated to precipitation. Relationships of leaf traits to soil nutrients were stronger than those of growth form versus soil nutrients. In contrast, climate determined distribution of growth form more strongly than it did leaf traits. Main conclusions We provide the first global quantification of the trade‐off between traits associated with growth and resource conservation ‘strategies’ in relation to soil fertility. Precipitation but not temperature affected this trade‐off. Continuous leaf traits might be better predictors of plant responses to nutrient supply than growth form, but growth forms reflect important aspects of plant species distribution with climate.     

紫花苜蓿叶性状对干旱的阶段性响应

通过盆栽控水试验,研究了不同生育时期陇东苜蓿(Medicago sativa L.cv.Longdong)叶性状对不同程度干旱的响应。结果表明:(1)随干旱加重,叶干物质含量(LDMC)、叶氮含量(LN)、比叶重(LMA)、叶厚(LT)上升,叶面积(LA)减小,叶磷含量(LP)无明显变化,叶绿素含量(Chl)和叶长宽比(L/W)波动较大。(2)随生育时期的延长,LT、LDMC、L/W和LA变化不明显,LN下降,LP呈倒"V"型趋势,LMA和Chl波动较大。(3)L/W与LN、LT显著负相关;LDMC与LT、LMA显著正相关;LMA与LT、LN显著正相关,与L/W、LP显著负相关;LN与LT显著正相关;LA与LP显著正相关,与LDMC、LMA、LN显著负相关;Chl与其他叶性状均不相关。尽管干旱下陇东苜蓿不同生育时期叶性状响应并未表现出一致的变化,叶性状的差异性变化还是部分反映了陇东苜蓿适应干旱而采取的综合策略。从不同生育时期的差异性反应角度出发,探讨干旱下的叶性状响应是阐明优良牧草紫花苜蓿水分适应性的新的尝试。     

沙拐枣叶功能性状对生境变化的响应

【目的】揭示民勤地区沙拐枣叶功能性状在不同生境的变异规律,探明沙拐枣对干旱荒漠环境的适应策略。【方法】以民勤绿洲-荒漠过渡带沙拐枣(Calligonum mongolicum)为对象,采用样方法采集样株东西南北4个方向中部生长良好的叶片,用土钻采集植株根系附近深度为0—60 cm的土壤样本,比较分析丘间低地与流动沙丘2种生境下沙拐枣叶功能性状特征及相关性,揭示沙拐枣叶功能性状与土壤因子的关系。【结果】(1)沙拐枣叶功能性状的变异系数介于2.39%～24.94%,比叶面积(SLA)变异系数最大(24.94%),稳定碳同位素(δ¹³C)变异系数最小(2.39%);沙拐枣叶片的全碳(LCC)、全磷(LPC)含量在样地之间存在显著差异,而SLA、LPC在2种生境间存在显著差异。(2)在丘间低地与流动沙丘2种生境下沙拐枣叶片含水量(LWC)与干物质含量(LDMC)分别呈极显著、显著负相关关系,LWC是2种生境下沙拐枣叶功能性状中综合排名前3的共同指标因子。(3)全氮(STN)、pH值和土壤含水量(SMC)是影响民勤沙拐枣叶功能性状变异的主要土壤因子。【结论】沙拐枣通过改变叶...     

水稻覆膜旱作对根叶性状、土壤养分和土壤微生物活性的影响

研究了水稻覆膜旱作、裸地旱作、常规水作处理对根系形态、叶片水势、土壤养分、土壤微生物数量和土壤酶活性的影响。结果表明,覆膜旱作能改善水稻田间的生态环境,提高早季土壤温度1～3℃。与裸地旱作相比,覆膜旱作能增加抽穗期水稻根系的总根长、比根长,而这些指标与常规水作差别不大。在水稻抽穗期,无论是剑叶还是倒2叶的水势,均有如下趋势：水作〉覆膜旱作〉裸地旱作,但均未达到显著水平。不同处理对叶片叶绿素含量的影响在分蘖期差异不大,中后期覆膜旱作明显高于裸地旱作和常规水作,抽穗期分别增加29．44％和15．15％,成熟期则为74．4％、38．9％。覆膜旱作能显著增加水稻的有效穗数,早季和晚季产量比裸地旱作增产10．6％和12．5％,而与常规水作差别不大。与裸地旱作和常规水作相比,覆膜旱作土壤养分含量在分蘖期除了全磷、速效氮显著增加外,其他指标差异不大。而抽穗期则由于覆膜后作物对养分的消耗加大从而使土壤养分含量下降,特别是总磷、速效磷、速效钾与常规水作相比显著下降,分别降低25．9％,31．9％,16．2％。而成熟期则大多指标与常规水作相比有所下降,但未达到显著水平。与常规水作栽培相比,覆膜旱作能增加土壤微生物细菌、真菌、放线菌2．5倍,显著增加土壤过氧化氢酶和蔗糖酶的活性,而土壤脲酶活性则差异不大。土壤过氧化氢酶活性在分蘖期、抽穗期、成熟期分别增加13．8％,81．3％,17．4％,蔗糖酶活性则分别增加42．8％,28．8％和69．9％。     

Species-dependent responses of soil microbial properties to fresh leaf inputs in a subtropical forest soil in South China

Aims Forest disturbance from extreme weather events due to climate change could increase the contribution of fresh green leaves to the litter layer of soil and subsequently alter the composition and activity of the soil microbial properties and soil carbon cycling. The objective of this study was to compare the effect of naturally fallen litter and fresh leaves on the soil microbial community composition and their activities.Methods Fresh leaves and normal fallen litter were collected from four tree species (Pinus elliottii, Schima superba, Acacia mangium, A. auriculaeformis) in subtropical China and mixed with soil. Soil microbial community composition was determined using PLFAs, and its activity was quantified by soil respiration. During a 12-month period, the decomposition rate of litter was measured bimonthly using a litterbag method. Soil microbial samples were collected after 6 and 12 months. Soil respiration was measured monthly.Important findings We found that fresh leaves decomposed faster than their conspecific fallen litter. Although total microbial biomass and bacterial biomass were similar among treatments, soil fungal biomass was higher in fresh leaf than fallen litter treatments, resulting in greater values of the Fungal phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs)/Bacterial PLFAs ratio. Fungal PLFA values were greater for Schima superba than the other species. The effect of litter type on soil respiration was species-dependent. Specifically, fallen litter released 35% more CO₂ than fresh leaves of the conifer P. elliottii. The opposite pattern was observed in the broadleaf species whose fresh leaf treatments emitted 17%–32% more CO₂ than fallen litter. Given future predictions that global climate change will cause more disturbances to forests, these results indicate that conifer and broadleaf forests in subtropical China may respond differently to increased fresh litter inputs, with net soil microbial respiration decreasing in conifer forests and increasing in broadleaf forests.